Tamiya acrylics - brushing

I just know some people are going to come in and knock Tamiya acrylics and say "use (insert brand name) instead.

The most common problem when painting with Tamiya acrylics is "roll-up", or simply your wet brush pulling up partially dried paint in big ugly lumps when your brush passes over semi-dry or apparently dry areas which have already been painted. Tamiya paints surface-dry very quickly and may appear to be dry, but actually take at least 12 hours to harden and cure.

Tamiya paints can be brushed successfully, ut just takes a little preparation and patience.

• Don't paint straight out of the jar - decant a small amount to a palette and paint from there
• Add a little Tamiya thinner to the paint on your palette. Just a small amount will do
• Pour a little clean thinner into another well on your palette
• Before dipping your brush in the paint, dip the tip of your brush in the clean thinner (just enough to slightly moisten it - you dont' want it wet)
• Dip your brush in the paint and apply to your model in short, even strokes, preferably in one direction. Paint to a "wet edge" - meaning if previously applied paint appears to be dry or semi-dry, don't brush over it - only brush over those areas where the paint appears to be wet. If any areas appear to need re-coating, allow it to cure overnight before doing so.
• Each time you re-load your brush, pick up a little clean thinner first, as described above.
• Over an extended painting session, if paint appears to be drying on your brush, clean it out before continuing to paint. dry paint on your brush will severely degrade the brush's performance and will impede the clean flow of paint from the brush to your model.
• IMPORTANT: Use good quality brushes - Look at higher grade synthetic or red sable artists brushes - they might be more expensive, but will last a long time if properly cared for. 

Yeah, I find that no matter what brand you're talking about, you will always find someone who has a better option! I'm using the Tamiya acrylics becqause my local shop (across the road!) really only carries these for acrylics. I'm still using Humbrol enamels for detail painting in most cases.

These tips seem to make sense & address much of what I'm encountering for issues. Now I suppose if I do this just right, I may even get the coverage I'm looking for - but if not I should waith 'til next day for the second coat. I guess the misleading part is the Tamiya instruction to "re-coat after one hour"... fine for airbrushes, but not for an actual brush!

 Something else I need to change: as I set up on the kitchen table most of the time, I use a small halogen lamp for extra light... I wonder if having that light so close to my work area is speeding up the drying process as well?

I love my Tamiya acrylics for airbrushing, but they don't brush paint well at all - at least, not on their own. Definitely add some some thinner to the paint - try Tamiya's X-20A thinner, which contains a drying retarder that extends the drying time of the paint, in addition to thinning it.

Personally, I've found that Vallejo acrylics cut with a drying retarder work best for brush painting. Your results may vary, though.

Kevin

I have brush painted with them or used a toothpick when I am doing small cockpit details. I have also brush painted with them doing landing gear from time to time. They work fine in those situations but using them over a large area like a fuesalage. wings, or a tanks seems like a huge pain that, in my case and with my skills, would look like crap. Good luck.

Regards,

Jeff

Thanks again to all who replied. As for getting coverage, I wonder if I'd be able to get one-coat coverage with a brush with an acrylic primer coat. (yes, I was rushing & cheated, going right for the finish coat & a quick coat of Future to seal it up!)

Problem is, no one paint type is normally good for all applications (although some come close).

 Tamiya acrylics airbrush wonderfully; however, brush painting is a real pain.

I generally brush paint with Polly Scale and also have been dabbling lately in Vallejo.

However, If a starting modeler (not saying u are one) asked me to recommend a good general paint, I would recomend Polly Scale every day. Polly Scale has a great range of colors, are generally accurate,  brush well, airbrush well, dry fast, dry tough as nails, and won't dissolve when you brush on another layer (unlike enamel, yuck!).