Camouflage freehand

JMorgan

Should I take your advice to mean that filling in a camo area should take quite a while if you use thin repetitive coats?

...Well, it obviously depends on the size of the model, but for most WWII fighters (which is what I mainly build), it takes about 3-5 coats to fill in the area. Now, by the time you've finished applying the first coat on the model, you are ready to start the second coat, so really it only takes about 15-30 min, maybe longer if you use a slower drying paint. But I've sprayed some really complex Luftwaffe camo, 3-4 different colors, 3-4 coats each color, and its taken me around 2-3 hours by the time the airbrush is all clean and put away...

Like what was previously said- you have to practice to really figure out what we are talking about...then follow up with more questions once you've tried it.

No magic,just practice,practice,practice.On cardboard,sheet plastic,or old models.

Also your paint ratio probably needs to be thinner,and psi down to aroud 10-12 allowing more control and the ability to work close.A double-Action airbrush helps,but isn't absolutley necessary.

Should I take your advice to mean that filling in a camo area should take quite a while if you use thin repetitive coats?

One mistake a see a lot of people doing is treating an airbrush as a paint sprayer rather than a brushmarkless brush.  Airbrushing is not a way to apply a quick paint job, it is a way to apply a high quality paint job. Take your time- building up a series of thin coats is the way to a great paint job.

If you have it that thin then filling in the outlined area would take forever.

Even though the only way I will spray paint a model is with an airbrush I can't say I have years and years of experience under my belt. I would guess that what you have read from other responses on here regarding air pressure and paint/thinner mix is where you would want to start trying to correct the problem. A fine mist overspray is hard to avoid without masking. If it is a heavier and somewhat erratic overspray where you have small drops of paint of varying sizes...literally a splattering as you called it...then I would also suggest that you inspect your airbrush tip and needle for damage. Even the slightest damage to the spray tip and/or needle can cause unwanted splattering. Anytime I airbrush camo I always leave the "splattering" as is as long as it isn't real heavy. A slight mist beyond the border of the area I'm painting is not much problem for me once all the weathering is done. If what I'm wanting is a hard line between camo colors then I will brush it on.

JMorgan

Will not a 2 parts thinner to 1 part paint be too thin? You would have to go back over the pass multiple times to layer it on.

Bingo. That's the key to light, multiple coats that result in nice, even coverage. Nothing good ever happens with only 1 coat usually.

Will not a 2 parts thinner to 1 part paint be too thin? You would have to go back over the pass multiple times to layer it on.

I'll try it and thanks for your time!

The secret is practice.

I thin two parts thinner to one part paint regardless of brand or type. Spray at 20psi. Never had a spatter problem.

The others have good input, I agree PSI likely too high, the thinning ratio depends on the job and the day. Thinning is something that you just gotta putz around with until it feels right, and for my double action brushes, generally around 8-14 PSI seems OK.

Thinning ratio for me can range between 3:1 paint to thinner, to as thin as 4:3 paint to thinner. I use glossy printed cardboard for testing thinning ratio and PSI, when it all seems right then I go ahead. A few minutes invested in experimenting with those issues makes all the difference for me, I find no preset values for all around use, each job will have it's individual requirements.

In general, I think I spend about 4-6 minutes getting thinning ratio and PSI values dialed in prior to the start of the freehand application, and I start by spraying the outline with the brush always directed INTO the pattern being sprayed.

Let us know how you do in future, hope you have good results.

Patrick 

...Also aim the airbrush so any overspray goes to the inside of your line, the side that would get filled in with the same color anyway.

I suspect the PSI is too high. Dial it down a little and you will be able to get in closer.

All I read was "splattering paint" and knew it needed to be thinned more.  Although in my defense he didn't specify whether it was thinner to paint or paint to thinner.  3:2 paint to thinner isn't thin enough.  I meant 60/40 thinner to paint.

He didn't specify what kind of paint he's using, either.  25 psi using properly thinned Mr Color paint (what paint I use) would be too high.

3:2 is the same ratio as 60/40....

If there is splattering your psi is too high. When my airbrush was working there was a point where it didnt matter how thin my paint was if I didn't hit that PSI nothing would come out...for me that PSI was about 25, I never tried to do freehand camo though, I don't trust myself and can just as easily put silly putty on.

I'd thin closer to 50/50 or 60/40 and bring the PSI down to about 8-10.