spaghetti camouflages/ very thin lines

Paint brand, thinning, and air pressure all play a part. Some brands spiderweb easily (Gunze Mr Color), while others (Tamiya) never do. A thinner to paint ratio of at least 1:1, and lower air pressure will also help in getting those thin lines. It's definitely a process of trial and error to find that Goldilocks sweet spot.

Problem with this type of painting is getting a consistent line. I have never been able to do that , even with my favorite luftwaffe mix, Tamiya paint thinned like 4 or 5:1 (guessing) with 91% Isoproply Alcohol to paint, high PSI (35 to 40 lbs) . I think the best way to achive this type of scheme would be to mask the lines. How? Not sure. I know someone (AK maybe? ) just came out with some 'masking putting' , but I think if someone invented some sort of gadget to let you extrude 1/32 or 1/64 inch strands of blue tac, that would be ideal...  Also, I saw there is a gadget on amazon now called a 3d printing pen. I was thinking you could draw your mask on a piece of glass with the 3d pen, then transfer it to the model?https://www.amazon.com/gp/slredirect/picassoRedirect.html/ref=pa_sp_atf_industrial_sr_pg1_1?ie=UTF8&adId=A05317693VDF3YR018TV3&qualifier=1672886244&id=5269128319076462&widgetName=sp_atf&url=%2F3Doodler-Create-Printing-Adults-Creators%2Fdp%2FB07B7PQCZV%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1_sspa%3Fcrid%3D242BNU663TGRN%26keywords%3D3d%2Bpen%26qid%3D1672886244%26s%3Dindustrial%26sprefix%3D3d%2Bpen%252Cindustrial%252C125%26sr%3D1-1-spons%26psc%3D1

As Stik said, its all about trial and error.  A really good way to get your airbrush set up just right for painting thin lines is to use a pad of PostIt notes.  I always do that before doing any airbrushing, to get the pattern just right for the job that I'm doing at any given point.  Tamiya paint thinned with 99% Isopropyl alcohol makes nice, tight lines at around 20 PSI.  I just have to get in really close to what I'm painting.  So does MRP paint all by itself.  My airbrush is a Paasche H, so its a very basic airbrush...probably even better at consistent, thin lines than a double-action, since you set the paint pattern with the cone and it stays that way until you manually change it.  One thing I was noticing the other night is that I can get REALLY tight, crisp lines with Tamiya primer when I use my usual MEK thinner.  Might be why I can't seem to figure out a way to filter and reuse the MEK in my airbrush parts cleaner jars.  It seems to break the paint down to much finer particles, and they go right through several coffee filters like they're not even there.  Anyway, play around with different techniques and use PostIt notes.   

black widow

Hi folks. It's wintertime so I am modeling again with all my spare time.

  My question is: what is the key to creating a thin solid line with an airbrush.  I am working on some  1/48 ww2 aircraft and want to try what i have heard called "spaghetti camoflague".

  Is it needle size, pressure, paint product, etc? What gives? I can get a pretty thin line but it keeps spiderwebbing and blowing out.  I have monkeyed with pressure and paint consistency.  I am using my smallest needle.

   thanks,  Neal

One way to do it is to use real spaghetti as a mask. Paint the "spaghetti" color first and allow it to dry. Cook some spaghetti and rinse it thoroughly in warm water, then drain the excess water. Use the spaghetti to mask the pattern, allow it to dry so it won't slide off, then spray the top color. 

Believe it or not, this method was suggested by none other than IPMS-USA founder Jim Sage in a letter to the editor of the old Airfix Magazine many years ago. He suggested using Angel Hair pasta!

It is like getting to Carnege Hall- practice practice, practice.

Seriously, if you have never done this kind of camoulflage, do not start on a good model.  Grab some scrap plastic and practice for awhile.  You can't hand a novice a paint brush and some paint and expect a Rembrandt the first picture.  Any kind of painting is as much art as science.

Hi, Neal - I use Tamiya acrylics, but whatever brand I have used requires ultra thinning for such as fine line camo. For the "spaghetti" lines, I might thin with alcohol as much 70 - 80% thinner to paint. I don't try to get it all on a single pass, the thinned paint actually leaves more of a tint than the unthinned paint color doess.

By making multiple heavily thinned passes I have no worries about spider webs and such, I just keep making the passes until I have the color depth I want. That thinning also makes for less tip dry, which is super easy to fix with just a needle tip swipe with a q-tip dipped in thinner.

I use Iwata, Paasche and Badger double action gravity feed cups, with the smaller needlles and using a pressure of 15 - 20psi. A good bit of experimenting and practice will get you where you want to go. Best of luck to you.

Patrick

Everything else already mentioned here is correct. When I did one it was with Tamiya thinned just right and low air pressure, a .2 needle and very close work. I will say that I also practiced on cardstock first to get a feel for it and then moved slowly over the plane. It was painful, literally painful. My back and hands absolutely hated the process. I like the scheme, but it is no fun to do. Take your time, practice first and be ready for pain meds. And I free-handed it all. No masks. Again, not fun.

BK

Funny you should ask. I recently tried using cooked Angel hair pasta to mask  a swirly camo pattern. I figured the curved shape would assist with a feathered look and the uniformity would look precise. The problem is the the spaghetti tended to still move a little after it was positioned on the wing. The other downside was that curved fuselage is tough to control gravity so the pasta really wanted To move around. The kit was a 1:72 light bomber, so I think trying the pasta technique on a larger plane with a wider wing surface and flattish fuse sides still might work. Altho you AB masters who can spray shoelaces on infantry figures can just eat your pasta.

Just an add-on to the above suggestions for thinning & spraying Tamiya acrylics: a drop or two of their retarder added to the thinning mix seems to work wonders for me. Seems to help the flow and cut down on spatter at low pressures.