Airbrush Beginner, Paint question

1. See if there's a thinner provided by the paint manufacturer, and use that
2. If not, try isopropyl alcohol (IPA). Straight water has a tendency to run and/or bubble due to its natural surface tension.
3. If you absolutely have to use water, add a SMALL drop of dish detergent to take care of the problem in #2 above.
4. Between colors, run some of the IPA through your brush and color cup.
5. Don't let any paint sit in the brush or color cup when you are done. Flush it good with thinner, and run a small pipe cleaner, or airbrush cleaners (available through Dixie Art, I think) through the color cup tubing. When you are done, the thinner should be as clear as what comes out of the bottle.
Hope this helps, and welcome to the Forum!
Gip Winecoff

Styrene,

I'm not questioning your response at all, but I'm a newbie, therefore this question. On the paint bottle, it says to clean and thin with water. So, is it still ok to do as you mentioned? I just didn't know if there were different types of acrylics, which some may not be suitable with IPA. Thanks for all the help.

Kevin

KK,

Thinning with alcohol should not be a problem; in fact some folks here swear by thinning acrylics with windshield washer fluid.
And Styrene is right - if you must use water, use a SMALL bit of dish detergent. When using acrylics and watercolors, I mix the paint, take a toothpick and run it through the dried muck at the top of the detergent bottle, and 'stab' it into the mixture. I've found that is all that's needed to break the tension.
Most important - practice on something you don't care about until you get a feel for the brush, air pressure and mixing ratios.
Welcome and good luck!!

Windshield washer fluid? Thats basically water and methelated spirits, right?

Please correct me if I'm wrong before I start spraying my kits with a flame thrower..

What are the main (if any) differences between the hobby shop acrylics and the walmart craft dept acrylics made by I think delta and apple barrel? There is no hobby shop close to where I live. But, walmart is only 1min away. At less than a dollar, its tempting to use these cheap paints, but if it makes life easier by buying the hobby shop paints or airbrush paints, then thats what I'll do. Thanks for all the replys guys.

One last thing, when painting wood, do I need to prime or seal the wood first? Or do I just paint directly onto the wood?


Kevin

I'll add a few items:
- different paints are formulated for different purposes. Most of them are very similar, but some of them have slightly different chemicals and/or mixtures that make them better for one thing or another. I know a few guys that have alot of trouble getting the 'craft' paints to stick to plastic as well as the 'model' paints do. I'm not really sure if there's a hard and fast rule either, because some of the colors seem to work really well, and others don't. So unfortunately, if you can't find anyone that has good experience with the paint you are using, then you're unfortunately going to have to experiment. Whatever you find out, please share it with the rest of us!!
- Good advice so far on the thinning for airbrush. Most acrylic paints go on smoother and dry faster when you thin with alcohol. Some people find that thinning gloss paints with alcohol makes them turn out a little bit dull. For gloss paints, the manufacturer's thinner usually gives the best results.
- In addition though, you might want to check what needle/nozzle you're using. If you're finding that you need to thin the paints too much, it might be better to put the larger needle/nozzle in the airbrush. The smallest for the VL is #1, the #3 is the middle size, and the #5 is the largest. I used to use the #1 all the time and found that everything worked WAY better, easier, and was more forgiving when I went to the #3. If you're not sure how to tell which needle/nozzle you've got, send another message and we can tell you how to i.d. it.

Welcome to the FSM forum!!

Murray

Kevin,
The bottle probably says what it does, because the majority of purchases will be for the purpose of manual brush painting, and water is probably the best to clean the brushes. We do this at home with our 9-year old; however, for the more serious painter using an airbrush and trying to obtain the best finish possible, other measures have to be employed. IPA should give you the same texture and consistency, but will allow a smoother transition through the 'brush, and a more even finish on wood. I would definitely prime the wood, or at the very least, try a sanding sealer. All that water can definitely make softer woods (like pine, for example) swell and warp.
Murray's right: You are going to have to experiment. Some acrylics are great for fabrics (like t-shirts, etc.) but may not hold their own on wood. Give 'em a try and see what works for you.

Michaelvk,
Windshield washer fluid is water and denatured alcohol (a combination of ethyl and methyl alcohols). The alcohols lower the freezing point of water, so you can use the stuff during the coldest time of the winter. Most of the fluids I've seen have either a blue or pink dye additive--not something I'd want when airbrushing a kit. Yes, windshield washer fluid is flammable, but so is IPA. Just take the same precautions when working with any paint-related thinners.

Hope all this helps.
Gip Winecoff

Michaelvk - As I understand, most WW fluid is alcohol based so it won't freeze in winter, so you are basically using alcohol. I've never tried it because of concerns that the tint in the fluid might affect the color. And I always have alcohol on hand for painting, cleaning the heads on tape decks, VCR,'s, drinking .... oops! That would be beer - don't thin with that!
KK - Priming is almost always a good idea, esp. since you are working with a porous medium like wood. I always prime if I am shooting acrylics, since they don't 'bite' into the plastic like laquers or enamels. And Murray is right - you'll just have to experiment to determine what will work best for what you are trying to do. Recently, I shot acrylic over enamel since I didn't have the color I wanted (and didn't want to take the time to mix the shade in enamel) and it turned out great. Don't be afraid to experiment - you will screw up from time to time, but thats how you learn!

