I’ve only ever airbrushed once, it was on my first hind… Now I’m on my second and I was using Master Modeler Sandgelb RLM 79 enamel paint, I added a few drops of Testors thinner (good or bad idea?) I observed that when I sprayed on the inside of the box, it looked more like it was spreading sand onto the box rather than paint… Small drops rather than actual spray? … Is it that the paint isn’t thinned enough or too much? The psi was as low as I could put it (I adjusted it up and down) and I also adjusted my distance to and from the surface. Any ideas if this is a good or bad thing? My best guess is that the paint wasn’t at the best viscosity…
I’d suggest you didn’t thin it enough. sounds like some spattering occurring, so either too thick paint, too low air pressure or even both.
To thin paint, you should be using at least a 2:1 ratio of paint to thinner. Hence, unless you used only a few drops of paint, there was probably insufficient thinner.
I agree with not thinned enough and / or low psi. Thin your paint until you get the consistency of skim milk. Turn your psi up a little at a time until you get a nice flow.
I am very conservative with how much paint I use, (it’s expensive stuff at three dollars every 1/2 oz) luckily the spattering wasn’t too bad because I did put a good number of drops into it. It’s Enamel MM Sandgelb so it’s easy to see what was happening to the paint. So when it comes to the consistency of skim milk… The paint shouldn’t be trying to stick to the sides of the bottle or cup right?
I see by your other post that you are using a Badger 250. A smooth coat with this model takes some practice. It has a fairly coarse spray, so you can’t just mist it on as you might with a better airbrush. It’s more like using a spray can. And, it works better with a pressure of 25 to 30psi. Before you continue with your kit, I suggest you invest $3 in another bottle of paint and practice on some scrap plastic, like empty bottles. Experiment with nozzle adjustment, distance, thinning, and how fast you move until you get the knack of how to get smooth coverage. As others have said, you probably need to thin more. Try as much as 50:50.
Results were better than expected, cleaning it is relatively easy… But how can I tell how much psi im using? There’s no meter for it… It’s basically just the things in the box (hose, a few empty glass containers, propellant and the cap… Including the brush itself) is there a way to attach a psi meter?
Ok, if using propellant cans, then no, you cant regulate or put a regulator on it. Also, by the nature of contained gases, the psi will drop off as the can starts to run out. If using a can, I dont think you want to restrict your psi at all.
also, remember to sit the base of the can in a tub of warm water when using it.
The main reason the propel pressure drops is cooling of the can. Releasing pressure on a pressurized gas creates a lot of cooling. One trick is to put the can of propel in a pan or bowl of warm water. This will only do so much, however. I found during long airbrushing sessions the spraying would actually freeze all the water in the pan, and then the pressure drops drastically!