Hi
I'm fairly new to modelling, been doing it for about a year in what little spare time I have. Mostly 1/72 but building an Acadamy 1/35 King Tiger at the minute.

Everything so far has been brush painted but I'm just getting into experimenting with AB. I have the Foxhunter AS186 compressor and a cheapy £20 airbrush off Amazon to get me started & learn on (only painting cheap kids toys out a charity shop for practice at the minute).

I'm finding Vallejo Model Color (and my Tamiya) really difficult to work with. I think theyre clogging the AB? If I'm lucky I'll get a couple of seconds of paint then nothing, just air, or maybe a tiny amount of paint I hold the AB point right against what I'm painting.

I'm mixing paint with distilled water, about a 1:2 ratio (milky consistency) and spraying. I know the cheap airbrush probably isn't helping, but would straining the paint help, assuming that clogging is the problem?

I've ordered some Vallejo flow improver and airbrush cleaner. But should I strain the paint and if so how? Any other tips also welcome!

Thank you!
Pete l

Valejo Model Air is supposed be ready for airbrush use right out of the bottle. But some tips on straining is:

Use a panty hose. The fine mesh is good for straining.

As for Tamiya paints, I use Isopropyl alcohol to thin because it is cheap. All I do is open the bottle when first bought and fill to the top with the alcohol, stir and shake.

Vallejo Model colour needs to be thinned to a milk like consistency and could do with a retarder to slow the drying time, while Vallejo Model air you can use right out of the bottle. These are two different paint ranges from Vallejo.

You also need to check your air pressure with acrylic as to much pressure will dry the paint on the needle or in the air causing a splatter effect.

The paint doesn't need straining if thinned correctly and the pressure adjusted.

I also find that Vallejo Color thins best with its own thinner,I use 71.161 and as mentioned that Flow Improver makes a big difference 71.262

Model Color is is for brush use, Vallejo makes a airbrush thinner for Model Color. It would be better to use the Model Air paints right out the bottle.

Thanks.

Doesn't adding the alcohol to the bottle make it dry out faster? How long does the paint last like this when stored? I have Tamiyas x-20a thinner.

Vallejo model color paints can be used either by brush or by airbrush. They do have to be thinned if you use them in a airbrush. I always used the paint vendor's thinner whenever I need to thin their paints.

Hi Pete,

Should "thin" and "mix" the Vallejo Model Color properly before using the AB. Even with the proper thinner (Vallejo's own, water or isopropyl alcohol) you still need to mix the pain thoroughly by stirring or shaking. I have been doing this for many years and never need straining the paint.

Paul

If there are particles in the paint, the paint is spoiled or not mixed throughly. It should be smooth like very heavy cream.

Isopropyl alcohol or Tamiya thinner in Vallejo paints will cause the paint to "curdle" and give you issues, I.E. it wont spray. Sounds like you are thinning the paint properly so I would venture a guess at the compressor or most likely the airbrush being the cause. Ebay is a good place to look for airbrushes. You can often times fine the higher end/more popular airbrushes like Iwata and Badger either brand new or lightly used for significantly cheaper than most stores.

Best to use the Vallejo Model Color products see on the web site:
http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/en_US/model-paints/auxiliary-products/3/22
http://cdn.acrylicosvallejo.com/2d567ed91fb58cdc74108685395ac19a/CC070-Rev14.pdf

Hey Pete,
As far as the Tamiya paints an adding alcohol to the bottle, I find that the bottle last a while. You just have to clean the rim and threads of the bottle and close tight.

Thank you for all the advice. Just waiting for the flow improver to be delivered, then I'll have a go with some of that mix in. I've got a little pot to pre-mix the paint in thoroughly before I pour it into the airbrush.

Once I've had some practice with this cheap airbrush I'm looking at upgrading to the Iwata Neo.

Dear Sir
Vallejo products have been designed with characteristics defined to meet the needs of the modeler in relation to the paint processes of their models: Model Air is designed for direct use in airbrush and its range includes a large number of historical tone references based on RAL, RLM, FS or BS, while Model Color was designed with higher density to be used with a brush, painting details, textures, uniforms, etc.. But it can be used on AB too with a ratio of two parts of thinner for two parts of paint.
You can download too the color charts of each range here:

http://cdn.acrylicosvallejo.com/2f3091938c6b7afb2c1b953bf6a1d8b2/CC070-Rev14.pdf
http://cdn.acrylicosvallejo.com/03ef22048be624ea14b657df2537ec30/CC071-Rev18.pdf

and the complete Vallejo catalog:

http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/es_ES/download/a270d32bf5dea98e4815511607c724d9.cms/CC075-Rev15-baja.pdf

Hope this can help you in your decision
Best regards