tamiya paint

No - You need to thin Tamiya paint for airbrushing.

Thinning ratio? Depends on your setup, the effect you're trying to achieve etc. etc. General rule of thumb is approximately the consistency of milk. I tend to use the "it looks about right" method.

Recommended thinner (in order of preference):

• Tamiya thinner
• Isopropyl alcohol
• Denatured alcohol

When using the alcohol options, it may be helpful to add a drop or two of acrylic retarder to your paint mix to reduce "tip dry". You may be able to use small amounts of (distilled or demineralised) water as a substitute for retarder.

Though some people recommend it, I would suggest avoiding Windex as a thinner.

Phil_H wrote:

No - You need to thin Tamiya paint for airbrushing. Thinning ratio? Depends on your setup, the effect you're trying to achieve etc. etc. General rule of thumb is approximately the consistency of milk. I tend to use the "it looks about right" method. Recommended thinner (in order of preference): Tamiya thinner Isopropyl alcohol Denatured alcohol When using the alcohol options, it may be helpful to add a drop or two of acrylic retarder to your paint mix to reduce "tip dry". You may be able to use small amounts of (distilled or demineralised) water as a substitute for retarder. Though some people recommend it, I would suggest avoiding Windex as a thinner.

Phil_H wrote:

No - You need to thin Tamiya paint for airbrushing. Thinning ratio? Depends on your setup, the effect you're trying to achieve etc. etc. General rule of thumb is approximately the consistency of milk. I tend to use the "it looks about right" method. Recommended thinner (in order of preference): Tamiya thinner Isopropyl alcohol Denatured alcohol When using the alcohol options, it may be helpful to add a drop or two of acrylic retarder to your paint mix to reduce "tip dry". You may be able to use small amounts of (distilled or demineralised) water as a substitute for retarder. Though some people recommend it, I would suggest avoiding Windex as a thinner.

 Hi there,

I am extremely new to painting model kits. Do I need to thin Tamiya acrylic paint if I'm hand painting(Painting with a paint brush) fine details of a plastic aircraft? Or do I just dip the brush in and paint straight from the bottle? I've heard about mixing it with water too.Is that for painting with a paint brush?

I've always been told to use De-Ionised water - prevents corrosion

Worked for old cruddy airbrush and seems to work nicely in new shiney airbrush.

Plus, De-Ionised water is only about 20p (40c?) for a huge bottle over here across the pond.

NiKe wrote:

Hi there, I am extremely new to painting model kits. Do I need to thin Tamiya acrylic paint if I'm hand painting(Painting with a paint brush) fine details of a plastic aircraft? Or do I just dip the brush in and paint straight from the bottle? I've heard about mixing it with water too.Is that for painting with a paint brush?

Tamiya paints can be brushed "straight out of the bottle" (after decanting to a palette or similar as Bill suggested above), but do benefit from a little thinning.

When brush painting, Tamiya acrylics have a tendency to skin over very quickly, particularly if the ambient temperature is high. If you brush over an apparently dry, or partly dry area of paint, it may drag up the underlying paint in big ugly clumps.

For best results when brush painting Tamiya acrylics:

• Use good quality brushes
• decant a small amount onto a pallette and add a little Tamiya thinner. Original Tamiya thinner is said to contain a retarder which reduces its tendency to dry too quickly and allows it some time to self-level. In the absence of Tamiya thinner, Isopropyl alcohol (90% or better) can be used, with a little acrylic retarder. Acrylic retarder may be found at art supplies stores.
• Pour some clean thinner into a well on your pallette and dip your brush in the thinner before "loading" it with paint. Don't dunk the brush - just pick up enough thinner to keep it miost, not dripping. (repeat each time when loading your brush)
• Paint in short even strokes, and avoid brushing over previously covered, partially dry areas - doing so will cause "roll-up" where the wet brush pulls up the previously applied paint.
• If recoating is required, allow the previous coat to dry for at least 24 hours before recoating.
• Don't allow the brush to become clogged with paint. If it's starting to build up and dry around the rim of the ferrule (ie, at the base of the bristles), stop and clean your brush.

Whilst water can be used for clean-up, I don't recommend it as a thinner. Water can be used in small amounts, but too much will reduce the paint's adhesive properties and can cause separation and beading when painting. Tamiya thinner and alcohol are "wetter" than water and allow the paint to adhere better to the surface.

Note: Tamiya thinner is expensive, but so are your kits. Why spend big $$ on your kit, spend many hours putting it together and then settle for a second rate finish for the sake of a few dollars worth of thinner?

