What else can I do?

For soft camo lines I use poster putty as a mask. just roll the poster putty between your fingers to make a worm and apply to the model. spray at a 90 degree and to the surface. It leaves a nice soft edge. Take a bit of time to mask off, but the results are great.

Murphy's Law

First off some info on what I'm using:

Paasche H (using #1 tip, air nozzle, bought new one as well to try, have also tried #3)

Using Acrylics (Tamiya, Model Masters and Vallejo)

Tried thinning with Alcohol, water, windex

Also tried adding Liquitex slow-dri blending medium

tried 10-40psi on regulator

No matter what I've tried I can't achieve a fine line without the splatter overspray that you can see in the picture. Is there anything else I can do other than a new airbrush? 

 

Hi, Murph -

Gary is right, the H is easily capable of turning out some very nice camo borders, as his models demonstrate. Beautiful. You're photos show that you're not far away from getting there yourself. Many influencing factors to consider, like distance from tip to surface, pressure, thinning ratio, type of paint, air temperature, etc. Keeping the needle/nozzle tip clean as you continue, is another important element.

I just finished a 1:48 camo job using a Badger 200, which is a single action, internal mix siphon feed, with medium needle. Using Tamiya acrylics thinned with their X-20A, I got very nice, tight color borders. I tested the spray quality a few times before committing paint to subject, playing with thinning, pressure and needle adjustments. I settled on 22psi and it came together well.

Really I think it's less about the airbrush type, needle size and paint type, and more about all of the adjustments to be made in thinning, pressure and distance from tip to surface. I recommend a good supply of paint, thinners, and scrap plastic sheet to practice on, then with a good light source just make adjustments as stated and experiment, then practice, practice and practice some more.

The advice to "spray into the color" is spot on, when spraying a camo border keep turning the model and angle the airbrush, so that you're not spraying away from the color you're applying. Remember also that while a close distance is good, getting too close can result in runs and/or spray getting blown to places where you don't want it.

All the more reason to experiment and get plenty of practice. Bottom line, you're H is actually capable of doing nice tight work, a different airbrush probably won't make all that much difference for you. My Badger 200 is a very basic airbrush, nothing at all exotic, but does very nice work for me.

Please let us know how your experimenting does for you, always nice to learn a member's results. 

Patrick

I try to stay away from acrylics cause I don't have the control as I have with enamels. As Gary mentioned, the correct paint/thinner/psi brew is crucial and one that can only be had with experimentation cause of so many variables. I can attest that Tamiya acrylics thinned with their x20 thinner sprays very well.

Something to help you get a smooth feather line is to use silly putty rolled in a strip and used as a guide. The trick is to spray at an angle so the paint shadows the line. A sharper line can be made if the paint is sprayed at a more direct angle from above on a thinner and flatter silly putty mask. 

Thanks Murph!   You bet the H is capable, but I don't think it will ever be as easy to achieve that tight edge with it as with a double-action AB.  At least for me I'd think.  I've stayed with the H mostly because it's easier for my nerve-damaged hands to use.  That old Paasche dates back to at least the 1930s, maybe earlier, and really hasn't changed too much.  It is a classic airbrush and a real workhorse.  Keep practicing, take note of "settings" that get the best results, and then try to duplicate that. Best regards, Gary

Those are awesome looking builds Gary. I guess that proves Paasche H is capable. I need to continue trying.

As a long-time user of the Model H, I can attest to the difficulty of getting a good, tight spray edge without the splatter.  I use enamels only, and of course getting the right ratio of paint to thinner is important, as is distance from the work, and "angle of attack", ie. the near edge of the elliptical spray pattern will be "tighter" than the far edge.  I usually spray CO2 at about 20psi.  The needle adjustment will need to give you a very fine tip opening to spray through and I usually keep a small brush nearby with a bit of thinner, to frequently clean the tip. 

It can be very frustrating to get right.  Stay with it; I don't know how different acrylics will spray so I'm sure a better answer will be forthcoming in that regard.  Getting the tight-edge freehand with the H can be done though.  Here's a couple of my best efforts at that:

 

 

Good luck!  Gary