I've been trying to do cammo paint free hand, but this is the best I could get. I'm using Tamiya paint thinned with their lacquer thinner 2:1 thinner to paint.. I'm using pressure a little under 1 Bar.. and I even tried taking the nozzle crown off and getting the tip very close to the surface, but I still couldn't get rid of the splatter.. any advice on how to eliminate this splatter?

Also.. is there supposed to be ZERO splatter, or just minimal splatter?



Hisham

I spray almost exclusively with Tamiya using their regular thinner. General rule of thumb the thinner the paint the lower the pressure and closer to the surface. You indicated that you are close to the surface but have you tried reducing the pressure further. Having said that there will always be some degree of splatter unless you mask. Unless the splatter is especially heavy most of it "disappears" during the weathering process and gets blended into the overall finish In such a manner that it is barely visible(if at all). I would not worry too much about what you have in the pics you provided. Remember too that in real life there was probably considerable splatter on real vehicles given that often the cammo was applied in the field by crews using the tanks onboard compressor(Germans at least)and rather crude spray guns. German cammo paints were distributed in large containers and thinned with whatever was locally available(gasoline, water)so the consistency varied greatly. Add to that the fact that the cammo was often hastily applied and that few of the crew were Rembrandts I doubt that they concerned themselves too much with overspray. Just like on scale models most of that overspray also probably "disappeared" during the natural weathering process.

Same would be true with more modern vehicles. Most leave the factory in a solid color and the cammo is applied at a battalion workshop. While the cammo may be applied at a more leisurely pace and the equipment may be a bit better or more standardized the results are pretty much the same as during WWII. Artistic appeal is only a high priority among modelers not the actual users in the field.

That looks about right. I have never been able to completely eliminate a bit of splatter/overspray -when going free hand-no matter how low the pressure and how thin the paint.

Another method you can try-use a good brush to paint the out line of the pattern, then airbrush in-that may allow you to cut down on overspray.

Depending on the pattern and conditions-some overspray can be "weathered" away. If you are looking for paint booth fresh-you will need to mask it off. On modern vehicles- the pattern tends to have a harder/cleaner edge, since the crew has time and masking materials for the patterns. But for WW2, field applied patterns-not so much.

HTH
Bret

Hisham,
As a "rule of thumb" I've used for many years, the thinner the paint and the lower the pressure, the less over-spray you'll have. For Tamiya paints (which tend to dry very quickly), try thinning them down to %70 thinner and 30% paint (I've even gone down to 80/20 at times). Turn your pressure way down, as low as 7-8 PSI (I think about 1/2 BAR or more) and see how that works out. You'll probably have to experiment a bit. It should give you a thin mixture that you can build up to a fairly even coat, without the "over-spray". A lot also depends on the type of airbrush and the type of compressor you use. A tank type compressor is best, because the pressure can be maintained evenly without the pulsating common in tankless units. The pulsating causes uneven air flow in the brush, as the diaphragm is compressed, so it tends to "spit" a little more. It really depends on the compressor, I've seen some tankless types that do a great job. VR, Russ

Thanks for your tips, guys.

I do have a compressor with a tank.. and I'm using an Iwata Revolution CR with a 0.5 nozzle. I know it's not intended for detail work.. but would something with a 0.2 or a 0.3 nozzle really make a big difference?

Hisham

Hi Hisham- I think your doing pretty well in terms of experimenting with your equipment. Thats important because you've got to know your stuff well so you can adjust for better results.

The overspray you are getting can be down to several factors that people have already explained. If you have a tank compressor then you are already on the right track- though I used a tank-less variety for many years and managed to get decent results but it took a lot of trial and experimentation and the best results were with a 0.3 nozzle/needle or smaller. I think with a tank compressor a 0.5 should be capable of producing some great results.

Paint consistency is also a factor as people mentioned and I experimented a lot with different ratios of thinner to paint when using Tamiya. The more thinner the less overspray but you also needed to work on air control and ,if your brush has it, using the needle stop at the rear, which stops you pulling the trigger back too far and spraying too much paint.

The results you have there are good- and as has been mentioned- a great deal of the small overspray will disappear under weathering. It also depends on the type of camo you are applying- field applied will be rougher and have more over-spray for reasons other people have touched on already. Factory applied or workshop applied camo will usually be masked off or at least given more time and effort so the over-spray will be less.

Your best bet to find out what is required is to study close up pictures of the vehicle you are attempting to depict. For instance, a camo scheme I was putting on was applied by the PLA prior to a parade and from afar it looked hard edged- but up close you could see the imperfections in it. Whereas- when I looked at some JGSDF vehicles I could see their camo was expertly applied with little or no imperfections in the work- hence it really depends on the vehicle you are depicting whether you go hard edge and mask the pattern or attempt to free-hand it.

Anyway- best of luck with your airbrushing Hisham!

0,5 tip seems to be too big for fine camo works, try 0,3. Also a very little higher pressure and thinning might help you. There is also a trick that works with enamels - I haven't tried with acrylics however - just add one drop of clear gloss to the paint and that will mostly eliminate fine overspray without significantly changing the surface sheen.

I'm pretty sure it will work with acrylics as well. In addition to all the tips given the real key is to experiment as there are variables at your local(temperature, humidity, etc.) that may also be effecting your results. As others have said I wouldn't sweat the small amount of overspray that you have. Good luck.

Hisham,
One more thought-- sometimes if I get a little over-spray like your photos show, I use a small piece of very fine (oooo) steel wool to gently remove the spray around the edges, trying not to disturb the base coat. This works especially well if you are using Tamiya acrylic lacquers over enamel finishes. It also works well for some weathering effects.
VR, Russ