now that i bought my airbrush (aztek 4709!) and compressor! and already have paint....now to start on my armor!!!

wait.....i gotta thin my paint (i've been told isoprobic alchohol works good) but how do i go about thinning it

I usually take mis half and half, but sometimes more paint than alcohol, but I neer exactly measure the mix, its all done by eye, just don't forget to try your mix out before spraying your model for that I use an old piece of styrene plastic

Mech-Maniac,
Which compressor did you end up with? For thinning the paint, I too eyeball it. For enamel paints, I use lacquer thinner. I thin it till the paint is about the consitency of muddy water. You can only use isopropyl alcohol with acrylics, not enamels.

got the campbell hausfield Model FP 2040 Quiet Air Compressor, well, not that exact one, (its the CH compressor w/ the 2 gal. tank) just like it, but its not quiet haha, i turned it on and it was like woah, louder than i expected, is it supposed to quiet down after?? because i did that 5 min. 'break in' thing it tells you to do, so is it supposed to reduce noise after a bit???

How loud is it exatcly? Louder then a vacum cleaner? I wanted to buy one mystelf from Wal Mart, but since I live in an appartment, sound level is a touchy question.

About the paint, I don't usually thin it down that much, maybe 35% thinner and 65% paint, or even less than that.

hey paul! well, the quiet air compressor, i dont know how quiet or loud that one is, but the one i got from wal mart is pretty loud, a little louder than a vacuum cleaner, the loudness doesnt bother me, its the sound of it thats annoying.....well yeah the one i got was at wal mart, (they have wal mart in the ukraine?)

well ya there we go....

p.s. wait, i was talking about the loudness of my compressor, do i have to have the pump on when i use my airbrush (please say no.....)

Mixing paint is trial and error..... everyone says mix paint to a milk type consistancy..
I find if your heavy with the airbrush... like close to the model...try to be a little thin in the mix
and as for being light on the airbrush...farther away be a little thick....
Room temp. and humidity can effect drying time on your model... thats why most people like using acrylic paints (with alcohol as a thinner).
A good tip is to spray a little thinner first through the airbrush before you spray your paint..
this will aid in cleaning up when your done spraying.
And always remember to completly clear your brush when done....

Actually, I live in NY now, I moved to US in 2000. I would have put both flags US and Ukrainian on my profile, but that wasn't an option.

i agree that thinning paint is a trial and error method...after some time u will find it out by your self the correct ration..
some may refer as milk consistency,...but i think every place has different milk right?? hahaha

i found that glossy color need to be thinned more compare on that of flat (matt) color...
i just use a tip from my 'guru'..just pour thinner in the cup, then dip your brush in the paint jar, mix them with the thinner in the cup...continue to pick up paint using brush...until desired consistency is achieved....desired consistency is a subjective word....one will know excactly what is the desired ratio thru practise......

Is it as when it comes straight from the cow, or when it has 80% water? like that 0% fat milk? :-)

no, if your tank is big enough, mine is two gallons and I have to turn it on on average two times per painting session. Make sure you turn it off or it will automaticly start and make you jump, messing your paint job

hey Paul, I have that same compressor and I live off post in a apt complex with neighbors who are picky as hell bout noise. so far noone here even knows I paint at 3 am in the morning so you'd be ok unless they have thier ears gluded to the wall to listen in on your every word. or other things you may be doing.

but the compressor works great and its alil noisy but not bad honestly. My tv makes more noise lol

Chris