Bigtrain Posted May 11, 2020 Author Share Posted May 11, 2020 Upon looking a little closer at the bottle I was indeed using FS 30538, I did not intend to spray flat paint. I mixed the paint according to Donn Yost's video on painting models, 2 parts paint to 1 part lacquer thinner. I was using a .04 mm needle with the air pressure set at 30 psi. I do know not to pay a lot more attention to Testors paint codes on the bottle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 24 minutes ago, Bigtrain said: Upon looking a little closer at the bottle I was indeed using FS 30538, I did not intend to spray flat paint. I mixed the paint according to Donn Yost's video on painting models, 2 parts paint to 1 part lacquer thinner. I was using a .04 mm needle with the air pressure set at 30 psi. I do know not to pay a lot more attention to Testors paint codes on the bottle! So that's why it was flat. As to the lumps, flat paints can sometimes do that if not thoroughly mixed. Shake, then manually stir, then shake some more. It's also possible you got a bad bottle. Testor no longer turns out a consistent product, as they did for decades. I've seen all kinds of quality issues. It's also possible your lacquer thinner didn't like the paint (or vice versa). 30 PSI shouldn't have done that. I've sprayed lots of models at 30 with no problems. Unless I'm trying to airbrush a fine line or feather-edge camouflage, I don't find air pressure all that critical--almost anywhere in the 20 to 35 PSI range works fine and I don't pay that much attention to it. In other words, turning the PSI from 24 to 27--or vice versa--isn't going to have a big effect on your paint job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenGuthmiller Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 7 hours ago, Bigtrain said: Upon looking a little closer at the bottle I was indeed using FS 30538, I did not intend to spray flat paint. I mixed the paint according to Donn Yost's video on painting models, 2 parts paint to 1 part lacquer thinner. I was using a .04 mm needle with the air pressure set at 30 psi. I do know not to pay a lot more attention to Testors paint codes on the bottle! The mixing ratio might be changed slightly between gloss and flat paint, but this seems beyond any messed up mixing ratio. I use Testors flat enamels all of the time thinned with lacquer thinner and shot through an airbrush, and I've never seen anything quite like this. I still think that this is some sort of compatibility issue. Some thinners will do strange things when mixed with an incompatible paint. Exactly what lacquer thinner did you use? Maybe try a different lacquer thinner. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenGuthmiller Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 6 hours ago, Snake45 said: 30 PSI shouldn't have done that. I've sprayed lots of models at 30 with no problems. Unless I'm trying to airbrush a fine line or feather-edge camouflage, I don't find air pressure all that critical--almost anywhere in the 20 to 35 PSI range works fine and I don't pay that much attention to it. In other words, turning the PSI from 24 to 27--or vice versa--isn't going to have a big effect on your paint job. I painted my last build with lacquer through an airbrush at around 40 psi. Turned out great! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 1 hour ago, StevenGuthmiller said: The mixing ratio might be changed slightly between gloss and flat paint.... The mixing ratio with ANY Testor paint is variable. I've seen the stuff darn near ready to airbrush right from the bottle, and I've had other bottles that oozed out like maple syrup. Put in the right amount of lacquer thinner and it all works, though. Knowing how MUCH thinner to use comes with experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenGuthmiller Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 46 minutes ago, Snake45 said: The mixing ratio with ANY Testor paint is variable. I've seen the stuff darn near ready to airbrush right from the bottle, and I've had other bottles that oozed out like maple syrup. Put in the right amount of lacquer thinner and it all works, though. Knowing how MUCH thinner to use comes with experience. I usually mix mine to about the consistency of whole milk. Yeah, I know, we've heard that about a million times before. In other words, I add a little thinner, mix it well, add some more, mix again, etc, until the paint, when swirled against the side of the jar, mostly draws away instantly and just leaves a very thin, transparent tint of color on the side of the jar. That's my "scientific" method. But it's not like things can't be adjusted if necessary. I will usually mix my paint a little thicker than I think it should be and then spray a little. If it doesn't spray like I want it to, I'll add more thinner a little at a time until it sprays right. It's really not brain surgery. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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