Airbrushing/Solvents questions.....

Ok, I've been using an airbrush for about 3months now and I feel like I'm not as skilled with it as I would want to be, so help me please. 1st, I'm not using an Iwata or Paasche airbrush, I'm using a $50 eBay one. It seems decent to me but then again, I've never even held one of the good ones. I mention my airbrush cause I think it might have an effect on the finish so...

I only use Tamiya paints (X-??, XF-??, TS-??). I do know the paint has to be thinned. I looked online for thinners and I'm not paying $7 for a tiny-ass jar of solvent, so I went to the local auto parts store and bought a big can of 'Paint Thinner' (it says it works on most oil-based paints).. I tested it out and it was like shit, water was better (duh, I use water based paints) so I never used that again, not even for cleaning things.

Went back and got myself a big can of Acetone from Duplicolor. It's the same thing used by girls for their nails but the big can cost just about the same as a tiny 'nail polish remover' so.. The thing worked well (I think). I've been using it since then and I'd say it's working for me.

I also read a while back that alcohol may be used also with Tamiya acrylics. Not sure as I have alcohol but havent tried using it as a thinner. So what do you guys think about alcohol versus acetone as a solvent for Tamiya acrylics? which is best?

Also another question I have (which will be harder to answer, I think) is how much solvent to use? Is there a general rule, like a ratio of paint to solvent, I should follow? I've been airbrushing for 3months so I'm getting familiar with the amount of mixtures I do. but is the a 'rule of thumb'? Sometimes I feel like the paint has dried before it reached the surface of the part I'm painting (I think this is due to too much solvent but im not sure).


Well that's that for now. Please answer my questions and give me any suggestions you guys think I'll benefit from. thanks in advance.

Acetone is one of the most volatile solvents available to the public and is a poor choice for airbrush use. It often evaporates out in midair leaving clumps on the painted surface. This can be good if your going for a rusted texture or fuzzy fabric but I get the feeling thats not what your after.

For thinning TS colors I only use lacquer thinner and thin the decanted paint down to a milk viscosity as a general rule.

For X and XF colors I use X-20A which is a $$ ripoff considering its just water and alcohol but I so seldom use acrylics the stuff lasts forever. Maybe someone else has the "secret formula" for X-20 acrylic thinner and will chime in.

Thanks Cruncher. Milk viscosity seems to make sence, I'll try it out next time. As for acetone, yeah, it evaporates very quick. Everything you said about it's use in an airbrush is true as I've experienced those results while testing.

I'm starting to think that alcohol (unsure of what concentration, but I would assume the highest would be the best) would be my best choice for a solvent but I love acetone to clean things up. Thing works like wonders when it comes to cleaning.

I like using the automotive lacquer thinner from Crown. Pretty cheap stuff. There is no standard to thinning but some paints need to be thinned alot like Mr. Color paints. It should have the consistency of milk, thats the rule of thumb. Enough to thin the paint, but not too much to make the pigment too transparent.

This is like deciding that motor oil is just too expensive, but then complaining that your car doesn't work when you filled the engine with corn oil. :disappoin

Pay the $7 for the 'tiny-ass bottle' of thinner. Just do it.

It is really rather important to use compatible reducer/thinner for the paint you are using. Your results will always be better (and they will come easier) then they will when you cheap out.

Using the right stuff is not that expensive. I easily get a year or two out of a bottle of Tamiya lacquer thinner, and longer out of a bottle of their acrylic thinner.

Don't use the matched thinner for cleanup (use the cheap stuff for that). But use the proper matched thinner for thinning paint. It doesn't take much.

It will make your day when the paint you're using is finally working exactly as it is supposed to- trust me. Some things are worth paying a few bones for.

You are going to have the same trouble with alcohol as you did with acetone- it will evaporate too quickly from the spray stream. And no, X20A is not just alcohol and water. There is other secret propriatary stuff in there, and it does make a difference in how the paint performs- especially with the gloss colors. Give it a try....

MPWR, thanks man. I feel you. I know good tools cost a bit more but aslo provide for better quality. The $7 thing is just me complaining about the quantity of product that comes. The acetone cost a bit more but it was for 32oz versus the little-ass-jar.

You see, I 1st started building at 10y/o, built for 2-3 years and stopped. At that age other things got my attention. Now, I'm home more often, I'm older, more patient (before it was about building them quick so I can play with them, and now I look back... man I had so many rare models), I dont have to rely on mom n dad to buy my shit, and I feel like I'm more experienced (mostly from reading forums). Now I'm more focused on making my models 'look nice' versus 'extremely detailed' like some of you better modeler's. My focus and experience will change in time...

So reading and seeing how you guys do things. I came to realize that it's alot easier (for me) to group all parts that go the same color, prep, then paint all at once. Cars, which is what I like building, dont have many colors compared to tanks, figures, and such... So for me this technique works. But unfortunately I havent stuck to it 100% so there are still many occasion of me going back and forth between colors in the airbrush, thus requiring more solvent, more cleaning, more wasted time. If I stuck to my plan then I guess I wouldnt use as much thinner and thus it wouldnt cost me as much to only use Tamiyas solvent.. But yeah, you make sence about the composition and such. I'll give it a try in the next two weeks and I'll post here my results.