Enamels with an airbrush

 All I use to AB is MM enamels, thinned with Testor's Universal Enamel Thinner through my Aztek.  Clean up starts with emptying and cleaning the color cup, then filling it with clean thinner and running that trough till sprays clean.  Then remove nozzle and let dry, no hassles.

As a hardcore enamel user, all I can say is," They'll get my enamels whjen they pry them from my cold dead fingers".

I like to use lots and lots of alcohol.

And sometimes I use it for cleaning the airbrush.

Will lacquer-based media harm my plastic Aztek airbrush?

And for the record, I love my Model Master enamels.  I've never ever had a problem with them.  They go on so smoothly that, on a couple of occasions, I didn't even have to apply a gloss coat before decaling.

Eric

I use lacquer thinner to clean my airbrush regardless of whether I'm painting with acrylics or enamels.

 However, I greatly prefer airbrushing with enamels and brush painting with acrylics. Acrylics always seem to clog up my airbrush and I have to keep cleaning it every few minutes during my paint session. With enamels, it goes so smooth and I only have to clean at the end on my session or between colors.

 I finally stopped trying to fight with acrylics and built a paint booth with a bottom mounted blower that vents outside. Best decision I ever made with this hobby.

the doog

Reasoned:

Never used anything but MM enamels, it goes on really well and cleans up with generic paint thinner sprayed through the AB.  As far as the fumes...... I throw caution to the wind.

 

Reasoned, PLEASE don't be so flip about not protecting your lungs and nervous system from airborne chemicals. Paint thinner can cause all kinds of problems--respiratory as well as nervous system damage from repeated inhalation. Protect yourself with a respirator, if not a full-on mask at the very least?

Seriously, it's not that bad! Most of us here know not to huff the stuff. Besides, everything gives you cancer/kills you these days. My kids toys can be just as dangerous because of PVC plastics, and lead in the paint. We're talking about paint thinner here, not depleted uranium.

I've been using lacquer thinner for thinning enamels for years with out ant ill affects to my A/Bs just lately I've started to thin MM acrylics with lacquer to give the extra bite on plastic. As for cleaning my air brushes I'll soak my needles and tips in MEK or Acetone.

Paul

Reasoned

Never used anything but MM enamels, it goes on really well and cleans up with generic paint thinner sprayed through the AB.  As far as the fumes...... I throw caution to the wind.

I  use humbrols through my AB. They are quite thick, so you need to thin them more than other paints. Just with some mineral spirits mixed up. When I'm done, I take out the cup, give it a nice scrub, then put the nose of the AB, including the paint sucky uppy bit, and run mineral spirits through it, now, you must remember to use a mask, cos that stuff is nasty. Every once in a while, I will dissassemble everything and clean every part to perfection

Airbrushes are brass and stainless steel so rust should not be a problem unless you are using a cheap knock-off airbrush as I am not sure what they are made of.

Most airbrushes can handle lacquer thinner with no problem as the needle bearings are solvent proof in most airbrushes these days. The only thing to watch for is lacquer getting into the air valve which contains a rubber O-ring that can and will swell and become damaged from lacquer.

brickshooter

I spray lacquer thinner through my AB regardless of what paint I use.  Then spray distilled water to rinse out the lacquer thinner.   BTW, anyone knows whether this is bad for the brush? 

Water, or laquer thinner?

If you have any parts inside the brush that are non-plated steel, you could end up with rust in there if not dried thoroughly.. If their are any rubber or plastic parts, you might have a melted blob in there one day from laquer thinner...

The only thig I run through mine is alcohol and enamel thinner... No chance of rust or blobs that way..  Laquer thinner has been know to turn enamel into chunky salsa too...

brickshooter

I spray lacquer thinner through my AB regardless of what paint I use.  Then spray distilled water to rinse out the lacquer thinner.   BTW, anyone knows whether this is bad for the brush? 

It's not necessarily bad for the airbrush but some acrylics can turn gooey from lacquer so be careful of that.

I see no reason to use lacquer thinner for acrylics other than to clean dried on paint that you can't remove any other way and you are in a hurry so you can't soak it overnight.

Probably not necessary to use water or anything after cleaning with lacquer thinner.  That said, I have been using water as a final rinse after acrylics with several different airbrushes over the years and have noticed no ill effects.  Make sure you blow all the water out with air, so you don't get some mixed with your next load of paint.

I spray lacquer thinner through my AB regardless of what paint I use.  Then spray distilled water to rinse out the lacquer thinner.   BTW, anyone knows whether this is bad for the brush? 

Hans von Hammer

Personally, I prefer enamels over any other meduim for the coverage, fairly quick but predictable drying-time, the fact that it atomizes better than acrylics, and if I ever have to give up using Testor's enamels because of some government regualtion, I'll likely climb a tall building with a high-powered rifle, because that'll be the LAST straw... 

 

If you do that, please make that occur in Sacremento because that is where alot of those delusional laws are first codified...

And yes, I am a die hard enamel fan as well. Love the stuff and hope they will be around for the rest of my natural life.

I was wondering how do you guys clean your airbrush when you use enamals?  is it expensive? is it a pain in the butt?

Cleaning an airbrush is PITA no matter what medium you use..

That said, I clean it with regular ol' paint thinner that I buy at the hardware store...  Doesn't matter whether it's good for airbrushing or not, it's just for clean-up... Only costs about 5-6 bucks a gallon...  If I spray laquer through it, I clean it with laquer thinner...

