what is the best thinner to paint ratio for model master enamels?


David

Artillery, king of the battle!

For airbrushing I mix mine about 50/50 with the real cheap thinnner from the hardware store ($2.29 a gallon). I have never had a problem and it seems to lay on really nice. (:-)

I tend to use slightly more paint than thinner, but I will usually change the ratio depending on how well it's spraying. Some paints just seem to need more thinner than others.

Nic

Howdy Smith. I use the testors airbrush thinner anywhere from 40/60 to 25/75 with MM enamels. They seem to be pretty thin anyways. The small glass bottles always seem to take more thinner. Welcome to the site!

A general goal for airbrushing is thin your paint to the consistency of milk. I don't use enamels anymore, and I've never measured my mixtures. I just fiddle with the mix until it looks right....practice will give you a better idea of how much thinner you need with your brand of paint in your airbrush. If you aren't sure, just fill your paint cup about halfway the first time so you can adjust the mixture if it doesn't work right. Also, always do a test spray at the beginning of each painting session so you can make adjustments if needed before screwing up your model.

The rule of thumb is to go for the consistency of milk. I never really got this. I usually start with a little thinner and "swish" (is that a word?) the mixture around in the bottle. When the mixture runs down from the glass and doesn't leave any paint behind, it is right. Does this make sense? I also try to use Floquil brand paints whenever I can, because I can shoot them through my Paashe single action AB without thinning. Don't let the railroad names for paints worry you, Pullman green will double as military green.

Patrick

Thanks guys you've helped alot but what do you do you use to measure the paint and thinner?

You don't have to be too exact so just eyeball it. I add thinner to paint, so to make it easier to pour out, I keep the thinner in a lemon juice bottle. It has a cap similar to what you might find on shampoo bottles and I am able to pour the thinner one drop at a time, allowing for good control over how much I put in.

Nic