Dragonhawk1066 Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 Ok, so I know I will probably get 10 different answers, but what is the best (preferably) pre-thinned airbrush paint. I've seen and heard both good and bad about a lot of them. I am seriously considering a few brands including Testors Aztek, Createx, Wicked, and Gravity. I am just learning the airbrush and am currently working with craft paint as far as getting the right consistency and pressures and spraying distances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miatatom Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 Craft paint isn't going to teach you very much. I've tried it and failed. YMMV. Each type of paint is different and requires different techniques to get good results. I like the Tamiya lacquers and especially the Createx Wicked line. I decant the lacquers and airbrush them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugatti Fan Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 It is really a matter of trying some until you find a brand that you get on with. Lots of pros and cons for each. Zero paints from Hiroboy I have found to be good. They spray on matte, so need a gloss clear goto ish off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aurfalien Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 Well, I think the best air brush paint is what works best for you. I know it's a nebulous answer but what works well for some one doesn't work well for others. The best thing to do is practice air brushing on anything you can find. Preferably something with edges and curves. Most of all, YouTube is an invaluable learning resource. In fact I have a subscription account due to the fact that I use it so much and tire of the commercials etc... Mission Models actually has a fairly comprehensive FAQ on exactly how to use there paints. There YouTube channel even goes as far as demonstrating PSI and distance to the subject, talk about a how to. I'm trying to find cheap sample lexan car bodies to use as test subjects and will let you know once I find something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djflyer Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 One thing that you have to decide is the type of paint you want to use - acrylic, lacquer, or enamel as each has its own needs for airbrushing. The last two have been around forever and have some definite strengths and a few weaknesses. Acrylic has been getting alot of attention in recent years and some very good formulas have come out. Because of my living situation I've been switching over to acrylics and have found a couple that I like. Acrylic does call for a different application method then the solvent based paints but its not too hard to get. The Badger Stynylrez is a great primer, comes in several shades and sprays very easy out of the bottle (for me). Vallejo acrylics and Gunze Mr.Color have both been good, and just starting to try Mission Models with some success. One thing I have been doing, at least to start, is to use the same manufacturer's thinners/reducers/etc with their own paints. You can supposedly mix and match but I wanted to eliminate that as a variable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aurfalien Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 13 minutes ago, djflyer said: and just starting to try Mission Models with some success. One thing I have been doing, at least to start, is to use the same manufacturer's thinners/reducers/etc with their own paints. You can supposedly mix and match but I wanted to eliminate that as a variable. Hi David, What sort of feedback do you have so far on Mission Models paint? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djflyer Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 So far I have been following their recommended mix ratio, which is still a bit thicker than you might be used to but it seems to work. Again, I used only their thinner and poly rather than some outside stuff that "should work". Spraying at less than 20 psi and light wet coats seem to be the key. Make sure your airbrush is clean when you start and prime it with a couple drops of their thinner before putting the paint through. Proper mixing seem also seems to be crucial which is true with all acrylics. One trick I want to try for all of them is the "paint roller mixer" I saw on youtube where a guy took a rubber tip for a chair leg, drilled a hole in the bottom, and put a long bolt through and tightened it down with nuts and washers. Then chuck it up in a drill and turn at lowest speed. A one-inch supposedly fits the 17ml bottle size perfect and there are larger sizes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aurfalien Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 Thanks for the reply. Much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragonhawk1066 Posted October 4, 2019 Author Share Posted October 4, 2019 Thanks for all of the responses guys. I probably should have noted that, like djflyer's situation, I am mainly looking for acrylics due to my wife and son having a high sensitivity to the smells of the lacquers and enamels. I am using the airbrush inside in our spare bedroom with a spray booth and I open the window to vent outside when spraying. I do use the Tamiya and Model Master cans also and love them, but I spray those in our shed during the warm months with a spray booth out there. 2 hours ago, djflyer said: The Badger Stynylrez is a great primer, comes in several shades and sprays very easy out of the bottle (for me). This does seem to be the preferred primer for acrylics that I have seen so far. Thanks for all the info, it's very helpful. 