I was poking around for a source for ADC Gray and I found THIS:
Very nice! A new enamel paint line! And with a great color selection… thank you for the heads up!!!
Oh yeah… I see a couple colors I could use.
More than a couple for me, my friend… and being enamels that means no worries about new thinners, flow enhancers, etc.
Quite welcome. First I’d ever heard of them.
So being a airbrush rookie, I could use some advice on thinning enamel paints. Specifically ratios and what thinner to use.
I have on hand KleanStrip Paint Thinner; would that work or is there a better alternative?
Since you’re an aairbrush rookie, I highly suggest you start with the brand thinner to the brand paint you’re using first before trying other alternative. ie: Testors enamel. use Tesors brand thinner, Humbrol enamel, use Humbrol brand thinner, etc… Different thinners of different brands can react differently - both good, bad, and the unknown.
Paint to thinner ratio should be experimented on your own. If it’s too thick add thinner, if it’s too thin add paint. Basically, you want the paint to be the consistency of skim milk.
Once you figure out the ratio and gain a bit of experience airbrushing, then try alternative thinners.
Stray, I second BlackSheep on that. I haven’t used enamels in a long time, but I can tell you that acrylics are really particular about what you add to them. Enamels are probably not as sensitive, but if you’re just getting started, you’re going to have enough things driving you crazy as you figure out airbrushing. No sense in adding another variable until you’ve worked out other things. If you use the paint maufacturer’s brand of thinner, then you can rule out thinner problems as you’re learning. Barrett
I use the Testors universal enamel thinner with all my different enamel brand paints (Testors, Pactra, Xtracolor, Humbrol, Aeromaster, Revell, etc.) and have zero problems. But I use that only for airbrushing. For cleaning both brushes and my airbrush of enamel paints I use generic hardware store paint thinner and lacquer thinner.
Thanks for the link. I ordered a few different paints.
I thin enamels with lacquer thinner 50/50 for testors. I’ll have to see what these paints look like. The general guide is to thin to milk consistancy.
Guess I’ll have to check with True North to see if they have a brand specific thinner on their page. They’re the enamels I was referring to.
Stik, that’s another option I will try. Thanks much, guys.
Edit: apparently they do have their own thinner but also claim any enamel thinner will work on their paints.
I would stay away from any synthetic paint thinner. These have a milky appearance, but they usually come in opaque containers, so you can’t see that until you get it home. They are junk.
I make sure they are real turpentine by looking for the either the word “turpentine” or the phrase “mineral spirits.”
Also, if the manufacturer offers its own thinner, this is often the best bet, but can be more expensive than hardware/paint store thinner.
yup, the Klean Strip says mineral spirits on the label. But just to be sure, I picked up the Testors brand.