Hello fellow modellers,I have what may seem a very simple question.(only been modelling nearly a month now) But can i ask if i have to thin tamiya acrylic paint to paint the base coat on my 1/72 AFV? Or can i paint straight from the bottle? Also if i do have to thin the paint everytime i use it,how much thinner to paint should i use?

Any help will be much appreciated.

Kind regards

Shady...


P.S this is by brush painting and not by airbrush.

G,day Adrian, As good as they are, if you thin the paint even slightly you'll get a much better finish and smoother look to the paint, I do all my painting with Tamiya acrylics and thin with methylated spirits which is far cheaper than tamiya own brand of thinner. as for the ratio of thinner it will try & error for what works for you. Here in Australia where I'am its hot & humid so I have to thin it quite a lot too make it work for me.
Cheers Ross

Hi Ross,

If you're thinning with metho, grab a bottle of acrylic retarder and add a little to your metho before mixing it with the paint. Metho tends to evaporate faster than the Tamiya thinner. The retarder slows the drying, so you have a little more working time and ut gives the paint a little time to level before drying.

Yes, Tamiya paint works better when thinned.

When brush painting , decant a small amount of paint onto a palette and add a little thinner.

Put a small amount of clean thinner in another well of your palette (or in a bottle cap, small cup/dish or otherwise suitable container if you're not using a palette)

Moisten your brush using the clean thinner (moist, not wet) before dipping in your paint. Repeat each time you load your brush.

Paint in short, smooth strokes in one direction and avoid painting over previously painted semi-dry areas - doing so may drag up the previously applied paint in kumps.

If recoating is required, let the paint dry for 24 hours before doing so. Tamiya paint touch dries very quickly, often only minutes, but it does take some hours to cure.

If you haven't already, get yourself some good brushes - they may be more expensive, but they're worth it.

Discard any unused thinned paint, dpn't pour it back in the bottle.

I use Tamiya thinner and mix it with the paint everytime I paint with it. For very small paint jobs, I put a couple of drops of thinner into a clean beer bottle cap, add an equal or slightly greater amount of paint and mix. The thinner makes the paint flow much better, and the retarder in the thinner greatly slows down the drying of the paint, giving you much more time to work with it.

A bottle of Tamiya thinner goes a long way. I use it to thin for airbrushing as well. I bought two of the bigger bottles several years ago and have yet to use up one of the bottles.

Hi Adrian,

I use Tamiya Acrylic also but just thin mine with tap water! Seems to work fine for me

Al

I just tried painting with thinned Tamiya. Not as hard, or as easy, as it sounds. Is there any quick tests you could do to know if the consistancy is right?

I use Tamiya acrylics primarily for airbrushing and and have had good luck thinning with distilled water. I usually thin to a ratio of about 80:20 paint/water for general coverage. It's important to first lay down a primer coat to give the paint something to grab. I prefer a primer such as Floquil's gray-- a very finely-ground enamel I thin about 50:50 with lacquer thinner. Airbrushed, it goes on microscopically fine (great for figures)and really bites the plastic. As a solvent-based enamel it should be given a long time to dry but put on thinly with an airbrush and a little forced drying with a hair dryer, in a pinch I've painted after 15 minutes of cure time. Be careful of the fumes when airbrushing because they are nasty.

I've been tempted to pick up a bottle of Tamiya thinner but with such good results with plain water I put the money into a jar or two of paint, instead.

Thank you all for your help.Your advice is very helpful.

Kind regards

Shady...

Another thing is that I have noticed that in our hobby of model building with these "hobby" grade acrylics when you open the paint bottle--dont leave it open for long! i guess thats why its good to put a little in a palette or empty bottle and then cap tight the paint bottle for the future. because if you dont , the air will get to the paint and make it really, really, thick! I work with Tamiya paints and love them over the other stuff (however i find Gunzo-zenko??dzvds? good too) but that darn paint gets thick just sitting there open.

extra trick: add some clear gloss to the paint, it will make the finished result less grainy. You need to put some extra thinner in it too since the gloss is quite thick

Jon

I find that the best result (for spraying) is usually obtained by opening a new bottle of Tamiya paint and topping it up nearly to the brim with methylated spirits or isopropyl alchohol. The consistency should be about the same as milk.

Have fun

Rob

Can you use 98 % isopropyl alcohol to thin tamiya too??

You certainly can. Under hot conditions, or where there is very low humidity, it may be helpful to add a drop or two of acrylic retarder to your alcohol and mix well before adding to your paint. This will help reduce premature drying and reduce the incidence of the dreaded "tip drying" on youyr airbrush.

Get the bigger bottle of Tamiya Thinner X-20A. I have two bottles that have lasted me for several years and each is still about half full. It mixes well with Tamiya Acrylic paints and contains a drying retarder.

For airbrushing I recommend a ratio of about 30 to 50% thinner to paint. You'll get much better flow that way, less spatter and won't need as much air pressure which will help cut down on overspray.

I also highly recommend thinning Tamiya Acrylics with X-20A for brush painting. They flow much better and because of the drying retarder in the Tamiya Thinner you don't get brush marks and have more time to work with the paint.

Seriously, I've never understood the recommendation to use something else besides Tamiya thinner, unless you want the paint to dry very quickly, not to mention drying and clogging the tip of your airbrush if you have a longer spray job. Buy one of the larger bottles and it will last you a long, long time..... it makes it almost free.

Hi all,

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I've just had my first ever attempt at airbrushing, and used Tamiya Acrylics.

I mixed at a ratio of 1/3 Tamiya X-20A thinner to 2/3 paint, which is pretty much what some of you are recommending, and I'm really pleased with the finish!

I only airbrushed an engine, but the finish is very even and smooth.

Thanks for the advice, I can't wait to do some more!

Cheers,
Rob

Wow, where was this thread when I needed it yesterday afternoon?
Great information guys I hope I can find this thread when I need it again.

the tamiya acrylic paint can be dilluted with many thinners.
water, tamiya thinner, isopropil alcohol, a mix with water & isop.alcohol, etc, etc but since some months ago i am used as thinner for the tamiya acryilic paint the GLASURIT THINNER CODE 036. work excellent.
chau
sergio laurenzano