paints for a new airbrush

[andmarsh]

Hi

Just about to start using an airbrush for the first time.

have a fair few small Vallejo model paints - and about a dozen Tamiya acrylics. 

Can I use these ok in an airbrush- would they need thinners or water- or would they work straight out of the pot!

Basically, I have a new Tamiya Eunos car to build -  and wanted to prime and paint with an airbrush

 

 

Many Thanks

Andy

[Giorgio N]

Tamiya and Vallejo are both acrylics but are quite different.

Tamiya paints are better thinned with their thinner of Isopropyl alcohol or a mix of the same and water. Water alone is generally not good.

Vallejo paints on the other hand can be thinned with water only, although they work best with their own thinner. Some also thin Vallejos with window cleaner, works pretty well. It's also useful to add to the mix a couple drops of retarder for acrylic paints otherwise they will dry on the tip of the airbrish and clog it. No need to do this with Tamiya generally.

 

[bmwh548]

Tamiya acrylics spray really nice, almost as good as Gunze's stuff (personal preference). Get a bottle of thinner (preferably their own, but you can use a "general purpose" as well), play with it on some scrap parts first until you get the consistency right. If it clogs up often put some retarder in there (a few drops, not too much or it might have the wrong effect). And after you're done make sure you give it a decent clean, acrylics can be a pain in the backside.

[andmarsh]

so for my Vallejo paints ( Which are not Model Air)  may be a bit of Flow improver?

and for the Tamiya Acrylics, I would need some Tamiya thinners -   can they also be used for cleaning the airbrush after use?

[bmwh548]

You could, but it's a bit expensive (says the guy using Mr. Leveling Thinner for cleaning the airbrushes). For acrylics I think you can just use some IPA to clean up.

[tank152]

If you're going to be building cars then you can't go wrong using these paints.

https://www.hiroboy.com/Zero_Paints--manufacturer--46.html

They come pre thinned and colour matched.

Best advice, steer clear of water based acrylics, they aint worth the hassle.

[andmarsh]

11 minutes ago, tank152 said:

If you're going to be building cars then you can't go wrong using these paints.

https://www.hiroboy.com/Zero_Paints--manufacturer--46.html

They come pre thinned and colour matched.

Best advice, steer clear of water based acrylics, they aint worth the hassle.

yes, I keep seeing Hiroboy cropping up when people discuss paints - wonder if he does one for a Tamiya Eunos Roadster😁

[tank152]

If he doesn't list one he does custom mixes. 

The paints spray lovely and dry to a great smooth finish. You'll need to apply a gloss coat to them before decalling as they are a matt/semi matt paint. 

Zero do those pre mixed as well.

[andmarsh]

cheers everyone    - just had this delivered - how exciting!!

 

[Bonhoff]

One thing to bear in mind... Don't try to use Tamiya thinners with Vallejo paints, you end up with a gloopy mess.

[bmwh548]

If you don't mind the smell you can just pop down to a car paint shop and ask them about paints. I've been doing that for the models that need to be painted in a particular color lately, they normally have color charts for each vehicle manufacturer and they also have a rough list of the models the paint was used for. Price to quantity is really a bargain: 100 grams of 1k paint is roughly 2 euros. And it needs a bit of diluting so you actually end up with even more in the end. As long as you store it in a good jar you can keep it for the next models if you want.

[Ratch]

12 hours ago, tank152 said:

Best advice, steer clear of water based acrylics, they aint worth the hassle.

What a load of tosh! Vallejo Model Air paints are great, use them straight from the bottle, no thinning/mixing, clean up the airbrush with water, no mess, simplicity itself.

[Steve Noble]

On 19/10/2018 at 22:55, Ratch said:

What a load of tosh! Vallejo Model Air paints are great, use them straight from the bottle, no thinning/mixing, clean up the airbrush with water, no mess, simplicity itself.

Been building car and bike kits for many years and I partly agree with you. Vallejo are pretty good paints to use through an airbrush. But personally I would only use them on engine, suspension chassis parts, maybe interior. I wouldn't even consider their use on body parts. I would much prefer to use a lacquer paint for that, Tamiya LP or TS, Mr Color etc. They are much more consistent and a tougher finish that suit the needs of an auto builder better. They polish flawlessly as well and don't rub off when handled. Zero paints are good too but you need the necessary spray booth as they stink to high heaven...

[Giorgio N]

Water based acrylics not worth the hassle ? Can't see where the hassle is, I use them all the times and they are very easy to use, dry fast and don't leave my bench stinking as the old enamels used to do. What's not to like ?

At the same time I agree with Steve that water based acrylics may not be the best solution for a car body, not necessarily int erms of robustness but in terms of finish: in my experience these acrylics simply can't reproduce well the very glossy and smooth surfaces typical of a car body.

