Thinning humbrol acrylics

[alhenderson]

Morning all,

 

Quick question.. I have some humbrol Matt white acrylic which is slightly thicker than I'd like. Being water based, I assume I could use water to thin it? But then I see a lot of talk of thinners. Are the latter only really used when airbrushing? I'm using old skool hairy sticks..

 

Cheers,

Al

[Ratch]

Its OK to thin Humbrol acrylics with water (I do). When it comes to thinner I prefer to stick with the brand stuff Humbrol with Humbrol - Tamiya with Tamiya.

[alhenderson]

55 minutes ago, Ratch said:

Its OK to thin Humbrol acrylics with water (I do). When it comes to thinner I prefer to stick with the brand stuff Humbrol with Humbrol - Tamiya with Tamiya.

Thanks, that's good to know. I think it only needs a few drops, it's just not giving a very smooth finish..

[Black Knight]

Add some Winsor & Newton acrylic paint flow enhancer as well. 

[alhenderson]

1 minute ago, Black Knight said:

Add some Winsor & Newton acrylic paint flow enhancer as well. 

Forgive my ignorance but.. what does paint flow enhancer do, and is it still useful when I'm brushing?

[Black Knight]

a. it does what its name suggests; it enhances the flow of the paint, allowing it to flow better to eliminate paint brush strokes/lines

b. it slightly slows the drying of the paint so you don't get a 'dry edge', thus a small ridge, where you stop painting for a moment

c. its available as a liquid or gel; both work the same, just one slows the drying a bit more than the other

d. you only need about 3 to 5% per 14ml pot

e. a bottle will last for ages. I've had mine for over 3 years. I put flow enhancer in every Humbrol acrylic pot as routine, as soon as I open it.

[alhenderson]

Thanks @Black Knight, anything that helps reduce brush strokes has got to be worth a go. Sounds like the kind of thing you'd have thought should have been in the paint to start with!

 

Al