Wow, deja vu! Styrene, you beat my post by 8 minutes. I guess I better get some more coffee!

Guys, all of you have been a great help. I'm going now to try out some mixing techniques.

Thanks a million

Kevin

Alright, I only got to play for an hour or so but I'm on to my next problem. I tried the alcohol thinning trick, and that seems to help a whole bunch. The paint goes on evenly and smoothly. But, another problem arose. As the paint is going on smooth, I how have these flakes appearing on the surface of what I'm painting. Its hard to describe, but, its not splatters, or small round paint blobs, its almost like small hairs in the paint, but its not a uniform looking hair so to say. It can be a lil thicker on one end of the speck than the other. They also seem to show around the outer diameter of the spray pattern more so than the inside. This is how it appears, but may not be 100% true. It could appear this way because I was using black and the paint may have covered up the speks in the center of the pattern.
Also, I'm using the needle and tip that came assembled with the VL brush. I'm using around 15-20psi. I lowered the pressure to 10 and raised it up to 25 to 30ish and still had the same problem.

Once again, thanks for all the help. If you get tired of my long winded questions, just say so, and I'll give you guys a break.

Kevin

KK

Im not too sure about your question the only time i get that (I DONT USE ACRYLIC PAINT) is when spray primer and it kindof looks like a paint blob but its because the paint is too thick or its got globs of paint in the paint your spraying. Im not sure if that will help you at all since its no primer or enamel but i know what your talking about. BTW are you sealing the wood before you spray.

KK,
1. Try moving a little closer to what you are spraying. It almost sounds like the paint is drying as it's hitting the board.
2. You could also try adding a touch more thinner; the paint may still be too thick.
3. Maintain the same distance throughout the paint stroke. Your airbrush should stay parallel and somehwhat perpendicular to the object you are spraying, not swinging in an arc in and out.
4. With an airbrush, don't try to cover your board with paint in the first sweep. Misted-on coats tend to work better than a single blobbed-on one.
Hope this helps some.
Gip Winecoff

I'm one of those that swears by windshield wiper fluid. It works great and is cheap. It's really nothing more than water and alcohol with a little coloring in it that doesn't effect anything. I don't really meausre the ratio but look for the milk like appearance. This usually is about a 1:3 ratio of fluid to paint. Some acrylics are already pretty thin, like white and yellow. I either don't dilute these or use very little fluid.

John

If the paint is Delta Ceramcoat or Folkart or one similar, that stuff is as thick as.... So, like the gang says, thin it down to the consistancy of milk.

James

The wood has to have some type of primer/sealer on it before you put on the finish coat of paint. It will be too porous otherwise and wont give you an even finish.

Will try these ideas when I get home. Thanks

Another last question:

I've been reading through old posts and I came across someone saying to keep your needle straight on your airbrush. When I look at the end of my brush and pull the lever back, the needle starts drawing into the barrel. When it does, it is not perfectly centered. It kinda is to the top left. Basically there is no space on the top left, all the space is at the bottom right. When I pull the lever back, should the open space be even all around the needle? How precise should this be?

Get a piece of glass and press your finger over the needle to straighten it. If that doesn't work, try this to reshape your needle. This is for a Paasche Turbo but it should work for any AB -

http://www.rossmanart.com/airbrush.html

There was an excellent article on acrylics in the September 2001 issue of FineScale Modeler, which should answer most of your questions, especially concerning which thinners to use.

Dancin' Seamus.

I'm discovering things by the minute with this new brush. Today, i took the red cap off the end to check which needle I was using. I noticed two nuts. One of them, I loosened to free the needle. What is the piece just in front of this. I can turn it left and right, but I don't know what it controls. It looks like a barrel with a grip on it that the needle runs through.

KK,

The second 'nut' (closest to the main body of the 'brush) secures the return spring for the needle & trigger assembly. That should screw all the way out for complete disassembly. (Check inside the main body, you'll see threads)
A tip - If you do completely disassemble your 'brush, use a light rub of beeswax on all the threads, including the head / airtip - just don't get any inside the air / fluid passages. Makes for easier disassembly and seals as well.

P.S. Got out my VL 'cuz something jogged one of the few brain cells I have left. Now, this just may be my VL, but - If you screw the spring retainer in too tight, it will lock the needle forward.

P.P.S. Was re-reading that last bit and it needs some clarification. Tightening the spring retainer too tight locks the trigger forward (the retainer will contact the 'finger' behind the trigger and move it forward until the trigger contacts the leading edge of it's slot). So - for re-assembly, remove the needle, tighten the retainer until the trigger locks, back it out until you get full trigger travel, then insert the needle gently until it is seated in the head and install its clamping nut.