Ok I have a whole stack of back logged air brushing to do. Never done it before either. Any suggestions on paint thinning ratios? I will be using floquil and scalecoat II paints. Maybe others as I get into the painting of the models. Thanks for the help! :happy:
I paint almost "exclusively" with Floquil paints. I dont dilute them at all. I just screw the siphon tube onto the bottle and away I go. I have never shot with Scalecoat II so I cant help you out there.
The Testors web site recommends 3 parts paint to 1 part thinner for Floquil flat paint. I personally wouldn't thin it that much unless I had an airbrush with a really fine nozzle. With my Badger 200, 4 parts paint to 1 part thinner is about right. Weaver recommends 2 parts paint to 1 part thinner for Scalecoat II. Yikes!
That's what I always used, spraying at around 15 pounds of pressure. Scalecoat II always came out great. I wish hurricane Katrina hadn't ruined all my airbrush equipment. Hmm... I always fingerpaint, at about 6 ounces of pressure per finger...
Thanks for the help. I can tell this is going to get interesting. Good thing I have some scrap that I can test this on before I get going.
It may sound confusing but soon it's like cooking, you don't measure or overly think about it, you just do it. You learn light colors do not need as much thinner as dark and you just mix accordingly. It's been a while since I did Floquil but I generally thin them 3 parts paint to 1 part thinner.
Ok one more question. With the 3 to 1 ratio, how many cars and/or locomotives can one jar of flowuil paint? These are HO models that I will be painting.
It depends on what color you are painting. If it is black for instance not very much. If it is yellow (Railbox Yellow) you might need a couple bottles as yellow does NOT cover primer grey very well.
Ok one last question. I will be using a lot of floquil paints. Is there a larger bottle of thinner available? I think I will be going through a lot when cleaning the brush. Or can I use a different brand of thinner to clean the brush with?
I use acetone to clean my air brush after painting with enamels. The cheap, bulk stuff from local hardware store.
I will second the suggestion that the best way to learn airbrushing is to do it, even more than lots of other tasks. I spent a lot of time reading about it and wondering and worrying, and then found it worked pretty intuitively for me despite my worries once I got going on it. I did a lot of sample stuff and then shot some scrap pieces of styrene. Good luck!
Thanks! I figure it is rather simple, I am just needing to get the rest of my supplies together and then go from there. My backlog keeps building up so time to convert my workbench in the garage to a painting station.
I pretty much use Modelflex and have never thinned it, unless it was giving me fits. My siphon caps fit right on the bottles, so it was no brainer. I also use my thinnest needle and do a lot of really thin passes. Cleaning, especially if it's a dual action, is the worst part of the entire extravaganza. I keep a bottle of cleaner ready to go in between colors as well. Spray until it's coming out clear, and move onto the next color you want to use.
Is there an advantage to using acetone ? I've never used it , I use either Xylol (enamal reducer) or plain laquer thinner from the same hardware store source. Of course I'm always looking for ways to get my airbrush cleaned out as thouroghly as possible. One other thing I started doing lately is filtering my paint through a coffee filter before running it through my airbrush. Little chunks of paint ruined a few paint jobs AND plugged up my airbrush to the point that I needed to take it all apart and clean it . I lost my enthusiasm for painting after that for the rest of the night. Randy
Nothing really special. Acetone is lighter and more volatile, and leaves no residue, plus mixes with water, as does IPA. Any combo, and whatever works for you. All mentioned are harmful and inflammable, take proper precautions.
Masking and painting Ok I am going to do some masking after I put a coat of paint on my first model. How long does paint need to cure before I put masking tape on so that I don't destroy the paint that I just applied?
I use a general rule of thumb of at LEAST 24hrs after you paint. Others use the rule of thumb "If you can smell the paint it is still not ready to be masked." One thing I do after I mask is shoot a coat of either/or clear coat or the same color as your base coat is. This helps "seal" in any small areas where the masking didn't quite adhear to the model and prevents capilary action of pulling your paint under the masking. One thing you need to make sure you do too is to get a pencil eraser that is somewhat flexible and NOT stiff to help you get a good seal at your tape line.
