Airbrush Question - newbie

[Smegalot]

Hi Guy's

I just recently got an airbrush and have had this one question in the paint mixing. All the pages that I have checked out said mix the paint until it is milky. It has me a bit lost.

Does anyopne know the ratios for the mixing and if you use Tamiya paints do you neeed to use there thinner or will water do? I Use everything from Creos, to Games workshop and Tamiya.

Is there any sites that can help to?

Thanks

[mospeadamacrosstech]

That is a good question. I've helped my buddy with his airbrushing customs in the past. From what I gather it has to do with the paint itself. So, there really is no answer as to what the ratio is. As for thinner vs water, I also believe it depends on the paint, so there is no generalized rule of thumb.

[gwfalcon]

Thinner definitely. Water is not pure enough and might destroy your whole work.

Youtube is also a good place to learn, just key in tamiya or some other key words then you will find many useful posts.

Hope it helps a bit.

Hi Guy's

I just recently got an airbrush and have had this one question in the paint mixing. All the pages that I have checked out said mix the paint until it is milky. It has me a bit lost.

Does anyopne know the ratios for the mixing and if you use Tamiya paints do you neeed to use there thinner or will water do? I Use everything from Creos, to Games workshop and Tamiya.

Is there any sites that can help to?

Thanks

[mospeadamacrosstech]

Thanks for the info! I love how everyone here truly helps everyone out. :-)

[Noyhauser]

Hi Guy's

I just recently got an airbrush and have had this one question in the paint mixing. All the pages that I have checked out said mix the paint until it is milky. It has me a bit lost.

Does anyopne know the ratios for the mixing and if you use Tamiya paints do you neeed to use there thinner or will water do? I Use everything from Creos, to Games workshop and Tamiya.

Is there any sites that can help to?

Thanks

Tamiya paints need Tamiya thinner; the paint has a specific formulation which the thinner is designed for (Specifically the drying retarder glycol.) Depending on your airbrush, it shouldn't be milky either; thats usually what I use as a mist coast. I don't have a specific ratio for it because the paint is pretty robust when going through the airbrush. Its more of an art than a science; I think it should be compared to the quality of the paint you get out of the bottle, maybe a little thinner.

[mitch]

It kinda depends on what you're using the paint for. Very thin paint would be good for washes, but for laying down colors thin paint can be a hassle. Tamiyas definitely need the thinner for best results (about a 6:4 ratio of Tamiya to thinner seems to work for me), and it you're mixing custom colors make sure to not introduce other types of acrylic paint or anything as this will lead to complications.

Other types of paints you may need a thin meshed strainer to get any lumps out before you run it through the airbrush ( older paint can get kinda clumpy). I was confused when I was first told 'milky' consistency is best, but it is generally true. Thin and runny, but with enough opaqueness to make sure it covers evenly. Kinda hard to explain, but that's the rule I generally follow.

Also, try not to get impatient when painting. Misting on 5 thin coats and waiting will give you much better results than trying to get it in 2 thick coats and rushing it.

As for ratios of dilution for other paints, it varies depending on the consistency of the pigment.

[oldpainless]

Hey smegalot

For thinning tamiya acrylics you can also use isopropyl alcohol. I use it and works fine, plus its cheap and easy to find. I believe you can find it also like rubbing alcohol in the english speaking countries.

Regards

[Smegalot]

Hi guy's Thanks, it has cleared it up for me. I allways use Arcylics for the easy to clean value.

Cool, now I can start playing and learning how to use it. Hopefully be able to show some work soon

[mrclean08]

I have heard that distilled water works with thinning acrylics. Can anyone confirm this?

[mickyg]

It does but honestly, nothing beats good old Tamiya Acrylic thinner! If you can get it, that is. Yeah, it's expensive but the stuff lasts a very long time and it's compatible with both tamiya and Gunze acrylic paint. I use it for airbrush and hand painting. Try it, it's definitely worth it. I think a really big jug of the stuff is $12 or so (aussie dollars, since we share that in common -> Smegalot) and the smaller bottle is about half that. I've done heaps of painting this year and have used only about half the jar and that represents a lot of waisted paint too.

Incedentally, the Tamiya stuff is a mixture of alcohol, and glycerine (and likely a lot of other things too) so it has a self leveling effect as it prevents the paint from drying too quickly. I was forever cursing acrylic paints before I realised thinning it with this stuff made it 100 times better.

Hope that helps!

[leading edge]

It does but honestly, nothing beats good old Tamiya Acrylic thinner! If you can get it, that is. Yeah, it's expensive but the stuff lasts a very long time and it's compatible with both tamiya and Gunze acrylic paint. I use it for airbrush and hand painting. Try it, it's definitely worth it. I think a really big jug of the stuff is $12 or so (aussie dollars, since we share that in common -> Smegalot) and the smaller bottle is about half that. I've done heaps of painting this year and have used only about half the jar and that represents a lot of waisted paint too.

Incedentally, the Tamiya stuff is a mixture of alcohol, and glycerine (and likely a lot of other things too) so it has a self leveling effect as it prevents the paint from drying too quickly. I was forever cursing acrylic paints before I realised thinning it with this stuff made it 100 times better.

Hope that helps!

I'd be cautious about mixing chemicals with paint be sure to read the ingredients before you add something I once did something like that and the paints didn't mix well and about a half an hour later the paint changed color ( kind of two parts grayer than it should have). I guess too much oil in acrylic paints I guess. I usually use alcohol with maybe a Microscale industries microfinish it adds body yet protects the paint as it is sprayed on. Used sparing the paint should spray evenly and depending on the microscale (gloss, matt, and semi-gloss) you can create a superior finish to your kits.

[Smegalot]

Thanks for the more info. So the Tamiya Thinners are good, I have seen tjem at my local hobby shop and was wondering about them. Is it to be mixed at a 1:1 ratio? I always have been told that it has to be mixed to be milky.

Still thanks for all the advice, now just to get enough free time to get into it...Christmas was a nutty time of year....

[jardann]

I use window cleaner (Windex etc.) to thin Tamiya or Testor's acrylics and I haven't had any problems. It's easy to dispense and mix and it's quite cheap. I also use it to clean the airbrush.

[mrclean08]

I use window cleaner (Windex etc.) to thin Tamiya or Testor's acrylics and I haven't had any problems. It's easy to dispense and mix and it's quite cheap. I also use it to clean the airbrush.

Does the blueish color of the Windex affect the Tamiya paint color output?

[mojacko]

i use plain isoprophypil alcohol for thinning tamiya.....but i always have paint scrathces when using tamiya....

[jardann]

Does the blueish color of the Windex affect the Tamiya paint color output?

I've never noticed any tinting from the blue window cleaner. I don't worry about having the exact FS color match when painting, but even when painting white I haven't had any problems.

I also use it to thin the Testor's acrylics with no problems there either.