Must be said that in the last few years these paints have also improved a lot and companies like Vallejo are introducing new lines almost every year. The latest Vallejo metallics for example are very realistic, I wouldn't be surprised if they managed to introduce specific paints for car modellers in the future. Today however I'd use laquers myself for this application.

[tank152]

1 hour ago, Giorgio N said:

Water based acrylics not worth the hassle ? Can't see where the hassle is, 

The hassle is the continuous tip dry and airbrush blockages you get using water based acrylics on top of that its the delicate nature of these paints. If folk are willing to put up with that, thats fine by me. Myself i'd rather be spending my time actually spraying. 

Sure people will come along saying add some of this, that and the other to them to make them work, which is something you never have to do using Tamiya, Mr Paint, Zero or any of the Gunze paints.

Another thing, you don't need industrial air pressure to spray these paints so you certainly shouldn't be bothered with that much smell.

 

 

[andmarsh]

5 minutes ago, tank152 said:

The hassle is the continuous tip dry and airbrush blockages you get using water based acrylics on top of that its the delicate nature of these paints. If folk are willing to put up with that, thats fine by me. Myself i'd rather be spending my time actually spraying. 

Sure people will come along saying add some of this, that and the other to them to make them work, which is something you never have to do using Tamiya, Mr Paint, Zero or any of the Gunze paints.

Another thing, you don't need industrial air pressure to spray these paints so you certainly shouldn't be bothered with that much smell.

 

 

hi

 

I was planning to use Tamiya acrylics to do the base coat, as I have quite a few of them - some unopened- also filling a new bottle with x20 thinners seems to be just the right mix for spraying.

its primer i have been struggling with, even though out of the bottle the Vallejo primers should be good to go, i find im having to add water/flow improver  and it all becomes a bit of a mess

can you recommend good primer ??   or I shall revert to my 

Hycote arosol  ☺️

[tank152]

Hi, this is what I use

http://www.hmhobbies.co.uk/mrp-085-fine-surface-primer-black-60ml.html

Or

http://www.hmhobbies.co.uk/mrp-084-fine-surface-primer-gray-60ml.html

Pre mixed and ready to go.

Tim.

[bmwh548]

Mr. Surfacer is also an excellent primer. The ones with lower marking as best used as fillers for tiny imperfections, but the ones from 1200 upwards dry very nice and leave sort of a semi-gloss finish. They're also very wallet friendly (you can thin them 50/50 with Mr. Leveling thinner and they're just the right consistency).

[andmarsh]

1 hour ago, tank152 said:

Hi, this is what I use

http://www.hmhobbies.co.uk/mrp-085-fine-surface-primer-black-60ml.html

Or

http://www.hmhobbies.co.uk/mrp-084-fine-surface-primer-gray-60ml.html

Pre mixed and ready to go.

Tim.

thanks

 

just bought them both

[Ratch]

On ‎10‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 10:22 AM, tank152 said:

The hassle is the continuous tip dry and airbrush blockages you get

Your pressure is too high

[tank152]

I won't be using any water based acrylics anytime soon, i'm quite happy with my acrylic lacquer paints which I spray at between 10-15 psi.

If those weren't available i'd be using Colourcote enamels, and if thoses weren't available i'd be selling my stuff and be taking up fishing again as i'd rather have my eye poked out with a blunt stick rather than using cruddy water based stuff! 🙂

 

[Ratch]

You obviously don't like acrylics, but there are plenty of us who get on fine with them. There is no need for such disparaging comments.

[tank152]

I  don't like water based acrylics. Good for you and all others who get on with them.

From my point of view there is every need for my comments, disparaging or not.

[bmwh548]

1 hour ago, tank152 said:

I won't be using any water based acrylics anytime soon, i'm quite happy with my acrylic lacquer paints which I spray at between 10-15 psi.

If those weren't available i'd be using Colourcote enamels, and if thoses weren't available i'd be selling my stuff and be taking up fishing again as i'd rather have my eye poked out with a blunt stick rather than using cruddy water based stuff! 🙂

 

You forgot Mr. Color. Their stuff is amazing with Mr. Leveling Thinner.

[dnl42]

Mr Color is my favorite paint. Goes on amazingly smooth, very thin, and is quite robust . Same for Mr Surfacer, which is my universal primer. I thin it down a bit, but it results in a wonderfully smooth surface while allowing all the fine detail to show through. I use Mr Leveling Thinner for both.

 

But, you need to develop good airbrushing skills to use Mr Color or any other lacquer paints, lest you get a rough or even powdery coat. I spray thin coats at 1 atm between 6 and 60mm. It needs to go on slightly wet; a grazing light is best for this. You also need good surface prep. The plastic should be quite smooth--polished--before you break out the airbrush. Other paints would also benefit from these application techniques, but they don't require it, so you can get away with poorer techniques.