I just started with modeling a few years a go, and until so far i only used enemals to paint en airbrus. A few weeks a go i bought a bottle of vallejo model colors, and they told me to thinner it with water on a ratio of 30% paint and 70% water. The consitency of that mix is right by me, but the problem is the paint doesn’t stik tho the plastic( no resin) like enamels paints thint with thinner.
do you have to aplied a undercoat of enamel paint or is the consitensy not right.[?]
kameleon from holland.
I feel your pain. I use acrylics mostly through my AB and enamel does seem to grab and stick better then acrylic. 3 to 7 seems awefully thin but I have never used Vallejo before. I use Tamiya and MM and usually I spray them straight or barely thinned say 10 to 1 or 2 at about 15 to 20 p.s.i… Have you tried spraying with more paint and less thinner?
I agree with 9mm. That thinning ratio seems very thin to me, but I haven’t used Vallejo either. I thin Tamiya and MM acrylics at the opposite ratio; 70% paint, 30% thinner. A primer coat of enamel will also give the acrylic something to hang onto.
Make sure model is clean. Water based paints really do not like any kind of greasy residue, etc.
Instead of water, use window washer fluid, or some other combination of alcohol, water, and detergent.
When you say it doesn’t stick does that mean it flakes off when dry? Or runs when wet?
hay kameleon, So I don’t type this all over again, See Jcbbin’s question (currently on page 2 of the forum) last entry by me. should give some advice on your airbrushing and paint mixing. Hope it’ll help
Air5
Instead of water, use window washer fluid, or some other combination of alcohol, water, and detergent.
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[:0]CAUTION: I found out the hard way, Do not use alcohol with Vallejo Model color.
You will end up with a blob of goop in your airbrush!
That mixture seems very thin to me. I haven’t used Vallejo but acrylics generally don’t stick as well as enamels anyway. If the paint is too thin you will need a few coats to get the right depth of colour. If you try getting the right depth in one coat it will run and won’t stick to well. If this isn’t the problem try washing the model and then priming before painting.
hope this helps
Yeah, that mix is thin. I’ve been using acrylics for handpainting & ABing for several years and I think thats extremely thined out. Acrylic paints are hard to master, because if you don’t thin them right, you will get very thick color, but specaled and spotty spray patterns. If their diluted too much, then you’ll spray them on the model and you’l get a lot of water (or whatever you diluted it with) and very little paint. If you just diluted your paint this way, then stop! Don’t spray it on the model! It’ll be a big mess! Just add more paint to it. But the magic mixture for acrylics is, well I really don’t know[D)]. What I mean by I don’t know is I don’t thin my paints to exact mixtures of ratios, like 1 part something to 3 parts something else. I pour a little paint in a mix it to about the consistancy of milk or maybe a little less. I know acrylics well enough, so I don’t need to worry about mixture ratios. But try thinning the paint to the consistancy of milk. Spray with it and add a little water or paint depending on what it looks like it needs. Hope it helps.
Seems like it’s too thin, but don’t what the ratio for Vallejo should. I have not airbrushed their paint yet, but use it to brush paint. The paint is really thick in the bottle and even needs to be thinned to be brush painted, so I won’t be suprised that you may need to thin it 30-70.
Vallejo has a Model Air line of paint premixed for airbrushing. You could get a bottle of that and airbrush it straight from the bottle. If you don’t have any problems with it then just thin the regular Vallejo to the consistency of the Model Air.
hey kameleon! (Groningen area? Just a guess)
I use a 70-30 ratio for post shading, weathering or a wash. for anything else its way too thin. I use tamiya acryllics and am very happy to thin them to a consistency that thay just leave a transparant film of paint on the glass if swirled around in the jar. A lot of it comes down to practice really. Like with cooking, adding enough so it seems right.
Water is a bit tricky, and I’ve found that a nice big bottle of spiritus goes a long way and works very well. Not only can you thin the paints, but you can also clean your airbrush afterwards (or annoy your parents/family by using their Bols.)
if you need some help in your native tongue, send me an email at xj_mike@hotmail.com
Groetjes uit Zwanenburg…
I have never used Vallejo paints, use Tamiya but the best advice I can give is to test your mixture until you find what works for you. I thin my Tamiya about 60-40 paint to alcohol, but thin it more when I am doing fine lines. Its all in what works for you. Several thin coats work for me, I found out the hard way that trying to get one coat coverage will cause runs of paint. Good luck
i try to make acryl paints thick as i can get it through the airbrush
I have never used Vallejo paints, but as per the words of the rest, a 30% paint to 70% thinner ration is very very thinned. I use something like this for a dustcoat. Try increasing the paint content gradually until you can see a difference.
Also, if you wish to use Vallejo, they have their Model Air range of paints, which are pre-thinned for airbrush use, so you shoot them as they are directly from the bottle.
Me to, but only at the pressure that I want to spray at. Given enough pressure you can force grease through an airbrush [:)] I like to spray at about 15 psi and I thin my paint to spray properly at that pressure. I usually start at 3:1 (paint: primer) and then adjust if necessary.