AirBrush Virgin Alert!!!

[Guest]

Tomorrow is the day when i loose my cherry, so to speak.

But i need to ask some really simple questions. Well, simple if you know the answer i suppose?

Primer - i currently use aerosol primer. I don't see any reason to change this. Its very convenient, virtually no cleaning, and the result seems very good.

Colour - i've decided to try with acrylics, specifically model air, as i already have a few which i use for weathering etc. I asume that for airbrushing that its diluted with water? Can the brush then be flushed with water, or should i use white spirit/turps?

I will want to use enamels at some point, for some car kits that i fancy. I guess that this is thinned with......well, thinners?!!! Or can i buy a big bottle f something at B&Q that does the same?

I know that for cleaning i need to use reamer (i'm getting there!! Slowly!!)

Thanks for the help.

Dave

[John]

I don't use enamels but for acrylics to clean I just use screenwash from Halifords, it seems to work fine, I only use reamer on the nozzle to blow the paint out on the back on the nozzle, also when removing the needle unscrew the chuck nut, remove the nozzle, and pull the needle out of the front, that protects the tip and also stops paint being dragged back up in to your brush, when putting it back put it in from the front and put the nozzle back on, push forward and tighten the chuck nut.

For priming I use Games workshop chaos black or white it gives it a nice cover.

[Guest]

Right. We all have our own way of working but let's just get a couple of things straight. Acrylics, some, can be diluted (thinned) with water and some cannot. Tamiya most will agree should be thinned with proper thinners, some say only Tamiya thinners work. I don't use, and never have used Tamiya thinners for my spraying. I use a generic Acrylic thinners from a local Railway Modellers shop. No cheaper than the same size bottle of Tamiya but I will not pay through the nose for Tamiya thinners in bottles the same size as their paints for nearly two quid. Tight? Yes, I am a Yorkshire man lol.

Fore Vallejo, I use the same thinners but in most cases, Vallejo Model Air, does not need thinning. I say in most cases as it maybe that you want it thinner, no reason why not. However, thinners is expensive no matter what you buy so a bulk cleaner for your airbrush while spraying Acrylics can be a good quality blue car screen wash. I tend to do the first clean of the airbrush after spraying with thinners which I slosh around the paint cup with a thick paintbrush. This then gets tipped into an old plastic box with good quality (Bounty or whatever they call it now) kitchen towel. I then wipe out the paint cup with the same good kitchen paper. Don't use cheap stuff as it tends to break down quickly when wet and you can get fibres blocking your airbrush. I then put a couple of drops of thinners into the paint cup and blow it through into a cleaning pot. This is followed by a couple of decent blow throughs with screen wash and a final blow through with a drop of thinners again.

Doing it like this, I rarely have to strip the AB and it is quick enough to d between colour changes, quicker to do than it took me to type this out.

I never use Turps or white spirit to clean acrylics and certainly not to thin them, I don't believe they are compatible at all but someone may put me right on this. Water can be used to thin some acrylics and for brush painting small parts, I always use water, usually just a very wet brush full to a dab of paint. However, I don't think it is really suitable for cleaning an airbrush as it will not have the 'dissolving' power of an alcohol based thinners.

I have no experience of airbrushing enamels as I just don't use them and prefer not to. Just my personal choice not a comment on enamels not being as good as acrylics. However, I do know from cleaning ordinary brushes in turps or white spirit from the old days when I did use them for brush painting.... like 30 years ago lol, it is a lot harder to get brushes clean and I would think I would spend a lot more time cleaning my airbrush with enamels than I do with acrylics and I would not feel s confident that I had cleaned it enough.

As for primer, I used to use and still have some rattle cans of primer but generally now, I just airbrush some Tamiya medium to light grey as it is quick and clean and gives a thinner coat. I wouldn't buy special primers, just use whichever grey I have most of on the day. Also, priming with the airbrush gives me a good feel for how the model will cover when I change to the finish colour, also I find out areas that may be a bit tricky to get at when priming so I am ready to deal with them with the finish.

