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Decanting paint to be thinned

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  • Member since
    November 2005
Decanting paint to be thinned
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, July 8, 2006 3:42 PM

Hi Folks

Once again I want to probe your brains

At present I use plastic pipettes to take my paint from the tins to the colour cup & then thin , this leaves me with alot of jammed up pipettes , I try & suck up some white spirit to clean them out but this never really works that well , I ve tried using plastic syringes but invariably all I do is end up spurting the last bit all over the place ,

So how do you guys approch this part of airbrushing ? I know some people seem to mix in a seperate jar the pour into the colour cup , but I m a bit lazy so dosent this just give you more to clean up?

Also is it better to thin by eye than by measure ?

And , last one I promise

Humbrol Enamels  , I ve been told that a ratio of 3:1 thinner to paint is best but I seem to find this to thin or am I using to high a pressure (around 20psi)?

I know these are all basic questions but I ve returned to modelling and although I ve completed a few kits that I happy with I find myself hit the same what ifs? , and how's on each one , so any help would be great I really do apperciate it

Cheers Euan

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: BOONEVILLE, MISSISSIPPI
Posted by ipms40049 on Sunday, July 9, 2006 4:45 AM
I just pour my paint, like a few drops at a time from the jar to the color cup. And if I thin it in the color cup (adding thinner to the paint in the cup) I just do it by sight and by stirring. When it looks like the consistency of milk, like non-fat milk then its about right. It really all just depends though on the consistecny of the paint type your using which will determine this. Every paint is different.
I usually spray about 18 ish PSI, but this also just depends on the paint and how its thinned. Sometimes I have to spray at a much lower PSI.

The compressor im using, its kinda hard to tell on the regulator what exact pressure its at.

Im using the IWATA sprin jet compressor.

Pat Hensley Booneville, Ms "Thank you for being here and playing nice"...please do not drag sand outside the box ! CURRENT BUILD(s) Revell 1/72 U Boat VII C Tamiya Willys Jeep - for 2010 Nats Bronco's Staghound -for 2010 Nats Dragons M16 Multi gun carriage - for the 2020 Nats. LOL
  • Member since
    May 2006
  • From: Oklahoma
Posted by Dave23 on Sunday, July 9, 2006 6:39 AM
I don’t have near the experience with airbrushing that others have, but this is what I have discovered works best for me.

I use pipettes to transfer paint and thinner to small disposable plastic bathroom cups for mixing. I then pour the mix into a siphon jar or gravity cup, depending on which airbrush I’m using. Ratio is by eye; I know it when I see it. But as others have said, consistency of low-fat milk is a good rule of thumb. However, I prefer some paints to be thinner/thicker than others, depending on application. I only use acrylic paints, so cleaning and reusing the pipettes a few times is not an issue.

I have found that finding the best ratio of paint/thinner and the proper air pressure for your rig to be of equal importance. There are variables galore between airbrushes, compressors and paints, so practice and experimentation with your particular setup is invaluable – which I try and do as often as I can.

-dave

-d

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