beetcleaner

Hello My default paint when painting aluminium finishes is Tamiya AS-12 from a rattle can. Beautiful finish but very expensive. I use a Badger 200 NH airbrush but even decanting and applying it with that is still pricey. Can anyone recommend an alternative paint (and appropriate thinner) which would be a suitable alternative? I've only ever used Humbrol enamels thinned with white spirit or thinners so no experience of other brands/techniques. I have tried Humbrol 56, Humbrol 11 and Humbrol Metalcote but they all turn out very grainy and cant match the superb finish of the Tamiya AS-12. I would be quite willing to try Tamiya acrylics but am unsure about the use of flow retarder to stop the tip drying etc. Any advice would be most welcome. Thankyou

Hi Currently using Future for clear coats but it seems to need a lot of coats to get a really shiny surface when brush applied. Any advice on using Alclad Aqua Gloss?, Specifically on cleaning out airbrush afterwards and how to apply properly. Thanks in advance for any advice

I'm building the Airfix 1/72 Lancaster. Rather than install and mask the small windows in the fuselage I was thinking of blanking them off with Krystal Klear, spraying over them, then removing it and re-doing with fresh Klear. Does it come off OK doing this or will it bring some paint off if the Klear spreads further than the window?

My next build is an Airfix 1/48 Lightning and I'd like to finish it in a scheme based on an aircraft based at RAF Leuchars. I've searched the internet in vain with no joy. Used to go to airshows there as a young boy and would really like to do one based there. If 1/48 decals not available a 1/72 decal set would be a second choice. Thankyou for any advice

I've been using Humbrol enamels for as long as I can remember but have finally come to the end of the road with them due to variable quality control. I am thinking of moving to Tamiya paint and wondered if they are best used with Tamiya's own brand of thinner or is there a cheaper alternative that can be used for mixing/cleaning airbrush etc. Any other suggestions on alternative paints would be very welcome. Thankyou

I need to replace the filters in my Graphicair 300 spray booth. I've seen various posts on the net that say you can buy filter material in rolls to make your own which works out far cheaper. Does anyone have any info on the spec of filter material required and where it can be purchased from? thanks in advance for any advice

I have seen clear parts fixed into models by using Tamiya Extra Thin applied very sparingly so that capillary action flows around the edges and doesn't fog the parts. I dip my canopies etc in Future and wondered if the TET still works with Future on the parts? I usually use PVA glue to fix clear parts but no matter how sparingly I apply it some always squishes inside turrets etc so wanted to try the above method Thankyou for any advice

Thankyou everyone for your very detailed advice! I shall put this in to very good use when I get to the painting stage. I am lucky enough to have a Benchvent BV 300 extractor so that in conjunction with a mask should keep me protected.

Can anyone advise on best technique for airbrushing Alclad please. My last model was done in a NMF and I used Tamiya AS12 spray cans. The result was very good but my latest project has lots of nooks and crannies and I would probably get a lot of overspray on the model. I use a Badger 200NH airbrush and usually spray Humbrol enamels at 20 psi. Any advice on what thinners to use and what I should clean the airbrush with would be most welcome as well. Thankyou for any advice

Thankyou all for your very helpful advice. After much research I have decided to replace the spray tip and needle to see if this solves the problem. They only cost £11 so not a huge expense if this isnt the problem

Steve Thankyou for the reply. Yes the part you mention is clean and tight to the body. I frequently remove this part and oil the assembly with very fine watch oil to make sure nothing is jammed. Hole in paint jar is also clean. Im wondering if its the teflon needle bearing thats gone. Does Badger have a UK service centre as I understand the bearing would be replaced under the lifetime warranty?

I use a Badger 200 NH single action airbrush. It has started to "pulse" when I'm using it ie I depress the trigger and although paint comes it out it is uneven with a regular amount of paint being sprayed quickly followed by hardly any paint at all. This happens even with neat white spirit in the jar. Sometimes when I press the trigger nothing will happen for a couple of seconds then paint will be sprayed then the pulsing starts again. The compressor water trap is clear and Im spraying at 20psi. The pulsing does not happen when the paint jar has been removed and Im spraying air only The airbrush is stripped and cleaned every time I use it and I only ever spray Humbrol enamels thinned with white spirit. The needle is not bent or scratched and when I push it through the handle of the airbrush it is tight when it goes through the teflon seal prior to seating in the head of the airbrush. I have even soaked the nozzle tip and head assembly in cellulose thinners overnight in case there is some hardened paint inside somewhere but that hasnt helped. I might add that I have not sprayed any cellulose thinners through the actual airbrush at any time and the nozzle tip and head assembly is always cleaned with white spirit before attaching to the airbrush Can anyone offer any advice please as Ive never had this problem before and I cant think of anything else to try. Thankyou

Can anyone tell me if there is a UK based distributor for the Thinnerline Circle cutter please. From what I can see its only available on the Shadow Hobby website which I believe is in Canada. Thankyou

I've seen quite a few videos online of models being assembled with TET after the parts have been painted. I'm about to build the Airfix 1/72 B17G Flying Fortress and with so many different coloured parts inside the fuselage it would be useful to glue things together post painting. Does anyone have any experience of this on Humbrol enamels which is my paint of choice? Thanks for any advice

I have an airbrush but itend using it straight from the can after warming it up. Would you recommend decanting?