Ok I have my airbrush coming on tuesday and My compressor arrived today. so now it is time to decide on paint.

I have only recently got back into modelling and know very little about paints, but I like the Idea of using Acrylics. I know nothing about Acrylics accept i think they rae better health wise with fumes etc, so if you guys could fill me in onthe facts I would greatly appreciate it.

one question I would like answered is what agent do you use to thin them down?

thanks in advance for any advice

Hey A J,
I have used water, windex and the manufactorers recommended thinners for the acrylic paints I use.. I use Tamyia and Lifecolour paints.. Water, not so good, but will work in a pinch. Windex, works ok, but I have found that the thinner by far beats them out.. I have a lot less clogging issues. Acrylics dry a lot faster then enamls so the clogging thing can be a bit of a pain.. Try them out and see what works best for you... Hope this helps..

Dave

Thanks Dave,

I think it will be Tamiya Acrylics that I will use, One thing I was going to ask was do the paints have a shelf life ?
as I was thinking of ordering in some colours that I don't need at the present time but may in the future.

so am I aslo right in thinking that I can just clean up with water after or will I need to use a solvent of some kind?

thanks again

AJ

If there is one, i can assure you its longer than 2 years which is how long i have had some of my current paints by Tamiya. I would advise keeping them in a warmer place so as to prevent it from drying up. The usual stuff applies, make sure the bottle is tightly screw on and store in its upright position. Buying more paint that you will probably need is something all of us do at one stage or another....and it dont just applies to paints.




Water is ok to use for what i call preliminary clean up but a good and proper cleaning process always needs some form of thinner like the Tamiya thinner. The latter is something i would recommend if you want to extend your paint brush life and quality. The same stuff you use to thin the paints can always be used for cleaning. I've also used lacquer thinner for the cleaning process which has worked well for me too.

Hope this helps.

A J
Forgot to mention, Tamyia acrylics dont brush well at all... I use them strictly for air brushing.. You may consider some Model Master enamls for brush work.. Jazza is right on about storing your paint.. I have had the odd bottle go thick over time.. But its been few and far between... Hope this helps... Cant wait to see some photos

Dave