decanted TS paints

Recently I encountered the following problem:

I decanted a TS-49 can for airbrush use and left it in an air tight container for about a month. When I used it, it still had a very good consistency and I continued to airbrush it, first two very light coats and then, when I applied the first wet coat, for a few seconds it looked perfect but then "fish eyes" (tiny circular depressions or spots) started appearing.

The funny thing is that that same day I decanted another can, TS-29 and used it right away and the result was flawless.

My question is: If you decant it, do you have to use it the same day or the pain is ruined or can you use it after some time but have to thin it down again. If so, what kind of thinner would you recommned, I feel that Tamiya's enamel thinner is a bit oily for lacquers.

Thank you all in advance for your expert's advise on this matter.

islero666

Tamiya has his own Lacquer thinner, it's the same bottle than the acrylic thinner but the cap is yellow. That's the best option to thin the TS paint.

For the "fish eyes" thing I would say that there were some kind of residues on the bottle.

I have some odd colors decanted into Tamiya jars from summer last year everything seems fine. Here's what I do with older colors. I let them gas out for about 10-15 minutes after I opened the pot and mixed. Before loading my AB I drop a few droplets of Tamiya Lacquer thinner into my AB and spray that...kinda like wetting your throat before swallowing tablets.
HTH,
Steve

I guess I will have to be more carefull about how clean my bottles for decanting are. So, this also means that the time between decanting and use has nothing to do with it and they can be stored for a while without affecting the quality of the finish?

Thanks again, Cold

islero666

I don't know if this is your problem, but I have noticed that TS-49 is the most likely of all the TS paints I've used (I have a lot) to get the dreaded propellant spotting.
And it can retain a significant amount of propellant in a sealed decanted jar for quite some time.
I back bubble it though my airbrush prior to spraying, that seems to help vacate the gas before airbrushing it... - Mark

Thank you all for your responses, all very helpful and will have them in mind next time I use decanted paints, because despite these problems I feel the results and paint economy when airbrushing is well worth the trouble.

Happy modelling.

islero666

I back bubble it though my airbrush prior to spraying

What's that?

You hold your finger over the tip (Covered with a glove or rag or something) and spray lightly. This forces air back into the paint cup, making it bubble slightly. I have seen guys use this technique for keeping their paint mixed.

By far the best thinner I have found for decanted Tamiya synthetic acrylic lacquers has been Mr. Color Leveling Thinner. As to your fish-eyeing issue I'm betting it has to do with an unclean storage jar OR residual chemicals on the surface to be painted. I've stored decanted TS paints for months without any problems other than the paint thickening (due to evaporative loss of the carrier) and that is easly fixed by adjusting the ratio with thinner.

hth,
Bill

What's that?
Its sometimes known as backwashing. Most commonly used in 2 situations:
1. While cleaning the airbrush. (I backwashed a chunk of dried primer about the size of half a peice of rice the first time I tried the method... around 1mm square :rolleyes: )
2. Mixing paint in the jar, or keeping the paint mixed well. IE: metalic paint (alclad, any paint with metalic flakes)

Its sometimes known as backwashing.

Backwashing is something I do before sharing my beer...

Its sometimes known as backwashing.

Backwashing is something I do before sharing my beer...

TMI :lol:

The proper term for the technique being discussed is "backflushing".

I also backflush to stir the paint up a bit while spraying (as pearl and metallic particles settle out), and also in the process of cleaning the airbrush with thinner before taking it apart.

Its sometimes known as backwashing.

Backwashing is something I do before sharing my beer...

See, that's the problem right there: sharing your beer!:nono: :cheers:

See, that's the problem right there: sharing your beer!:nono: :cheers:

I agree, I'll share my paint, my tools... heck I'll even share my plastic with good friends, but my beer... :uhoh: :shakehead