_GOTOBOTTOM
AFV Painting & Weathering
Answers to questions about the right paint scheme or tips for the right effect.
Hosted by Darren Baker, Matthew Toms
Problem with Vallejo air paint
redrsxs
Visit this Community
Quebec, Canada
Joined: December 18, 2009
KitMaker: 13 posts
Armorama: 12 posts
Posted: Thursday, March 24, 2011 - 02:33 AM UTC
Hi Guys,
I decided to give a try with acrylics and for helping myself I bought Vallejo Air paint. I have trouble to airbrush it (Iwata Hp-c plus with the original needle) When I need to do fine line my airbrush is always clogging. Isn't suppose to be paint with no need of thinner.

Anyway I decided to Thinned it ( with Vallejo thinner) but I have the same result. It's like the paint is drying to fast. I shoot at 16 psi and yes my airbrush is in perfect cleaned condition. I don't know what to do. For now I'm really disappointed of Vallejo air paint.

Any tips or hints I heard a lot of good things about these paints so I'm surely doing something wrong. Thanks
GALILEO1
Visit this Community
Maryland, United States
Joined: April 18, 2006
KitMaker: 1,794 posts
Armorama: 1,431 posts
Posted: Thursday, March 24, 2011 - 02:56 AM UTC
Hi Mathieu,

I don't use any of Vallejo paints but I have been thinking about switching to them (both to Model Color and Model Air) from my old trusty enamels. I've been doing a lot of research and reading a lot about them here and elsewhere before I jump in and one thing people keep mentioning is that adding an acrylic retarder (like Liquitex) is probably a good idea for Model Air. They also mention using distill water as a thinning medium. However, based on comments, using their own thinner should also work. There are others who think using Vallejo's airbrush cleaner as thinning medium works wonders as well.

Lastly, for fine lines, perhaps removing the end cap of the a/b and replacing it with a crown cap, or simply not using one at all, may help alleviate the situation. If you decided not to use an end cap, just make sure you don't accidentally hit the needle against something while spraying as you can damage it. A crown cap may be the way to go though for truly fine lines...

Sorry I can't provide feedback based on actual experience but the above seems to be the common responses to such issues. I've seen videos of Vallejo Model Air being sprayed amazingly smooth so there really must be a trick to get it to work correctly. Whatever the solution may be I too would love to know before committing my $$ to the line.

Rob
meaty_hellhound
Visit this Community
Alberta, Canada
Joined: July 23, 2010
KitMaker: 786 posts
Armorama: 753 posts
Posted: Thursday, March 24, 2011 - 03:30 AM UTC
i don't use Vallejo Air paints, just the regular Vallejo Model paints thinned with tap water but the tip i can give you is this: remove the last nozzle ring and expose the needle at the end of your airbrush. have a tissue soaked in windex and place it on the needle whenever you clog the needle. retract the needle several times and spray (you may want to unscrew the needle from the rear and fully retract it to get a heavy blast of paint through.

V Air doesn't need any thinning to work well but clogging is part of the game. your gun will perform well without the last cap on, it's there to protect the needle end from damage, so just be careful not the bend the tip by banging it.

your gun may need to have the nozzle removed using the wrench provided with the hp-c+ and soak it in windex to loosen the dried paint. i use a strand of thin wire to very gently clean the inside of nozzles.

you are not alone in the world of clogged nozzles, i have had to go through this myself switching to Vallejo paints. hope this helps. cheers, bd.
CMOT
Staff MemberEditor-in-Chief
ARMORAMA
Visit this Community
England - South West, United Kingdom
Joined: May 14, 2006
KitMaker: 10,954 posts
Armorama: 8,571 posts
Posted: Thursday, March 24, 2011 - 04:18 AM UTC
I have only just started using Vallejo air paints after using the colour modulation set from AK interactive and AK interactive USA, and all I can say about them is I was really impressed with their ease of use. I will admit I was not using them to spray fine line but I had no issues of paint drying on route to the model and suffered no glogging of the airbrush. I did spray some Medea air brush cleaner between each colour to keep the brush clean, and for information it is a Badger 150 airbrush. My usual paint of choice is Tamiya and so I am no expert in the use of Vallejo paints, but I encountered no problems.
SgtRam
Staff MemberContributing Writer
AEROSCALE
#197
Visit this Community
Ontario, Canada
Joined: March 06, 2011
KitMaker: 3,971 posts
Armorama: 2,859 posts
Posted: Thursday, March 24, 2011 - 05:04 AM UTC
I am sorry to hear you are having issues. I am using a Paasche VL with the No. 3 needle, and have not had those issues. Unthinned, I spray at about 20PSI, and have been able to do thin lines with Vallejo air. Thinned with Tamiya Acrylic thinner, I can drop the pressure a little. I do find that I have to clear the tip occasionally, I usually to that with a Q-tip full of airbrush cleaner and a full strength spray from my airbrush.

