airbrushing help

[Kaleb]

I've been over a few videos, not one of them really helped. I used to do airbrush edible ink on cakes, but that stuff was nearly colored water. I know I have to get the paint the same consistency as water. The paint I have is the Creatix from HL. I can get water to go through just fine but when it comes to the paint it wont go through.

The Brush is a double action siphon fed. Cheap brush but it will get me started. What PSI do I need to run at as well? Thanks for the help ahead of time.

[scalenut]

I usually spray it anywhere from 35-60 psi from the bottle,, any lower pressure might need thinning.

siphon feed might need a little more pressure as well

also it does not always play well with a tiny needle, depending on the color.

do you know what size needle it has ?

Edited September 2, 2011 by scalenut

[Kaleb]

I have no idea, how would I check?

[Kaleb]

Ok, I checked the needle, did not find any marks whatsoever. Any other way? Or should I just move the needle back a bit and tighten it down?

[scalenut]

Kaleb , what brand/model airbrush?

[MikeMc]

The thinner is your trick. Water will sorta work so will alcohol. I have had the best luck using Auto Air 4000 series "Airbrush Cleaner" .I always used Tamiya X20 a thinners for all acrylics, now that its hard to find I found this to be equal...Createx also makes this, as Createx is the mother company for Auto Air Technique is the same..higher pressure does help...unless thinned and not reduced...if you use reducer you will need a higher pressure

Here is a link for help AUTO AIR PDF info sheets...

http://www.autoaircolors.com/products/product_frames.html

[Kaleb]

Kaleb , what brand/model airbrush?

Central Pneumatic item 95810 just the cheap one from HF, I asked for it for christmas last year and boy did I ask for it. I have the Createx paint and I watched some vids on it. I done what they said but without success.

[sportandmiah]

I have the same airbrush. Its a decent double.action, but it has a 0.3 opening which is why it clogs so easy with Createx. You can thin it easily with water, rubbing alcohol, and.even windex. It will flow good after thinning, but im afraid for.modeling it will be too runny. I.now.use.my Paasche H with the 5 tip with no problems. If you are dead set on using the harbor.freight.airbrush, try a different type of enamel or maybe testors or tamiya acrylic.

Edited September 9, 2011 by sportandmiah

[Kaleb]

I'm not dead set on it by any means lol, I just can't afford the other airbrushes. Ill work with it and eventually get another one. Thanks for the help.

[scalenut]

Kaleb, It will help alot to understand this paint.

water , windex , alcohol, pure retarder,airbrush cleaner or any of these old timer techniques with createx don't apply very well ,, it will turn into a runny mess by the time you get it to a thin milk consistency , ..even if you do get away with it , it will be a very weak and fragile grainy result.and the color will go dull... that is a bad way to start off learning to airbrush

bottom line... you don't want to thin createx to the consistency of milk... it is unlike any common "modeling" paint.

it took me forever to figure out how to get great results from this paint , and I did not learn anything from modeling forums to get there

I very , very ,rarely found anyone who uses it to paint cars and really understands this paint.(and that still remains true today)

all I ever got was "thin it more"...(the universal solution to all airbrushing problems ..lol)..

it works best to spray it as it comes in the bottle.

you have to kick up the pressure, use the right needle,, and use something like acrylic airbrush medium as a primary thinner so the binder and polymer level remains intact.

a"little" water or windex won't hurt...but in most cases a "little" aint enough.

you want it closer to the thickness of a spraycan paint, like krylon ,duplicolor.ect.

anything less will not give you optimum results.

it is not easy to use as the common paints like tamiya, as it does not take well to over thinning at all.

also it does not gas out on it's own like those paints .it is purely waterbourne .it requires air movement and heat to dry it out.... a hairdryer between each coat.

don't dry each coat and it will never cure...I mean never..trust me on that

it's great to practice with but really tricky to master.

the main reason I put myself thru the pain of figuring out this paint was because the wife got me a 72 bottle set for christmas one year.

I finally got it to work for me consistently after nearly a year of fighting it ..thru trial and error.I tried every concoction known to man..

7 years later I still have problems, mostly with the heavier pearls and metal flakes...and you simply can not thin them to fix it .. it quickly turns into a watery suspension of particles..

I don't wish for anyone to go thru the same process I did...lol

there is a reason very few people use it on model cars.

auto air is much more forgiving and has the killer candy's and metallic bases.

createx is great for learning to use the airbrush ,,,getting the killer results from it is a whole different beast..

It's possible , but it can be a real heart-breaker just as easy.

Edited September 9, 2011 by scalenut

[Kaleb]

Thank you, well it looks like better paint and a better air brush for me lol....I cant wait to start painting with it. I have not done anything with an airbrush in a long time.. the first time i picked one up I airbrushed a cartoon figure on a cookie.

[scalenut]

don't let my story scare you off , other posters seemed to have a much easier time with it .

I just did everything wrong from the start. and was learning the airbrush at the same time.

going to a bigger needle was my big aha ! moment... too bad it took me forever to figure that out.

I'm sure you could get the hang of it , just don't practice on your prized models right away.No harm in thinning it down just to practice spraying with the airbrush.

It's good cheap paint..

you mentioned backing the needle off , I have done that with my passche VL and it turned it into a paint can, it worked ,,, not the right way to do it but it sprayed a smooth wide pattern like that.

it's better to have a bigger needle.

Edited September 9, 2011 by scalenut

[Kaleb]

It doesn't scare me lol ill just have to wait and get a better gun and paint. I have canvas to work on and or I can get some t-shirts, I know they both are different but it will give me some practice.

[sportandmiah]

Don't sweat getting a better brush. The one you have is fine. Just because it's inexpensive doesn't make it bad. Practice with it until your skills improve. It's a perfectly fine airbrush that most people turn their noses up at.

[Kaleb]

What would be a good paint to use with this brush?

[sportandmiah]

I have sprayed Tamiya,Testors,Rustoleum, etc...but all were thinned to the consistency of.skim milk. Almost any properly thinned paint should spray. I did have some clogging issues with Testors metallic but it was due to me not thinning enough.

[Mr Dedo]

Tried the createx wicked colors with a neo iwata top feed at about 15psi.

The paint has the consistency of 2% milk and the colors remain opaque even

being extended slightly (simply precautionary) with ammonia window cleaner.

Most colors dried with a semigloss-like sheen. Multiple coats and

extended drying required for most colors.

Handle all work by the edges while wearing cotton gloves.

Forget taping and painting with this material until you find a way

to get this inexpensive and readily available craft paint to adhere to styrene.

Hope this helps.