Airbrush Paint Advice

Hello all

I am just in the process of thinking about using my airbrushes again after many years of them sat in a box, last time they were used it was with thinned down oil based enamel paints. I remember what a faff it was to get the paint to the right consistency and try to keep dust from settling before it dried etc. Not to mention the mess from overspray that seems to get onto everything else.

So with that in mind I am considering using water based acrylic paints instead, if those were available last time I used my airbrushes around 25 years ago, I was not really aware of them at the time, but technology has moved on a bit since then and I would like to give it a try.

This will be for use on model engines etc, there will be no heat involved on most of them, as they will be run on compressed air.

I have been told the AK Interactive Real Colour is possibly a good choice, but has anyone else got any advice or tips for me before I start buying the wrong paints.

Thanks Phil

When involved in auto refinishing many years ago I used a viscosity cup - a plastic cup with a standard sized hole in the bottom. The thinner the paint the faster it emptied.

You could make something of the kind, smaller of course, but at least once you have gone through the 'faff' the first time you could get repeatable results more quickly.

Edited By Nick Clarke 3 on 05/12/2020 15:31:02

Hi Phil,

crylics are a different kettle of fish inasmuch they dry much faster and tend not to have as glossy finish as oil based. use of extenders help to control drying time.

I was just going to post a link to Ramon's thread they realised it was you Phil

I find Vallejo Model Air paints to be very easy to use & they have a wide range of colours. The Model Air paints apparently have finer pigments than the Model Color range & are designed to be airbrushed straight from the bottle, though I habitually add an M5 stainless steel nut "shaker" to a new bottle + top it off with the Vallejo thinner before I start..

Also had good results with Lifecolor & Tamiya acrylics, but would not recommend Humbrol - coarse pigments & I found that they became too diluted to cover when thinned enough to spray without clogging. Using Vallejo Thinner Medium (in conjunction with Humbrol thinner) helped a bit, but unless the particular colour is only available from Humbrol I give them a miss now. That said, I think Humbrol are re-formulating their acrylcis & moving to dropper bottles from their current tubs, so things may cahnge there. Tamiya acrylics are very forgiving, but require the use of their thinner for best results.

The Vallejo & Lifecolor (and from what I can gather AK and Mig Ammo) need to be applied very sparingly and the colour built up with multiple thin passes - the paint should never appear wet on the surface. It took me a long time to twig this, but once I knew how to use them they give excellent results. It is as though the surface changes colour with no noticable paint thickness & they are very economical to use.

The Spanish water based acrylics don't adhere well to unprepared surfaces, though, and a suitable primer is recommended. I use Vallejo's polyurethane primer on plastic models - this is applied differently to the acrylic paints, being applied quite heavily & keeping a wet edge. It also takes a couple of days to harden off sufficiently to sand cleanly, but dries to a very thin satin finish layer that does not obscure detail.

Vallejo (and Mig IIRC) have some "how to" videos on YouTube (if you can stomach YouTube's increasingly obtrusive adverts) that I found very helpful. The plastic dropper bottles are easy to use & the paint has very little odour. Mrs B complains about Tamiya acrylic, which has a slightly alcholic smell, but not Vallejo or Lifecolor.

I don't know where you are in the country, but in Yorkshire there is a department store chain called Boyes that has the Vallejo paints, primers, thinners & airbrush cleaner on the shelves.

Best getting a couple of bottles to try before you dive in - you can "invest" a suprising amount before you know it.

HTH

Nigel B.

I use Createx paints have had no problems with them just make sure you use a reducer to thin them and not water. The other brand I have also used is Golden but not so much of a range as Createx paints but suitable for what I want

Nigel & Others

Thanks for a comprehensive answers, I think I need to do a few dummy runs (no pun intended) to see what is going to give the best results for me.

Top Tip about "Boyes" though, we have one not 10 minutes drive from me over in Ilkley, so I will pop in next time we are there and have a look.

Phil

+1 for Vallejo, been using them for years. I find the model air spray without problem straight from the bottle. The standard Vallejo paints I thin about 50/50 with their thinners. The 4mm scale Ginsters livery Class 158 in the photo was sprayed and weathered with a mix of model air and std Vallejo. The finish was deliberately dulled down using Johnsons clear acrylic floor polish. Just remember with acrylics they dry extremely fast so you must be scrupulous with cleaning your brush after use. I normally use an Iawta Neo and the cleaning regime is. Empty out any remaining paint from the bowl. Wipe out any residue. Fill bowl with airbrush cleaner and spray that at max pressure/flow until spray is clean. Take airbrush apart and clean in ultrasonic tank. allow to dry and re-assemble and its ready for next time.

