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So I'm working on an AMT 71 duster. I decided since I have a $150 airbrush set up that I barely use that I would paint everything but the body with it. Last night I painted the K-member and suspension parts with no issues. Then I went on to paint the engine. I couldn't snap a good enough picture to show you so I just have to explain. The paint did not lay down smooth it is a gloss color but the paint looks uneven almost texterd. So it looks more like a semi-gloss. I wish I could get a good pic to show ya because it's hard to explain. It's almost like it didn't atomize enough. I hope I explain well enough. Oh also it was a M.M. Enamel

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It's almost like it didn't atomize enough. I hope I explain well enough. Oh also it was a M.M. Enamel

It probably didn't. As suggested, add a bit more thinner. It sounds like the paint is drying before it reaches the parts, leaving a rough finish and never allowing the paint to flow out once it reaches the parts.

It could also be the air pressure was too low. Was the pressure changed between the time you sprayed the suspension parts and when you sprayed the engine?

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I pre-thinned it before I sprayed it and I added more when I first noticed the problem. It could be air pressue I'm never sure on what I should have it at. I know from experience that I need less pressure for enamals then acrylics. could someone tell the pressures for the different types of paint?

Acrylics

Enamels

Lacquers

I know each and every paint is different so I'm looking for some ballpark figures

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There are a lot of things that can impact the final result of painting. The major ones are manufacture and type of paint, viscosity of paint, air pressure, needle setting, distance from the airbrush to the model, temperature and humidity. To go into detail on how to set up each one for you specific brush and compressor would take entirely too much space and is futile to begin with. Each of these factors interacts with the rest and thus you cannot say that one is at fault. Thinning is the most common issue.

Having said that, it is really up to you to adjust each one and see what the final outcome is. What I did and still do, is keep a journal. I track each of the factors and when I get a great result I mark it for future use. I also note bad results and what I did to correct it. Because each airbrush is slightly different, I have three, giving you my settings is unlikely to work completely. The best thing you can do is get a scrap body and start painting and writing. You will very quickly learn the eccentricities of you brush and how to deal with them. No body picks up an airbrush and gets perfect results the first time.

FYI, here is an article I wrote for Tamiya many years ago for using rattle cans. It contains a lot of useful information that you can translate into airbrush speak.

http://www.tamiyausa.com/articles/feature.php?article-id=35

Good luck and start spraying.

Edited by Pete J.
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