Is this a result of poorly mixed or thinned paint?

[Milo]

I don't know why my paint job came out so dotty--if that's a word. I'm using testors enamel with testors enamel thinner 1:1. I did mix colors.

[Fat Brian]

A pebbly surface like that usually means you're spraying from too far away from the body. As the paint particles move through the air they get drier as the paint vehicle evaporates out. If you're too far back from the body the paint gets too dry to flow out correctly so it kind of piles up in little globs. Try moving in a couple inches and see if the paint flows out better. 

[bobss396]

Also start the spray off the body and complete the path also off the body. This keeps it from getting too grainy. If you move too fast it can contribute to making it grainy. 

I gave up on Testors or any enamels a long time ago. I use mainly Tamiya spray cans, I tried the Testors lacquers and of course auto touch up paints.

[Milo]

1 hour ago, Fat Brian said:

A pebbly surface like that usually means you're spraying from too far away from the body. As the paint particles move through the air they get drier as the paint vehicle evaporates out. If you're too far back from the body the paint gets too dry to flow out correctly so it kind of piles up in little globs. Try moving in a couple inches and see if the paint flows out better. 

I was like 3 inches from my car the whole time

[Rick L]

No one true answer without knowing more info. If the paint is coming out of the gun like that, the paint may not be thin enough or the airflow could be too high. Is the paint old? Old Testors paint does not thin well with enamel thinner. You could try using lacquer thinner instead. To avoid this problem, most modelers experiment by spraying paint samples on plastic spoons or scrap styrene before attempting to paint their work. 

[peteski]

We need more details.  What specific type paint did you use? From the little glass square bottles (PLA enamel), or round bottles (Model Master)? Or a spray can?  I assume it is the stinky (not water-based) paint.  You said you mixed. You mean you stirred/shook the paint, or mixed multiple colors (using the same type of paint of course).

When you are spraying 3" from the surface, is the paint smooth and wet right after it laid down, or does it already have that texture while wet?  I have brush-painted and airbrushed Testors paints for decades and they seemed to always work fine for me.  But I have also heard that some new batches of Testors paint can be problematic.  I have not bought any for some time.

Another example where test spraying a plastic spoon could prevent possible stripping of the body, or very tedious sanding and polishing.  It makes sense to learn on spoons (or plastic soda bottles) before dealing with the actual model.

Edited September 7, 2023 by peteski

[Ironman63]

Sometimes your air pressure could be too high.  You might try lowering it a little and practice on spoons as suggested.

[Dpate]

Looks blotchy. What PSI are you spraying at? Try thinning the paint little more say 1:2 paint to thinner. Spray @20 psi. 

[Milo]

2 hours ago, peteski said:

We need more details.  What specific type paint did you use? From the little glass square bottles (PLA enamel), or round bottles (Model Master)? Or a spray can?  I assume it is the stinky (not water-based) paint.  You said you mixed. You mean you stirred/shook the paint, or mixed multiple colors (using the same type of paint of course).

When you are spraying 3" from the surface, is the paint smooth and wet right after it laid down, or does it already have that texture while wet?  I have brush-painted and airbrushed Testors paints for decades and they seemed to always work fine for me.  But I have also heard that some new batches of Testors paint can be problematic.  I have not bought any for some time.

Another example where test spraying a plastic spoon could prevent possible stripping of the body, or very tedious sanding and polishing.  It makes sense to learn on spoons (or plastic soda bottles) before dealing with the actual model.

I use the little 1 ounce glass testors, mixed different colors. It dried with the texture it was looking fine when wet. I do have a really bad janky air brush that isn’t even adjustable 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Milo

[Milo]

1 hour ago, Ironman63 said:

Sometimes your air pressure could be too high.  You might try lowering it a little and practice on spoons as suggested.

Can’t adjust the air

[Milo]

1 hour ago, Dpate said:

Looks blotchy. What PSI are you spraying at? Try thinning the paint little more say 1:2 paint to thinner. Spray @20 psi. 

I can’t adjust the psi, why 1:2 paint to thinner? That seems too thinned 

[peteski]

1 hour ago, Milo said:

I use the little 1 ounce glass testors, mixed different colors. It dried with the texture it was looking fine when wet. I do have a really bad janky air brush that isn’t even adjustable 

I have never seen a 1oz. Testors glass bottle.  The little square bottles are 1/4 oz. and the larger round ones (usually Model Master) are 1/2 oz.  If you ever seen Floquil paint, that usually came in 1oz. round bottles (much larger than Testors).  I was asking mainly to see if you were mixing different kinds of paints (which can be problematic).