Dave

Thanks for the tip about Boyes Nigel B.

Can anyone advise if these paints will withstand heat? not as in smokebox mind.

Brian

I have already replied to Phil on MEM but just a word about the current acrylic modelling paints.

There are many different suppliers but basically Vallejo, AK Interactive, Mig, etc etc sold in the small 'polythene' bottles are polyurethane based. Tamiya, both old and new range, AK Real Colour, and Gunze are Lacquer based and come in 'glass' jars.

Though they will mix they are not really compatible and can cause airbrush clogging problems. I use quite a lot of all types when plastic modelling but try not to use both through the same airbrush.

Personally I now favour the AK Real colour because of it's quick drying and very resilient properties once dry (a few minutes) It masks well and does not lift off the surface if a primer is used when the masking is removed.

This is all on plastic - do bear in mind that that is it's intended use - how it will perform on metal surfaces such as cast, steel or brass I have no idea but it will only be as good as the substrate beneath it. I have no idea how much heat it will take either - plastic models don't take kindly to too much of that

Ramon (Tug)

Very timely thread. Thanks to all. I have used Humbrol for many years and Precision Paints a lot. I dread painting these days because I have never really been satisfied with my results. Hence I was mulling over moving to acrylics. Many of the garden railway swear by the rattle can route. But looking at the results achieved by the automotive guys with acrylic bases I would be happy achieving 15% of those.

I do note from "Fast and Loud" (can't you tell what COVID19 tele has driven me to no pun intended) that they always prime, base coat which isnt very shiny and then overcoat with "clear" which is the wow factor. I am assuming that is a lacquer. Is it also an acrylic or based on something else?

Regards Ian

Ian, I don't make model cars but know a few who do. They tend to use a laquer intended for (model) cars and do finish with a clear lacquer. Their results are stunning and have recieved high acolades. It would be right to point out that the clear should ideally be from the same manufacturer of the paint used to ensure the best compatability.

As a Humbrol user from the age of around 12 I have to say the product today does not match their long term status as a hobby paint and does not match the competition from other manufacturers. That said, that's my own opinion based on what I use and yes I do occasionally use it but rarely on the models themselves. It does have it's devotees however but they appear to be the minority compared to acrylic users.

Another thing that I feel is also worth mentioning is that despite having several airbrushes for use on plastic models I have never considered using them for ME projects. The paint finish would I think be too thin unless many coats are applied over a well prepared substrate. I much prefer rattle can primer and colour despite the varying acrylic paints I have at hand but again that's choice.

A really good rattle can paint is 'CanBrush' - very hard wearing and a great gloss clear coat should you want. A big can at reasonable price - eBay will find you some

Unfortunately not a great range of suitable colours (for model engines)

Regards - Ramon

Edited By Ramon Wilson on 06/12/2020 09:14:51

Acrylics work fine on brass, but it is the same as all susbstrates you have to use the correct primer. Etch primer followed by Halfords rattle can primer works fine before top coating.

Dave

The reason the cars in your films have the wow factor is that after allowing a few weeks to harden the clear coat is sanded back to about 5000 - 8000g and then mechanically buffed. This is the way to get the wet look as every blemish and trace of orange peal is removed.

I quite often clearcoat the model engines with rattle can paint, either gloss or satin depending on the look I want for the model, steam engines tend to get a standard clear but the IC engines get one that is intended for things like motorcycle fuel tanks. These are lest as sprayed and in the case of the gloss still give a good shine without sanding and buffing.

Like Ramon I seldom airbrush the engineering models unless its a particular colour I want, having said that more recently I've ordered rattle cans of RAL or BS colours where there are 1000s of shades to choose from.

Good insight of what goes into producing a high quality paint finish in this one of Retropower's videos.

Many thanks all. You have provided a huge amount of food for thought. Yes Jason I had forgotten about the buffing side of it. I am not looking for anything like that sort of finish on my rolling stock but I have been disappointed over a number of years with what I have achieved with traditional model paints particularly Humbrol and to a lesser extent Precision Paints. The latter I understand is a synthetic enamel. I know for sure with what I see that the pigment content of Humbrol has been dramatically reduced.

I have developed a modular building system at 1:13.7 scale for the railway infrastructure. The modules being cast in polyurethane. Long story. However for this purpose which generally is dull or matt experiements with standard domestic paints (brushed) over Halfords rattle can grey primer have given best results including outside in the garden. Stress here only small samples experimentally no full building yet. They withstand the weather changes better than the model paints.

Thanks to all for the help.