I clean it after using acrylics with rubbing alcohol.. 

think the only reason I use acrylic paint is because I can clean my airbrush in my sink with tap water.

Dunno about you, but I spent 21.00 for a moisture-trap to keep water OUT of my airbrush, damned if water is gonna go into it for cleaning... It IS a good way to find out if you have any unplated steel parts inside it though...

Personally, I prefer enamels over any other meduim for the coverage, fairly quick but predictable drying-time, the fact that it atomizes better than acrylics, and if I ever have to give up using Testor's enamels because of some government regualtion, I'll likely climb a tall building with a high-powered rifle, because that'll be the LAST straw... 

usmc1371

 

GreenThumb:

 

Yes enamel is easier to spray but it won't be that much longer and I think it will be pulled from the shelves and acrylic will be the only choice. Start learning to use acrylics, they are not that hard to use.

 

 

What makes you say that, Mike?  I hope it's just conjecture.  I love using my Model Master enamels.  I would weep if they went away.

-Jesse

I have heard talk but nothing is for sure. I am sure we will find out first living in CA.

I'm one of the ones who love enamel and hope it does not go away. I have two problems with acrylics.

First, it dries so fast I sometimes get a clog in my airbrush if I get distracted and do not keep spraying, or clean the brush immediately.

Second, the fast dry makes it harder to get a good gloss finish (I do some commercial and private airplanes, and cars, all take gloss finish).  Like painting a real car with lacquer, but a model with fine detail is a lot harder than a full-size car to rub out and polish.

kermit

usmc1371:

 

GreenThumb:

 

Yes enamel is easier to spray but it won't be that much longer and I think it will be pulled from the shelves and acrylic will be the only choice. Start learning to use acrylics, they are not that hard to use.

 

 

What makes you say that, Mike?  I hope it's just conjecture.  I love using my Model Master enamels.  I would weep if they went away.

-Jesse

 

My LHS shopkeeper told me something similar a while ago.... He explained that there have been or will be legislation changes about the solvent based paints. Not sure if it is entirely true but he has been stocking more and more acrylic paints and less enamel based ones.

Richard

I haven't heard anything about the elimination of solvent based paints.  Although given the fact we have mandated curly-Q light bulbs, it wouldn't surprise me if the only choice for models will soon be Crayola finger paints.

usmc1371

 

GreenThumb:

 

Yes enamel is easier to spray but it won't be that much longer and I think it will be pulled from the shelves and acrylic will be the only choice. Start learning to use acrylics, they are not that hard to use.

 

 

What makes you say that, Mike?  I hope it's just conjecture.  I love using my Model Master enamels.  I would weep if they went away.

-Jesse

My LHS shopkeeper told me something similar a while ago.... He explained that there have been or will be legislation changes about the solvent based paints. Not sure if it is entirely true but he has been stocking more and more acrylic paints and less enamel based ones.

Richard

GreenThumb

Yes enamel is easier to spray but it won't be that much longer and I think it will be pulled from the shelves and acrylic will be the only choice. Start learning to use acrylics, they are not that hard to use.

What makes you say that, Mike?  I hope it's just conjecture.  I love using my Model Master enamels.  I would weep if they went away.

-Jesse

No it's no problem at all,they cover real good.I clean with mineral spirits from the hardware store,I find it best to thin with good thinner,on our site Hawkeye Hobbies sells nice stuff.As it has been said,be sure to have good ventilation and buy a decent respirator.

Don Stauffer

 In fact, most of the acrylic guys I know do not use soap and water, they use alcohol,

And rightly so. Soap has no place in an airbrush.

We've had a number of threads on this in recent months in the "painting and airbrushing" forum.  Most folks, like me, clean the airbrush with hardware store thinners or chemicals.  Bought by the gallon, it is not that expensive.  In fact, most of the acrylic guys I know do not use soap and water, they use alcohol, so the difference is probably not much at all, and may even be to the advantage of enamel.

There is some real crud being sold these days as general purpose paint thinner, so I always  use, specifically, either mineral spirits or turpentine.  It has been going up in price, but when bought by the gallon or half-gallon is not really that expensive.  I figure I use about an ounce of the stuff for a normal airbrush session.

I use generic hardware store paint thinner to flush between colors and final clean up, and then a quick dose of lacquer thinner at the end of the session when it is all done for the day or week...

I clean the airbrush with the appropriate solvent for the paint:

Windex or soapy water for acrylics

Mineral spirits for enamels

Lacquer thinner for lacquers

And no matter what I spray, I always wear a respirator.  Once that stuff gets in your lungs, it doesn't come back out.  I found a nice 3M NIOSH vapor respirator for about $30 at Lowe's.  That's a smart investment.

Yes enamel is easier to spray but it won't be that much longer and I think it will be pulled from the shelves and acrylic will be the only choice. Start learning to use acrylics, they are not that hard to use.

I use the pretty basic Mineral Turps to clean, cheap, and it does the job well

Goes for acrylics as well as enamels and any other medium: If it thins the paint, it will clean it. I find cleaning enamels to be easier than cleaning acrylics. Sprays smoother too. Downside being the enamels are more toxic (arguably) and take alot longer to cure.

Richard

, Yeah, what he said!!  :)

I use enamels all the time and never had any problems. I use white spirits and a spray airbrush cleaner which gets at the stubbon bits. I use cotton buds and pipe cleaners to get inside.