NEED HELP WITH BODY PAINT

[joeymazz]

I have recently just purchased an iwata hp-cs air brush and have been testing different paints from craft acrylic, enamals, and even nail polish. Not too big into the acrylic. I dont like not being able to wetsand color layers for trash. I got good results with nail polish on spoons then attempted spaying a hood and the paint did something funky. Very textured so i stripped it of and re primed hood. If i could get some processes and materials yall use that would be great. Im open to anything. Enamals, acrylics, lacquers, even decanted spray paints. Havnt tried that. Also whats good clears to be able to wetsand. Whether it be 2 part automotive clear or rattle can or anytying else i havnt heard of. Any help would be great. Thanks in advance.

[935k3]

i ahve an Eclipse CS like yours. It sounds like the paint is drying too fast. Add more thinner and reduce the pressure. the CS has .35mm tip that can be harder do a body or larger pieces. Which why I go iwata revolution with a.5mm tip for bigger jobs. They are both great airbrushes but each has it uses.

[Bill J]

I know some swear by the gravity feed airbrushes but in reality they are made for artist work on flat media, photo touchup and artsy painting. Generally with inks, and small area painting. That is why they come with fine tips like the .35mm. The Eclipse HP comes with a .50mm tip and it is still a bit on the small side for some body painting. The Paasche VL medium tip is .77mm and is pretty good for body painting.

Your problem sounds like the paint is not thin enough, as stated above. The one thing about airbrush painting is that each paint job might require a little special technique. I have never found a one mix/pressure/coverage area that fits every item being painted. I use a badger single action for most of my small part painting, a Paasche VL for larger things like chassis and for that body paint job I use the Iwata HP with the .50mm tip and sometimes it is too fine a tip for a paint that dries quickly and an area that is wide.

I also have been using Tamiya spray cans a lot lately, easy to use with great results, no mixing and little mess! All depends on the color I need and if it can be had in a Tamiya spray can. I have never messed with nail polishes and the like, you never know what it in that stuff and painting is enough of a challenge with the hobby paints as it is. My most often body paints are regular automotive acrylic enamels from Scalefinishes, pretty much hitting 99% with success with it.

Good luck, I am sure you'll reach a happy medium at some point.