Acrylic paint extender

I would say the problem is the HP-C.
That airbrush was not designed for thicker mediums like acrylic model paints.

Mike

QUOTE: Originally posted by MikeV I would say the problem is the HP-C. That airbrush was not designed for thicker mediums like acrylic model paints.

That was what i was thinking too, but if this is true then how the heck are so many modellers out there getting their hp-c's to work with tamiya acrylics??? I read tons of crap from the missing lynx forum about people who had success with spraying fine lines with their hp-c's. And this makes even less sense when i hear about people spraying fine lines with tamiya acrylics and brushes with even smaller nozzles like custom microns.

Which nozzle are you using?
They have a .2mm, .3mm, and .4mm fluid nozzle.

The Tamiya acrylics must be very finely ground pigment if people are using them in the airbrushes you mentioned.
In my opinion, buying an Iwata Custom Micron for model painting is about like buying a Ferrari F-50 to take the kids to school......Overkill!

As I usually say when I do not know the answer is to give Coast Airbrush a call and get their opinion on what to do. They have forgotten more about airbrushes than I know.
http://coastairbrush.com/ (714) 635-5557

Mike

ill give coast a call. Thanks, mike.

You are welcome Henry.
Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

Mike

I use an Iwata brush spraying acrylics, I don't have any problems with Tamiya acrylics, but I do have clogging with Polly S-Polly Scale.

Mark

Mark,

Are you using the Iwata HP-C or another model?

Mike

Try using a few drips of Acrylic Airbrush Medium mixed with the paint in the color cup. This will retard drying of the paint in the tip and is available in most art supply stores. I've been using it for a couple of years and don't get nearly as much clogging as I used to. Also try using a few drops of Kodak Photo-Flo. This will prevent any "orange peel" when the paint dries by eliminating the paint's surface tension.

Pete

Pete,

How much of a difference in drying time do you notice with the extender added? That should slow the drying time down quite a bit. At least it does with water-based acrylics for airbrushing like Createx and Aqua Flow. I am not sure of the properties of model acrylics like Model Master or Tamiya though.

Mike

Mike -
I haven't noticed any additional drying time required, but then again, I always let everything dry at least overnight.

The only exception would be the acrylic gloss (Tamiya) that I use for 1/43 car bodies. I let that dry for at least two weeks before polishing using the Micro Mesh System.

Pete

I made a mix of future, windex, and tamiya paint. Since i was experimenting, i dont know the ratio of each i used. It didn't stop the build up on the tip, but now the build up doesn't happen until about 1 minute of continuous spraying on a certain setting. That'll probably be long enough to spray camo patterns so i guess i can save 10 dollars on acylic extender.