_GOTOBOTTOM
AFV Painting & Weathering
Answers to questions about the right paint scheme or tips for the right effect.
Hosted by Darren Baker, Matthew Toms
Vallejo Model Color in an air brush
BomberGunner
Visit this Community
Western Australia, Australia
Joined: July 02, 2009
KitMaker: 90 posts
Armorama: 67 posts
Posted: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 - 06:06 AM UTC
Does anyone have any experience or tips for spraying Vallejo Model Color through an airbrush?
I've recently bought a selection of colours for handbrushing tools, gear etc. and was wondering if I am able to utilise the same paints in my airbrush. With the LHS asking $8+ a bottle for Model Air, it seems a very expensive way to buy very thin paint.
I know Vallejo acrylics can be thinned with distilled water, but I also bought some of Vallejo's own thinner, as I'm led to believe it has an ingredient that "preserves the carrier/pigment integrity" that can be compromised when thinned excessively.
Any tips would be welcome.
"Tighter than a fish's ......" Lucien
Mig_Jimenez
Visit this Community
La Rioja, Spain / Espaņa
Joined: October 29, 2003
KitMaker: 200 posts
Armorama: 188 posts
Posted: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 - 08:15 AM UTC
yes, I have some tips:

before I used vallejo Model Air, I was using MODEL COLOR during years with good results.

of course, you must thin down a bit, because it is thicker thanModel Air.

And yes, you can use tap water for it, don't use Vallejo Model Air Thinner.

Of course, what I recomend you most is a good primer before paint with Model Color.
In fact, Vallejo have released a new primer than can be used with Airbrush and is excepcionally good.

Finally, when you are painting with Model Color, have close to you a piece of cotton cloth humidified with a bit of alcohol. It must be used to clean the noose of the airbrush when the color get dry, closing the exit of the paint and air.

That's all

MIG
Spiderfrommars
Visit this Community
Milano, Italy
Joined: July 13, 2010
KitMaker: 3,845 posts
Armorama: 3,543 posts
Posted: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 - 08:38 AM UTC

Quoted Text

yes, I have some tips:

before I used vallejo Model Air, I was using MODEL COLOR during years with good results.

of course, you must thin down a bit, because it is thicker thanModel Air.

And yes, you can use tap water for it, don't use Vallejo Model Air Thinner.

Of course, what I recomend you most is a good primer before paint with Model Color.
In fact, Vallejo have released a new primer than can be used with Airbrush and is excepcionally good.

Finally, when you are painting with Model Color, have close to you a piece of cotton cloth humidified with a bit of alcohol. It must be used to clean the noose of the airbrush when the color get dry, closing the exit of the paint and air.

That's all

MIG


Well thanks "guru" Mig for the advices

I've just bought the valleyo gray primer but I haven't tried yet so I was wondering if it was good

And thanks a lot for the tip of the cotton swab wet in alcohol. I've never heard before

cheers

SSGToms
Visit this Community
Connecticut, United States
Joined: April 02, 2005
KitMaker: 3,608 posts
Armorama: 3,092 posts
Posted: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 - 09:46 AM UTC
The Vallejo acrylic primers, black, grey, and white, are all excellent. They work better at higher PSI, unthinned.
SSGToms
Visit this Community
Connecticut, United States
Joined: April 02, 2005
KitMaker: 3,608 posts
Armorama: 3,092 posts
Posted: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 - 09:52 AM UTC
Also, if you are thinning Model Color to airbrush, it is better to start with a bottle or cup of distilled water and add the Model Color drop by drop to that. Model Color is so thick and pigment rich that if you start with paint and add distilled water until it's the skim milk consistency you need, you will wind up with 4 times more airbrush paint than you need!
BomberGunner
Visit this Community
Western Australia, Australia
Joined: July 02, 2009
KitMaker: 90 posts
Armorama: 67 posts
Posted: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 - 10:39 AM UTC
Thanks for the replies, Mig and Matthew.
Mig, I hadn't realised the thinner was for the Model Air. Would there be a problem using the thinner with the Model Color paints, not that I don't have access to distilled water?
P.S. I am looking forward to your new FAQ book as well, please let us all know as soon as it is available.

Matthew, Regarding the "add the paint to the water" method, are you saying you need to thin it about 1 : 4. I normally use Tamiya (and their thinners) and thin it roughly 1:1.

Regards, Lucien
SSGToms
Visit this Community
Connecticut, United States
Joined: April 02, 2005
KitMaker: 3,608 posts
Armorama: 3,092 posts
Posted: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 - 02:34 PM UTC
No, I don't have an exact ratio, I do it by eye.
viper29_ca
Visit this Community
New Brunswick, Canada
Joined: October 18, 2002
KitMaker: 2,247 posts
Armorama: 1,138 posts
Posted: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 - 03:45 PM UTC
Vallejo Thinner is compatible with all their paints.....all I use to thin Model Color to airbrush with. Not sure why Mig is saying "not" to use it, as that is what it was designed to do.
Spiderfrommars
Visit this Community
Milano, Italy
Joined: July 13, 2010
KitMaker: 3,845 posts
Armorama: 3,543 posts
Posted: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 - 10:45 PM UTC

Quoted Text

The Vallejo acrylic primers, black, grey, and white, are all excellent. They work better at higher PSI, unthinned.



Matthew, thanks for the tip.
Would do you mind telling me how much more or less should be the air pressure?

