Hi,
I have recently been bought an Aztek A470 airbrush as a present (I have been handpainting for a while). I am learning the ropes with it on cheap M1A2 model using some Tamiya acrylics which were recommended to me.
My main problem I think is getting the paint/thinner mix right. Some say 50% thinner, others 25% - but my best results seem to be with very little thinner, however I dont think this is doing the brushes internals any good as I now have persistant splatter.
Any tips or advice appreciated!
It can vary… it partly depends on the pressure of your compressor, and your personal preference. I used an Aztek, and thinned Tamiya paints about 30-40%…
Using the White or Black nozzles this worked very well. With the other finer nozzles (like the gray or tan) I thinned with about 50-60% thinner. I also used Tamiya thinner – buy the larger bottle.
The splatter is probably an indication of not enough thinning.
With the Aztek, I had extra nozzles so I could drop one in water, while using the others, then go clean them all at once.
I have a new Aztek 470 and am currently testing out paint mixtures for the best result. I am using all acrylics, and either Tamiya or Model Masters. The Tamiya seems thicker but I thin them the same when going into the airbrush.
I pre mix a water bottle full of 50% Rubbing Alcohol/50% Water. Then from that bottle I mix 50/50 with the paint… or there abouts. I haven’t had any real problems with it that much.
I definately recommend this article about airbrushing. It is extremely informative about spidering… too much air… too much thinner, etc.
Go there and read the airbrush guide. It is written by a guy that really knows what he is talking about. The problem is… he doesn’t give a straight answer… he says just mess around with the mixture until you are happy with the results. He does have a bunch of tell tale signs with examples of what it looks like when you have errors and what the problem is. Its very informative.
Yes… I found that Model Master Acryl paints need less thinning… 20-30% or so.
I did not mention that I airbrush acrylics at about 16-18psi in a gravity feed, and 20-22 in a syphon feed. But lower for thinner paints like metalics.
And even lower for Lacquers like Alclad – about 9-10psi.
You can even have variances in the same line of paint. I find that some Tamiya colours do not need to be thinned at all before airbrushing. ie flat black.
With Model Master enamels I thin it 2:1; 2 parts paint to 1 part thinner at about 20 psi through a T&C Vega 1000 gravity feed airbrush with the #1 tip and needle.