Tamiya thinner is much cheaper to buy in the 250ml bottles (<$10.00) - don't buy the 10ml jars (25 x $3.00 = $75 )  

Cool. Thanks alot guys for your advice. I can start on my F-16 now!!

Phil_H wrote:

NiKe wrote:  Hi there, I am extremely new to painting model kits. Do I need to thin Tamiya acrylic paint if I'm hand painting(Painting with a paint brush) fine details of a plastic aircraft? Or do I just dip the brush in and paint straight from the bottle? I've heard about mixing it with water too.Is that for painting with a paint brush? Tamiya paints can be brushed "straight out of the bottle" (after decanting to a palette or similar as Bill suggested above), but do benefit from a little thinning. When brush painting, Tamiya acrylics have a tendency to skin over very quickly, particularly if the ambient temperature is high. If you brush over an apparently dry, or partly dry area of paint, it may drag up the underlying paint in big ugly clumps. For best results when brush painting Tamiya acrylics: Use good quality brushes decant a small amount onto a pallette and add a little Tamiya thinner. Original Tamiya thinner is said to contain a retarder which reduces its tendency to dry too quickly and allows it some time to self-level. In the absence of Tamiya thinner, Isopropyl alcohol (90% or better) can be used, with a little acrylic retarder. Acrylic retarder may be found at art supplies stores. Pour some clean thinner into a well on your pallette and dip your brush in the thinner before "loading" it with paint. Don't dunk the brush - just pick up enough thinner to keep it miost, not dripping. (repeat each time when loading your brush) Paint in short even strokes, and avoid brushing over previously covered, partially dry areas - doing so will cause "roll-up" where the wet brush pulls up the previously applied paint. If recoating is required, allow the previous coat to dry for at least 24 hours before recoating. Don't allow the brush to become clogged with paint. If it's starting to build up and dry around the rim of the ferrule (ie, at the base of the bristles), stop and clean your brush. Whilst water can be used for clean-up, I don't recommend it as a thinner. Water can be used in small amounts, but too much will reduce the paint's adhesive properties and can cause separation and beading when painting. Tamiya thinner and alcohol are "wetter" than water and allow the paint to adhere better to the surface. Note: Tamiya thinner is expensive, but so are your kits. Why spend big $$ on your kit, spend many hours putting it together and then settle for a second rate finish for the sake of a few dollars worth of thinner? Tamiya thinner is much cheaper to buy in the 250ml bottles (<$10.00) - don't buy the 10ml jars (25 x $3.00 = $75 )

Phil, there's a great point here. What, in your humble opinion is a 'good quality brush'?

I've had spotty results between Net Shops and LHS offerings.

(Not hijacking the thread.....it seems related to the topic) 

LOL

"Good quality" paintbrushes are something that's on my shopping list. I haven't had much call for brushes lately - I tend to airbrush as much as I can. 

I've found that Tamiya paints like brushes which are soft bristled, but firm bodied, if that makes sense..

I've tried the ones with the orange nylon bristles and while they do the job, they're not great.

Funnily enough, those flat Tamiya brushes that look like the ones schoolkids use for tempera paints are actually quite good. Despite their cheap appearance they do work quite well.

I think I shall have to drop into an art supplies store soon and check out some decent sable brushes.

Phil_H wrote:

I think I shall have to drop into an art supplies store soon and check out some decent sable brushes.

Thanks Phil.....that's what I was afraid of. But that used to be my choice too. Thank you for the input and I hope others benefitted also!

Phil_H wrote:

I think I shall have to drop into an art supplies store soon and check out some decent sable brushes.

That's what I did. However, I have also found that the best synthetic bristle brushes also give excellent results. They also last longer than natural sable—and they are slightly less expensive, sometimes. With proper care, either will last a long time.

Proper care includes thorough cleaning (usually takes me longer to clean them than it did to use them), use of a conditioner (ordinary hair conditioner is fine) applied to both synthetic and natural bristles, and proper storage (keep the protective plastic sleeves over the bristles or make new ones from plastic tubing).

Here's something I learned from a professional painter: When cleaning, comb the bristles with a fine brass bristled brush. This will remove or loosen any paint deep within the bunch, and removes tangles and crossed bristles. Also, the final step of cleaning is to soak the bristles in solvent, then wick it out by pressing the whole body of the bristles and the edge of the ferrule against a soft, absorbant material (rag, paper towel) held nearly parallel to the long axis of the brush—only a very slight bend in the bristles.

Wow! Now hair conditioner! It is amazing to this newbie all the various secrets/tricks modelers use.

How do you use the conditioner on the brushes? Soak, dip or store?

