The paint I have been airbrushing with is MS,Polly s, and Tamiya… The Tamiya (to me) seems to be a little more difficult to use, Dont get me wrong I like Tamiya but I think I could get a better results than I have been. When I use MS and Polly s I get a better look. The question I have is what is the paint to thinner ratio you guys use. [:p][banghead]
Thad
Ok I had to think about this one a bit… it’s kind of hard to explain.
I use mostly MM acryls but a decent amount of Tamiya. I get good results with it, but definitely you want to use only Tamiya thinner with it. I have tried some other things, some with good results but Tamiya thinner is always faithful when thinning their acrylics. It’s a LOT cheaper to buy it in the 250ml bottle too. And it lasts forever that way… well a long time.
What I do is dependent on the color. Some tamiya colors are almost like gel when you mix them some are more of a normal consistency. I usually take 1 part paint and put it in a small paint cup. Then I slowly add small even portions of thinner until it is the right consistency for me. After that I know this bottle of color X is a 2:1, 3:2 or whatever… It’s kind of a pain sometimes but once I know the ratio it’s always the same and I get pretty even results every time.
Sorry I couldn’t give you a black and white answer and sorry if this was confusing!
Thinning paint is, in many respects, a matter of personal preference. How thin the paint needs to be depends on how much pressure you use and that, in most cases, depends on how far from the model you spray. If you spray close, at low pressure, the paint needs to be thinner or it won’t spray properly. If you use a bunch of pressure (not recommended!) you can spray it thick. Find a pressure / distance / thinning ratio that you like and stick with it.
I usually spray at about 10 - 15 psi from about 4 - 6" from the surface, and I thin my paint about 3:1 (paint : thinner). If I am doing fine lines I’ll reduce the pressure to around 5 - 8 psi, thin the paint more, and spray from about an inch away.
As Tho said, Tamiya paints work much better when used with their thinner. I normally thin Tamiya acrylics with 91% isopropyl alcohol, but that will make even the gloss paints dry flat.
I have found it does spray better when I do a 3 - 1 mix, I will try to bump down the psi because Im around 15-18 when I spray. Oh by the way I meant (MM paint not MS got in a hurray typing at work)
Thad
I use only Tamiya acrylic and I find the best ratio for me is about 1:1. I keep the psi at 10 or less. Tamiya thinner really works best and I believe they add a retarder to slow the drying time down a little.
Thanks everyone for the insight
Thad
I use 1:1:1 Tamiya: Isopropyl alcohol:water - this works best for me @ 15 - 20 psi
Thanks oggy4624
Thad