Paint Dries Fuzzy

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Painting and airbrushing
1

Hi,

I lost my painting touch a while back so I took a break from modeling. Started playing World of Tanks in early October and it’s relit that fire to start thinning out the stash.

So I decided to pick up where I left off on the models I had in various stages of completion.

So picked up the airbrush and went to prime, Mr Surfacer 1200, and it dried fuzzy.

Using an Aztek airbrush, with the gray general use nozzle, and a badger compressor with the PSI is 15 to 20.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

PS: What exactly do I thin Mr Surfacer with?

2

I think I have it figured out. I believe it was a combination of not being thing enough, and spraying too far away. The Airbrush Guide helped me out. Also made me realize I was using fuzzy, when I should have been using gritty, to describe the problem.

3

Thin it with Mr. Color leveling thinner, at a ration of 1 part paint to 1.5 parts thinner. This stuff will go on rough if your thinning ratios are too thick. Not very forgiving stuff in that area.

4

Roughness can be caused by at least three things- too thick a paint, too much distance, or too high a pressure. Or, of course, it could be any combination of them. I do notice a tendency to use an airbrush like a spray gun. In an attempt to speed up painting and cover too great an area at one time, we tend to back off the distance and that definitely will roughen the finish. Consider the airbrush as more of a brushmark-less brush and less like a spray gun.

5

Thanks Nathan and Don. It was the trifecta of not thinning the paint enough, too much distance, and not remembering how I used to do things.