Hi there,

I looking for a gloss coat an area where decals will go. Can the Tamiya Acrylic X-22 Clear or Tamiya Acrylic X-21 Flat Base do the job? I know that Tamiya have a gloss clear TS-13 spray can, but I'm not using it for large surfaces, so a spray can can't do the job. Any suggestions? And..I don't wanna use future or othr brands..except TamiyaThanks alot.

NiKe wrote:

Hi there, I looking for a gloss coat an area where decals will go. Can the Tamiya Acrylic X-22 Clear or Tamiya Acrylic X-21 Flat Base do the job? I know that Tamiya have a gloss clear TS-13 spray can, but I'm not using it for large surfaces, so a spray can can't do the job. Any suggestions? And..I don't wanna use future or othr brands..except TamiyaThanks alot.

STOP!!

Do not use Flat Base for anything other than mixing with gloss paint (or Future) to create a flat or satin finsh.  It is not a clear flat top coat. Flat Base has caused more problems with frosty-white appearances on finished models than can be counted.

You are warned

pathvet9 wrote:

Wow! Now hair conditioner! It is amazing to this newbie all the various secrets/tricks modelers use. How do you use the conditioner on the brushes? Soak, dip or store?

You can also use lots of hairspray for that 80's "Big Brush" look! Then crank some Dokken and yer Rokken!

I use three types of brushes... Red Sable, red sable, and red sabel...  For washes and dry-brushing though, any camel-hair types are good enough, and cheap enough to amke the abuse of scubbing while dry-brushing and such that it doesn't hurt when you have to trash 'em...  If you have a Hobby Lobby in your area, print their coupons and hit the art supply section...  You can get some real nice quality reds at less than hobby shop prices that way... They routinely have art supplies on sale as well, from 30 to 50% off at any given time...

The main thing about brushes to remember is that you're paying for the brush tip...  You don't really anything below 00 for deatail painting if the tip is high-quality. The 0000 and 00000 brushes hold so little paint they're practically worthless, but still cost you 9 bucks... Also, on your flats, look at the tip from the side edge.  It should look like a chisel-blade, a nice angle on each side..

Can I use Tamiya TS-80 Flat Clear as a final coat to make the surface flat?

You can certainly use TS-80 as a final flat coat.

Be aware that Tamiya spray cans are lacquer based. If sprayed over acrylics, it may attack the underlying paint. To minimise the possibility of this happening, spray several very light mist coats, allowing to dry between coats (to form a "barrier"), before applying heavier coats. DO NOT apply too heavily and too quickly. 

NiKe wrote:

Can I use Tamiya TS-80 Flat Clear as a final coat to make the surface flat?

Alternatively, you can make a very nice acrylic flat by mixing Tamiya Flat Base and Future at a ratio of four parts Future to one part Flat Base.  I've been using Future/Tamiya Flat Base for my matte finishes fro some time and have been quite pleased with the results.

Andy

Thanks alot Phil.H, and all the help you guys have provided.

stuntborg wrote:

I'm an airbrush newbie, and found out that "thinness" varies from color to color. My first airbrush lesson was with Tamiya "Neutral Grey" and I was able to get pretty decent results right out of the bottle. My next effort was with Tamiya "Flat White" and it was way too gummy out of the bottle.

 Hmmm...I guess this is because the paint is already starting to dry before you even use it. Acrylics dry so fast that you have no time to react, retarders are able to slow down the drying, I guess..It could probably because you did not close the paint bottle tightly enough, or you decant the paint too slowly. Just some thoughts, I'm still a newbie, so I'm not sure. Good luck for your model!

NiKe wrote:

stuntborg wrote: I'm an airbrush newbie, and found out that "thinness" varies from color to color. My first airbrush lesson was with Tamiya "Neutral Grey" and I was able to get pretty decent results right out of the bottle. My next effort was with Tamiya "Flat White" and it was way too gummy out of the bottle.  Hmmm...I guess this is because the paint is already starting to dry before you even use it. Acrylics dry so fast that you have no time to react, retarders are able to slow down the drying, I guess..It could probably because you did not close the paint bottle tightly enough, or you decant the paint too slowly. Just some thoughts, I'm still a newbie, so I'm not sure. Good luck for your model!

Tamiya paints do dry fast, but not that fast (unless you're in a very hot environment). Viscosities do vary from colour to colour and even between production runs of the same colour.

Similarly, you might have one bottle which is brand new, and one bottle which you've been using for brush painting for the last six months.

For these (among other) reasons, there's no "magic number" when it comes to thinning, no "one size fits all" mixing ratio. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I tend to thin using the "it looks about right" method.

I'm another "looks about right" guy.