white paint

[billd64]

is driving me nuts........ i thin it, and run at 5-10psi from my new compressor with model master thinner and two drops laquer thinner

wait a few days, and try to clean up/next coats and it doesnt work

help!!!!!!!! i have 20 days to finish this stupid model

[Guest Gramps-xrds]

You never said what the problem was. I can tell you this, most paint is supposed to be sprayed at 30 lbs. It will vary depending on viscosity. As a general setting I usually run 25 lbs on my airbrushes and adjust it accordingly for the paint.

[Olle F]

As Bill said, you need more pressure. I usually run my Badger 200 at 40-45 psi, which gives me a very fine spray, which in turn makes it possible to spray very thin coats. If you run it at lower pressure, you'll get the same effect as when you're spraying with a can that's running out of pressure, i.e. a "slow" spray with larger droplets. This usually results in a coat that's too heavy, often with orange peel and runs. Crank it up to at least 30-40 psi and try again.

PS: Also keep in mind that many white paints don't cover very well, so don't try to get full coverage with one coat. Just spray until you get a nice, wet coat, let it dry and give it another coat.

[MikeMc]

is driving me nuts........ i thin it, and run at 5-10psi from my new compressor with model master thinner and two drops laquer thinner

wait a few days, and try to clean up/next coats and it doesnt work

help!!!!!!!! i have 20 days to finish this stupid model

STOP......

MM thinner and lacquer thinner are 2 different food groups...What paint are you using?

To airbrush the rule of thumb is thin the paint so its as thin as 2% milk.....USING ONE THINNER

20 lbs psi or more my paint is dry to touch in 20 min or less...after a few days its ready to sand and polish

[MrObsessive]

To echo what Mike said--------my rule of thumb when thinning paints is to swill the jar a bit until I see the paint wash away slightly from the sides. In other words, if the paint is still clinging to the side of the jar as if the jar is full...........the paint is still too thick.

If you drink a glass of milk you sorta see the same effect.

You definitely need to up the pressure----I generally run mine about 20-25 psi for color coats. That's been working fine for me, and I use regular automotive paints.

............And yes, one should only use a single thinning medium for paint. Either lacquer thinner or hobby enamel thinner or what have you based on the type of paint you're using.

[Olle F]

To echo what Mike said--------my rule of thumb when thinning paints is to swill the jar a bit until I see the paint wash away slightly from the sides. In other words, if the paint is still clinging to the side of the jar as if the jar is full...........the paint is still too thick.

If you drink a glass of milk you sorta see the same effect.

Thanks, that's an excellent description of "the milk consistency" you always hear about! I have done it exactly like that for years, but have never been able to describe it...

[torinobradley]

Another trick to use is to paint the white with flat white paint as it goes on much thinner than the glossy counterparts. Then, after hitting it lightly with fine sandpaper to remove some of the texture, to hit it with a few coats of clear.

I had always had trouble with the paint buildup due to the white not covering that well. This trick seems to work without burrying the detail.

[Olle F]

Another trick to use is to paint the white with flat white paint as it goes on much thinner than the glossy counterparts. Then, after hitting it lightly with fine sandpaper to remove some of the texture, to hit it with a few coats of clear.

I had always had trouble with the paint buildup due to the white not covering that well. This trick seems to work without burrying the detail.

That also works well with yellow, which is another color that doesn't always cover very well. I have used flat, color matched paint as primer on some models, and it builds up a solid color much quicker than using several coats of the top coat. It seems like the flat paints contain much more pigments, so they cover much better and they don't pull from the edges like high gloss paint tends to do sometimes. You can actually do the same thing when you're painting in your house: If you use tinted primer, you can often skip one top coat.