Absolute airbrush beginner help

[Welsh Bloke]

Hi all,

 

Just got my new gravity feed airbrush and compressor and have a few questions regarding cleaning. I've read how to clean the AB at the end of a session and that seems fairly straightforward. What I'm wondering is say I've just put down a coat on the model and I'm waiting for that to dry. Can I just wait for that to dry and then carry on putting down the next coat? Or will the paint in my AB go hard while I'm waiting? Do I have to do anything ie cleaning to the AB between coats?

 

I'm sorry for the probably stupid questions I'm asking. There'll probably be a few more.

 

Any advice gratefully received,

 

WB

[bmwh548]

What type of paint are you using? Be precise please.

Some paints may form a "skin" if you leave them a bit too long. You can avoid that by adding a few drops of thinner over the top but not stirring it.

If you're using a metallic paint forget about leaving them in the cup. The metallic flake will settle on the bottom and you'll make a mess when you try to resume your airbrushing session.

In time you'll get better and better at eye-ing the quantities so there's almost no paint leftover in the cup when you're done. I typically have only a few drops of paint at the end so I just flush the airbrush with thinner and leave a few drops in it until the parts dry. That way when I come back I just flush the thinner, fill with paint and get back to painting.

[Welsh Bloke]

Thanks bmwh548,

 

 I haven't used it yet but I'll mainly be using Tamiya acrylics thinned with X20A.

[dogsbody]

3 hours ago, Welsh Bloke said:

Thanks bmwh548,

 

 I haven't used it yet but I'll mainly be using Tamiya acrylics thinned with X20A.

 

 

I just started using my siphon Badger 150 this past August and have used some Tamiya. Get yourself some Tamiya Paint Retarder and mix a few drops into each cupful of mixed paint. It will help prevent tip clog and splatter. It's worked great for me.

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[Kev The Modeller]

21 hours ago, Welsh Bloke said:

Thanks bmwh548,

 

 I haven't used it yet but I'll mainly be using Tamiya acrylics thinned with X20A.

With Tamiya acrylics you will be fine waiting, it's  a very easy and forgiving paint to use as is Mr Hobby Aqueous.  Ture water based acrylics like Ammo, AK or Vallejo aren't and will cause tip dry and can start drying in the colour cup depending on thinning ratio quite quickly.    Tamiya the paint and most paint will be recoatable within seconds with normal levels of coverage/coat thickness, so you've not really got to worry about recoating too much.  I often wait up to a good few minutes while painting multiple parts, without issues using Tamiya or Mr Hobby Aqueous thinned 50/50, just wipe the tip as you finish the last pass, I sometimes have to wipe the tip with a little A20X if it's been left a longer.  

 

Why not practice a bit first, get used to the brush and feel for the control of it, coat thickness etc.  There are other tricks but I'd recommend you just master using the brush with just Tamiya and their thinner first, as your experience and confidence grows you can start experimenting with other thinners etc.     

Edited January 7, 2021 by Kev The Modeller

[dogsbody]

5 hours ago, Kev The Modeller said:

Why not practice a bit first, get used to the brush and feel for the control of it, coat thickness etc.  There are other tricks but I'd recommend you just master using the brush with just Tamiya and their thinner first, as your experience and confidence grows you can start experimenting with other thinners etc.     

 

 

Yes! I meant to add that yesterday. Practice spraying first is a great idea. Just so you get an idea how the airbrush works, without messing up a kit.

 

 

 

Chris

[Welsh Bloke]

Thanks all,

 

That's exactly what I was looking for.

 

Sorry for the simplistic questions.