airbrushing tips plz

[derka-derka]

i bought a tamiya spray works airbrush and tried it out with enamel..im still pretty newbie to painting...i white primered and painted my r33 purple...ive thinned my paint down realli much....somewhat like 1 paint : 2 thinner....and ive still noticed minimal orange peel aswell as small dust attracted while painting in progress....i always put my car body into a closed shoe box after done painitng the coats i need....but dust just gets there during spraying...
ive sanded with 1200 to remove orange peel and respray...but the peel is still there though its not realli severe

[Adam Baker]

You have your thinning backwards.

W/ gloss enamels, you wont up to 3:2 or 1:1, paint to thinner. Can take some playing to get it right, but you dont ever want more than half thinner. You want more paint than thinner.

When painting flat colors, you want about 3:1 paint to thinner.

When you get closer to 3:1 thinner to paint, thats when you start getting toward whats required for detail washes to bring out details & such. Thinning the paint that much means it wont cover well at all.

[derka-derka]

thnx for advice...ill find some old plastic and muck around with my painting first b4 i start my FXX....

[stevenoble]

The problem with using enamels is they are difficult to polish,so any defects that you get are hard to remove.Being as though you have an airbrush you might want to consider a different type of paint,decanted Tamiya TS lacquers for instance or basecoat paints from Hiroboy.com,which will be easier to paint with than enamels.

[derka-derka]

well i live in australia and the onli paint i can get is tamiya acrylics or enamels or TS spray cans...ive read a few posts and some say enamel are decent for polish where as some say they suck....some say acrylic is better for polish and spraying and some vice versa...so im a bit confused

[stevenoble]

Originally Posted by derka-derka

well i live in australia and the onli paint i can get is tamiya acrylics or enamels or TS spray cans...ive read a few posts and some say enamel are decent for polish where as some say they suck....some say acrylic is better for polish and spraying and some vice versa...so im a bit confused

I use the Tamiya acrylics and enamels as well.Usually airbrushed and for all the non body parts of a model,they are great for this.The Tamiya TS sprays are very good for using to paint body parts and even better if you decant the paint from the aerosol and use it through your airbrush.You will find you have a lot more control over the paint application when airbrushing it.
To decant the paint you can use an old bottle or jar.Cover the top with masking tape and make a very small hole in the masking tape.Insert a drinking straw through the hole and into the jar then simply spray the paint down the straw and it will collect in the jar.Allow the paint some time for the gases to escape and it will be ready for use.You may need to add a little thinner (Tamiya lacquer thinner is ideal) You will find that the TS sprays beautifully from your airbrush.
Alternatively you can also use the Zero basecoats available from the Hiroboy website in the UK.These are automotive style basecoat paints and dry to a matt/satin finish so require a clearcoat.They really are excellent both for coverage and quick drying times.They are very tough,can be handled and polished to perfection and there is such a vast range of colours already available or you can have almost any colour you desire matched and mixed,so the choice is endless.I've recently switched over to using these for most off my body painting and I think they are the best paints around at the minute,they are so easy to use,for beginners or more experienced modelers and when used correctly they are very economical, I find I can paint 2 or 3 1/24th car bodies from one bottle.

[klutz_100]

Originally Posted by stevenoble

I use the Tamiya acrylics and enamels as well.Usually airbrushed and for all the non body parts of a model,they are great for this.The Tamiya TS sprays are very good for using to paint body parts and even better if you decant the paint from the aerosol and use it through your airbrush.You will find you have a lot more control over the paint application when airbrushing it.
To decant the paint you can use an old bottle or jar.Cover the top with masking tape and make a very small hole in the masking tape.Insert a drinking straw through the hole and into the jar then simply spray the paint down the straw and it will collect in the jar.Allow the paint some time for the gases to escape and it will be ready for use.You may need to add a little thinner (Tamiya lacquer thinner is ideal) You will find that the TS sprays beautifully from your airbrush.
Alternatively you can also use the Zero basecoats available from the Hiroboy website in the UK.These are automotive style basecoat paints and dry to a matt/satin finish so require a clearcoat.They really are excellent both for coverage and quick drying times.They are very tough,can be handled and polished to perfection and there is such a vast range of colours already available or you can have almost any colour you desire matched and mixed,so the choice is endless.I've recently switched over to using these for most off my body painting and I think they are the best paints around at the minute,they are so easy to use,for beginners or more experienced modelers and when used correctly they are very economical, I find I can paint 2 or 3 1/24th car bodies from one bottle.

Very good advice - listen to the man

[Didymus]

Originally Posted by stevenoble

Alternatively you can also use the Zero basecoats available from the Hiroboy website in the UK.These are automotive style basecoat paints and dry to a matt/satin finish so require a clearcoat.They really are excellent both for coverage and quick drying times.They are very tough,can be handled and polished to perfection and there is such a vast range of colours already available or you can have almost any colour you desire matched and mixed,so the choice is endless.

In every respect, the Zero basecoats sound like the Dupont Chromabase touch-up paints I get from my automotive paint dealer. The Chromabase must be reduced 1:1.

Wonder if it's the same - or very similar - stuff?

Ddms