The only thing I can think of would be to up the pressure just a little and see what happens.

Good luck
SSGToms
Visit this Community
Connecticut, United States
Joined: April 02, 2005
KitMaker: 3,608 posts
Armorama: 3,092 posts
Posted: Thursday, March 24, 2011 - 07:48 AM UTC
Hi Mathieu,

Welcome to Armorama! Vallejo Model Air is very easy to use and gives unsurpassed results. You just have to employ a few acrylic airbrushing tricks.
First, go to any craft or art store. Buy a bottle of Liquitex Flo-Aid and a bottle of Liquitex Slo-Dri. Also get the biggest bottle of Vallejo or Medea airbrush cleaner they sell. Stop at the market and buy a gallon of distilled water.
I use Vallejo Model Air and love them. You can shoot them unthinned at about 25 PSI for base coats, but I prefer lower pressures and finer work.
Mix up a working solution of distlilled water and Flo- Aid. Open the tops of your Model Air bottles. The dropper tops pull straight out with a little wiggling. Put in a few drops of Flo- Aid and a few drops of Slo-Dri. Replace the dropper top and the cap, and shake.
Fill a little cup with airbrush cleaner and put a cotton swab in it.
Go ahead and airbrush your heart out. 10-15 PSI should be good. Anytime the airbrush clogs, stop, grab the swab, insert it in the needle cap, and twirl back and forth. This will clear the nozzle. Continue airbrushing.
Vallejo Model Air is easy and enjoyable to shoot and you should have no trouble if you follow these steps. You'll learn to adjust the amount of Flo-Aid and Slo-Dri according to the temp and humidity and get it working right for you anytime.
Belt_Fed
Visit this Community
New Jersey, United States
Joined: February 02, 2008
KitMaker: 1,388 posts
Armorama: 1,325 posts
Posted: Thursday, March 24, 2011 - 08:15 AM UTC
You could also try adding a drop or two of water.

@matt- do these methods work for Model Color as well, or do you have other tricks for them?
redrsxs
Visit this Community
Quebec, Canada
Joined: December 18, 2009
KitMaker: 13 posts
Armorama: 12 posts
Posted: Thursday, March 24, 2011 - 08:42 AM UTC
Wow a lot of hints and tips. I like that!! Thank you guys I will try them all! I can see I will have a lot to learn about acrylics!
GALILEO1
Visit this Community
Maryland, United States
Joined: April 18, 2006
KitMaker: 1,794 posts
Armorama: 1,431 posts
Posted: Thursday, March 24, 2011 - 10:08 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Hi Mathieu,

Welcome to Armorama! Vallejo Model Air is very easy to use and gives unsurpassed results. You just have to employ a few acrylic airbrushing tricks.
First, go to any craft or art store. Buy a bottle of Liquitex Flo-Aid and a bottle of Liquitex Slo-Dri. Also get the biggest bottle of Vallejo or Medea airbrush cleaner they sell. Stop at the market and buy a gallon of distilled water.
I use Vallejo Model Air and love them. You can shoot them unthinned at about 25 PSI for base coats, but I prefer lower pressures and finer work.
Mix up a working solution of distlilled water and Flo- Aid. Open the tops of your Model Air bottles. The dropper tops pull straight out with a little wiggling. Put in a few drops of Flo- Aid and a few drops of Slo-Dri. Replace the dropper top and the cap, and shake.
Fill a little cup with airbrush cleaner and put a cotton swab in it.
Go ahead and airbrush your heart out. 10-15 PSI should be good. Anytime the airbrush clogs, stop, grab the swab, insert it in the needle cap, and twirl back and forth. This will clear the nozzle. Continue airbrushing.
Vallejo Model Air is easy and enjoyable to shoot and you should have no trouble if you follow these steps. You'll learn to adjust the amount of Flo-Aid and Slo-Dri according to the temp and humidity and get it working right for you anytime.


Quick question, Matt...Since you suggested taking the tops off of the bottles, I wanted to know if I can add either a steel or lead ball in there to make shaking easier. I have a couple of Model Color paints and I've been thinking about doing this to aid in mixing inside the bottle. Good/bad idea?