If the freshly sprayed paint surface looks smooth and shiny like glass, then I wonder if there is a problem with the paint itself.  Like I said, before laying a coat on the model, try it on a plastic spoon and empty plastic soda bottle to see what results you get. Plastic spoons are quite inexpensive.

On the other hand, maybe try to brush-paint a spoon using the same paint you are airbrushing with and see if it dries smooth.

[Dpate]

1 hour ago, Milo said:

I can’t adjust the psi, why 1:2 paint to thinner? That seems too thinned 

How did your primer lay down? What PSI are you spraying at? You could also try 1:1.5 paint to thinner. Did you clean the plastic good? Did you not test before committing to the kit? 

[Milo]

3 hours ago, peteski said:

I have never seen a 1oz. Testors glass bottle.  The little square bottles are 1/4 oz. and the larger round ones (usually Model Master) are 1/2 oz.  If you ever seen Floquil paint, that usually came in 1oz. round bottles (much larger than Testors).  I was asking mainly to see if you were mixing different kinds of paints (which can be problematic).

If the freshly sprayed paint surface looks smooth and shiny like glass, then I wonder if there is a problem with the paint itself.  Like I said, before laying a coat on the model, try it on a plastic spoon and empty plastic soda bottle to see what results you get. Plastic spoons are quite inexpensive.

On the other hand, maybe try to brush-paint a spoon using the same paint you are airbrushing with and see if it dries smooth.

I did do some brush touch ups and they dried fine 

[peteski]

1 hour ago, Milo said:

I did do some brush touch ups and they dried fine 

You used the same exact paint mixture, and brush-painted it dried smooth and glossy? Was it the same exact mix (including the thinner) as what was in the airbrush?  You did mention that when the paint is still wet after airbrushing, ,it looks smooth and glossy until it dries  That doesn't seem to make sense, but I would then think it has to be your airbrushing technique.

[Milo]

59 minutes ago, peteski said:

You used the same exact paint mixture, and brush-painted it dried smooth and glossy? Was it the same exact mix (including the thinner) as what was in the airbrush?  You did mention that when the paint is still wet after airbrushing, ,it looks smooth and glossy until it dries  That doesn't seem to make sense, but I would then think it has to be your airbrushing technique.

Yes the exact same paint mixed color and thinned. 

I think I'll blame it on my airbrush, it's a cheap 20 dollar one with no adjustments available. It kept clogging throughout too

[Dpate]

2 hours ago, Milo said:

Yes the exact same paint mixed color and thinned. 

I think I'll blame it on my airbrush, it's a cheap 20 dollar one with no adjustments available. It kept clogging throughout too

lol what’s the needle size? What type of brush u got? Thinning it like I said above will help from not spraying properly. A expensive brush won’t make u a better painter. What kind of compressor you got to where u can’t adjust PSI? 

[Dave G.]

That finish to me looks like you needed more thinner or it was fast dry thinner.. And personally for Testors enamel I use hardware store lacquer thinner to thin it with. It's almost fool proof as long as it went on reasonably wet.

Testors never bottled their enamel in 1oz size bottles. If it's the little square bottles then they are 1/4oz. Take a look and confirm because in 1oz I don't know what you have there.

[Milo]

On 9/7/2023 at 7:42 PM, Dpate said:

lol what’s the needle size? What type of brush u got? Thinning it like I said above will help from not spraying properly. A expensive brush won’t make u a better painter. What kind of compressor you got to where u can’t adjust PSI? 

an aerosol can

[Milo]

12 hours ago, Dave G. said:

That finish to me looks like you needed more thinner or it was fast dry thinner.. And personally for Testors enamel I use hardware store lacquer thinner to thin it with. It's almost fool proof as long as it went on reasonably wet.

Testors never bottled their enamel in 1oz size bottles. If it's the little square bottles then they are 1/4oz. Take a look and confirm because in 1oz I don't know what you have there.

I would use my lacquer thinner, but I only have plastic pieces on my airbrush

this isn't some advanced nice airbrush that has interchangeable parts. It doesn't even have anymore parts than what come in the box

[Milo]

Would it change opinions if I said I didn't use any primer?

[Milo]

I'll just sand it down and use a from the bottle extra thinned paint and redo it

[Dpate]

PNF 404

[bobthehobbyguy]

1 hour ago, Milo said:

an aerosol can

Those aerosol cans are a waste of money. You can not get a decent paint job with them. As you use them they get cold and the pressure drops. That is the source of your paint problems. You need a compressor and a regulator to be able to get a decent paint job. 

[Milo]

21 minutes ago, bobthehobbyguy said:

Those aerosol cans are a waste of money. You can not get a decent paint job with them. As you use them they get cold and the pressure drops. That is the source of your paint problems. You need a compressor and a regulator to be able to get a decent paint job. 

can you link me a decent air compressor and regulator?