Airbrushing: Jumping in with both feet and my wallet.

[ACR-E Doug]

2:1 is a little thin for my set up, probably closer to 60-40.

[Bills72sj]

After a very successful 1st day of airbrushing, day 2 presented some challenges. Decanting a full can of flat white in rush, caused some issues. I didn't shake it enough so a lot of the solids stayed in the bottom of the can. I had to scoop them out bit by bit with a toothpick through a jagged sheet metal gauntlet. Also I pierced the can right after shaking it so the bubbling from depressurization made a drippy mess in my hose and backyard. (Dang glad I was outside). When I went to decant a full can of flat black too soon (again) it did the same thing. However the solids did exit when poured out. When I went to spray the flat black onto my parts, I was getting bubbles in my paint cup. I then grabbed my new siphon airbrush and painted with it for the very first time. It actually sprayed pretty well after thinning the paint a bit more. I then had to clean TWO airbrushes. I found out the little O-ring for the nozzle had squished out of it seat and got destroyed. I saw on Youtube that to replace it, one guy uses beeswax on the threads instead. My wife actually had some on hand. The airbrush is now clean and reassembled but I have not used it yet.

[Pete J.]

Procedural advise - When I decant, after punching the hole in the can, I lay it on it's side, hole up, and slowly let the propellent out and let it sit overnight to give it a chance to off gas.  Next day, I use a finger to cover the hole and shake the heck out of it and then pour that into my jar.  Since I see you bought a couple of pipettes, I use them to squirt a little lacquer thinner into the can and shake it again.  This dissolves all the remaining paint.  I then add that to my jar.  That way you get everything you paid for.  

[Bills72sj]

1 hour ago, Pete J. said:

Procedural advise - When I decant, after punching the hole in the can, I lay it on it's side, hole up, and slowly let the propellent out and let it sit overnight to give it a chance to off gas.  Next day, I use a finger to cover the hole and shake the heck out of it and then pour that into my jar.  Since I see you bought a couple of pipettes, I use them to squirt a little lacquer thinner into the can and shake it again.  This dissolves all the remaining paint.  I then add that to my jar.  That way you get everything you paid for.  

Thanks for the tips

[Pete J.]

7 hours ago, Bills72sj said:

Thanks for the tips

Oh, and when I do a Tamiya can, when I am done, I cut it open and take the glass marble out.  I save them to drop in my mixing jars to aid in mixing the paint after it has settled. 

[Deuces ll]

Or, you could start a collection inside a mason jar...... ??

[Bills72sj]

9 hours ago, Pete J. said:

Oh, and when I do a Tamiya can, when I am done, I cut it open and take the glass marble out.  I save them to drop in my mixing jars to aid in mixing the paint after it has settled. 

I have been doing that. However, my paint storage jars/bottles are 50ml and made of glass. Do not want to get too radical shaking them.

[Pete J.]

5 hours ago, Bills72sj said:

I have been doing that. However, my paint storage jars/bottles are 50ml and made of glass. Do not want to get too radical shaking them.

Me too, but I use a swirling motion not a shaking motion.  Shaking can mixes air into the paint which can cause bubbles in  the finish.  The glass marble rolling around the bottom works very well and doesn't introduce air into the paint.  

[martinfan5]

On 8/23/2020 at 8:56 AM, Pete J. said:

Your right, one to many zeros.  Tamiya makes 20 ml and 40 ml.  The 40 ml will hold about 50ml of decanted paint or one rattle can. ?

As to the flammability issue, the UPSP has a lot of regulations about mailing that stuff.  You can confirm this by googling "flammable liquids USPS". That is why when you walk into the Post Office to mail a package they ask about flammable liquids,  batteries and a whole bunch of other stuff.  Specifically, it is prohibited from air freight and restricted on ground transportation.   International is even more restrictive. 

Try ordering Zero Paint from Hiro Boy(Spain) and they will tell you they will ship it, but it may get confiscated going through customs sand they are not responsible for that.  Several years ago, I tried to buy a couple of gallons of automotive Lacquer thinner(outlawed in Ca. but that's another story) and you wouldn't believe the hoops I had to jump through to get it.  USPS refused it and UPS had a bunch of packaging and labeling requirements.  I actually had to send it to a friend in Arizona and he forwarded it on to me.  From that day forward, anytime I drive out of state(most often to Las Vegas) I stop by an automotive paint shop and pickup a couple of gallons of the stuff. 

 

 

 

Pete, you order Zero Paints stateside

http://www.hobbyworld-usa.com/Store/index.php?id_category=1123&controller=category

[martinfan5]

On 8/23/2020 at 1:53 PM, gman said:

I was decanting cans of spray I had around the house for airbrush use- sometimes because I already had them, and sometimes because I wanted to use them to mix up another color with them. At other times, it was because I didn't like the spray pattern right out of the can (I am talking to YOU, Testors lacquers). I was able to get some jars of Tamyia's new LP line, and am looking forward to spraying Tamiya lacquers through the airbrush and skipping the decanting step. The line of LP lacquers isn't as extensive as their TS line, and hopefully it expands in time.

