Air Brushing

[TransAmMike]

12 hours ago, Dave G. said:

A little too much washer fluid will do it,the paint will pool and such. Washer fluid is a bit more runny than a blend of isopropyl and water will be. Gloss too might flow a bit more than matte or satin. For most craft paints I prefer a blend I make up of iso, water,retarder and a flow aid. It sprays a bit more like solvent paints IMO. I have washer fluid too, it woks but is a second choice, like in DecoArt for instance, that paint doesn't like iso and can even gel up but you can use washer fluid which has methanol in it not iso. Or in DecoArt you can use a mix of airbrush medium and water. Actually you can use that in any craft paint . Just for some, like Apple Barrel, FolkArt ,Craft Smart, Delta Ceramcoat, I've found basically superior results with the iso blend.

I have three airbrushes, my car stuff and primers I mostly use the Paasche H. Fine stuff I tend to go with my pushing 50 yo Badger 200 with the .25 tip on it. I like it for metalizer type paints too. Got that as a gift back around 1975, had been using a Badger starter airbrush before that. Then my double action is an Iwata knock off , once I polished up all the needles to that one it shoots nearly as nice as my Badger, if I only had it I could live with it fine but the tips are tiny, very fussy on being clean, the 200 and H are better suited to my 71 yo eyes and dexterity lol. But it does work, well plus I'm not a big fan of double action except in 1/1 spray guns with triggers and in firearms. Just sayin.

 

I use Davis G's blend with great results with craft paint. 

[Dave G.]

13 hours ago, bluestringer said:

The washer fluid worked good when I did the cuda, I was mixing at about a 50/50 ratio. Didn't seem to work as good this time, may have to play around with it some. I don't try for a show quality paint job, just something that looks nice. I am looking at getting a Paasche H later on. The 10 dollar harbor freight AB is probably not going to give me good consistent results. 

I wouldn't be too quick to condemn the airbrush, keep it clean, polish up the needle especially out at the tip end ( the other end doesn't matter) and make sure your seals are good. If your visible spray pattern is good with plain water or thinner it will lay paint down good too. I think your issue is more getting a consistent mix, so if the airbrush is spraying water etc good, you need to thin to where the paint comes out similarly. Go by viscosity not just ratio 50/50 is a starting point that with some paints is dead on and others still pretty far off. It can vary between brands of paint, even colors or matt vs gloss. Your goal is to wipe some thinned paint up the side of your mixing cup with a mixing stick and have it return to the pool below in 1-3 seconds or so and leave a film behind as it goes, do that before you even try a test pattern through the airbrush. If it returns real fast and leaves no film it's too thin, add a dash more paint. And you may need to adjust a little bit for the washer fluid.

In 1/1 we used a viscosity cup for enamels. Even in that scale some enamels ran through the cup with very little thinner ( it was a timed flow through a certain size orifice), others 40% thinner. After a while with a cup you get to know just by how it run off the mixing stick how the paint will perform through the gun and hit the surface. That was part of the drill so to speak,the other part was knowing the thinners used according to condition ( temp and humidity). Then lacquers were another affair and acrylic enamels a whole host of additive.

Edited August 5, 2021 by Dave G.