Pardon me for posting a bit of a dumb question, but I recently read an article about thinning paints and the author wrote that the best method is to thin paint in a mixing jar before transferring it to your airbrush of choice. Now I always used to mix my paint in the color cup of the airbrush and had satisfactory results but I am willing to try this “new” technique out.
However, I see this to have the potential to make more mess than its worth. Assuming I am using enamel paint, I could see me using more paper towels and lacquer thinner than I would if I just mixed it in the cup.
So I am putting it out there to see what you guys/gals do.
I assume the author uses a fixed cup or cavity (double action gravity feed), not a detachable one. So, one can mix the paint to a good concistency before transferring it to the AB. However, if you have a detachable cup you can just mix in that cup and then attache it.
I learned from a commercial artist who gave a demonstration at our club meeting that there is no need to do anything messy or complicated. He put a few drops of paint in the gravity feed small cup on top of his airbrush, then dipped a paint brush in solvent, dipped it in the paint cup, and mixed it up a bit with the brush, and it worked just fine. No extra jars to clean up, just the airbrush and the paint brush.
I use siphon feed badger brushes, so I mix right in the jars. I have about a dozen now. I clean with thinner, sometimes with that eco-green soapy stuff. I used to use lacquer thinner if there was really dry paint in the bottles, but ruined several caps that way, so I do not use lacquer thinner any more. Means I do have to have the discipline to clean bottles before too many days go by 