Ok,

Used an airbrush for the first time (Badger 350). Primed model first with tamiya surface primer rattle can, then painted with Tamiya Acrylics, 70/30 paint to 70% UPF rubbing alcohol. Brushed at approximately 25psi from 6 inches away using the medium needle in the airbrush. Humidity is quite low here.

Anyways the finish is grainy, it has a texture to it. It doesn't look terrible on an AFV, but I know I should have a smooth finish.

What could I do to avoid this in the future? Medium Needle a mistake? Brushed from too far? Not enough pressure? Paint not thin enough?

Any tips would be appreciated

Martyn D

It sounds like you are having a problem with it drying before hitting the model. Try making the paint less thin, or reducing the air pressure. Yoiu could also try using enamels which take longer to dry.

But then again, you could also have a dust problem.

HTH

Not to say its whats wrong..I personally have never had luck with Tamiya paints..stopped using them and started MM and Vallejo..never have a problem with these...Practice is another thing...lots of it.

Six inches is too far, try 3-4 inches and always hold the airbrush perpendicular to the surface to be painted. Drop your pressure to about 18 PSI. Try a mix of 30% paint, 60% thinner and 10% Tamiya Gloss Coat. I have started using Gunze Leveling Thinner for airbrushing Tamiya paint and have had great luck. If you cannot find the leveling thinner, add 5% of Gunze Mild Retarder to your spray mix. Just prior to painting, use a large soft paint brush and straight air from your air brush to dust off your model.

The ideal Tamiya paint mix is 30% paint + 10% Tamiya Gloss Coat + 60% Gunze Leveling Thinner. To further improve your surface smoothness, about 10 minutes after painting, overspray the model with a mix of 80% Gunze Leveling Thinner + 20% Tamiya Gloss Coat.
HTH, Rich

The ideal Tamiya paint mix is one jar Tamiya to one trash can, though more paint can be added as needed to the mix.
Seriously, as John (Pvtprts) notes, these paints are very touchy, especially the new formula. Ah, to have the early 80's Tamiya paints!
I'd agree with John, go with Model Master, enamel or acrylic, for a more consistent finish. Your color matches will be better and the finish will be smoother.

Sorry to hear about all of the trouble with the paints. I guess that I have lucked out then. I have not had trouble with Tamiya or Enamel Model Master paints (don't care for their acrylic stuff). I even use the same brush for both. For both paints I open them and then top them off with thinner. For the Tamiya I use a mix of 90% Rubbing Alcohol (make sure it is the 90% type) and water, I estimate 1/3 water and the rest rubbing alcohol. For the Model Master I top off the jar with airbrush thinner, mix it up real good and paint away. I use 30-35 PSI for both and maintain even and smooth paint. Most of it is practice.
Steve

I've never had any issues with Tamyia paints either.. I usually mix 1:1 thinner/paint for regualr painting and have thinned as much as 70 to 80 % for post shading without any ill affects.. I normally run the comp around 20 to 25 psi.. Practice is key though.. Find what mix works for you then use an old kit or even a chunk of cardboard to practice one...

Dave

I've never had ANY luck with Tamiya's paint........ I have a bottle or two that the trash is begging for............ but i could save it for groundwork...LOL

Well, now that the dull coat is on the surface smoothed out. I think it turned out quite well in the end.

I will be trying to spray MM Acryl on my next model, though I find the tamiya paint much better for brushing than MM, at least as far as coverage goes.

We'll see what happens!


Thanks for the input

Martyn