I am painting a model of HMS Bounty and I m getting dreadful results from the paint, It is lying too thick and ‘Blobby’ -
Do I get round this by thinning the paint? If so, by how much and how?
This is doing my nut in…
Stir it really well. And you must thin it if airbrushing. For brush painting, after you stir it, take some on a paint pallet or paint tray and add a touch of thinner and see how well it brushes. Don’t add thinner to the whole jar.
I find thinning the enamel helps even for hand brushing, especially if it is not going on well without thinning. Depending on the brand, enamels have a limited shelf life once opened. If this is an older jar or can, it may just need thinning, or it may be going bad. Once the enamel starts to harden in the container thinning will not really fix problem.
OK thanks guys. Thinner it is then. Can any thinner be used or does it have to be a branded one (Revell, Humbrol etc.)?
BTW they are new pots, so I don’t imagine age is the issue.
For brush work with enamels, plain ol’ hardware store mineral spirits will do fine. For spray work, I use the Testor’s Airbrush thinner; it’s paint(enamel) thinner with a little something extra that produces a better finish…
I have found that “Pure Mineral Spirits Turpentine” from Home Depot or Lowes (blue and purple can) works better than regular thinner for air brushing and thinning enamels. It also creates a better oil wash.
I usually start 50/50 and take it from there till it looks right.
One other thing Biker. You should practice on a spare part first. I find every paint is a little different, so it’s worth a test first.
Oh yes, practise, practise, practise… Thanks guys.
I have scored a lift with my neighbour to the local hardware shop this morning… This is turning into an epic and I have barely started!! Still at the moment time I have a-plenty…
I can only speak for the Testors enamel (that is the main brand I use). I used to always use their thinner (if bought in half pint cans it isn’t that expensive). At one time the half pints were hard to find. So I started using regular thinner. It wasn’t quite as good, so I found I had to change thinning ratios and my airbrushing technique, and now am able to get just as good an airbrush finish with generic turpentine as the Testors stuff.
However, a warning. There is some really cruddy stuff out there sold as generic “paint thinner”. Do not buy stuff labeled paint thinner. You do not know what you are getting. Stick to produces labeled specifically labeled turpentine or mineral spirits. That milky covered synthetic stuff is no good to thin any brand. It is only useful for cleaning brushes, and even then it leaves crud in brushes.
Nice one sir! I did get Turps…