Hairspray vs. AK Heavy Chipping Fluid 

I'm also starting up a Facebook page. I'll post more updates and maybe some mini photo tutorials there for you guys. Join in if you'd like! facebook.com/groups/340301663065416/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

As I am new to weathering, and so chipping, i really appreciate the comparison between these products. Great work.

Hey Panzermeister - great video :) I just completed my own video on chipping, and I also found that AK Interactive gave less control compared to hairspray, less subtlety in the results. For me the big surprise was Vallejo Chipping Medium - it seems to be that elusive "best of both worlds". I always try to recommend saving money, but in this case I'm a convert to Vallejo's product! Cheers, Dave

Big up dude... your vids are awesome, very good understandable explanation and must say the best work in result.

This was Very useful. I say that as someone who hasn't used the technique before so many thanks.

Excellent comparison as I own both. I’ve used the AK Worn Effects with great success in a Maus model in 1/35 scale. Have a Lowe to do now and might try spraying the hairspray method.

For me the ease of reaching for a can and spraying, and possibly the cost, means that I will use the hairspray technique. Really appreciate you showing us this mate. Cheers, Al

I'm getting ready to have a go at my first winter camo effect on an M4A3 so devouring these videos and tips on the forum. Honestly hairspray seems to be the go. Price and convenience it can't be beaten and I've not seen any definitive results suggesting the expensive chipping fluids are demonstrably better. Cheers!

Thank you for the video. As a first time chipper it was very informative, and easy for me to understand.

Remember that it is called "heavy chipping fluid". It is made for heavy weathering, they have another product for smaller chips. The heavy chipping one is meant to make the effect of something that is very heavily worn or just very old

Thank you. I think I'll stick to the hair spray. I enjoyed the comparison. You did me a very large favor. Thank you. Have fun and stay safe

Something I tried last week was two-colour chipping with the hairspray technique, suprisingly it actually worked out very well. I first painted the tank in silver, followed by some hairspray, then black followed by hairspray and then the main colour. It really worked very well with some very realistic chips.

Muy buena compactación, gracias a tus conocimientos puedes mostrarnos las diferencias entre un producto y otro, entre una técnica y otra y así poder tomar la mejor dirección en nuestro modelo. Todo esto es de gran ayuda, gracias!

I know this is a year or so old, but I would just like to say a HUGE thank you for doing this video. For months now I have been putting off painting my Takom 1/35 SMK which is a cracking kit, but I wanted to do a winter white camo over the base green colour. I have been trying Tresomme hair spray and chipping fluid from Mig. I have been using acrylic white paint(s) from various manufacturers and the only results I could get was large flaking. I tried all sorts of combos (on a dummy model) of time to dry, heaviness of both paint and fluid etc, but nothing seemed to work. Then I watched your video, and I heard you say about using Tamiya (alcohol) based. Bingo. It worked like a treat. That was the missing link. Now onto my SMK. Thank you, much appreciated.

Outstanding! Thank you.

My kids learned a lot from this video. Appreciate ya 👍

Dollar store hairspray in a pump works great. It just needs one layer. Next I want to try painting hairspray on with a brush, to be more accurate. This is very detailed comparison. Thank you!

I use "aussie" pump hairspray from 'Dollar General' applied by airbrush (don't know the pressure all I have right now is that cheap 'Master Airbrush' on demand pump) and Vallejo paint. I'm able to get some pretty fine chipping. I have found it important to make sure to get even coverage with two thin coats of both hairspray and paint, because the thicker paint produces bigger chips as well as longer drying time.

Interesting comparison video! For light chips vs hairspray as mentioned below you want to compare AK's lighter chipping fluid, which is not very well named imo as worn effects (instead of 'light') but anyway appreciate the comparison! I'm not a huge fan of hairspray technique as it is difficult to get a good coat (of any aerosol) in our humid climate =/ so kind of stuck with using the airbrush, tho I'm not good at it either lol

they also make a chipping fluid called 'worn effects' which produce the smaller chips you get with hairspray. i have only tried it once but the results were good. however once i have used that bottle up, i am going to try cheap poundland hairspray for both convenience and cost :)

Great video! You said it first, “In scale”. Hairspray looks so much better. Thank you.

always good to see the comparison! it also seems to be a matter of taste. i like the look of the AK chipping fluid chips better. as you said, it would be cool to have the best of both worlds :)

Your my favorite modeling channel

Interesting test. I’ve used both and tend to go for hairspray as it is just easier to do a quick blast from the can and it saves me cleaning my airbrush. My current project will be getting this treatment Last time I applied too much hairspray and the chips were crazy big, so I was interested to see your method of application

Awesome video very well explianed

Great video, thank you!

Nice video , thanks

have always been a little scared of trying hairspray but man is it nice !

I used to use the Hairspray technique but, since I got AK's 'Heavy Chipping' effect I have not looked back. Like you I found that there maybe added chemicals in hairspray which may tamper with later painting processes, this alone put me off. I also found that hairspray was a lot harder work to remove in general, and could sometimes find myself scrubbing down to the bare plastic on some raised areas, not to mention that it became stupidly hard to remove after a week or so had past. Also the application through the spray can seemed a bit hit-and-miss, I found it lacked the precision of the airbrush and, that many areas could be missed. As for AK's chipping effect, I love it! At first it was a steep learning curve, which can be seen on a couple of my models I first tried it on, but after a while I grew more used to it. The application of the AK chipping fluid is important, and the difference between adding 1 to 2 to 3 coats..etc... can make the difference, the same goes to removing it. The fluid activates very aggressively thus, if you are too heavy handed with it, you can overdo the chipping. This doesn't mean fine chipping cannot be achieved, use this ease of chipping to your advantage and hey presto, fine chipps. The only issue I found with the AK chipping fluid is that it goes stringy after a month or two of not being in use, this will require the paint pot to be filtered, otherwise it will jam the airbrsh. A bit of a disappointment after such great results elsewhere. However this is my experience and this is what works for me, the best thing to do in modelling is try new things, and find what works best for yourself. As always a very formative video with some great points highlighted, very professional with the two test beds. I also liked the comparison between two finished models, as it showed how the different products can effect/ be utilized for the finished model. Keep up the good work! Thanks

Very good video

Have you done a tutorial on how you do battle damage and dented or broken parts on a tank? That would be a good thing to show others how you do it.