[Guest]

Wow, thanks Graham, very comprehensive.

OK Mr Airbrush, i'm coming to get ya!!

[Ian M]

Nicely put Graham.

I use Humbrol enamals, and have not had that many problems. OK some times it seems like it dries up in the nozzle to quick, but thats also a sign that the paint is to thick or air pressure is to low. Clean up is just as Graham says, only I have yet to try the windscreen washer spirit.

Thinning tip which you probably have read 5 thousand times; aim for a milky consistance. It should run down the side of the cup and leave a transperant film.

A cleaning pot is a great idea and saves alot of stinking up the house/shed/garage. (and if you are a real tight wad you can re-use the thinner (after filtering it).

Primer? At the moment I am trying out rather ordinary artists acrilic. Cheap. effective, silky smooth and loads of pigment! Black and White is fine, If you want grey..... Duh, mix it. (I cant belive I bought a grey one idiot!)

If I ever get to the bottom of or all my tins of Humbrol dry up on me I too will be looking at the Vallejo range.

[Guest]

I doubt that windscreen wash would work with enamels Ian, it is the alcohol or whatever that keeps it from freezing and helps to prevent streaks by evaporating that cleans the acrylics out. I don't really think it is suitable for oil based enamels.

[stona]

Graham has pretty much got it covered. I'd just add that Tamiya thinners is basically a high (90) percentage Isopropyl alcohol with a retarder added. IPA can be had from Maplins a lot cheaper than Tamiya thinnerr. This brings me seamlessly to my point regarding spraying acrylics. One of the joys of acrylic paints is their rapid drying time.This,however,is not such a joy when the stuff dries in the nozzle of your airbrush! As an Xtracrylix user I have plenty of experience of this. The solution is easy. Take yourself along to any artist supply/craft shop and pick up a bottle of acrylic retarder and a bottle of acrylic flow aid. A drop of each in the paint cup as part of the thinning and you should be okay. Obviously experiment with your particular paints and set up to get the best results but the amounts are,for once,not critical.

I used to thin and clean Humbrol enamels with bog standard white spirit from Wickes with no problems at all. I also used to spray white ensign colourcoats but found cellulose thinners worked better for them. It was the chemical factory in my spray area that precipitated my switch to acrylics (a few years ago now) and I can't imagine going back. Having said that acrylic paints are a bit trickier to "crack" for spraying but if I managed it anyone can.

You will have a few hurdles to overcome when you first start spraying but you'll soon have it sorted. There's always plenty of people ready to help here.

Cheers

Steve

Forgot to say that I prime (for acrylics) with white or grey plastic primer from Halfords. It does the job. Never bothered priming for enamels.

[PJP]

As one who has just lost their airbrush virginity, I spray Tamiya acrylics mixed 50/50 with Halfords screenwash which I also use for blowing through after use, finising with MucOff which also seems to shift dried paint, if that's any help.

I do find myself using a large number of Tamiya's tiny pots to cover a 1/16th tank though so any suggestion there would help!

I don't know if this has been mentioned before, but whilst painting is the topic, I discovered today that the paints for the ???? Army wargaming miniatures are made by Vallejo. They also sell packs for particular applications (e.g. WWII German armour etc.), including weathering kits. At Hobbycraft they are listed at £13.90 for a box with a set of 6x17ml bottles in it. Although Hobbycraft seems to be at the high end of market prices.

If anyone has tried them I'd like to know what they work like, or would you like me to test and report?.

[Guest]

Blimmey Graham has just written a book LOL , can`t help you to much Dave as I`m newish with an AB myself but I agree with Steve about the Halfords primer and it seems to go on forever great stuff.

Good luck with the AB I`m sure you will pick it up no problem

Richy

[Guest]

Finally got to try the airbrush today.

The brush is a double action, and i soon got the hang of it, sort of.

I think the only problem is that the paint was a bit on the thin side, more like mucky pond water, than olive drab. But it all an experience, and next time i might get the mix a bit better.

Oh well, i'm off to the shed for another bash.....if you'll pardon the expression.

Dave