O.k. this afternoon I fired up my airbrush for the first time. My intent,to paint the road wheel tires of my latest build. I took the siphon bottle filled it about a 3rd of the way w/ Tamiya Flat black and put about 4-5 drops of thinner it and stirred it up. I'm not sure I got the intended spray pattern, however I was able to get the wheels painted regardless. The paint droplets seemed sparse and I had to hold the tip of the brush 1/2-3/4 of an inch from the wheels as I painted. Does anyone have any good mixing ratios that they have already worked up?? I will be using mostly Tamiya acrylics and Model Master enamels. I was using the Tamiya thinner and the cheapo Testor Aztek plastic airbrush.

Try starting with a 50/50 mixture, and adjust from there.
Also what air pressure you using?

I've got the little blue Testor compressor its supposed to be 35 PSI

not the best comrpessor but as long as it works. if iam right u have a dbl action ab? do you have a pressure regulator? that would help... and thin the paints well

Frank

if you can, bring back that cheap compressor and go to a hardware store and pick up one with a tank, for probably less. I purchased that compressor and had horrible results. never reached the full 35psi that it advertises.

for thirty less i got a compressor with a two gallon tank, and i can adjust any pressure i desire.

Air Compressor vs. CO2 Tanks, etc. by Loren A. Pike

The question comes up from time to time on various forums of which “system” to use for propelling air brushes, that I thought I would take a little time and put together this information piece. First, I am NOT an expert in airbrushing, in pipefitting, etc. but have been a modeler using an airbrush for over 35 years. I currently own a Paasche H-1 and VL-1 and use the H-1 in 95% of my airbrushing. I build (more like collect) kits in 1:72nd for military aircraft, 1:72nd for military armor (armour for our European friends), 1:200th airliners, 1:700th ships and then there is the occasional 1:24th NASCAR or large truck. So, you can see I am somewhat eclectic in my modeling interests.

I have, in the past, used the small cans of propellant. These work fine, but are VERY expensive in the long run. You usually use more propellant cleaning your spray equipment than in actually spraying your model. Very inefficient and you are constantly going to the store to buy more cans. So, look for an alternative.

I believe that there are two viable alternatives. The first is going to your local welding supply house and getting a tank (either purchase or rental) of liquid CO2 and then going to the hardware or plumbing supply house to get the needed hardware to hook up this power source to your airbrush. Since this is “dry” air, no water trap is needed. BUT, because the pressure is much higher than you need to airbrush (over a hundred and fifty p.s.i. vs. the 20 to 25 p.s.i. that you need!) you need an air regulator. This and the necessary “quick disconnect” fittings can all be found at one of these suppliers after you tell them what you want to do. Another source of “tank air” could be found at a local bottling supplier, which may have the same set-up in Nitrogen vs. the CO2 of the former. Either will work, and as long as you are using it in a well-ventilated area and not trying to breath it directly, should do no harm to you!! I have not tried this set-up but have it on good authority that it is the way to go, especially for apartment dwellers, as there is NO NOISE whatsoever!! Large tank so propellant (CO2 or Nitrogen) will last for multiple painting sessions (probably 50+ kits and cleaning of your equipment each time!!) and are relatively inexpensive on refilling ($10 to $25 USD). Others more knowledgeable should chime in here on this option and go into greater detail.

The other option, the one that I have used for over 30 years, is use a common compressor with storage tank, water trap, and air pressure regulator. I purchased my current compressor set-up over 25 years ago and it is still going strong. (It also pumps up the cars tires, blows the leaves and dirt and “gunk” off the lawn tractor, and pumps up the boys basketballs, footballs, etc. for my “boys” who are pretty much away from home now and in their early 20’s!!!).

For those of you in the USA, WalMart has some good buys for this type of equipment as do the local ACE hardware, True Value hardware, Home Depot, Lowes’s, and other like stores. Most will have a compressor that is in the 1 hp to 3 hp range (this is large enough – I have the 1 hp myself) and a tank for 5 to 25 gallons (I believe mine is about 7 or 8 gallons). These typically run in the $50 to $350 range, with the smaller ones being very adequate for our purposes here.

Once this is filled at the start of a painting session, the tank is filled and shuts off automatically. I rarely have it “kick in” the rest of the painting session. “Down stream” so to speak from the air supply, I have my pressure regulator and then my water trap (be sure to clean it out by blowing the water out after each session). Most of my painting sessions I run paint at a low pressure of about 15 p.s.i. to a high pressure (for gloss paints and overcoats) of 25 to 30 p.s.i. Anything higher and the spray paint is all over the paint room, not on the model, and this excess is not caught by my paint booth (that is a separate discussion on the paint booth!!). All of my connections for my “end air supply” through to the “airbrush connector” are the “quick connector” type so that I can just plug in the airbrush I want and the air supply is ready. If necessary, I adjust the air pressure for the painting job at hand and away I go!! Not only to I have plenty of air for painting, but also just as importantly, I have plenty of air for CLEANING my airbrush. A clean airbrush is one less problem in your painting formula. I hope that this sheds some light on this subject and gives you some ideas.

I thin my paint (usually Model Master Enamels) 50/50 with Model Master thinner (in the black can).

HTH

I had the same idea...actually, however I work at Lowe's and even get a discount. The problem is that I live in Apartment so I need something relatively
QUIET!!! The little Testor will have to make do for a while. Thanks for all of the feedback guys.

Loren, Great post and a hearty welcome to Armorama!