Using an Airbrush

I have not ever used Tamiya paints, so I have no experience with them.

HOWEVER, I have airbrushed now for almost 20 years. One thing holds true.

Now when I use a paint that I have no experience with, I always mix some up and slowly introduce thinner into the paint and try it on a scrap peice of plastic.

The amount of thinner depends largely on:
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• Your specific paint brush, head configuration, action, and needle size </font>
• The type of air compressor device you are using and how much pressure you are running </font>
• Your action and speed ... ie, YOUR TECHNIQUE in air brushing..how fast you swipe by the painted surface, etc. </font>

Fire that puppy up and just try it. Not knowing your setup and being able to see it first hand... I would start off w/ about 10% thinnner, and gradually increase it... EVER SO SLIGHTLY, until you hit the right mix for your equipment and style.
You dont want to start off w/ TOO much thinner or work your way up to too much thinner because the old axiom is true... "You got to have paint on your brush to cover something." Same holds true for airbrushing... so start off w/ a little thinner and work it up to the point where you hit the right mix.
-Kitbash

[ 13 April 2002, 10:39: Message edited by: Kitbash ]

 

Paul, I am very much a novice, but approximately 4:1 paint/thinner seems to work well with Floquil products. I have a Badger 150 airbrush that has a small cup which I fill about 2/3 with paint than add some thinner and stir. I found early on that precise measurements were not required as long as the paint atomized fully and didn't dry before it adhered to the model.

 

Paul - There are so many variable.

Airbrushing is one of those things that is really hard to tell someone how to do. It's not even very easy to demonstrate - practice is really the best way to learn. I do not consider myself an expert airbrusher and I figure when I have about 500 models under my belt I will still consider myself a 'novice'

Here are the variables:

Size of tip on the airbush. The smaller the tip the thinner the paint.

Air pressure. More is not always better. If you have too much pressure the paint particles can dry before they reach the model. You end up with a textured finish (I'm an expert at this by the way.) Too little pressure and the paint spits out in globs. Yuk.

Distance from the work surface. If you are too far away the same paint drying before it lands problem happens.

If you are used to working with spray cans you know what happens if you are too close or move too slow - globs of runny paint.

For me - the hardest thing to learn has been to get closer with the brush. I was so used to spray cans and was a little nervous I found it hard to get close enough. Generally speaking you should be 6-8" from the work. Also you don't need to move as fast as with spray cans - but not too slow.

So - thin your paint but not too thin.
Have enough air pressure but not too much.
Get close enough but not too close.
Move the brush quickly but not too quickly.

Practice, practice, practice - once you get the hang of it you won't want to paint with anything else.

Get some scrap styrene to practice on. Wood, cardboard etc won't behave the same way. A good place to find sacrificial lambs to test on is train shows, swap meets and even better are garage sales and local markets - basically the cheaper the better and get used to painting plastic train models.

 

What I have learned about air brushing is how easy it is compared to how hard I thought it was going to be. As others have said, thinning is a bit of an art, but I agree start thicker and go thinner. I only use acrylics and like them. I use a hair blower between coats.

I find about 5 minutes under a hair blower and you can do another coat. In N scale, I use toilet paper roll ends to hold the model; they work great and are free with an never ending supply.

I also use the air brush in household painting on the walls for touch up. I have used the air brush for fascia painting as well.

If the paint won't come out of the brush, it is too thick. If the paint looks to runny, it is too thin.

I invested in one of those paint shakers. I picked mine up at an estate sale and is a battery operated jobby. If I were buying a new one, I would get the one that plugs in, but I recommend these little paint shakers. You can find them in MR, they are designed for small hobby paint jars only.

I haven't tried Tamiya but a friend who has done a lot of air brushing in his time finds it is his favourite acrylic. If you are used to other paints, you will find as this paint dries, it definitely "tightens up." I think you will be happy with it.

[ 13 April 2002, 23:37: Message edited by: rsn48 ]

 

That's a beautiful bridge!

Practice on pieces of scrap wood, plastic, metal, and any other material you might want to paint in the future. I agree that paint is expensive, and that practicing "wastes" paint. But consider the cost of a beautiful bridge that was trashed due to lack of practice.

[ 15 April 2002, 03:28: Message edited by: Hank Coolidge ]