3 hours ago, aurfalien said: Most of all, YouTube is an invaluable learning resource. I certainly agree there, as I have gathered a lot of information so far. In fact I recently watched a video on Createx that kind of turned me off form their products due to the difficulty getting the right consistency to spray, which is why I prefer to find ready to spray out of the bottle. I had not heard of Mission and will certainly look them up. Thanks for the info, everything helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aurfalien Posted October 5, 2019 Share Posted October 5, 2019 (edited) 56 minutes ago, Dragonhawk1066 said: I certainly agree there, as I have gathered a lot of information so far. In fact I recently watched a video on Createx that kind of turned me off form their products due to the difficulty getting the right consistency to spray, which is why I prefer to find ready to spray out of the bottle. I had not heard of Mission and will certainly look them up. Thanks for the info, everything helps. You and I probably saw the same video. Was it in a serious of 5 or 6? If so, the author did say the Createx line was initially developed as t shirt paint. He also said that it took him a very long time to develop a work flow that worked for him. His results looked nice for sure. But my goal it have something comparable to say what Don Yost produces in terms of amazing/stellar/out of this world paint jobs. I too will be limited to acrylics. Edited October 5, 2019 by aurfalien Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miatatom Posted October 5, 2019 Share Posted October 5, 2019 The original line of Createx is for T shirts but the Wicked line from Createx can be used on hard surfaces (plastic model cars). Mixing is easy. They have lots of help and videos at createx.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miatatom Posted October 5, 2019 Share Posted October 5, 2019 I forgot to mention that one of the things I really like about Createx is that you don't need to use primer. Works great without it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragonhawk1066 Posted October 5, 2019 Author Share Posted October 5, 2019 12 hours ago, aurfalien said: You and I probably saw the same video. Was it in a serious of 5 or 6? Yup, that's the series I saw. I'm looking more for ready to spray out of the bottle so unless they changed their product I think Createx is out for me. 13 hours ago, aurfalien said: But my goal it have something comparable to say what Don Yost produces in terms of amazing/stellar/out of this world paint jobs. Yeah, wouldn't that be nice. Donn is a master painter for sure, unfortunately I can't use his system, at least for now, because I don't have a basement or even a garage. I might possibly be able to bring my compressor(since it's a light portable one) back and forth to my shed in the summer, but no smelly stuff in the colder months, lol. 11 hours ago, Miatatom said: I forgot to mention that one of the things I really like about Createx is that you don't need to use primer. Works great without it. I do like the idea of not having to use primer, but I'm still unsure on their line as I would prefer a ready to spray product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aurfalien Posted October 5, 2019 Share Posted October 5, 2019 1 hour ago, Dragonhawk1066 said: I do like the idea of not having to use primer, but I'm still unsure on their line as I would prefer a ready to spray product. Well, I'm of the thinking now to simply buy paints specifically tailored to scale models, with a focus on cars at that. The Mission Models and even Vallejo paints are used by many military subject builders, seemingly not so much cars. Cars have broad and flatter surfaces showing off any paint imperfections so a smooth finish is absolutely critical. Or else all that hard work that you put into your build is for not. My work shop is not quite up and running so I'm still unsure which paints to use. But I plan to practice with the fore mentioned brands. It would be super cool if there was such a thing as a low odor or no oder lacquer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave G. Posted October 5, 2019 Share Posted October 5, 2019 (edited) 6 hours ago, Dragonhawk1066 said: Yeah, wouldn't that be nice. Donn is a master painter for sure, unfortunately I can't use his system, at least for now, because I don't have a basement or even a garage. The real heart beat of Donn's system is an exhaust fan installed in a basement window ( yah I know it's a sheet rocked room, so are most rooms). He sprays mostly enamels and the fan draws the fumes outside. Very very old school but most folks today wouldn't want to be in the room with the fumes till they got drawn out. Obviously you use a respirator ( I see where good ones are down to about $12 these days, we used to pay $60 or more). A spray booth can be rigged up the same way and you don't sit in the room with the fumes, the fumes are in the booth and drawn out from there. The way Donn does it is how most of us did it not so long ago ( Talking about the fan and in the grand scheme of eternity a few decades is not long ago). You can stuff an exhaust fan in a window (shroud it right) of any room and do the same thing. You spray near that fan the fumes are going outside. You put the proper venting on a spray booth the fumes are going outside. If you got a spare room then all the better ( I spray in the kitchen presently and my wife doing her nails stinks up the house more than my model painting with a booth). Not being confrontational, just sayin. FWIW I have a shed and a basement, the kitchen for me is more convenient, plus the coffee can be brewing as I work at 4 am or 5 pm. Edited October 5, 2019 by Dave G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aurfalien Posted October 6, 2019 Share Posted October 6, 2019 5 hours ago, Dave G. said: Not being confrontational, just sayin. FWIW I have a shed and a basement, the kitchen for me is more convenient, plus the coffee can be brewing as I work at 4 am or 5 pm. Thanks for the post. This is a very good view point and makes a lot of sense. This is a unit I'm looking at; https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MGGYH2W/?coliid=I11ABISUZ1JNQO&colid=1OTOOX6BLJGFG&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it One could change out the fan with one suited for flammable paints. However I'm unsure in the likely hood of fires that have happened as a result of spraying scale model cars using lacquers and enamels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave G. Posted October 6, 2019 Share Posted October 6, 2019 (edited) 11 hours ago, aurfalien said: Thanks for the post. This is a very good view point and makes a lot of sense. This is a unit I'm looking at; https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MGGYH2W/?coliid=I11ABISUZ1JNQO&colid=1OTOOX6BLJGFG&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it One could change out the fan with one suited for flammable paints. However I'm unsure in the likely hood of fires that have happened as a result of spraying scale model cars using lacquers and enamels. It would take a combination of