I'm done with Vallejo could you some advice

AC, Sorry to hear you had those probems with Vallejo paints. I really like them. As with most acrylics, though, you can't just put anyone's thinner in with them. Vallejo has its own thinner that's formulated to work with their paint. If you weren't using their thinner, that might have been your problem. For AB work, I really like Tamiya acrylics, but I suppose you've tried them, too. If not, give them a try. Their thinner is cheap enough and easy to obtain, but you can thin their paint with regular ISO, too. I've never worked with Mission Models paints, but people are saying good things about them. Barrett

Thanks

I've been using Vallejo's thinner. Might have to really clean out the brush. How does one clean them out? It might have some caked on paint inside and other than running Vallejo's cleaner and water what else can I do to get that out?

Might try some Tamiya paint on my next build

What you could do is pick up a cheap ultrasonic cleaner, completely break down the AB and throw everything in there.  I have used it on other products and it gets every piece of grime out of nooks and crannies that you didn't even know were there.  when I pulled the part out, the water was black from all the gunk. 

I use just use plain water, because the water isn't doing anything just creating a medium, the ultrasonic does all the work.  I don't know if you live in the States, but you can stop by a gun store and pick up some cleaner (they make biodegradable stuff).  

I think you'll like the Tamiya paint for air brushing. It's awful for hand brushing, though. Dries too fast. Whatever paint you use, though, you'll have to do a thorough cleaning of your air brush after each use if you don't want to have paint caked up inside or mixing with the next color you run through it. I suggest googling "cleaning air brush." I spray some ISO through the AB first, the remove the nozzle, the tip and the needle after each use and soak them in ISO. Then I use a pipe cleaner soaked in ISO and very carefully clean the inside of the AB mixing chamber with it, trying not to scratch the insides with the wire in the pipe cleaner. Then I wipe down the parts that soaked and reassemble the AB and spray a little more ISO through. That's the only way I know to make sure most of the paint is gone. I think some still remains, but it hasn't been a problem yet. (He said with fingers and eyes crossed.)

I recommend Don Wheeler's airbrush site, 

https://sites.google.com/site/donsairbrushtips/home

This is a wonderful source of reference material on selecting, cleaning, and operating airbrushes.  We have referred many members there.

I have had this problem with acrylics in general, and this is why I don't like them.  Everything is okay until the phone rings, or something interrupts me even for just a couple of minutes.  My friends who work with acrylics regularly tell me the painting has to be an absolute priority- avoid every distraction unless the house is on fire.  They also say that retarder will help, but the closest hobby shop to me does not carry it- I have to go all the way across town to a hobby shop that has it.

Just did a model with Vellejo metalizer.  Worked okay, and cleaned the airbrush out with lacquer thinner immediately afterward.  I started with the Vellojo black primer.  Hated that stuff, and found their metalizer works fine with the gloss blacks I use with Alclad.

 

I've had zero issues airbrushing MM acrylics so with that said, you have to know how to thin their acrylics. Not all acrylics are alike so MM is a whole different animal to work with. I've bought Mission Model acrylics as well but have yet used them. As one poster said, they're user friendly and sprays nice. I will buy more colors from them in the future.

Tamiya acrylics are good but they don't have a wide range of colors as Model Master and LifeColor has.

acctingman

I don't mind cleaning my airbrush but I'm done with Vallejo. I'm putting thinner in with their Model Air and my airbrush is getting clogged damn near every session and I'm done.

 

How is the new mission model paints? Are they going to clog the second it goes through my AB?

Any other recommendations for paints.

 

Thanks

 

It may be the case that it is dirty, especially the tip and nozzle. It's good you are using their own thinner as any alcohol based thinner will turn it to glue. Cleaning with lacquer thinner when done painting and after a good breakdown and clean will certainly help. I run LT through after EVERY use  2-3 airrush cups and then windex 1-2 airbrush cups. I pull the needle and clean it and lube with redgab or needle juice, run more windex and I am done. Do it EVERY time and I never have a clog with any paints and I use vallejo as much as I can but use all paints. ALWAYS use the thinner for the paint that you use. Don't subsititute. And ALWAYS clean the airbrush with LT 2-3 airbrush cups and rinse when done. Better safe than sorry.

Thanks for all the tips folks. Going to my local shop and grabbing an AB pipe cleaner. From here on out, I'll scrub it down after every session. I just need better practice with the AB and the clean up. I'm going to use up my Vallejo paints before I venture out to try other paints. I do love their variety, thats for sure.

Go Enamel.