Thanks,

Rob
viper29_ca
Visit this Community
New Brunswick, Canada
Joined: October 18, 2002
KitMaker: 2,247 posts
Armorama: 1,138 posts
Posted: Thursday, March 24, 2011 - 03:02 PM UTC
The only thing about adding a BB or similar to the Vallejo bottles is to make sure it is a coated BB, IE: not straight steel, or other metal that can rust.

Vallejo is an acrylic, and inherently water based....last thing you want is your shot, BB, whatever, rusting away in the bottle and changing your paint.

As far as the person above using Tamiya Acrylic thinner....while both Tamiya and Vallejo are acrylic paints, they are not the same base. Tamiya is an isopropyl base, where as Vallejo is a water/resin base. And the 2 don't mix. If you are using Tamiya Acrylic thinner, not sure how you have gone this long without the Vallejo congealing in your airbrush, as it will pretty much turn Vallejo to a goopy mess, kinda like runny cottage cheese, and not fun to clean out of an airbrush.
Paul-H
Visit this Community
United Kingdom
Joined: April 02, 2010
KitMaker: 234 posts
Armorama: 207 posts
Posted: Friday, March 25, 2011 - 12:07 AM UTC
Hi

I use Vallejo Model air and Model Color.

I find that I can sprey these paints without and drying on the tip issues

For Model Colour I use Vallejo Airbrush cleaner as a thinner and with Model Air its sprayed from the botle.

I do spray at a lower pressure than you though, 15 to 18 PSI for normal spraying and down to 10 PSI for fine detail.

You may find that the higher pressure you are spraying at is drying the paint before it leaves the airbrush so it builds up on the tip.

Its something to try anyway.

Paul
Removed by original poster on 03/25/11 - 18:50:52 (GMT).
SSGToms
Visit this Community
Connecticut, United States
Joined: April 02, 2005
KitMaker: 3,608 posts
Armorama: 3,092 posts
Posted: Friday, March 25, 2011 - 06:52 AM UTC

Quoted Text

You could also try adding a drop or two of water.

@matt- do these methods work for Model Color as well, or do you have other tricks for them?

Jon,
Yes, all of these additives can be used for Vallejo Model Color also.
SSGToms
Visit this Community
Connecticut, United States
Joined: April 02, 2005
KitMaker: 3,608 posts
Armorama: 3,092 posts
Posted: Friday, March 25, 2011 - 06:56 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quick question, Matt...Since you suggested taking the tops off of the bottles, I wanted to know if I can add either a steel or lead ball in there to make shaking easier. I have a couple of Model Color paints and I've been thinking about doing this to aid in mixing inside the bottle. Good/bad idea?

Thanks,

Rob

Rob, two things to consider here. First, as Scott noted, the BB cannot rust or corrode, it would ruin the paint.
Second, when you turn the bottle upside down to dispense paint, the BB follows gravity, perfectly plugging the dropper top!
c5flies
Visit this Community
California, United States
Joined: October 21, 2007
KitMaker: 3,684 posts
Armorama: 2,938 posts
Posted: Friday, March 25, 2011 - 07:12 AM UTC
Vallejo also recommends mixing the paint by rolling the bottle between your hands rather than shaking. I was doubtful of this method at first, but it does work very well.

The FAQ's pdf is a good read, IMO.

Downloads page
cbreeze
Visit this Community
Illinois, United States
Joined: August 15, 2005
KitMaker: 87 posts
Armorama: 83 posts
Posted: Saturday, March 26, 2011 - 07:25 AM UTC
Greetings,

I too use Vallejo Model Air with my HP-C after switching from MM acrylics. I spray right from the bottle without thinning and have had absolutely no problems. If you have to thin, just use distilled water but you should no have to use much. BTW, I couldn;t be happier.

cbreeze
collin26
Visit this Community
Connecticut, United States
Joined: March 24, 2007
KitMaker: 317 posts
Armorama: 259 posts
Posted: Saturday, March 26, 2011 - 04:07 PM UTC
Mathieu,
You may simply be experiencing paint build up in the tip of your brush -or on the needle. By back flushing your airbrush, you can fix this on the fly very wuickly. Simply use a damp rag or paper towel, use it to pinch the tip of your brush, gently feed air through the brush. You should see bubling in your paint cup. This should help clear up any dry paint at the tip and you should not have to stop to clean your brush. Let us know if these suggestions have helped.
 _GOTOTOP