badger 175 and acrylics

H3nav wrote:

Look through Tom's posts on this subject. He is the house expert on Vallejo.   E

Look through Tom's posts on this subject. He is the house expert on Vallejo.

E

H3nav wrote:

Ed, I agree with Mike about Acryl. My two cents are to work very quickly so that it won't start to set up in the brush or cup/jar. Retarder helps with this, but if it dries in the brush, You'll probably end up soaking in lacquer thinner to get it all out. PollyScale is gentler but many people swear by Tamiya and Vallejo.   E

Ed, I agree with Mike about Acryl. My two cents are to work very quickly so that it won't start to set up in the brush or cup/jar. Retarder helps with this, but if it dries in the brush, You'll probably end up soaking in lacquer thinner to get it all out. PollyScale is gentler but many people swear by Tamiya and Vallejo.

E

MikeV wrote:

It is also a good idea to wear some white cotton gloves or such to keep fingerprints off the model while handling it during painting, etc. Cleaning it with Plastic Prep or alcohol and then handling it with oily skin is not a good thing. I am guilty of that for sure.

Hey Mike,

Just curious, what wasn't working for you?  I actually had to stop using the Acryl because it was giving me headaches.  Weird huh?  I use a spray booth, vent outside and use a 3 stage respirator.  Still got headaches.  Other than that, I really like the acryl and had no problems. 

Jesse

usmc1371 wrote:

thevinman wrote: Leave it to testors to "water-down" thier paints and then charge you for it! Seems like a marketing scheme to me! Personally, I love the Acryl paints.  I never have to thin them to airbrush, just pour and spray.  Their brushing qualities are excellent also.  And they work great for weathering, such as washes and dry brushing.  Just be sure to use Model Master Acryl Thinner. Jesse

tho9900 wrote:

I have the 175 and you should thin your acrylics and use the med nozzle/needle/head.  Typically you should thin about 3:2 or so, play with it until you get the mix that is right for you.  If your paint doesn't cover on the first pass let it dry and go for another pass.  Sometimes it takes a few coats especially with colors like yellow and white.  If you mean watery as in it was spider legging (where you shot the paint had little runners wiggling out from the edges) you are either thinning too much or shooting with too high of a pressure.  With my 175 about 16 to 20 psi was great for full coverage and 14-16 worked ok for smaller detail. It sounds like there is dried paint in the head assembly.  You should remove the head and nozzle and soak them in laqcuer thinner for 30 min or so.  swirling the cup every once in awhile to help get the old paint loose.  Then use a microbrush or toothpick to gently pick out the rest of the paint if any.  This should have you up and running in no time.  If you haven't, take out the needle and clean it gently as well.

looper: I use acrylic paints and I have found that one drop of retarder (I use Createx but there are other brands - sometimes called extenders) per metal cup of paint makes all the difference in the world. One of the problems with acrylics is that they dry too fast. That could be why you're seeing that problem. The retarder adds to the drying time, allowing the paint to act very close to an enamel in terms of flow. And, it makes your airbrush much easier to clean.

Rich

thevinman wrote:

Leave it to testors to "water-down" thier paints and then charge you for it! Seems like a marketing scheme to me!

Personally, I love the Acryl paints.  I never have to thin them to airbrush, just pour and spray.  Their brushing qualities are excellent also.  And they work great for weathering, such as washes and dry brushing.  Just be sure to use Model Master Acryl Thinner.

Jesse

MikeV wrote:

tho9900 wrote: The teflon bearing is embedded in the body of the airbrush... you don't want to soak the body in laqcuer thinner.  All you do is unscrew the two cones making up the head, then unscrew the nozzle out of the body.  Put those three things in a little shot glass or something and cover them with laqcuer thinner.  Let soak, clean, then put them back on. If the paint was puddling and not sticking your plastic might have oils on it.  I always wash my models with a little mild dishwashing liquid and water, or wipe down with alcohol before painting.  With acrylics a little oil can put a damper on your painting fun!  The molding process has oils that remain on the surface of the plastic, plus handling it puts fingerprints on it which have oil in them.  Wash them off and I think you should have no problems next time!  Good luck! Lacquer will not affect the Teflon bearing It is the rubber O ring in the air valve that you have to be careful of.

right....  I was just telling him soaking the body in lacquer thinner wasn't a good idea.  Mayhem may occur

tho9900 wrote:

The teflon bearing is embedded in the body of the airbrush... you don't want to soak the body in laqcuer thinner.  All you do is unscrew the two cones making up the head, then unscrew the nozzle out of the body.  Put those three things in a little shot glass or something and cover them with laqcuer thinner.  Let soak, clean, then put them back on. If the paint was puddling and not sticking your plastic might have oils on it.  I always wash my models with a little mild dishwashing liquid and water, or wipe down with alcohol before painting.  With acrylics a little oil can put a damper on your painting fun!  The molding process has oils that remain on the surface of the plastic, plus handling it puts fingerprints on it which have oil in them.  Wash them off and I think you should have no problems next time!  Good luck!

I would take almost everything the Mfg's say with a grain of salt. Some folks may not need to thin, but it all depends on your setup/style of airbrushing.

If I was testors, I would "spin" these paints as not needing thinning to get an edge.

Most Model Master Acryl paints do not need to be thinned for airbrushing.  They are designed that way. This is from Testors FAQ's:

Jesse

The teflon bearing is embedded in the body of the airbrush... you don't want to soak the body in laqcuer thinner.  All you do is unscrew the two cones making up the head, then unscrew the nozzle out of the body.  Put those three things in a little shot glass or something and cover them with laqcuer thinner.  Let soak, clean, then put them back on.

If the paint was puddling and not sticking your plastic might have oils on it.  I always wash my models with a little mild dishwashing liquid and water, or wipe down with alcohol before painting.  With acrylics a little oil can put a damper on your painting fun!  The molding process has oils that remain on the surface of the plastic, plus handling it puts fingerprints on it which have oil in them.  Wash them off and I think you should have no problems next time! 

Good luck!

I have the 175 and you should thin your acrylics and use the med nozzle/needle/head.  Typically you should thin about 3:2 or so, play with it until you get the mix that is right for you.  If your paint doesn't cover on the first pass let it dry and go for another pass.  Sometimes it takes a few coats especially with colors like yellow and white.  If you mean watery as in it was spider legging (where you shot the paint had little runners wiggling out from the edges) you are either thinning too much or shooting with too high of a pressure.  With my 175 about 16 to 20 psi was great for full coverage and 14-16 worked ok for smaller detail.

It sounds like there is dried paint in the head assembly.  You should remove the head and nozzle and soak them in laqcuer thinner for 30 min or so.  swirling the cup every once in awhile to help get the old paint loose.  Then use a microbrush or toothpick to gently pick out the rest of the paint if any.  This should have you up and running in no time.  If you haven't, take out the needle and clean it gently as well.