Thanks in advance

Mig_Jimenez
Visit this Community
La Rioja, Spain / Espaņa
Joined: October 29, 2003
KitMaker: 200 posts
Armorama: 188 posts
Posted: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 - 02:24 AM UTC
Well, the Vallejo Model Air THINNER was created and developed for the VALEJO MODEL AIR.

vallejo model air is a tottally different kind of acrylic paint than model Color.

Model color was designed to be applied by brush and Model Air for airbrush.
Both works in different ways and both have different propierties.

Model Color works very well with TAP WATER. In fact, Great figure painted using model Color during years ONLY use TAP WATER with incredible rsults.

About MODEL AIR, all test that I made long time ago, showed me that Model Air works much better with the specific Thinner.

It is just my experience.

About pressure, I recomend you no more than 1,5 .

regards

MIG
Spiderfrommars
Visit this Community
Milano, Italy
Joined: July 13, 2010
KitMaker: 3,845 posts
Armorama: 3,543 posts
Posted: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 - 04:55 AM UTC

Quoted Text

About pressure, I recomend you no more than 1,5 .


Mig, did you intend the air pressure to give the Primer didn't you?
Mig_Jimenez
Visit this Community
La Rioja, Spain / Espaņa
Joined: October 29, 2003
KitMaker: 200 posts
Armorama: 188 posts
Posted: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 - 05:18 AM UTC
With low pressure you will avoid the oraange texture in the surfaces.
I work better with low pressure , also with the primer.
But as the rest of the modellers say, the Vallejo primer is very good, and is difficult to obtain a "bad" result with it.

MIG
Spiderfrommars
Visit this Community
Milano, Italy
Joined: July 13, 2010
KitMaker: 3,845 posts
Armorama: 3,543 posts
Posted: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 - 05:35 AM UTC

Quoted Text

With low pressure you will avoid the oraange texture in the surfaces.
I work better with low pressure , also with the primer.
But as the rest of the modellers say, the Vallejo primer is very good, and is difficult to obtain a "bad" result with it.

MIG


That's make me happy

Thanks a milion Mig

Cheers
Paul-H
Visit this Community
United Kingdom
Joined: April 02, 2010
KitMaker: 234 posts
Armorama: 207 posts
Posted: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 - 06:42 AM UTC
Hi

Regarding a thinner for Model colour, I find that one of the best thinners is Vallejo's Airbrush Cleaner.

And don't be tempted to try IPA which is a great thinner for Tamiya Paints but turns model colour to jelly.

Or as Mig said plain old distilled water or tap water if your local supply is nice and soft.

Paul
Dogwatch
Visit this Community
Texas, United States
Joined: December 14, 2009
KitMaker: 48 posts
Armorama: 41 posts
Posted: Sunday, February 20, 2011 - 02:11 AM UTC

Quoted Text

No, I don't have an exact ratio, I do it by eye.


Hey Matt,

Can you describe how you do it? When I mix, I do it in the cup of the AB and I usually start with say, 3-5 drops of Model Color and 2-5 drops of water, or almost a 1:1 ratio. Ive got little experience with an AB but my results so far have been excellent. I dont paint at a high pressure...maybe 20 psi. (maybe thats high LOL) and the coverage seems very good and even.

Steve
viper29_ca
Visit this Community
New Brunswick, Canada
Joined: October 18, 2002
KitMaker: 2,247 posts
Armorama: 1,138 posts
Posted: Sunday, February 20, 2011 - 05:44 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Well, the Vallejo Model Air THINNER was created and developed for the VALEJO MODEL AIR.

vallejo model air is a tottally different kind of acrylic paint than model Color.

Model color was designed to be applied by brush and Model Air for airbrush.
Both works in different ways and both have different propierties.

Model Color works very well with TAP WATER. In fact, Great figure painted using model Color during years ONLY use TAP WATER with incredible rsults.

About MODEL AIR, all test that I made long time ago, showed me that Model Air works much better with the specific Thinner.

It is just my experience.

About pressure, I recomend you no more than 1,5 .

regards

MIG


According to Alex Vallejo, the thinners in the Model Color (all the sizes), Model Air and Game Color are in fact the same product, just in a different package. I personally as well as many local modelers have been using the thinner to thin Model Color with great success.

While Distilled water will work fine, it lacks any retarding properties that is built into the the Vallejo Thinner, which will reduce how fast the paint will dry in, and on the tip of the airbrush.
SSGToms
Visit this Community
Connecticut, United States
Joined: April 02, 2005
KitMaker: 3,608 posts
Armorama: 3,092 posts
Posted: Sunday, February 20, 2011 - 06:35 PM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

No, I don't have an exact ratio, I do it by eye.


Hey Matt,

Can you describe how you do it? When I mix, I do it in the cup of the AB and I usually start with say, 3-5 drops of Model Color and 2-5 drops of water, or almost a 1:1 ratio. Ive got little experience with an AB but my results so far have been excellent. I dont paint at a high pressure...maybe 20 psi. (maybe thats high LOL) and the coverage seems very good and even.

Steve

Hi Steve,
I mix up Model Color airbrush ratios in 30ml bottles and start with 3/4 of a bottle of water , then drip in the paint until it's that 1% milk consistency. Each color has different pigment content, so each mix is different. I don't count the drops because it's different for each color. 1:1 sounds really thick for Model Color, but if you are getting the results you want, stick with it.
 _GOTOTOP