exact circumstances to get the concentrations from model airbrushing high enough to burn, actually explode is more the term. It's a flash fire. I know of one incident, the guy decided his shop vac would make a good evacuation system. Well he collected fumes in a 30 gal closed container and flipped the switch on essentially, and it blew up burning the side of his face and breaking a bone in his arm. No, the idea is to move the fumes out quickly not collect them. In 1/1 painting in spray rooms we always had fans and heat sources already running before shooting any paint. But with model airbrushes in an open room you would be really hard pressed to get the fuel air ratio high enough to blow. Spray cans maybe, they put out more over spray and I've read where some are propelled with propane. Even so if you have a running evac system going ( and not through a container lol) then start spraying is key. This is my experience in 60 years of spray painting, from models to 1/1, commercial painting and now back to models again, wood working as well. But each person needs to evaluate their own situation and safety for themselves and family. But I've put some pretty heavy over spray out through various kinds of evac fans over the years, 100% sure not all were sealed for explosion. Regardless of your system, have it running when you start spraying is key. Don't let a bunch of fumes and particles build up then decide to flip a switch on. Edited October 6, 2019 by Dave G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aurfalien Posted October 6, 2019 Share Posted October 6, 2019 Wow thanks Dave, excellent info indeed! This opens up my options for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragonhawk1066 Posted October 6, 2019 Author Share Posted October 6, 2019 23 hours ago, Dave G. said: Not being confrontational, just sayin. FWIW I have a shed and a basement, the kitchen for me is more convenient, plus the coffee can be brewing as I work at 4 am or 5 pm. I don't think you are being confrontational at all. I do have two identical paint booths, one in the shed for spray cans and one in the spare room for craft paints mostly to keep any overspray off the books and other stuff we keep in there. I'm glad that you can spray those paints in your house, it's just not happening in my house, at least if I want to stay married, LOL. Here's the booth I use. Not the greatest, but it does work pretty good for me. They only cost me 75 bucks each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave G. Posted October 6, 2019 Share Posted October 6, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Dragonhawk1066 said: I don't think you are being confrontational at all. I do have two identical paint booths, one in the shed for spray cans and one in the spare room for craft paints mostly to keep any overspray off the books and other stuff we keep in there. I'm glad that you can spray those paints in your house, it's just not happening in my house, at least if I want to stay married, LOL. Here's the booth I use. Not the greatest, but it does work pretty good for me. They only cost me 75 bucks each. Well Craig, too we ( the wife and I) grew up in an era where hobby paints were solvent based and early acrylic paints not so great. That and we ran an auto body shop for a bunch of years. Actually it's me more than the wife who has a certain intolerance to especially lacquer fumes. She likes the stuff ! Enamel doesn't bother me so much but I use as much acrylic as I can. Sometimes like with a classic car kit it's mighty tough to pass on enamel though. I'm building a 1/16 scale 1911 Mercer runabout now. I did test paints for this build and Model Master enamel won out. Almost went with Tamiya acrylic though but that enamel just had the look without clear coating.. A lot of people use booths like those, how do you like them ? Oops,never mind that, you said they work for you ! Edited October 6, 2019 by Dave G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aurfalien Posted October 6, 2019 Share Posted October 6, 2019 This is the newer version of it, bigger, better lighting etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave G. Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 1 hour ago, aurfalien said: This is the newer version of it, bigger, better lighting etc... Which brand are these ? I know there are a bunch out there like them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aurfalien Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 This particular one is Ophir. It's on eBay for about $140 shipped. Amazon had it but unsure why it's no longer on there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave G. Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 2 minutes ago, aurfalien said: This particular one is Ophir. It's on eBay for about $140 shipped. Amazon had it but unsure why it's no longer on there. Many of these out there I suspect are the same ones rebadged. Like x amount of models but two dozen names lol I'm not sure any of them get bad reviews at Amazon, people seem to like most of them. I think Point Zero tend to be one brand of supplies like this who discerns a bit and has decent QC, researches manufacturers to put out a decent product for instance. I've seen Ophir listed at Amazon in the past, I may even have considered one along the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aurfalien Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 (edited) 44 minutes ago, Dave G. said: Many of these out there I suspect are the same ones rebadged. Like x amount of models but two dozen names lol I'm not sure any of them get bad reviews at Amazon, people seem to like most of them. I think Point Zero tend to be one brand of supplies like this who discerns a bit and has decent QC, researches manufacturers to put out a decent product for instance. I've seen Ophir listed at Amazon in the past, I may even have considered one along the way. Very sound logic. I'll consider my work shop (which really is just a den converted to my office) ready for business once I get this spray booth. I built the desk for it out of baltic birch and finished the hell out of it super smooth in satin white. It's a huge L shape. Actually it's a good sized landing above the stairs in front of the bonus room which has a nice window, perfect for venting various fromage-ess. Edited October 7, 2019 by aurfalien Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.