New airbrush

I got a new air brush, my first, and i was wondering,
how much thinner do I need for tamiya acrylics? And,
will tamiya acrylic thinner thin humbrol enamel?

As much as it takes, and no way in hell.

Use Tamiya acrylic thinner only for Tamiya acrylics. I strongly recommend spraying using a color cup if your airbrush has one. Put in a bit of paint, add a bit of thinner with an eyedropper, test spray and adjust. Forget premixing with the glass bottles- it's five times as much efort as it needs to be.

Can't tell you what to use for Humbrol enmels- I'd say Humbrol enamel thinner, but I'm guessing you can't find it. You could take your chances with generic hardware store thinner....

for humbrol paints. I use white spirit. Works good and it's cheap. I've also started to spray bodies with humbrol enamels and then I use the tamiya ENAMEL thinner. The paint seems to level out better with the tamiya thinner. And no, you can't use acyrlic thinner for humbrol enamels.

The thinning ratio for tamiya acryilcs. You have to experiment. When I buy a new acylic bottle, i open it and top it up with acrylic thinner. Works for me for the flat colours but i can't seem to get the gloss colours to work.

Tamiya acrylic = thin with Isopropyl Alcohol
Humbrol Enamel = Enamel thinner from hardware store.

this is what I use and cost MUCH less than their own products.

As much as it takes,
that doesn't help, do u mean like half and half?


I strongly recommend spraying using a color cup if your airbrush has one.

yep. What else would u use?


test spray and adjust

how do i tell whats too much?


I'd say Humbrol enamel thinner, but I'm guessing you can't find it.

BINGO!


I've also started to spray bodies with humbrol enamels and then I use the tamiya ENAMEL thinner.

I'm using humbrol for my primer, so
does thinning matter then?
I didn't even know they made enamels.

that doesn't help, do u mean like half and half? He's just being mean.:grinyes:
The answer to your question is that you have to find your own comfortable ratio yourself. That is because it depends on many factors, like the type of airbrush, pressure, distance to the object, type of paint, your very own painting style etc.

For example, the lower the pressure, the thinner the paint should be, and all those factors are interdependent.

Try half and half, and spray it on a scrap plastic held vertically. If it creates a spider web, the paint is way too thick. If the surface turns out coarse (like sand paper), it's still too thick. If the paint runs, it's too thin.

After some experiments, you'll find that there is a range of usable thickness from slightly thick, but fairly smooth, to almost runny thin, but very smooth and glossy. In a sense, everything in-between is the correct mixing ratio.

In my case, I spray 6 to 8, or even 10 times, so you can guess that each paint is very thin. I also change the number of coats, depending on the type of paint, like solid, metallic (for body) and translucent (for lights).

So you'll have to find "your own" mixing ratio (or several ratios), and that'll be the right answer to your question.

/\ /\ /\ /\ Now That's The Answer I Was Looking For!

that doesn't help, do u mean like half and half?


yep. What else would u use?


how do i tell whats too much?


BINGO!


I'm using humbrol for my primer, so
does thinning matter then?
I didn't even know they made enamels.

It's not often that someone irritates me enough to want to say so, but your attitude to MPWR's reply did!

He answered your question and he got sarcasm back. Bad show IMHO.

He might have just told you to use the search function (why didn't you?), or ignored your question but he didn't - he answered it.

Considering how often this question is asked, he might also have wondered out loud how is it that a member with 300+ posts hasn't already come across the answer in the past?

MPWR is one of the most helpful members here, it might be worth remembering that.

Luckily for you, hiroaki (as ever) is a nicer guy than me.

BTW, FYI a color cup is the recepticle at the top or side of a gravity feed airbrush as opposed to a jar that is suspended underneath a syphon feed airbrush. Other things you might use for mixing paints with thinner include empty paint jars, film canisters, milk bottles and empty spaces between ears ;)

I wasn't having an attitude, i was freaking
confused by his answers, and was asking
more questions, you're the only one with
an attitude, buddy.:biggrin2:

you're the only one with
an attitude, buddy.:biggrin2:
So I see.

I still stand by what I wrote - 300+ posts and still unable to use the search function.....:shakehead

Forget premixing with the glass bottles- it's five times as much efort as it needs to be.



The only time I use the glass bottles is when I am mixing a lot of paint. I have a gravity feed gun with a small cup.

The reason you get such vague answers is the fact that it is a vague subject. Hardly anyone here follows a cookie cutter formula for mixing their paints. We all have a favorite brand and ratio. Some of us fly by the seat of our pants. A lot of it is temperature dependent, and pressure dependent. If it is too hot outside that can affect the ratio. The air pressure you prefer to spray at will also affect the thinning ratio.

MPWR's post was quite helpful and was the correct answer (as correct as it gets) had you thought about it a little instead of jumping the gun. Yes it was a little vague. instead of a reply of that doesn't help do you mean like half and half, you should have asked for him to elaborate. I am sure then that he would have gone into a little more detail. He is a very helpful member on this board. When those of us who try and help don't get any thank you or feel that our help is never appreciated or taken by certain members we will then not reply to those threads. As it will be a waste of our time.

Being an old member of the Forums, here since Jan 02. We don't like to answer the same questions over and over. Yes, it takes a while to learn to effectively use the search functions. But when you do, you often get much quicker results to your questions, as there is no waiting for someone to reply with help, You have instant results because I am sure that there is someone that has asked the question you have in one form or another, the hardest part is learning what key words to put in the search box to find the information you have looked for. If you havn't found it after 5 or 10 mintues worth of searching (sometimes more) then it is time to post a thread and pick some of our brains.