Brush painting question

yes,most paint must be thinned to hand brush

1:1 but you need to experiment

for hand brushing I like Vallejo Model color Acrylic

modelmaster enamels hand brush pretty good also

Personally, the only brush painting I do is for my small, detail parts such as pioneer tools and headlights / taillights on my armored vehicles.  In those cases I've never thinned my paints.  I've used them straight out of the bottle.  I mostly use Tamiya acrylics and Testor's Model Master enamels.

Well it's been a long time for me away from the hobby and as of now I don't have an airbrush set up and will be brush painting till I can get an airbrush but it will be a few months before I get me one.

Well, welcome back! 

Welcome back!!!

lately Ive been having problems with MM acryls...but that might be the thinner Im using...another good tip is to get one of those artists palletes...with the small reservoirs...and put some paint in them and thin it there..I have found it easier to work with and you dont have to woorry about the gunk on the bottle rim getting on your brush..also allows for different thinning ratios in each of the little dimples..

Carlos

Welcome back to the hobby, Honus!

I'll add my 2 cents...

It depends on the application, whether to thin or not, also on the variety and brand of paint, and ultimately, on your preference.

I also paint right out of the bottle for some pieces, from small detail bits (knobs, levers, etc) in a cockpit, on up to a figure in 1/48 scale or 54mm size.  One of my hobbies is casting and painting toy soldiers in 54mm, and use gloss enamels and acrylics right out of the bottle.

I use craft store acrylics for some colors, eg, Americana, Apple Barrel, from Michael's, on my soldiers, and also on scale models.  I have used the colors out of bottles, but more frequently, I do thin them with isopropyl (rubbing alcohol) or water.  I do as Carlos recommened, I have a ceramic palette-from Japan, so it's shaped like a stylized chrysanthemum-with a well in the center and six wells around it.  I put a small dollop of the color in a well and add the thinner with an eye dropper, then stir with a toothpick.

I have also used Vallejo and Andrea colors, using the same method.  Thinning acrylics allows you to use them as washes or glazes, to lay color down on an area, and build up the color through repeated applications.  That is a popular method of painting figures.

Enamels and oils, if you use them, require different thinners, whether for airbrushing or for hand-painting.  I use mineral spirits, turpenoid (also a mineral spirit, but produced in such a way as to reduce or eliminate the odor), and even lacquer thinner.  Best to use all of these in a well-ventilated area.

You could hand-paint large areas, like wing surfaces or the hull of a tank, or even a ship.  There are some members of the forum who do.  But most of us find that for large areas, to achieve a uniformity of finish most easily, it's best to spray the color.  Whether you use an airbrush, or rattle cans, is also a matter of preference, though an airbrush is more versatile than a plain spray can.

Full disclosure-I am a complete freshman when it comes to airbrushing, so don't feel bad.  It does seem daunting at first, because you're presented with mixing colors, learing about compressors and regulating pressure, the effects of temperature and humidity on the paints, and a delicate piece of equipment that must be maintained.  But it's worth it, for some of the effort you can save yourself over the other methods.

And both hand-painting and spraying aren't mutually exclusive, but both have a place in our bag of tricks.

Hope that all helps!

Brad

Oh, sorry, forgot about question 2.

For brands of paint, I have:

WalMart's brand of automotive primer, medium gray, light gray and rust red, for priming

Schminke-Mussini oils, which I bought for painting figures in connoisseur style, like the Germans do, but which I use more for making washes for models

Testor's gloss enamels in the little square bottles.  Some dry out almost as soon as they're opened (eg, gloss white or black), others have lasted me years (eg, a bottle of gloss copper has lasted me over 30 years, a bottle of red nearly 10)

Tamiya gloss and matte acrylics and enamels, for everything

Model Master gloss and matte acrylics and enamels (I think they make both, can't remember for sure now), for everything

Some Vallejo and Andrea acrylics, which I use mainly for washes

Craft-store acrylics, for everything.  At 88 cents a bottle or less on sale, you can't beat the price

Tamiya and Model Master rattle can colors, for everything.  I like Tamiya's line of colors specifically for airplane models.

Also, some old Pactra water-based enamels, which were the best and easiest to use that I ever had.  The bottles I have are over 30 years old and still good.  Sadly, Testor bought out Pactra, and the lines soon disappeared.

One or two Gunze-Sangyo paints, water-based enamels, which I picked up here and there.

Since I don't mix my own colors that much, I tend to buy a bottle of paint because I need the color, so I wind up with a lot of brands.  The only reason I don't have any Humbrol is that none of my LHS ever carried it.  And Polly-S paints were usually in the model railroad section.

For brushes, get yourself some good natural fiber brushes, sable, for example.  Take care of them and they will last forever, so any high cost up front will be recouped over time.  Go to an artist's supply store, if your LHS doesn't have good brushes, or the painting aisle at Michael's or AC Moore, or HobbyLobby, if there's one near you (sorry, are you in the US or Canada?  My references won't be valid elsewhere).  Use them, clean them (I dip mine in a thinner and drag the brush gently across a rag or piece of paper towling, pulling in the direction of the handle, until clean) and store them upright to preserve the tips.  I used to use an old piece of 2x4 with holes drilled in it, but now I use a ceramic toothbrush caddy meant for use in the bathroom.

Hope that helps!

Brad