can someone please tell me the best ratio of paint ( acrylic ) to thinner. I am getting frustrated with the outcome of my paintin.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Tack39
Sorry, but there is no “best ratio” (You didn’t even telll us what kind of paints you’re using?!) You didn;t tell us what kind of problems you’re having either?
Temperature, humidity, and other factors will affect the sprayability of the paint. Bottom line, if you’re having problems, you’re probably using too little thinner.
Spitting, clogging, no paint spray–all common problems. Why don’t tou elaborate a little here?
sorry to bother you doog…geez!
You call that an answer??!
Seriously–do you want help or not??! [%-)]
I’ll figure it out myself…thanks anyway…have a good weekend
Mark (right?),
Looking for the perfect answer with imperfect questions will only get you imperfect answers. We don’t like giving those here.
Doog is absolutely correct in stating that there is no correct answer to the question you asked. Types of paint, thinner, air pressure, distance you paint from the airbrush, humidity, temperature, all these things affect the ratio.
However, there is a general rule that you should thin to the consistancy of 2% milk. The paint needs to be thick enough to hold and cover, yet thin enough to atomize so you can spray it.
Pour a glass of 2% and swirl it around the glass. See how it clings to the side and how long it takes to “clear” off the sides. Mix it with a piece of sprue and see how fast or slow the paint drips off. Then thin your paint to approximate the milk and you’ll be a lot closer to achieving good results.
And next time try and give us a bit more to work with. The gang here cumulatively knows everything about modeling, but we can’t read minds!
Tack: you misread Doog’s 1st reply to you – his retorts were a sincere effort to solicit info in order to help, not being a smart aleck. Doog is a frequent helper.
Go back and reread his post and I think you’ll agree --espcially since your question begs the level of detail he requests to give you any reasonable assistance
Ouch! Talk about a tough crowd!
Tack, based upon my experience using Tamiya and ModelMaster acrylics and ModelMaster enamels, the concept of a paint to thinner ratio is meaningless. I find that there is so much bottle to bottle variation, even if comparing identical colors from the same brand, that different amounts of thinner need to used.
The rule of thumb is to mix it so that the paint has roughly the same thickness as 2% milk. It just takes some practice to get the hang of it. If the paint is properly thinned, it should flow out the airbrush nicely. Even with a siphon feed airbrush, it should need no more than 15-20 PSI to paint. The paint when it hits the model should lay down wet, but the “wetness” should evaporate away almost immediately leaving a flat finish. Since you asked in the Armor forum I am assuming that you’re building tanks with flat paint.
Generally speaking, if you under-thin the paint it will cause more problems while painting. The airbrush may periodiocally clog, you’ll need a lot more air-pressure to pull the paint out, and the paint will be thick and often have a rough surface. Without understanding in more detail what is frustrating your efforts, I would guess that you are more likely to be to thick and under-thinned.
Conversely if you overthin paint, you may find it difficult to get good coverage, it may run, or even make a “spider” pattern if you hold the airbrush in one area. If you do have overly-thin paint, you can still paint, you just need to move your airbrush a bit further from your model and spray a quick, light coat, wait a few minutes and give it another coat. Two light coats, nicely applied will work just fine, so always worry less about too much thinning than about too little thinning.
This is of course a very generic answer. If you can supply additional details, we can come up with more specific suggestions.
Andy
[#ditto] all the above.
Doog’s questions were also right on the money. Since I moved from the VERY humid midwest to the VERY dry high desert I have had to re think all my paint/thinner combos. Drying times have been significantly reduced. I tend to over thin the paint, use real low pressures, 10-15 lbs, and just take my time.
Wayne
I use acrylic, Tamiya, MM, PS and Velijo. Color to color, jar to jar, same color, ALL DIFFERENT. To some extent you have seasonal variation due to humidity and weather.
As a chemical engineer I understand the principal of viscosity (measured in centepoises). Unless you want to spend big bucks on a measurement device and be perfect every time…you do like all of us…got 2% milk
As far as Doog…he’s a good Doog. Don’t kick the Doog…pet the Doog. Our rescue Doog has saved a lot of modelers. [swg]
Rounds Complete!!
i have a question seening that i just got my airbrush today[8D] do different brands of paint require different techniques what do you guys recomend in the way of brands i was thinking about using tamiya
Airbrush technique does not vary by paint brand. Tamiya is great…use it many times.
Thin the paint as we have talked here. Start at around 15 psi pressure. Find an old model to practice on (it will become your paint cow). Try a higher pressure, 20 psi, with the same paint. get the “feel” of the brush.
Rounds Complete!!
To top this off, there is a great thread section entitled “Painting and Airbrushing” in which people talk about airbrush related matters all of the time.
