Hi,

I'm new to modeling and I read a lot about adding thinner to paint. And I still got one more question

I use tamiya acryls which I think are correct for my airbrush without adding thinner to the paint.

Should I do that and why exactly ? Or when should I do it ? Is it better to apply a thin layer of paint instead of one big thick layer ?

thanks :-)

Most all paints need to be thinned for an airbrush otherwise the paint will splatter and clog the airbrush.
Acrylics can be thinned with water or rubbing alcohol.
Try 3 to 4 parts thinner to 1 part paint to start. You can thin it more if need be.

Gramdaash,

Welcome to Armorama. I use Tamiya acrylics almost exclusively in my ab and run at around 20-25 psi. Although you can use water or alcohol I have found that Tamiya's thinner works best for me. it doesn't seem to dry quite as fast as alcohol. I usually use 50/50 paint/thinner in my ab when using Tamiya acrylics but will sometimes go as high as 75% thinner depending on the look that i want.

3 parts thinner to 1 part paint ? That seems like a lot of thinner to me. Wont it be too diluted ?

I'm using tamiya acryls right now and I've never needed to thin the paint.

Or is it some other thing I just don't understand :?

No its not too diluted , it just takes more passes to get complete coverage. That way you can vary the amount of paint that goes on for different parts of your model giving it some different shades.

Excellent !

Thanks Flag, I now understand the use of thinner.

And what do you use to measure the quantity of thinner/paint ?

I use a medicine dropper.

Hi Gramdaash,

Check dis' out:

Tamiya Paint Database & Modelling Pages

Thanks !

Looks like it will be helpful ! Great link !

I'll check it out