Forced Regression to Brush Painting

I'll give the retarder a go. Finding a new home looks like it may take a while so I have some time to continue to airbrush and to experiment with brushing.

Intruder38

Once again, thanks for the replies, all are helpful and greatly appreciated. Any thoughts on how best to brush with the Tamiya and Vallejo paints? I have read somewhere that adding retarder makes it possible, but so far my experimenting with that technique have yielded only mixed results.

 

I can speak on the Tamiya and at that I use Liquitex retarder not their own brand since that is what I have in stock and use in all acrylic paints if to use retarder. But you add the retarder much as you would thinner, enough to make the paint flow off the brush smoothly. It's not a set ratio, it's performance based. And the paint still dries fine in my experience. Being thinner you might need two coats.

Also with Tamiya it's best to do side by side lapping brush strokes rather than overlapping. That was a tip I found in a video that has paid off for me. The paint should be loose enough that the the strokes flow together and level out.

 

Adding Tamiya Retarder to their paint helps brush painting with them immensely. Vallejo Model Color hand brushes well on its own, but really needs a primed surface for best results. It does not adhere very well to bare plastic. 

Good quality brushes help a lot. Keeping the bristles moistened helps with paint flow as well.

Once again, thanks for the replies, all are helpful and greatly appreciated. Any thoughts on how best to brush with the Tamiya and Vallejo paints? I have read somewhere that adding retarder makes it possible, but so far my experimenting with that technique have yielded only mixed results.

AFA your original question.

Brush painting is a useful skill. Looking through the European magazines, many modelers primarily use brush painting as single family residences are not so common in urban areas.

Lots of thin coats work best for me. Avoid brush marks as they can't be covered over later. 

Round point brushes are good for details, flat brushes are better for large areas such as camo. Brush quality and maintenance matter.

Good luck,

Bill

 

Thanks to all for your suggestions. I am currently using a small, bench-top spray booth so the window idea may work if I can convince my bride of 60 years that there won't be any back splatter (and the Home Owners Association won't send out the anti-pollution patrol). And if I am fortunate enough to get the house I am hoping for, I may be able to set up a shop in the garage assuming I have some clearance around the car for a small bench. Once again, thanks for the ideas.

Hi, Intruder - The suggestion for a spray exit through a window does work really well, and is surprisingly easy to do. In the winter I do all of my airbrushing in the house, I have two homemade spray booths, one quite small with folding side doors, it's for the house. The filter eliment is 14X14X1, the housing is just big enough to hold it. Behind it is a desk mounted, explosion proof inline fan from Graybar or Grainger, can't remember which.

The back of the booth is light ply, with a four inch hole to allow flexible metal hose to fan, then four inch hose from fan to window seal. I used light ply about 8 inches wide with four inch hole for the metal hose, cut to the height of the window frame. Once inserted in the frame, the window is slid shut and it creates a good seal.

My compressor sits on the floor, spray booth and fan on the table, the whole system is in place in less then five minutes, really portable, very small garage space needed for parking it when unused. The compressor is the only heavy item, the rest is maybe 3 or 4 pounds each.

The folding table I bought at WalMart, super light but surprisingly sturdy, just big enough to place the booth and fan, plus a model. The whole thing took a little while to figure out, but it works just fine, well worth doing it.

It will make the difference between airbrushing or having to brush paint, give it a go. (Now that you'll have less house to take care of, you'll find more time.) (;>)

Happy modeling.

Patrick

Review your choice of materials and purchase brush appropriate materials. Tamiya can be problematic when hand brushed.  Vallejo Model Air (as well as Game Air, etc) are pre-thinned for ease of airbrushing.   They may appear thin and transparent when hand brushed.  Look at the Vallejo Model Color/Game Color/Mecha colors.   They are made for hand brushing

Will your next home have an enclosed garage? It’s not ideal, but it is a starting point. Humidity control is out, but a moisture trap for your compressor helps immensely. And if no garage, as stated above, a small area indoors by a window can easily be converted into a spray booth. Lastly is the option of doing your airbrushing outdoors on a patio when weather permits. I’ve used all of these methods over the past 30 some odd years since I started airbrushing.

I lived in an apartment a number of years ago for about a year and a half, and continued to airbrush and spray can paint.  I built a spray booth that fit into a window.  I would install it in window opening for each painting session.

NT