Ahhh Tamiya is more “chippy”! Thanks for tip.

Another vote for hairspray. Chips look more in scale, that exact brand costs less than $3USD for the large can and the convenience of just shaking the can and applying with no airbrush cleanup.

Thanks agien

What color did you use over the yellow

you can Thin the chipping Fluids with Water they spray better. as for which is better i find hair spray is the best, its cheaper and easier to control

I've tried the scratches effects and the heavy chipping and I think that you want the scratches effects. From what I've understood the heavy chipping is supposed to chip like that. The scratches effects from my trials is very close to hair spray, so you might find that one more to your liking. Awesome vids by the way. :)

Очень полезное видео))

Hair spray better and much cheaper and you can go and buy it at many shops on the day you want it. Nice video and honest review

I’m going to base paint a tiger German gray with a white camo chipped using hairspray technique. I also want to add a pin wash and oil streaks. In your opinion, what order does that need to go in and do I need to satin varnish at any time?

Are you able to do this with brush painting I dont currently have an airbrush

I have a question. After applying the paint on the hairspray or chipping fluid, how long does the paint has to dry before chipping it? And thanks a lot for your outstanding vids!

For winter camo; would you pin wash (panel joints etc) before or after this stage?

Hairspray for me - easier to use, more subtle (and in scale), easy to get a hold of. The hairspray can be more heavily weathered if you want, you need to do a little extra work though. Overall, hairspray is just more versatile!

What compressor do you use. Very good video

Are these the older tamyia kits Thanks for sharing.

I think there's a big X factor in what paint you use. Adam Wilder recommends Tamiya thinned 1:1 with water. That will weaken that paint - you'd never thin Tamiya with Water. The intention is to weaken the paint - in other words do something you wouldn't do for a regular paint job. After all, you want the paint to come off. Rinaldi uses Tamiya with lacquer thinner. I've actually had decent luck with AK - but I use their "Worn Effects" which is considerably milder than "Heavy Chipping" - and AK claims you can brush the stuff on just as well as airbrush it. I think Dave's good luck with Vallejo was due to the light hand used - heavier use with any of the chipping fluids will cause big chips - although that might be exactly what you want. Rinaldi sometimes skips the hairspray/fluid step completely if using whitewash - he takes it off with a light brushing with lacquer thinner - and that does work. (I've found that if the chipping is coming slow, just dampen it a little with ISP - then give it a light brush - a paint brush, not a tooth brush. I think that doing whitewash and just aiming for standard chipping may require different approach.

I think hairspray works better as well. The AK and Mig chipping fluid "to me" is just a $6-$7 cash grab.

The hairspray that i have damages the base coat, so i always have to add a protective layor between the base coat and the hair spray before adding the chipping white layor and chipping it Edit: it might have something to do with the fact i dont have an airbrush and i apply my paint with a brush, so it is not as thin

Hi Panzermeister36, im having a lot of issues with Vallejo chipping medium, ive noticed that when i spray it on to my model it would dry with an orange peel texture and when spraying a coat of paint it cracks and looks awful, i've tried many different PSI's, adding water and even applying it with a fine brush, i seem to get the same effect, could you give me any idea as to what i may be doing wrong please,

When is the best time to apply decals when doing the hairspray technique?

After the chipping technique is finished do you seal the model? I'm just afraid of the stability of the paint with the hairspray underneath. I have not seen this issue addressed yet so just wondering what your thoughts are on this.

Do these finally dry so that they no longer chip?

I prefer hairspray method.Another tip is when chipping use a cheap nailbrush or toothbrush to get nice scratch effects

They both look good to me but I use hairspray myself. Another Rinaldi tidbit is to use a hair dryer. Can't be without one now.

Kind of an unrelated question, but how do you paint in the winter without freezing your butt or burning away a few brain cells from the fumes ? Thank you for the video. I have been curious bout which product for chipping I should use. Very informative

Next time use a darker color undercoat. The chipping effect would be more visible over dark green or panzer grey

Di you use normal hair spray? Like what wemen have on there hear!??!?!

That hair spray only...I had bad experience with others. Aquanet works but the treseme works best.

Das sieht ja mal nach einer echten Kampfmaschine aus !!

let's try sponge ^-^

Supermarkets own cheeping you can get, hairspray works the best of the hairsprays.

Hairspray looks better and cheaper to buy!

Are you made out of Panzer IVs now?

The old tried and tested methods usually work better and by the look of it this is no different. In my experience, very rarely does a new ‘wonder’ product ever really improve things much.

Say no to hairspray chipping use a paintbrush be creative .

Youre videos are great for learning.......but holy cow man do you just keep repeating yourself......you must say the word chip and chipping close to a million times......it starts to lose its meaning and burn a hole through my brain to the point where it becomes likes nails on a chalk board just to hear the word every time you say it.......but other than that i love your videos