Airbrushing acrylic paint questions

In my opinion and considerable experience, Tamiya acrylics are far and away the easiest to use, have the best durability, and are the best-covering acrylics out there. They're actually an acrylic-lacquer blend, so you can thin them with lacquer thinner for better adhesion if you want to, and that also smooths them out even more for gloss applications.

As for advice on ratios and whatnot, any advice you get is meaningless. You honestly just have to experiment. Start at about 50% and work both ways, back and forward on the scale and see what works best for you.

The best -- but not always cheapest way--is to use the thinners designed for the paints.

thanks so much for the info ,Karl.

I didn't know you could thin Tamiya paints with laquer thinner. I have a ton of the stuff and it's cheap, but never tried it.

Does the % of the isopropyl matter when thinning?  

Acrylics take a little practice to get right. Once you do, they are great to work with. Most acrylics use some type of alcohol as their solvent. So, I thin with 70% alcohol with a little retarder mixed in. This extends the fluidity of the paint so it sprays easier. I use alcohol for Model Master, Tamiya and Polly Scale paint with good results. Each brand offers their own thinner but it tends to be pricey compared to a quart of isopropyl alcohol. Thinning ratio tends to be aorund 50-60% thinner. If not thinned well, the paint will clog, spatter and dry too fast. Hope this helps...

Andy

Thanks for the advice, Andy!  I did pick up some Vallejo retarder medium.  Have you ever used the Humbrol acrylics?  I have several pots as I have used them to hand-brush.  Just wondering if they are good to airbrush.

Drew

May I add another suggestion?

The bestest most expensive paint that can be had wont do much good unless you have some technique.

Little things to learn like air first then paint ;)

Might I recommend getting some cheap black acrylic, Testors Aztec is good it can be had from most craft stores in 2 oz bottle. It will blow straight out of the bottle but of course you can experiment with thinning as recommended above.

Get that cheap paint, some paper sheets, and some sort of easel and practice. Look on you tube for airbrush practice drills. Things like painting dots of various sizes, connecting the dots with lines, progressive lines, and on and on.

Airbrushing is very much an aquired skill. Practice get your motor skills up to speed, then switch to the 'better' paints.

Got to learn to crawl before you can walk :)

BTW I have a patriot too its a fine piece of equipment no doubt. It is my go to for the vast majority of my work. I am glad to see you started with gravity feed.

Jay Jay, my pleasure--just make sure that when you're working with lacquer you use good breathing protection and wear solvent-proof gloves. All those toxins will add up in time. :)