Airbrushing Tamiya Acrylics.

[Stuart]

Hi Gents,

As you all know I tend to paint my models with the good ol' mk.I hairy stick - and will continue to do so but...

I've recently aquired a Passche external mix single action airbrush - this one in fact (although I also have a cup for mine as the bottle needs to much paint to work properly). What I'm thinking is, now that I'm building a bit more 1/48, it'd be good to have something to help with single colour finishes (like my all-black Spitfire or my Monogram F-106).



I have some Tamiya Acrylics, and the Tamiya X-20A thinners and a bottle of retarder. What sort of ratio would you recommend for this type of application? (I'm going to spray at lowish pressure).

Also, do Tamiya do decent clears coats that are airbrushable, and do you recommend them?

Cheers!

[RexCag]

I can't help with ratios, I don't use that kind of Acrylic paints.

But, I do have a tip that someone recently typed on a message board that made me smack my head for not thinking of it myself.

I can't tell on yours, because it is a shape and design sensitive tip,,,,,,,,,,but, see if you can run that airbrush upside down, by putting tiny amounts of your paint/thinner mixture into the receptacle for the bottle attachment.

This lets you use the airbrush as a "tiny cup gravity feed" airbrush.

I read that tip, looked at my Badger,,,,,,,,,and walked away from the computer muttering "40 years of cleaning this sucker, and it never occurred to me to put PAINT in there??" You see, to clean a siphon feed airbrush by the "spray thinner method",,,,,one part of it is to turn the airbrush over and eyedropper some thinner in that hole.

Why it never came to me to put paint in there,,,,,,,,I have no idea. It seems like such a no-brainer to me now.

[Stikpusher]

Hah, I picked up one of those years ago when my original Badger was wearing out. It's a good basic one to begin to learn basic techniques with. Especially like you said, monotone schemes. And you can learn masking schemes using that one also.

For Tamiya Acrylic paint, I recommend starting at a 2 parts paint to one part thinner ratio and adjust from there.

[BorgR3mc0]

That is a nice one to start with. I have a Badger 350 a very similar airbrush (although I must confess that once you go double action you never use a single action again). The 350 was nice but don't underestimate the importance of a good air source! I found a good compressor the most important component of your airbrush setup.

As for Tamiya acrylics, I then them with Gunze self levelling or even ordinary laquer thinner. I thin it in a 2 parts thinner to 1 part paint. And maybe even thin more until I reach the legendary "milky consistency ".
Stirring the paint is very important, first in the paintpot then again with thinner.

[speedgraflex]

Congratulations, Stuart. My buddy picked up this same model last year. He is a painter and wanted to experiment with air brushing. Based on his experience, I can second Borg about finding a great compressor to power the beast properly.

[Stuart]

Thanks for the tips Gents.

I'll try the 2:1 ratio with the correct thinners first (I do have a bottle of Mr Levelling Thinner).

I do have a compressor thanks - it's not the best but at this stage it'll do.

Cheers!

[Stikpusher]

If you now have a compressor and an airbrush, you're all set. You were smart enough to pass on those cans of propellant. Those things are a huge money pit. Compared to those, a compressor pays itself off fairly fast...

[Thomas_M]

Most has already been said in regards of the thinning of Tamiya acrylics. Me, I prefer their own brand of thinner, as you got it, or Gunze´s self-levelling thinner, which gives a smoother finish as I believe to see.

Especially when using Gunze´s thinner: work in a well (!) ventilated area! Or better, get yourself a respiratory mask with filters for solvents! Those are rather cheap and highly recommended.

[jkim]

Tamiya Acrylics... I use 91% isopropyl alchohol to thin and would recommend starting off at a 1:1 to 2:1 thinner:paint ratio. I personally spray at a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio but I have very specific reasons that may not be applicable to your work. The airbrush is a nice a addition but the jar feed will limit your ability to switch colors. I find a double-action gravity feed airbrush to be ideal for scale aircraft modeling but hey, ya gotta start somewhere!