How to seal Etac paint between coats?...

[C0y0te]

Howdy. I just bought some Etac AG opti film 2050 thinking that I could spray some over an area previously painted (Etac EFX), making it no longer water soluble and harder to scratch. But despite using a hair drier it doesn't appear to have done anything at all. Paint is still removable with a damp/wet brush and scratches as easily as before. So two questions:

1) What is the AG medium for?
2) What can I use to seal the paint and then paint again on top of later?

I need something that has a matte effect because I only want to use it on certain areas of the painting and varnish it properly as a whole later. Thanks in advance.

 

[Malky]

What e'tac are you using? I get the impression that the AG 2050 is intended for e'tac private stock, it is stated that it's supposed to protect your work and can be used like a varnish, they recommended a few minutes with a hair drier or leave 48 hours to dry

If I wanted to do what you want to do I would just use an acrylic matt varnish, I would guess your 2050 is mixing with your original paintwork which might be holding back drying, assuming you might be using e'tac efx or Marissa.

 

[AndreZA]

I use it in my EFX but it still does not make it as hard as Createx or other acrylics/inks. I've never put it over my work. I use Schmincke Aero medium to seal my work.

 

[Robbyrockett2]

Liquitex matte varnish, barely even needs thinned to spray from a brush.
There are also some water-resistant fixant sprays that soak in at art shops which might be worth a test if you dont want it to have a coating per say. IDK how well theyd soak in to etac

 

[C0y0te]

Thanks everyone. Back to Winsor and Newton for me then.

Have to say that there is very little information on the internet about this medium; mostly details about it's chemical components and marketing talk regarding it's 'myriad uses'. Hence my coming here.

The pdf file claims that it's useful for 'many acrylic paints' and that it dries to become water resistant. Apart from when used with their own EFX paint it seems. I've applied several coats and used a hair drier but the paint still is scrapable with a finger nail and comes off with the wipe of a wet paint brush. And that's 48 hours later.

The information I had found online makes it sound like it behaves like an acrylic matt medium which when added to gouache lends the gouache acrylic properties e.g it's fixed, no longer water soluble and can be painted on top of without picking the paint up underneath. I'm glad I never bought the large bottle because it doesn't come cheap.

 

[Ronald art]

Etac paints do work together but this is a catch : you can use efx over PS or the AG 2050 but if you want to use PS or AG 2050 over EFX you will need to add either extend air ( trans base for PS ) or AG2050 to the EFX before you spray it if you only use the EFX with or without reduce base the PS or AG 2050 wont stick to the EFX and there in lies your problem

 

[C0y0te]

Thanks for that useful info Ronald.

 

[Ronald art]

it is the difference between the PS and the EFX , the PS isnt made for fine art but was made for T shirt art and the EFX is made for fine art the AG 2050 or autograph 2050 it made to make the PS stronger and beter suited for automotive art
you can change PS and EFX by adding the transparent base suited for either PS in case of EFX but you can do the same with the PS by adding the trans base for EFX
the AG 2050 cant be changed and it needs about 24 hours to cure after you have heat set is and you can use a heat gun to heat set it as it wont burn the same goes for PS I tested it my self on a piece of metal that had factory paint on it : I sprayed different colors PS on that metal and took my heat gun to it ip to the point the factory paint started to melt but the PS didnt melt or burn

 

[Leakyvalve]

One of the big selling points for EFX is the erasability. But that automatacilly came with being a fragile paint.

@Ronald art Do you remember back when one of the big complaints about E'tec were the additives. People would say " I shouldn't have to be a chemist " to use a paint line and that it was confusing.

If you look where createx is now, they have adopted the same idea. Give the artist flexibility to custom taylor the paint for the situation.

 

[Ronald art]

I know a lot off people got confused by the etac additives mainly due to the fact Bill Edwards talks and describes then as a chemist but in fact it is real easy once you can see past the chemist talk and start to understand both paint systems
now the autograph 2050 is a different ball game as it can be used for any acrylic paint to improve the flow but you will loose any kind of erasability in the proces .
As you all may know I only use etac paints and I had to chance to test the autograph 2050 before it hit the market and I only use it with the PS series and to seal artwork on hard surface before I send it of for clear as in allows me to 'sand' down any mask lines that may be in the artwork or if I have used EFX over PS for a portrait on a hard surface the eraser marks so I get a nice smooth surface once it is cleared with out having to sand those marks out after the work has been cleared

 

[Leakyvalve]

@Ronald art --- Any updates on E'tac as far as what the company is up to... seems they have been in a holding pattern for years now.

 

[Ronald art]

@Ronald art --- Any updates on E'tac as far as what the company is up to... seems they have been in a holding pattern for years now.

Etac is a real small company and cant really compared with any other airbrush paint company the Ag 2050 was about the last innovation I know off and as far as I can tell there no plans for any further changes in their paint system but I can be wrong as I dont get all the info up front from them