Airbrush Tips Please

[ceejaydee]

I came home from Guildex with a new airbrush and a compressor as planned.
I also bought a copy of the Painting and Lining book by Ian Rathbone.
However I am not ready for anything too taxing just yet but was looking for a few tips on paint-thinners mix, air pressures used etc. as a general beginners guide.

My only experience of airbrushing is with a basic Humbrol external mix brush and a can of compressed air some 25+ years ago painting a Tamiya 1/35th German Tank - which went well it must be said 

Any guidelines appreciated.... if it helps I could say that I want to start with some basic weathering of trackwork on a diorama base.

 

[28ten]

Do you want to use enamels or acrylics? I really like the Lifecolour acrylics, personally I am less keen on enamel paints.
Paint should be the consistency of milk and between 20-25 psi is a good place to start.

 

[ceejaydee]

Do you want to use enamels or acrylics? I really like the Lifecolour acrylics, personally I am less keen on enamel paints.

I am open to suggestions to be honest.
I have only ever sprayed using enamels and certainly that was what was recommended to me for painting locos and stock.
However most of my brush painting over the past few years has always been with acrylics from various sources.
I daresay it may well be a blend of both to use up stocks or until I form a firm preference.

Paint should be the consistency of milk and between 20-25 psi is a good place to start.

Thank you.
I take it consistency is more reliable than a proportional mix which I suppose relies totally on paint viscosity which varies between manufacturers and possibly colours depending on pigment size & mix?
Would you filter the paint in any way after mixing it before loading the airbrush... or am thinking too much along the lines of spraying cars  :

Thanks for the reply 

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

Like yourself I am relatively new to airbrush painting albeit after purchasing an airbrush about 18 months ago.  I've picked up some of my techniques through the Model Railroader´Magazine and by watching downloaded films from figurine and aircraft modellers as they tend to use all types of paint medium; acrylic, oil and enamel.

One thing I have learnt is you require different air pressures for acrylics and enamels.  I have found the paint/thinners mixture should be similar to the consistency of milk (as has been alluded to earlier).  This has worked for me with both acrylic paints (Polly Scale and Vallejo) and enamels (Humbrol and Precision).  I also try and obtain information about airbrush use from the paint manufacturers.

I started by practising on scrap models before 'going live'.  All I can say is give it a go to see how you get on.  You'll develop your own techniques.  It has taken me 18 months and still learning.

Dave

 

[Alan]

I'm with 28 ten in using lifecolour acrylics mixed to 50/50 with their thinners and a low pressure from the compressor. Id also reccomend Tim Shackleton's DVD although he uses enamels. I follow his colour mixes when weathering locos.

 

[ceejaydee]

Dave, Alan, Jordan - many thanks for he replies gents.

Jordan - I thought the same about acrylics with regard to them drying too quickly... however I must confess that as they are water based I have generally thinned them with water rather than proper thinners which Alan mentioned. 

Looks like I'll be serving another apprenticeship which should be fun.

Thanks again - I really appreciate the responses 

 

[28ten]

Another handy tool to have is a Trumpeter paint mixer. I find liquid reamer very good for cleaning the airbrush.

 

[Ressaldar]

I use enamels - the only time I tried acrylics I found they dry SO quickly it was easy to clog the airbrush; however I may have been doing something wrong, such as not using the proper thinners - which is a good tip - use the right/recommended thinners for whichever make of paint you use.

Rule #1 is to keep everything clean, especially as you change colours and after you've finished.

Unless you have a moisture trap fitted in the airline, beware of condensation build-up in the line from the compressed air, especially if doing a lot of painting. It's always a good idea to disconnect the airbrush every 15mins or so and run the compressor for 30 seconds or so to blow through the airline - or else you can bet the condensation will blow out onto your model and spoil it!!

Build layers of colour up slowly - don't spray so the paint starts to 'puddle' on the model - a lot like with aerosols.

Above all, practise, practise, practise... and practise some more....
Have fun, and don't hesitate to take pics and post them up here - even if it's to ask "what went wrong?"

Totally agree with everything that Jordan has said - turn round that boy and come to the front of the class

Cheers

Mike

 

[28ten]

A lot depends on where you spray, acrylic paints are indoor friendly, enamel and cellulose are much less so.

and you will want these http://tiny.cc/e7set for measuring thinners etc

for mixing http://tiny.cc/xukyc

 

[3 LINK]

Dave, Alan, Jordan - many thanks for he replies gents.

