Semi Gloss Black - Airbrush worries

First I would like to say "Thank you" for all those who post on this board with helpful advice.

I've been reading many FAQ's etc posted by some of you, and they really are helpful.

OK, now I've recovered my body shell after the white primer problems. Thanks to all those who helped, thankfully it's not ruined.

I've just sprayed my underbody with semi gloss black using an airbrush (first time using an airbrush) and it's a badger 200 single action. I struggled to get it right with the pratice shots, then thought sod it I'll give it a go.

I've sprayed the underbody and at first I was horrified with what I saw. I sprayed a light mist coat, then waited 15 minutes and then sprayed another coat. This was more wet, and it looked truly awful. However now it's drying it looks really flat, and not like the orange peel I read about.

Have I stuffed this, is it meant to be smooth looking when going on wet? I thinned the paint 10:1 Tamiya X18 Semi Gloss Black.


Oh, and the back has little pinholes. Because I layed too much paint on? is that right? I will have to sand that bit and patch? Oh, first time woes..!!

Many thanks - Oh P Man and RR - Your models are wonderful. As are so of the rest of them I've seen on this forum. Thanks for reading.

Semi gloos black is barely gloss at all. If you're looknig for a really glossy finish use enamels and thin them with mineral spirits. Be careful though cause it's a little tricky.

Are you spraying Tamiya acrylic paint? I used to have the same problem but now I spray parts with Flat Black first then when thats dry lay on the Semi-Gloss black.
It also helps if you clean the parts first then spray a primer on. The pin holes are usually caused by the paint reacting with a release agent still on the surface.
Good Luck and stick with the Airbrush. Once you get through the initial teething problems you will find your modelling improves ten fold!

I like the results I get from Tamiya's TS-29 Semi Gloss Black aerosol paint. It also dries quickly and is a fairly durable finish.

I thought about getting TS-29 but I wanted to get some experience with my new airbrush.

A little ambitious to attempt a total spray of an underbody on my first attempts but it went OK in the end. I applied a second wet coat and now it's drying like satin. It's not gloss, but is has a very slight sheen to it.

But now I've used an airbrush I can see why so many builders use them. The coverage with the paint is so much smoother. Even with my "all over the place" hit and miss spray work I'm impressed. I'll stick with this and hopefully get better.

I am using Tamiya paints, and they dry fast. I also used a good 7ml of paint but that was 1 mist and two wet coats for both sides of an underbody, engine cover and a few small bits and bobs.. Think that might have been because I used the first few shots on my home made spray booth.. Oops..!!

Think I’ll get TS cans for the body though. I will continue to spray underbody plates and small parts etc to get more used to the action etc… Besides after reading FAQ’s most of you use a combination of brush, air brush and rattles cans..

Have I stuffed this, is it meant to be smooth looking when going on wet? I thinned the paint 10:1 Tamiya X18 Semi Gloss Black.

You thinned the paint 10 parts thinner to 1 part X-18?..WAY too thin. I usually thin the first coat 2:3 (2 parts thinner, 3 parts color) which is about the consistency of whole milk and then the last coat is 1:1 which is about 1% milk.

If you thinned the paint 10 parts X-18 to 1 part thinner...WAY too thick!

Strip the paint and shoot it again. Use an ammonia type cleaner (409, Windex, etc) and try as remove as much of the black as possible and then try again.

Bill

p.s. Try again is my motto because I'm a :loser:

Sounds like you are getting the hang of it Mick. :) Surely you meant a 1:1 ratio of thinner to paint? A bit on the thick side for me but I don't use Tamiya Acrylics so it might be perfect for you.

Did you know that you can decant paint from spraycans an use it through your airbrush?

Erm no.. I added with an eye dropper 10 parts paint then I added 1 part thinner.

TBH I did for the second wet coat thin it with more thinner, it was actually like milk when I stirred it. I remember reading before it needed to be like milk. The Tamiya X-18 I brought was already really thin. The top when I opened it was just almost black colour thinner. I had to stir it for some time.

It looks OK now. Although the last coat was about 6 paint 1 thinner. Still too thick?

I asked on another forum about this and I was told to thin Tamiya paints 10 x 1.

Link below http://www.scaleautomag.com/sca/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10903

Sounds like you are getting the hang of it Mick. :) Surely you meant a 1:1 ratio of thinner to paint? A bit on the thick side for me but I don't use Tamiya Acrylics so it might be perfect for you.

Did you know that you can decant paint from spraycans an use it through your airbrush?

How do you decant a spray can? Hmm I'll do a google search. As for getting the hang of it.. It takes time to learn a new skill but I'll get there. I'm learning that's for sure.

How do you decant a spray can? Hmm I'll do a google search. As for getting the hang of it.. It takes time to learn a new skill but I'll get there. I'm learning that's for sure.

There is a web site I saw the other day that has a very detailed tutorial on it. Will find and post the link tonight (at work at the moment).

Basically the technique is to get a bendy straw, fit it over the nozzle and spray into an appropriate bottle. You need to be careful and let the paint sit for several hours to allow the propellant to gass out of the paint. If you don't follow the last step, any movement will cause the paint to bubble up and overflow making an awful mess.

Then thin it as required and away you go. I did quite a bit of that on the weekend to mix up some bright Marlboro red for my next project.

Here is the link:
http://truesdell.eng.uci.edu/scale_models/?page=decanting

Here is the link:
http://truesdell.eng.uci.edu/scale_models/?page=decanting

RR - Thanks for this. I'll keep this tip for a little later once I get better with the airbrush. For now I'll spray my modena body with a TS can just to get some paint on it. I've still got to learn how to polish the surface, use the TS spray can and using really fine wet sandpaper. So much to learn..!!

Erm no.. I added with an eye dropper 10 parts paint then I added 1 part thinner.

It looks OK now. Although the last coat was about 6 paint 1 thinner. Still too thick?

I asked on another forum about this and I was told to thin Tamiya paints 10 x 1.

Link below http://www.scaleautomag.com/sca/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10903

10:1 paint to thinner would be way too thick for me. I doubt I could even spray it through my airbrush!

The answers to painting questions are never clear-cut. Practice, practice, practice. Your mileage may vary. etc...

See above for my thinning ratios. While I seriously doubt that a 10:1 ratio would work, I'm not going to waste MY X-18 trying to prove myself right ;-)>

hth,
Bill

I like the results I get from Tamiya's TS-29 Semi Gloss Black aerosol paint. It also dries quickly and is a fairly durable finish.

Me too..............& im very lazy :loser:

Mike