Can Tamiya grey liquid primer be airbrushed?

I use it all the time. I thin it about 40/60 with regular LT from Home Depot. I get a nice smooth finish. Mr. Surfacer 1000 produces even a smoother finish.

Run several ab cups of thinner to wash the interior of your airbrush.

Yes, it can be airbrushed. I was thining it 1:1 with Testors lacquer thinner, then just got some Tamiya lacquer thinner, and I used the same ratio. I have not had any issues airbrushing with it. 

Edit:

Here is the TIE fighter I'm currently working on. I sprayed this the other night.

Thanks Barron!  That's exactly the stuff I'm talking about.  I guess I'll thin a small batch with some lacquer thinner and give it a try.  I was just worried about the mixture clogging up my airbrush or something.

On a side note, I picked up a small bottle of MM primer.  I mixed that with some lacquer thinner and I really enjoyed how airbrushing on the primer gave me a lot more control than hitting it with a rattle can.  Don't get me wrong!  I love the Tamiya primer in the can but I just wanted to try something a little different that I could control.  

For the record, the MM primer went on silky smooth and I'll be using it again.  If I can successfully run the Tamiya surface primer through my airbrush, then I'll use that, too.  It's good to have multiple tools in the ol' toolbox!

Eric

echolmberg

Hi guys!  It's just like my subject heading asks, can Tamiya's liquid surface primer be run through an airbrush?  If so, what's the best item with which to thin it?  Can I use lacquer thinner?

Thanks!

Eric

Is this the product you're talking about?

https://www.tamiyausa.com/items/paints-finishes-60/finishing-supplies-62000/liquid-surface-primer-40ml-87075

I've never used it; I use Tamiya's rattle-can primers.  But my instinct, based on using Tamiya's other paints, was that it's probably formulated for use with an airbrush.  So I looked it up on Tamiya USA's site.  From the description there, and from my own experience with Tamiya's paints, I agree with your instinct.  You should be able to airbrush it, thinned with lacquer thinner.  I ordinarily use Tamiya's proprietary thinner with their acrylic paints, but I use generic lacquer thinner with them, too, for airbrushing and getting a dead-flat finish.  I'd be inclined to use that with this product, too.

Stick and Chris, thank you for the input.  I don't always prime my planes but I'm working on the Revell/Monogram F4F Panther.  It's molded in dark blue and I kind of wanted to give it a lighter base coat before I applied the gloss sea blue main coat.  Besides doing it for color reasons, I also wanted the primer to help fill in any tiny scratches leftover from sanding.

I thoroughly enjoy the Tamiya spray primer.  The stuff goes on like silk!  Just out of curiosity, I just wanted to try something that gave me a little bit more control via airbrushing.  My local hobby shop carries the Model Master, Tamiya and Vallejo brands of paints.  I guess I'll have to see if any of those three carry an airbrushable primer. 

Eric

I have tried it with their Lacquer Thinner.

To be honest, i don't know if i was in too much of a rush or something, but i thought it was just terrible to airbrush.  It was extremely gritty and I had huge trouble getting the right thinned consistency (and doubt that i did get it).

I ended up buying some Mr Surfacer 1500 and using that instead - i also thinned this with lacquer thinner, and found it much much easier to use.

I have airbrushed on their white surface primer using lacquer thinner. If you have an older, still functional airbrush, that is no longer your primary, I suggest you try that one for a test run.