I use Tamiya 95% of the time and highly recommend it. Use it with it’s correct thinner and you’ll seldom have problems. I also use Model Master Acrylics; you can use Isoprpyl Alcohol to thin those, or their own thinnner as well. They are also a very durable, easy-to-use acrylic. The only thing I don’t care for is their shade of Dark Yellow–a little too green for me, but not outside of plausibility if you mix it with white.
You really can’t go wrong with Tamiya. I sincerely think it’s the best acrylic, and durable as an armored shellfor weathering–it’s almost obscene what I have subjected my Tamiya acrylic finishes to at times; there ought to be a law…LOL!
Yo Tack!!! I didn’t mean to scare ya away, bud!
Don’t be skeeeeered!!! [swg]…[:D]
Doog…I am very sorry for the way I responded yesterday. I had a very bad day at work and I came home to work on my model and when it went wrong it just put a very bad end to a very bad day. Again I am sorry to you and everyone else who has helped me here.
What has happened was I got the bright idea of taking some of my most used colors to the local hardware store and had them make me a quart of each based on a sample from each jar,in an attempt to save money. I mixed it with more thinner than I do with the originals because it looked a little thick. The airbrushed clogged and then after cleaning I tried it again. I turned up the PSI and still got the same results. The paint that I am using is Tamyia acrylics. I made sure that the paint I got from the harware store was acrylic and believe it or not the colors matched perfectly.
Again I am sorry for my behavior. When I say a bad day I would like to put it to perspective. I left home and on my way to work I was called to a scene where a 44 year old mother had killed herself and her two children ( 4 and 10 ). No letter, no explination…nothing. I have been doing this 20 years and it still gets to me. I use my model building as a stress reliever and when it went wrong I guess I should have waited until today to ask for help.
Doog I hope you accept my apoligy I KNOW you are good at what you do and I know you were just trying to help.
Mark
Hey Mark–not a problem; no need to apologize–we all have bad days, and “bad” posts, me included! Sounds like a total bummer of a day, to be honest…[sigh]
I’m not sure, but your attempt to save money may have done you in on this endeavor. Hobbypaints are formulated with airbrushing or brushing in mind–each manufacturer’s line generally has a “bias” to it. Tamiya paints are great for airbrushing; not so great for brush painting or drybrushing. Model Master airbrush nicely as well, but paints like Vallejo are more specifically formulated for brushwork. “Craft store” paints, on the other hand, are “brush-only” in my experience. It has to do with the size of the pigments used in creating the colors, and the density and ratiosof the carriers; i.e., the thinner-type used and how much.
Unfortunately, the paint that youhad mixed is probably from stock that has been created for general application on houses, decks, etc–with the appropriate sized pigments, which are too big for proper airbrushing. I would reckon that that’s propbably going to be your downfall here; I don’t know if you CAN actually airbrush them?
Hey, you can paint your bathroom Dark Yellow, maybe?! [:D]
In Modeling, there are corners that can be cut, and then there are some things that you’re better off just ponying-up for the appropriate materials. A perfectly built model ain’t worth much with a lousy finish, and your FIRST layer is the paint, so… [:-^]
Doog…I figure as much when I opened the can. The color was perfect but I knew I was going to have a problem running through an airbrush. My next question is where is the best place on the web to purchase paint. I am currently using a place called hobbylync. Do you know of another one?
Thank You for your help
Mark
Hmm…jeez, Mark, I usually just buy it through my LHS. The pronlem with ordering paint through the mail is that it’s heavy; therefore, big shipping charges.
Here’s one way to cut down on costs–find a local A.C.Moore’s or Michael’s craft store chain. They have a huge slew of acrylic paints that are perfect for brush painting and drybrushing–just about any color you could want, and many very close to actual RAL colors. Then you can just order the actual camo colors and “correct” colors through the mail if you don’t have an LHS
I would also contact an online hobby store and ask them if they would discount if you cought in bulk, like say, 10-20 bottles? With this economy, you never know what kind of deals you may be able to finagle?
Tak39,
I use Gunze paints and only thin white and red my ratio is 1:1, I also use Vallejo Air which u dont need to thin as it is already done, if u have some testors pouches they ae also pre thinned, when i use Tamiya Acylics again i spray straight from the jar except for white red and black. Enamels are a bit hit and miss for me as previously mentioned weather etc has an impact what PSI are u using when spraying, I hover from max 35 down to 5 i sit around 10 psi for acylics, Scales i paint are 1/35 & 1/32. I also spray on some cardboard before every colour or top up just to check - pattern/consistancy & airbrush performance(this will determine if i have to adjust PSI rating again external factors will impede or improve the performance of your compressor.
Hope this helps
Cheers
Jesse