Hi guys

Ok really newbie question , ive been given a very basic airbrush and in mean basic :-) which im going to use for overal painting and dusting etc
(no fancy wehrmacht 3 colour schemes )

Im going to mess around with it on some old kits ,but before i start can you give offer advice on ratios for enamels and acrylics to thinner from doing a "heavy " coat through to a misting for say adding a coat of dust.
Plus whats the best thinner for each medium ?

Thanks in advance for any help

Ian

Ian, I can't give an exact ratio, as everyone has their preference. A good rule of thumb is to thin your paint to the consistency of milk. For mist coats, add more thinner, and reduce your pressure.

As for best thinner, again, everyone will have their preference.

I generally use rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) for acrylics, and lacquer (cellulose) thinner for enamels and lacquer based paints.

Both these thinners can be acquired cheaply at the local pharmacy or hardware store.

Good luck.

Thanks for the advice Kevin

Got a few old projects i can experiment on , so will give it a shot :-)

Ian

The ratios are certainly subjective and based on user preference. On the subject of how to use it though, the best tutorial i found is this one.... in there they give their own recommendations on the mixing ratios.

Basics of Airbrushing

Thanks jazza

Looking forward to experimenting

No probs. Believe me when i say this but the minute you use your airbrush to paint your armor etc, you will be thinking why you never got the airbrush ages ago. You will still revert back to the brush for finer painting but large surface areas are always reserved for the airbrush these days.

Plus i love stripping the airbrush itself for cleaning as it reminds me of the times i had to strip my M16 for cleaning.

:-) jazza

I did use the humbrol or tamiya spray cans prior to getting the airbrush but as you probly know there colour range is limited and only good for large areas.

Know about this pre shading :-) :-) :-)

How good / bad are the spray cans anyway? After reading most of the reviews up here, the spray can tends to leave bloges of paints more easily whereas the airbrush gives a more even look. You got any work to display which you used the spray cans?

I'm new to the site, but I'd like to toss my two cents in for what it's worth in your neck of the woods. Now, I'm not going to try and date myself here and say I remember models being $4.00- $5.00 a piece when I was a kid, but I find that I spend enough for a given model now as it is{thank you for E-bay deals} so I look forward to a cheaper solution for paint...and found it. Delta Ceramcoat acrylic paint...found at your local HobbyLobby craft store{possibly others}. "2oz bottles" of all sorts of colors{NonMilitary mind you} that can be mixed and matched to one's hearts content...all for the small asking price of .87 cents each!{for 2oz} I have a skippy peanutbutter jar 3/4 full of O.D. green now that cost only $4 dollars and some small change...and that's uncut/unthinned for actual use through the airbrush. My thougths...save some money for that next model!...

Hi jazza and Old-Dragon




Jazza all the pics in the my gallery where done with spray cans ,Humbrol olive drab for the allied stuff and dark tank grey i think it was called for the 88 , and a can of sand coloured paint to simulate dirt/dust on the lower hulls and running gear.
I prime them first with a light grey auto primer or citadel black ( i have found that i can alter the shade of the od depending on what shade of primer i use : )
Obviously there are limitations , because the paint goes on a lot thicker than with an airbrush , pre shading is impossible and camo schemes , dont even think about it

And yes you are right , the sprays can "pool" paint very easily if your not carefull.
ALLWAYS shake the can well and dont linger over the area you are painting ,but keep smooth even strokes and it goes on well without losing surface detail.
And NEVER use a can that is near the end of its life as the paint starts to spatter as the propellent runs out.






I did somthing similiar quite recently a local hardware store was selling off Plasticoat paints. I bought a batch of matt black spray cans at 50p (about $1 each ) ideal for road wheels , tyres etc and a batch of matt white which i use to prime figures

Ian

I just had to add this in but those are some great work you did there ian. Love the cromwell you did.

Thanks for the feedback on the spray cans....i probably wont use it in the near future due to the cost of each one plus i had already blown some big $$$ on the Tamiya airbrush.

Its just a real pain when certain shades of colours are available in the spray can version but not the acrylic range.

Say it with me...MARKETING.

Thanks very much Jazza

I agree , why do they do that !!!!!!!!!!!!
like you say more £££££££££££££'s