How do you use Testors Model Master Acrylic Paints

(cut and paste from This Topic)

1) A coat of enamel primer improves adhesion immensely. Acrylics don't have the chemical reaction with the plastic that enamel thinners do, so they don't stick as hard. I use Tamiya Fine Surface primer in a rattle can and take it outside to spray it.

2) Tip Dry is the biggest problem with acrylics. They dry so quick they will clog the tip of your airbrush almost immediately. The type of acrylic and the type of thinner affect this a lot. I keep a Q-Tip soaked in thinner handy and wipe my tip off eny time I sit the airbrush down.

3) Clean parts are CRITICAL! Since acrylics don't bind to plastic like enamels any oil whatsoever will limit their adhesion. Most people wash their parts in soap and water, I prefer alcohol.

4) Plain old rubbing alcohol works fine for thinning MM acrylics, however it does make them dry even faster. I feel like it helps eliminate any oil or grease I may have missed when cleaning the parts.

5) A drop or two of acrylic retarder (Available at most art supply stores under numerous names) helps the tip drying problem a lot.

6) Acrylics dry to the touch almost immediately. They dry so quickly that grainy surfaces are not uncommon because of the paint partially drying on its way to the surface. Try spraying at about 15 psi, about 3-4" from the surface.

7) Thinning, IMO, is a matter of personal preference. The "Best" thinner is the thinner that the manufacturer recommends. For Tamiya paints, alcohol will cause them to dry flat whether they were supposed to or not. MM can be thinned with alcohol, Windex, or several other items. Try a ratio of 3:1 and adjust as necessary from there.

8) MikeV's magic mixture of 2 parts distilled water, 1 part Winde, 1 part Simple Green works very well for cleaning the airbrush.

I agree with pretty much all of the above, but day to day, as a simple, practical matter, I find that rubbing alcohol has served me pretty well on virtually all acrylics, and am offended by the prices charged by the makers of these acrylics for their "thinners" which are little more than alcohol diluted with water (which, now that I think of it, is vodka if you use grain alcohol -- maybe one of us should try it as acrylic thinner. And as I recall, all American domestic vodkas are made from distilled water, so use Smirnoff, or rather, the cheapest American-made vodka you can find, since it's all the same by law, unless the law has changed recently. Oh, and only if you're over 21. Otherwise, you'll have to buy expensive Tamiya or MM thinner because you're too young to buy the cheap version).
Tom

I have had my airbrush clog a couple of times but from my experience with MM paint, it needs no thinner and on my last model I didn't wash the pieces and it turned out perfect. I have had no trouble with graniness either. I personally like how quickly it dries. I guess everyone has their own experiences though but so far mine have been nothing but positive.

Shark, I just tried using vodka as a thinner. But me and the wife decided to drink it instead (. She caught me taking the bottle to the garage and said using it as thinner is alcohol abuse. so we polished it off. Maybe Ill have to sneak some in later.

lol 9x19 id be doing the same thing....
and i dont think it would work out cheaper for me, coz the smell oftamiya thinners make me puke, but a bottle of vodka on the workbench would be too much temptation

The post by MusicCity pretty much sums it up. I have been using acrylics exclusively for airbrushing, and they provide as good a result as enamels.
It's much more imortant to clean your models prior to airbrushing, as the adhesion of acrylics is not as great as enamels.
As for thinning, it's a matter of personal preference. If mixed throughly, most acrylics can be airbrushed straight out of the bottle. I always thin mine. Usually a 2 to 3 parts paint to 1 part thinner ratio works well for me.

Hi folks,

I've started using a primer/preshade coat of flat black Tamiya lacquer (TS series) in a spray can, although it is a little pricey. As long as I take it easy on the amount, it primes nicely as lacquer seems to stick a lot more aggressively to the plastic. It also provides a very nice shadowed effect with lots of depth when the vehicle color is sprayed in thin coats over top. In addition, all of my work on the plastic (patching, filling, PE, etc.) is made uniform prior to spraying the actual color.

Hope this helps.

Jim

After you airbrush the acrylic paints, what do you use to clean your airbrush? Windex? Rubbing Alcohol? The manuf. thinner (that one seems kind of expensive).

Thanks.

Brian

I flush mine with water, then use a mixture of 2 parts distilled water + 1 part Windex + 1 part Simple Green, then flush with water again. You can also use plain Windex, however it can cause the metal to darken over time.

Will mineral spirits or laquer thinner work?

(I'm not doubting what MusicCity said, just wondering if the gallon i just bought will still be useful...I'm considering switching over to acrylics as much as possible)

Thanks again,

Brian