The best paint for this airbrush

[SpacePirateNeko]

Hi i want to get back into modeling after about a years absense ..

http://www.dickblick.com/zz250/08/products...am=0&ig_id=1509

this is the kind of airbursh i have , in the past i have tries using tamiya paints but they spot up or are too watery and ive tried about every paint/thinner lvl combo with them you can think of...basically i cant paint close up or smaller areas at all. Every once in awhile the paint shoots at specks or gobs too and ive only ever used it a few times so everything internall is clean...any suggestions? Also any good airbrush painting sites i can go to...w cheng archives?

[SpacePirateNeko]

heres the actual kit i have its a side loader...not a top loader like the previous pic

also i should mention i use a 99 dollar compressor that overheats easy so i usually keep it on medium...would making it higher prevent some of the afermentioned problems?

[Mallet21]

I think people have a tendency to over-thin their paints when airbrushing. I thin Tamiya acrylics w/ 25% isoprop alcohol and airbrush at 20 psi and normally don't have any problems. I get splatter when the paint on my siphon feed starts to run out.

I've also started using Gunze-Sangyo acrylics and I'm really starting to use these more often, they come pretty thin to begin with and its easier to match up the colors with the Hasegawa instructions when doing Macross models.

Best advice though is trial and error. Practice on a cheap model with different thinning ratios and pressure settings.

[Gundamhead]

There's about a hundred possible reasons. It sounds like you may be using too much air pressure. If you have a regulator on your compressor, it shouldn't be higher than 30 PSI. (That's very high for airbrushing) The thinner the paint, the lower the pressure. The average is usually around 20 PSI.

A scarey comment you made, is you only used it a few times so it should be clean. You do have to clean after every use. If you're not sure, clean it anyway.

Have you ever dropped it? You could have damaged the nozzle or needle. Never snug it down too tight. It should all move smoothly.

Is the tiny hole on the paint top of the bottle open? (The white cap) You will get poor results if the tiny hole is plugged.

Are you using the fine nozzle and air tip trying to get fine results right? You can't get a very fine line if you're using the med or heavy tips.

Are you familiar with using a double action brush? (That's what you've got pictured)

The button controls both air and paint, the harder and the further back you depress the button, the more paint/air you get. (A big pattern) The lighter and closer forward you press the button, the finer the spray pattern. They take practice.

However, that brush is a nice one, and they have great customer support if you need something.

A great place for further help after you've tried this stuff out is Starship Modeler.

http://www.starshipmodeler.net/cgi-bin/php...wforum.php?f=16

[SpacePirateNeko]

Thanks for your help so far . Oh when i made the comment about it having been used only a few times i meant that iwas purchased new so nothing inside would have been clogged ....i absolutely clean it between not only every use.....every single time i change to a new color i thoroughly clean it first.

Ive never dropped it and the hole isnt clogged..sometimes i use the silver paint feeder though...are teh capped bottles better?

I think your on the right track with psi...i think use WAY to high psi, which is probably why my air runs out so fast and then i have to turn off compressor because it overheats too fast from being on too long.

[Grayson72]

I use between 25-35 PSI depending on what paint I'm using. Metallic paints I spray at higher PSI, they just come out better that way, don't know why. I use both Gunze and Tamiya acrylics. I used to use mixing pippets for mixing paints in spare bottles I had to get them ready for airbrushing. Now I just take a full pippet of Tamiya acrylic thinning solution and squirt it right into the paint bottle it came in. turns out that gives me a 3:1 mixing ratio works great for me.

And I now use nothing but the color cup mine came with, so much easier to clean and much less waste. I use a Paasche Millenium with a fine tip for everything I do.

Edited May 8, 2004 by Grayson72