Munwele Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 (edited) First of all, I would like to start by saying hello. I've just joined this forum. I have just bought Revell acrylic paints and honestly, I regret doing so. I am using Liquitex airbrush medium to thin them. Problem is, when the paint passes through the eyedroppers, it splatters everywhere instead of falling as drops (it's too thick). I cannot thin these things and I hate using trial and error when I can thin them using ratio. Do you have any solution to my problem? Apparently, the lids of these containers break very easily, so now I have to use tape whenever I'm finished using the paint or else the lids will not close. Edited August 14, 2016 by Munwele 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jusjay Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Welcome to the forum. I tried them once and had no joy thinning them whatsoever so gave up. There probably is a knack to it and I'd be interested to hear one too. Sorry I Can't help at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonhoff Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Not tried them for spraying but have thinned them with vallejo thinners for brush painting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levin Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 I personally use them thinned with vallejo thinner and I personally like them though I like vallejo colors even a bit more Could it be that your thinner isn't made for acrylics? I never had any issues with acrylic thinner e.g. Revells or. Valkejos ( apparently they work with water have you tried it?) only i once tried them with revells email thinner (though i don't know why) From your description it also sounds as if they haven't been thinned enough but i think you've already tried thinning them more And to the containers are also ok but I'll like the pre-thinned vallejo bottles more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terrain Safe Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 I've thinned these with water and then a drop of retarder to stop it drying out on the tip. They are ok for air brushing but better to brush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 I brush paint and I've found that their own thinners (and even tap water) work well. Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levin Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 I've thinned these with water and then a drop of retarder to stop it drying out on the tip. They are ok for air brushing but better to brush.I would also use something to break the tension so it doesn't builds up drops on the painted surface Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedy Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Been using them for years now, I just thin it with warm tap water. 99% of the time I get a good finish. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fewr9fkr9595 Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 The reason your lids wont close is there are two little 'prongs' in the lid that get twisted when first removed and never seem to line back up again with the slots in the pot body. I have snipped all mine off flush with some side cutters and now my lids are tight and twist off/on smoothly. And i have thinned these with their own thinner, x20a, vallejo thinner and cleaner plus some others that I can't recall right now. It's quite thick from the pot and takes alot of thinner to get it to flow nicely, but that ain't a bad thing... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munwele Posted August 14, 2016 Author Share Posted August 14, 2016 Wow, I would like to thank all of you for the replies. @Levin No, that is surely not the case, the Liquitex thinner is made for acrylics, I just suck at using the thing. I am aware that they can be thinned with water, I never tried it and also, some people advise against it. @Tony Oliver Yes, I had figured that those prongs were to blame for the lid not closing. That's not a very good design, in my opinion. I managed to thin it using trial and error, and it sprayed nicely. It ended up clogging the airbrush in the end, for whatever reason. FYI, I am using a cheap chinese Royalmax airbrush that I bought from Aliexpress. It came with a mini compressor that I sold long ago. The compressor I am using now is a Parkside PKO 270 A1 compressor. It is in my opinion a very good compressor. Here are some images showing the result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr T Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Revell Aqua is really weird stuff. It is very thick in the container and has to be thinned. I have used their own thinner amd was unimpressed with the result. I use deionised water and some flow improver for both brush and airbrushing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beefy Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 I agree they are a bit thick but at least that makes them last quite a bit but stirring is a bit of a pain. I personally use tepid tap water and have had no problems. 50 : 50 mix. This is for 72nd scale models that I have used them on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadgaddad Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 I've only used the silver so far and had no problems spraying or brushing. I thinned it using a bit of plain tap water and it sprayed beautifully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finnthedude Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 I use Revell Aqua Color as my main paint, both brush and airbrush. I thin it with Revell's own thinner (Revell Aqua Color Mix) but have found in practice that for airbrushing it takes far more thinner than Revell say to use - Revell info sheet says 4x paint to 1x thinner but I find 1 to 1 or actually more thinner than paint. I love these paints but they are very thick, however once you find the right milky consistency you know how far to go with the thinner. This thinner has a delayer built in so drying times are up and this helps with airbrushing I find. I'm only using cheapo Chinese airbrushes and have no problems once paint consistency is right. They settle down VERY well as a brush coat and are a very forgiving paint. They're also very tough and whilst it takes a while to get used to them it is worth it when you finally get it right. Tony Oliver is spot on with the two little tags that need snipping off, they can stop the lid sealing but they're easy to remove so not such a big problem. Finnthedude. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomathee Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 I found water worked better than (Tamiya) thinners when I brushed them on, not sure if that was because it wasn't Revell thinner but I suspect not from reading other responses. I think about 50:50 worked well, I measured by getting a bit on a cocktail stick and dropping it near the top edge of the palette, if it didn't run back down to the bottom it was too thick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F4u Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Tap water for me to with a flow improver. Guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Sainsbury basic vodka. Not a joke, works fine for me 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Sainsbury basic vodka. Not a joke, works fine for me Ok I'll bite..... How and why?! Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Why? Basic chemistry. Vodka is a mixture of ethyl alcohol and water - exactly what is needed for most water based acryllics - sprays better and dries faster than just pure water. How? Dillute to the consistence of milk and stir well 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Blue belly is Revell Aqua thinned with Sainsbury Basic Vodka 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danfisher13 Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 On 8/28/2016 at 12:41 PM, Pin said: Blue belly is Revell Aqua thinned with Sainsbury Basic Vodka That looks stunning. I am having a nightmare with thinning white ... I get orange peel to thin or too thick ... but I at this point will give anything a go. vodka it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FPDPenguin Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Late to the party on this topic, but I'm a new member. I too have had trouble with revell aqua paints thickening up when you would expect them to thin out. That colour mix stuff seems to work for a few paints but not others. Cellulose thinners turns the paint into gel, and I've found some colours mixed with IPA also turn into gel. Thinning with just water alone seems to allow the paint to dry on the tip of the needle. I'm seem to get about 10 mins of airbrushing before I have to strip the airbrush down and thoroughly clean it. It's a pain in the backside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luka Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Thin down with water and then add some flow improver. This guy has a nice recipe for airbrush homemade flow improver. You just need to find out the right amount to add to the Revell Aqua; it will need quite a bit of this to combat tip dry (especially with the weather getting warmer atm) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_9JqC9ykBg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Give the container a good shake and stir. When you open it dip a wet brush into the paint. Once you wipe off the excess glop (technical term!) whats left on the brush should apply evenly. Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharknose Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 The vodka tip is interesting. Might check the content of a Lidl version, probably cheaper than buying tamiya thinners, which leads me on to ask @Pin , does it work as well with Tamiya Acrylics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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