Looking for help airbrushing tamiya metallic paints

[phil-east]

Hi all, i've been getting to grips with airbrushing recently and have had good results so far with Tamiya paints, until today when i tried to airbrush with x-31 titanium gold.

I have mixed it with more thinner than usual because of the metal flake but my airbrush is still spitting all over the place after a short time. Despite stiring the paint well, I checked the paint jar afterwards and found a lot of "globs" of paint in the bottom. I think this is my problem as my airbrush has been thoroughly cleaned twice to no avail.

Do you guys do anything else different with tamiya metallic paints to prevent these "globs" ? I am thinking some kind of filter should be used when transfering the paint into the airbrush jar. If so what do you all suggest i use for this ?

many thanks in advance for any help and advice

phil

[sportandmiah]

Tamiya metallics are best airbrushed when mixed with cheap lacquer thinner.

I add some paint to a small mixing pallette or graduated up. Then I add lacquer thinner until the mixture is somewhat watery. I'd guesstimate I use a 1:1 ratio of lacquer thinner to paint because of the metallic. Stir for a minute and spray. I spray at about 12-15 PSI. Very fine mist coats will cover nicely.

But I recommend practicing on various scrap pieces and old unused parts to get it right. You might have to add more paint or less lacquer, etc.

Tamiya even recommends lacquer thinner as it dries much faster and dries lays down smoother.

I rarely use my Tamiya X thinner anymore unless I am using a paint brush.

[phil-east]

cool, thanks for the help, i'll go out and get myself some cheap thinner and give it a go. The Tamiya X thinner has been pretty good for me with none metallics but hopefully the cheap lacquer thinner will improve everything. Do i need to look out for anything when buying cheap lacqeur thinners or should i just get the cheapest one available ?

thanks again - phil

[charlie8575]

Interesting tip. I always found 70% alcohol worked well, too, but it tended to blunt the gloss. I might try some lacquer thinner next time I have something I'm starting from scratch with the Tamiya paint.

Charlie Larkin

[phil-east]

I have also heard that windscreen washer fluid can be used with tamiya paints as a cheap option but i doubt it would solve my issues with the blobs and lumps.

I did however manage to get it working well by just sieving the paint through a piece of grill from a Tamiya castrol celica kit ! after doing that the paint flowed through the airbrush like a dream !

[sportandmiah]

I've successfully thinned Tamiya with water, 70 percent alcohol, windex, and Future. But none of them worked well with Tamiya metallics, gold leaf, etc.

I buy lacquer thinner where ever its cheapest as I tend to use it a lot for painting, cleanup, airbrush cleaning, and so on. Home depot, Lowes, Walmart...it all seems to work the same.

Like I said, just be sure to practice first. Once you figure it out (not hard) you'll be amazed how nice the metallics and thicker paints are. No more chunks, clotting, etc.

Hope this helps.

And you can also use it on the rest of the Tamiya line with great results.

[Danger]

I would recommend using a cordless paint mixer to really stir the paint well in the bottle. If the paint is in globs, then it isn't mixed well enough.

Danger

[vypurr59]

It is possible that the tip on the airbrush is smaller than required for the metalflakes in the paint. I have to use my largest tip for metallics.