Airbrush acting up

With solvent paints like lacquers and enamel you want to have a good primer base down on the plastic even though solvent paints for the most part will ahere to plastic pretty well. Acrylics have one inherent problem pretty much across the board of brands and types, that is they don't stick to plastic well at all. But the good news is primer does, so you must have a good working primer because acrylic sticks to primer fine. The key to your 3D work ups is figuring out what primer that is.

I don't do 3D printing and have no idea the nature of the plastic used. Now on plastic models I use two different primers that I stock. One is poly acrylic, Badger Stynylrez. This actually will go to plastic or wood well. The other is Mr Primer Surfacer, a bit hotter primer that is lacquer based. Both work very well in my realm of building/painting models. Between one or the other of these primers according to need I've not had any failures.

I can tell you that if you have Model Master acrylic paint that against common belief within this forum, that is a very good and color accurate acrylic paint. And probably the worst paint anyone could ever use directly on plastic. The stuff all but falls off plastic. But using the good primer and it turns into great bonding paint to plastic. Been there, done the tests, used the paint, sad to see it discontinued where probably most here cheered to see it going.

oldermodelguy

 Ok,lets ask about a paint i get for my daughter she plays D&D and i got her a 3 d printer so she could make her own 3d characters with pla and petg basically formulated plastics. I got her some the Army painters warpaint from Amazon also vallejo metalics acrylic. Since i also build wood sailing ships i get model shipways paints in acrylics. I ask because were loaded down with lots of little bottles of paint i was wondering if they are safe for plastic hobbies cars, tanks etc...? i got some liquitex retarder to use eith my collection of model master paint's acrylic. One day soom ill start using enamels after i get through my "practice" models

 

 

Tanker-Builder

Hi!

 Since I got into Acrylics and a new Airbrush, I have practiced with my old,old Badger. I too have gravitated to the Liquitex Thinner! Nothing seems to affect the 55 yr old De-Vilbiss detail A/B either.

 

 

 

 

Old or new airbrushes work fine with acrylics, a few techniques are different from solvent paints but not so much the airbrushes. With that said my old Badger 200 I pretty much like for lacquers and always have ( or enamel) but it shoots acrylic ok too. My preference for acrylics is the Paasche H and Paasche VL, the VL specifically for color coating. I also use the VL in acrylic artwork with Createx paints. I've also used the H for enamel but like it for priming with it's simple design and I like it for varnishing the wife's canvas artwork with Liquitex varnish when not shooting them in lacquer. In fact I have two or three to do now that she used no silicone in so the acrylic varnish will be fine.. And so it goes !

But while I use Liquitex Airbrush medium ( thinner) for some things, in that last post I was specifically speaking of their retarder not thinner. Liquitex retarder goes in my acrylic thinner formulations I make up..

For certain tasks I've used the Liquitex Airbrush Medium, for maybe 10 years ( thinner).But what I mentioned in my past reply was retarder not thinner. I mostly use my own thinners I make up for models, to which I add the Liquitex retarder to. Except with Tamiya acrylic, that I use straight denatured alcohol or lacquer thinner in. I'll stop here because I could talk all afternoon running from one topic to the next lol !!

 

 

Lots of great info there in your reply! Learn something new every day.

Stay safe.

Jim 

Tanker-Builder

Hi!

 Since I got into Acrylics and a new Airbrush, I have practiced with my old,old Badger. I too have gravitated to the Liquitex Thinner! Nothing seems to affect the 55 yr old De-Vilbiss detail A/B either.

 

Old or new airbrushes work fine with acrylics, a few techniques are different from solvent paints but not so much the airbrushes. With that said my old Badger 200 I pretty much like for lacquers and always have ( or enamel) but it shoots acrylic ok too. My preference for acrylics is the Paasche H and Paasche VL, the VL specifically for color coating. I also use the VL in acrylic artwork with Createx paints. I've also used the H for enamel but like it for priming with it's simple design and I like it for varnishing the wife's canvas artwork with Liquitex varnish when not shooting them in lacquer. In fact I have two or three to do now that she used no silicone in so the acrylic varnish will be fine.. And so it goes !

But while I use Liquitex Airbrush medium ( thinner) for some things, in that last post I was specifically speaking of their retarder not thinner. Liquitex retarder goes in my acrylic thinner formulations I make up..

For certain tasks I've used the Liquitex Airbrush Medium, for maybe 10 years ( thinner).But what I mentioned in my past reply was retarder not thinner. I mostly use my own thinners I make up for models, to which I add the Liquitex retarder to. Except with Tamiya acrylic, that I use straight denatured alcohol or lacquer thinner in. I'll stop here because I could talk all afternoon running from one topic to the next lol !!

Hi!

 Since I got into Acrylics and a new Airbrush, I have practiced with my old,old Badger. I too have gravitated to the Liquitex Thinner! Nothing seems to affect the 55 yr old De-Vilbiss detail A/B either.

Glad you got it going !

I use Liquitex retarder in my thinner blend.

I figured out the issue a part was missing I misplaced it when cleaning.

sometimes a learning curve can be steep. I haven't tried this in a while getting back in the groove  can be difficult. Relearning paint and the diffttypes of acrylics is interesting some of the paint dries too quickly 

Like I said, often it's the seal between tip and body, a little bees wax on assembly goes a long ways often. Sometimes people don't want to believe it's that simple. And sometimes it's not that simple.

I cleaned everything but still acting up iwill keep trying

That's usually a partial clog at the tip or an air leak where the nozzle tip meets the body or any adapter cone in that area.. I'm not familiar with the Elite Pro, first I've heard of it. Master usually has a number associated with their brushes like G44, G33, G444 etc. With those we can look up the design.

Often bubbles in the cup is in the case with screw in tips, a bad or damaged O ring. With the tapered tips that slip in it's the mating surface of the tip to body or in extreme cases a cracked tip seating area. In either case other than a crack, I tend to use lip balm or bees wax to aid in that sealing area. A dab will do ya on assembly. I often do this in general.

For a partial clogged tip you often can't see, I just soak the tip overnight in lacquer thinner. Acetone can sometimes work too.