Jordan - I thought the same about acrylics with regard to them drying too quickly...

Hi Ceejaydee,

I am finally having a go with acrylics after many years of using both enamel and cellulose, and I wish I had changed to acrylics years ago. No fumes, easy to mix, easy to clean up after each colour change or session and you can buy a retardant to mix with the paint to slow the drying time down, which is great if you want to water the paint right down for weathering  effects Hope this is of some help.

ATB,  Martyn.

 

[Simon Dunkley]

I wish I had changed to acrylics years ago. No fumes,

Whilst that is true, there will still be airborne paint particles, so you should still allow for adequate ventilation and wear a face mask.

 

[ceejaydee]

Plenty more information for me to consider and digest.

Thanks to all who replied 

 

[westernfan]

Airbrush Tips Please and some more please

Im also new to this medium , and i was wondeing if sombody could point me in the right direction re  acryllic thinners ive seen the prices for a 250ml jar  but was told i could use screen wash has any body used this before or are they having me over ? but doesnt screenwash contain ipa and some form of detergent?  also  can i use enamel thinners with acryllics or wont it mix , and lastly i noticed acrrylic air brush cleaner , is this a stronger solvent for cleaning blocked up needles or does one have to use cleaner instead of thinners to blow through at the end of each session?

 

[28ten]

Lifecolour responds well to distilled water, for Tamiya use Mr colour 400 thinner, Vallejo I use their own thinner, same for railmatch. Whatever you use dont let the Tamiya mix with it or the paint will curdle in the airbrush 
For cleaning Vallejo airbrush cleaner is good, you can use IPA but check your airbrush seals are not O rings as it softens them.You can use cellulose thinners as well if things go really bad

 

[westernfan]

thanks for the tips and the products the trouble is  i bought humbrol accrylics so im non the wiser for that brand however i bought off the bay a 150 bottle of ,i joke ye not ,mr stickys accrylic thinners according to the blurb its suitable for tamiya valejo and humbrol .

im looking forward to having a go ive some scrap bodies to practice on

 

[Phill Dyson]

thanks for the tips and the products the trouble is  i bought humbrol accrylics so im non the wiser for that brand however i bought off the bay a 150 bottle of ,i joke ye not ,mr stickys accrylic thinners according to the blurb its suitable for tamiya valejo and humbrol .

im looking forward to having a go ive some scrap bodies to practice on

I hope you start a thread of your trials & experiences with spare body's..........I have a Expo dual action airbrush which I haven't used yet (been in the box unused for ages  :-[ )

Phill  :wave:

 

[westernfan]

Hi Phill  as it happens my setup is also a expo  dual action brush and compressor it has an inline water trap. the instructions are comical . so im just waiting for my mr sticky thinners to arrive . ill probally start a thread on how not to air brush

 

[westernfan]

I had a go with the air brush my first time , on a hornby 10ton crane that im detailing I used grey acrylic car  spray primer, humbrol acrylic engineers grey, mixed with thinners to about 60 /40 . and after a bit of practice on a sheet of card I set to on the crane I noted that a pressure of 20-25 lbs has been recommended . but my compressor regulator started to leak air if I went below 40 . but im not sure that the gauge is correct although in the instructions it does say in Chinglish, "buy tape from sanitary shop and wrap joints " so maybe the thread on the union requires ptfe tape . well I sprayed a couple of coats and tried close up and general spraying but this isn't like shake the can spraying im looking forward to weathering the jib with the air brush . one thing that surprised me was the amount of water in the trap after just ten minutes , the red is supposed to be rail signal red but im not to sure .[attachimg=1]

 

[Phill Dyson]

Looks very good so far  ..........did you have to strip the airbrush down to clean it afterwards or did blowing thinners through suffice ? (the thing that puts me off airbrushes is the stripping down)

Phill  :wave:

 

[westernfan]

i didnt have any cleaner so i used thinners and blew it clean  i unscrewed the nozzle to check the needle and it was clean , ive been told screen wash is ok to clean out the brush but also mentioned in this thread is the problem of the solvent hardening the  seals but as long as its blown through ive yet to try it with my enamels but i see me using it  more for toning but i reckon its worth getting your air brush out practice on you girder bridge now theres an idea