Picked up a New Airbrush.. well... my only one..

stagg · Post by **stagg** » Sun May 15, 2005 6:25 pm

And i'v got a few questoins. When useing thinner is it best to mix 2 part thinner and 4 part paint? Cuz I think thats what I have read somewhere. And also, are there any tips on useing them?

Heres some pics.

Be back lata pimps.

SuperFly · Post by **SuperFly** » Sun May 15, 2005 6:40 pm

Thinning depends on how thick the paint is you're starting with. You want something that resembles the consistency of whole milk. I'm usually somewhere around 3:2 – 4:3 with Boyd's being the paint I use most. The Testor's in the little jars needs to be thinned about 2:1 (All ratios are paint:thinner).

As far as tips, I would say the best thing to do is practice on something that doesn't matter. Use several thin coats instead of fewer thick coats. Feel free to wet sand in between coats if you start getting unwanted texture. Enamel paint takes a LONG time to dry. Like a week.

I have that same model, btw, so if you have specific questions once you start using it, ask away.

stagg · Post by **stagg** » Sun May 15, 2005 6:49 pm

It looks a little strange in the picture. But it really looks better in real life. I'm still not done yet. But should be by tomorromw.

arfin · Post by **arfin** » Sun May 15, 2005 11:23 pm

SuperFly wrote:Thinning depends on how thick the paint is you're starting with. You want something that resembles the consistency of whole milk. I'm usually somewhere around 3:2 – 4:3 with Boyd's being the paint I use most. The Testor's in the little jars needs to be thinned about 2:1 (All ratios are paint:thinner).

As far as tips, I would say the best thing to do is practice on something that doesn't matter. Use several thin coats instead of fewer thick coats. Feel free to wet sand in between coats if you start getting unwanted texture. Enamel paint takes a LONG time to dry. Like a week.

I have that same model, btw, so if you have specific questions once you start using it, ask away.

Thanks SF for clearing that up, i'm painting a custom zz f-150 for the contest and it seems to be taking very long to dry between coats, what other paint type is there just acrylic? Because acrylic paint comes off way to easy.

BTW nice masking job there stagg.

SuperFly · Post by **SuperFly** » Mon May 16, 2005 12:21 am

The trick with multiple coats of enamel is you need to either put the next coat on in an hour, or you need to wait at least 24 hours. I try to do 2-3 mist coats an hour apart, and then wait 24 hours and do one "wet" coat. I remove masks after 24 hours, and then don't even look at it for a week.

Laquers dry fast, but are hard to find for airbrush. I'm going to try a fast-drying laquer-like substance through my airbrush: nail polish. I'll post up how it goes.

stagg · Post by **stagg** » Mon May 16, 2005 6:12 am

SuperFly wrote:The trick with multiple coats of enamel is you need to either put the next coat on in an hour, or you need to wait at least 24 hours. I try to do 2-3 mist coats an hour apart, and then wait 24 hours and do one "wet" coat. I remove masks after 24 hours, and then don't even look at it for a week.

Laquers dry fast, but are hard to find for airbrush. I'm going to try a fast-drying laquer-like substance through my airbrush: nail polish. I'll post up how it goes.

I have read that nailpolish works. And If you find out it works good, I could be useing it for some nice colors... my sis and mom might not be happy though.

SuperFly · Post by **SuperFly** » Mon May 16, 2005 10:38 am

Yeah, nail polish comes in lots of cool colors, is cheap, and you can buy it anywhere. Just don't paint your car pink because that's what's laying around the house.

steelwoolghandi · Post by **steelwoolghandi** » Mon May 16, 2005 11:24 am

Just a quick add: Make sure you clean the airbrush after every use it can be a pain but it will save you many a problem later on.

SuperFly · Post by **SuperFly** » Mon May 16, 2005 12:57 pm

steelwoolghandi wrote:Just a quick add: Make sure you clean the airbrush after every use it can be a pain but it will save you many a problem later on.

That's a really good point. Personally, I'm terrible about remembering to clean it out, and often come down to a semi-dried tank of paint and a clogged nozzle. Fortunately, I can field-strip my Badger 200 with a blindfold on in less than 2 minutes. When I do forget, I just disassemble the whole thing and throw all the nozzle parts and the needle into a jar of laquer thinner and come back in a couple hours and clean it with a wooden toothpick.