can I mix together 2 different brands of acrylic paint? For instance, POLLY SCALE & BADGER "MODEL FLEX"? Or LIQUITEX TUBE ACRYLIC & BADGER MODEL FLEX? Or do they both have to be the same brand?
I've mixed a lot of different paints over the years and I believe as long as they both are the same type (both water base or both thinner base) there should be no problem. I realize airbrushes can be a bit finicky but since they are both airbrush compatible paints, it should be no more trouble than usual. No, I haven't actually mixed these two piticular brands, I don't see why you shouldn't.
Acrylic paint usually implies a water based latex of acrylic polymers. I won't go into all the details, but generally acrylic based latexes yield higher quality paints than vinyl based latexes. As John suggests, as long as the paints are both water based, you should be able to mix them and use them. I would test a small amount first on something you are not concerned about. A latex is a stable dispersion of very fine acrylic polymer beads in water. Usually some surfactants and other additives may be present in small amounts. If you manage to mix latexes which have somewhat different particle size distributirons, you may have some strange things happen. These paints work by having the polymer beads adhere to and coat the surface as the water evaporates. Particle size distribution can create issues depending on the application.
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