air spray gun and paint

Hey Guys,

i just got myself a compressor and spray gun

i was wondering when painting - do you put the whole tin of paint in the mixing chamber or to you guys put some kind of thinner or something??

sorry if this is a stupid question but i have never sprayed before

Hey Guys,

i just got myself a compressor and spray gun

i was wondering when painting - do you put the whole tin of paint in the mixing chamber or to you guys put some kind of thinner or something??

sorry if this is a stupid question but i have never sprayed before

erm, it sounds like you got a big sized nozzel, the most common nozzel sized used in modeling: 0.2mm, 0.3mm, 0.4mm, 0.5mm and rarely you will see 0.7mm
if you can pour a whole bottle of paint into your AB, I'm thinking the nozzel size is at least 1.0 mm, which will be hard to work with. The largest modeling AB's (detailing AB's) only have 7ml, 15ml, 30ml, 45ml paint cups)
Thinning is mainly up to your setup and conditions, you will just have to mess around to get it perfect. You will often hear "mix it to the consistancy of milk". That's a good start but you will have to tweak it here and there to get the perfect ratio FOR YOU.

HTH,
Steve

well im not sure what u mean, u know the glass container on the spray gun? do i just put a tin of model paint in there? like a whole tin? or what do i do?

What kind of spraygun did you get?

No, don't put in a whole bottle/tin- put in only what you're planning to use. You will also almost definately need to add some thinner matched to whatever paint you're using.

What kind of paint are you using?

If you still have the instuction booklet or packaging of the AB, it should say it's nozzel size. If you can't find it, post up the name of the AB or post a pic of it.
If its a glass container I'm guessing it's syphon feed, and like MPWR said, you should only put as much as you need. In the modeling world a little goes a far way.

hey guys i have this gun...



http://www.goodsonline.com.au/images/productslarge/0fd2d22d-a4fa-4a1f-8b69-4ed0e2486d86_1.jpg


and im using tamiya paint

Ah, a Badger 350 (or clone thereof).

You are really going to want one of these:

http://www.hobbylinc.com/gr/bad/bad50-0483.jpg

It's a color cup (http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/bad/bad50-0483.htm) that fits in place of the glass bottle siphon, and it's much MUCH better than using the bottles.

Tamiya makes a thinner to go with their paints- you want some, preferably in a large bottle. Pour a little paint in the color cup, and then add a few drops of thinner (an eyedropper is great for this). Mix them together and test spray.

oh really? thanks for the info -

only a few drops of thinner? does tamiya make it?

It looks like this-

http://www.hobbylinc.com/gr/tam/tam81030.jpg

But it's cheaper in big bottles.

http://www.hobbylinc.com/gr/tam/tam81040.jpg

A little bit of paint, a few drops of thinner, mix it up, test spray, and adjust as necessary.

thanks guys... how do i know if i have the right mix when i spray???

how do i know if i have the right mix when i spray???
If the paint doesn't come out of the airbrush, add more thinner.
If the paint pours out of the tip, add less thinner.

and if you want to go even cheaper, Rubbing alcohol and windex will also work.

Practice, practice, practice, and don't worry about screwing up.

If it doesn't look too thin, it's probably not thin enough.

If you mess up when painting the actual model, all is not lost. Before it dries, use a toothbrush and a water/alcohol mix to scrub off the paint. When it's gone, dry out the car body and start over. (That only applies to Tamiya in bottles and other waterborne acrylics - IMO, Tamiya is definitely the easiest paint to start with. It's also very good paint.)

If you waited too long and the paint has dried, you can still remove it by soaking it overnight in Castrol Super Clean (CSC), available at many auto parts stores. You can use the same CSC over and over; some people filter it after each use, but I don't know why. Filtered or not filtered, it strips acrylic paint faster than ____ ______ ____ ________ __________ __________ . (You can fill in the blanks.)

I like Tamiya thinner better than water or combinations of alcohol and water and detergent. With Tamiya thinner, the paint seems to lay better (and who doesn't like that?) as well as having less inclination to sag and run.

(Castrol and Tamiya reps: Just make the checks out to "Didymus." Thanks.)

Didy

If it doesn't look too thin, it's probably not thin enough.

Practice, practice, practice, and don't worry about screwing up.

If you mess up when painting the actual model, all is not lost. Before it dries, use a toothbrush and a water/alcohol mix to scrub off the paint. When it's gone, dry out the car body and start over. (That only applies to Tamiya in bottles and other waterborne acrylics - IMO, Tamiya is definitely the easiest paint to start with. It's also very good paint.)
If you waited too long and the paint has dried, you can still remove it by soaking it in Castrol Super Clean (CSC), available at many auto parts stores. You can use the same CSC over and over; some people filter it after each use, but I don't know why. Filtered or not filtered, it strips acrylic paint faster than ____ ______ ____ ________ __________ __________ . (You can fill in the blanks.)

I like Tamiya thinner better than water or combinations of alcohol and water and detergent. With Tamiya thinner, the paint seems to lay better (and who doesn't like that?) as well as having less inclination to sag and run.

(Castrol and Tamiya reps: Just make the checks out to "Didymus." Thanks.)

Didy
I must add to the part in red... this method only applies with the Tamiya paint in ROUND bottles which are acrylic. The square bottles are enamel which are oil based paints.

Best way to start out IMHO is use the company's original thinner. If you want to make your own mix, at least you will have something to compare to.

If you're scared that your mix isn't good, find a suface to spray on. I use white/gray blank name cards. You will see how the paint will react somewhat. Even after 10 years of modeling I check each time.
If you get a spider-web effect on the edges of the cards, then you need more thinner (too thick). If the paint runs before the card can absorb the paint, then you need more paint (too thin).

HTH,
Steve

Ah, a Badger 350 (or clone thereof).

You are really going to want one of these:

http://www.hobbylinc.com/gr/bad/bad50-0483.jpg

It's a color cup (http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/bad/bad50-0483.htm) that fits in place of the glass bottle siphon, and it's much MUCH better than using the bottles.

Tamiya makes a thinner to go with their paints- you want some, preferably in a large bottle. Pour a little paint in the color cup, and then add a few drops of thinner (an eyedropper is great for this). Mix them together and test spray.

why would u say that a color cup is better than a glass bottle this is a question i dont have an answer too but i hope u do

I use a cup for body color. But I also keep two small jars of thinned colors that I use often, specifically Floquil satin black enamel (Engine Black mixed with a bit of glossy black) and Platinum Silver. Instead of pouring those into a cup, I just swap a clean siphon cap onto the bottle I'm spraying.

The most important things with airbrushing are consistent pressure and viscosity, and constant cleaning of all the plumbing. The smallest fragment of dried paint can ruin your day; I think that's why a lot of people resist airbrushing.

Didy

why would u say that a color cup is better than a glass bottle this is a question i dont have an answer too but i hope u do

For many reasons, all of which are that a color cup is much easier and simpler to use a color cup.

-You only have to deal with the amount of paint you need

-The cup is much easier to clean than a siphon and lid

-Easier to change colors during one painting session

-You never have to worry about over-thinning a whole bottle of paint :uhoh:

-In this hobby it's easier, more practical, and cheaper to deal with paint and thinner by the drop than by the ounce.

Everybody has their favorite techniques. For body color and special hues, I agree that the cup is king. But for smaller components, I like having black and silver pre-mixed, pre-thinned and ready to go in small Floquil bottles. I just shake the bottle, attach the siphon cap and spray away. Each to his own.

Didy