What kinds of paint can I use to airbrush models?

[Chrislols]

Hello! You might of seen my recent threads asking what kind of airbrush to get etc. I followed a few members advice that pm'd me and I went to a local Michaels. WIth a 40% off coupon in hand.

I purchased a Badger ANTHEM Airbrush (Model 155). And I tryed it with some Createx paint labeled Airbrush Colors, I tryed it on a spare parts kit and it seemed to go on fairly well and dryed nicley. Today I'm getting a compressor and an air moisture filter, but I have a few questions.

1) Can I use say Testors enamels with an airbrush, would I have to thin them?

2) What kinds of paints can't I use and which should I use?

3) Every time I buy a new color, I have to buy a bottle for it so I can put the lid on it with a tube for my airbrush for that color? Or is their another way to use the bottles they come in with my brand of airbrush.

[Helipilot16]

You can use any kind of paint in an airbrush. Thin it to the consistency of milk. Use any type of oil based thinner with enamels.

There is no need to leave your mixed paint in your airbrush bottles. Pour it into any bottle you have available. I use pill bottles.

[Harry P.]

Ditto to Helipilot's answer.

An airbrush is basically just a device to atomize a liquid. It doesn't know or care what liquid its spraying. As long as the liquid you're spraying is thinned with the appropriate thinner and to the right consistency, you can spray ANY liquid... enamel, lacquer or acrylic paint, milk, Kool-Aid, varnish, iced tea, grape juice... whatever!

[Brendan]

Like was said in the previous post, you can shoot any paint through your airbrush as long as it's thinned out. I would suggest staying away from enamels though. They have a tendency to take an extremely long time to cure. My personal favorites are acrylic and lacquer base paints. Both types of paints cure within a day or so. The acrylics are real easy to clean up. As for paint that's already been thinned, I usually buy two of the same paint, one for a brush and one for airbrushing. That way any of the paint that I have not used, I pour back into the jar and I'll only use it for airbrushing.

[Harry P.]

Oh, and as far as what types of paint you should use: that's one of those classic "question without an answer"questions. Because there are so many different brands and types of paint out there, if you ask 100 people what to use you'll likely get 100 different answers.

The simplified answer: Although there are others, all you really have to worry about as a beginner are the 3 basic types of paint: enamels, acrylics, and lacquers. There are also hybrids, and various other exotic formulas out there, but these 3 will serve your purpose. As far as which to use, each has its own pros and cons.

Enamel: what we used to know as "model paint" back in the day. Pros: Pretty cheap, lots of colors, available in any hobby shop. Cons: slow to dry, prone to pick up dust (because it dries slow), prone to orange peel, generally kind of fussy to apply.

Acrylics: Pros: also available in a wide assortment of colors and brands, easy to work with (thins with water), easy clean-up with water, fast drying. Cons: If the color you want is available, none that I can think of.

Lacquers: same ease of application and fast drying time as acrylics, needs to be thinned with lacquer thinner. Goes on nice and smooth and thin, doesn't tend to run and sag like enamels. Cons: also none that I can think of.

Enamels and lacquers both have a strong smell and the fumes are toxic. Spray either outside or in a well-vented spray booth. Acrylics are usually labeled "non toxic", but still you don't want to be breathing in a ton of it either.

My recommendation: Lacquers or acrylics. To me, the downsides of enamels make them not worth the hassle, especially when there are so many acrylics and lacquers to choose from. Why mess with them when there are 2 other alternatives that are easier to work with?

That's my 2 cents... I'm sure we'll hear other opinions on this, too.

[Peter Lombardo]

Harry, I would have to agree with you right down the line except for one point. On Lacquer’s you mention that there are no con’s, but there really is one. We, more experienced modelers realize that there must be a strong primer under it as it is “hot†and will eat into the plastic. Care needs to be taken that there is a significant barrier to protect the plastic. Newer, less experienced guys may need to be reminded of this fact.

[Cornpatch]

Christlols

All of these guys are right, you can use anykind of paint you want in an airbrush. It is a personal choice.

I bought all of my airbrushes about 3 years ago and all I have ever used in them is Createx Air Brush ready paints. They have just about every color you could ever need and they are a lot better in cost than some of the other paints. There very easy to use and clean up with soap and water, making it very easy to clean the air brush. After use I run some of the Createx Air brush cleaner thru it, till the paint doesnt come out anymore. Than I drop it in a bucket of warm water, spray some water thru it and and let it soak for a while. After every 4 or 5 uses I take it apart and clean it with acetone than soak the parts in warm water. Have never had a problem with it.

As far as having to put the paint in a bottle to go into the airbrush, I get around that. I went to the Bearair website (www.bearair.com) they have tops that fit the Createx paint bottles. there called 20MM Fast Blast Bottle Caps ( part # 110780) you put them on the Createx bottles and now you can put it right into the airbrush. When done just set the bottle of paint back on the shelf till the next time you need it.

Jeff

[LoneWolf15]

Chris ,

My suggestion, Try a little bit of everything until you find what you are comfortable with . I prefer Testors enamels . When considering cost , variety , richness and depth of color , and shine they can't be beat. Store your fresh paint jobs in a metal cabinet , this eliminates dust and corruption from landing on your paint.

Mix your Testors enamels at a two to one ratio with cheap garden variety laquer that you can purchase at the local hardware . Two parts paint to one part laquer thinner, your paint will dry in no time .

The Old Man

Lone Wolf Custom Painting

[Harry P.]

  Peter Lombardo said:

Harry, I would have to agree with you right down the line except for one point. On Lacquer's you mention that there are no con's, but there really is one. We, more experienced modelers realize that there must be a strong primer under it as it is "hot" and will eat into the plastic. Care needs to be taken that there is a significant barrier to protect the plastic. Newer, less experienced guys may need to be reminded of this fact.

Yes, good point, and I forgot to mention that. To be safe, always use primer under lacquers as a barrier between the plastic and the top coat of color. Enamels and acrylics won't "attack" styrene, so they're safe to spray onto bare plastic. However, some people prefer to use primer all the time, no matter what type of paint they're using. It's a personal preference.

[Harry P.]

See? I told you there would be a lot of opinions...

The reality is, you can get good results with either enamels, acrylics or lacquers, once you get the hang of it. It's really a matter of trying them all and seeing which you like best.

[LoneWolf15]

  ledsled merc said:

I'm glad I can have some fun wichya and not offend ya bro .

And I do have to admit, acrylics do tend to have a believable scale finnish, once coverage is achieved (after 4 coats)

Led ,

Take your other shoe off so you can count higher on the number of acrylic coats needed !

The Old Man