The biggest suppliers of OEM formula lacquers for hobby use (Scale Finishes, MCW) aren't as easy to get here north of the border and cost more if you do, otherwise I'd probably have a big supply of them. What makes them so attractive is that the size of the metallics has been scaled down for hobby use. I was looking to get some House of Kolor paint for a project, and the smallest quantity I can get locally is a pint. For car models, a pint of unthinned lacquer is a pretty big commitment to spraying a number of kits the same darn color

Elm City Hobbies in New Brunswick's stocks Scalefinishes paints, not sure if you know that, and if you do then ignore this post?

https://www.elmcityhobbies.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=55_488

Edited August 27, 2020 by martinfan5

[gman]

11 minutes ago, martinfan5 said:

Elm City Hobbies in New Brunswick's stocks Scalefinishes paints, not sure if you know that, and if you do then ignore this post?

https://www.elmcityhobbies.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=55_488

Yes, thanks. They carry some. They also (sort of) stock some House of Kolor shades.

Pre-pandemic, I used to head south of the border often, and had an address where I could receive US shipments pretty conveniently. It will be a while before that is possible again. 

[Pete J.]

11 hours ago, martinfan5 said:

Pete, you order Zero Paints stateside

http://www.hobbyworld-usa.com/Store/index.php?id_category=1123&controller=category

Super!  Thanks for the up date.  Now if we can only get Tamiya LP paints without having to cross the boarder!

[NOBLNG]

On 8/26/2020 at 7:21 PM, Bills72sj said:

I have been doing that. However, my paint storage jars/bottles are 50ml and made of glass. Do not want to get too radical shaking them.

Buy a cheap battery operated paint mixer. No more paint on the jar lids means no frozen lids and much easier cleanup.

[Bills72sj]

1 hour ago, NOBLNG said:

Buy a cheap battery operated paint mixer. No more paint on the jar lids means no frozen lids and much easier cleanup.

You must be clairvoyant, I just ordered one on ebay this afternoon. I also ordered a muffin fan to attach to my air compressor to keep it cool.

[Pete J.]

Just got my order of Tamiya LP paints.  Snuck them in from Canada!  One more wood working project in the shop and I can get back to my modeling desk.  I'm excited!

[NOBLNG]

7 hours ago, Bills72sj said:

You must be clairvoyant, I just ordered one on ebay this afternoon. I also ordered a muffin fan to attach to my air compressor to keep it cool.

Careful...that little fan attachment may be a little aggressive and you may wind up with paint everywhere.? This tip on mine works plenty good.

[Deuces ll]

Stainless steel BB's do the trick for me.... And they can be re-used after a good rinse in laq. thinner....

[Bills72sj]

4 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

Careful...that little fan attachment may be a little aggressive and you may wind up with paint everywhere.? This tip on mine works plenty good.

 

I suspected as much. I will probably use the stick-like one in the middle. It looks like it would work without chipping the glass bottle and also not fling paint out of it. Alternately, I could flatten the fan blades of the metal one to make it less aggressive.

[Bills72sj]

1 hour ago, Deuces ll said:

Stainless steel BB's do the trick for me.... And they can be re-used after a good rinse in laq. thinner....

I did buy some SS BBs for just that purpose. Thanks.

[Bugatti Fan]

Zero paints have been mentioned, and the postal difficulties getting them from Spain. Hiroboy have an outlet in the UK, so Zero paint is not a problem to obtain over here. They are excellent paints to use.

What surprises me is that it would appear judging by comments in this post  that there is no importer in the States?

[GeeBee]

2 hours ago, Bugatti Fan said:

What surprises me is that it would appear judging by comments in this post  that there is no importer in the States?

There is, Hobbyworld USA imports Zero paints into the US 

http://www.hobbyworld-usa.com/Store/index.php?id_category=1123&controller=category

[Bugatti Fan]

Thanks for that snippet of information Geoff. I am sure that a number of our American friends will appreciate that bit of information. Cheers!

[BubbaBrown]

I think with your organization everything will work out fine, looking forward to seeing your paint jobs.

[Bills72sj]

55 minutes ago, BubbaBrown said:

I think with your organization everything will work out fine, looking forward to seeing your paint jobs.

Thank you. I have done some painting with all 3 airbrushes. The results have been pretty good so far. I do have a lot of set up and clean up since I do not have the privilege of leaving it ready to go as the room is multi purpose.

[NOBLNG]

Do you like any one of the airbrushes over the others yet?