enamels or acrylics??????

Yes. There are those who swear by acrylics, but I have never been able to get the hang of airbrushing them. I will stick with enamels.

-- Chuck Ryan snipped-for-privacy@REMOVEearthlink.net Springfield OH

What type of brush are you using and at what pressure are you spraying? Sounds like you may need to thin the paint slightly and maybe use a flow enhancer like Acrylic Flow Medium available at art stores .You could also try using Windex , the flow medium I use reaks of ammonia , which I supect is just a form of household ammonia with some thing else mixed into it ,maybe water and isopropynol alcohol ,which is what windex is .Don't worry about the blue colouring in the Windex it won't change the colour of your paint. I use both types of paint .I have a number of different brands Revell , Floquil ,Humbrol ,Tamiya and Modelmaster ,in Acrylic and enamel . For enamels I use turpentine or lacquer thinner ,and acrylics I use rubbing alcohol for clean up and thinning.

I was at my local Toyworld yesterday and the guy who looks after the hobby side of things says he wants to get rid of all the Modelmaster enamel paints ,so I offered to buy the whole lot including the display rack . The rack is 3/4 full and there is also a large box of extras as well , I'm waiting for him to get back to with a price. He wants to switch to Humbrol Acrylics , due to some local hobbyists' request.

Ehh??? Were the local guys dropped on their head when they were kids? I recall trying Humbrol acrylics about 10 years (?) ago - they were fairly ordinary, to say the least. Unless the formula's been changed, your local Toyworld could end up with a pile of unused Humbrol acrylics... Humbrols enamels, now that's a different thing!

RobG

I do not have the problems with enamel drying in my airbrush that I do with acrylics. However, MOST enamels must be thinned somewhat. There are a few that perport to be pre-thinned, but the ones I use definitely need thinning. I mostly use Testors enamels, either the Model Master or the regular enamels.

I use Testors airbrush thinner for thinning. I buy it in the half-pint cans, and since I use it only for thinning, this is not too great a cost. I clean the brush, bottles, etc. with regular paint thinner or turpentine.

Because of the quick drying problem I no longer use any acrylics in my airbrush.

try using "airbrush medium", those "thinners" are fine but enhance the tip dry problem, airbrush medium will restore the sprayability and flow

I will give the Windex a chance today and see what happens. If that doesn't work I will look at a medium designed for improving sprayability.

Regarding enamels, is there a group of enamels that I can buy in a general hardware store to try? I live in a small town and all I have here is a Wal-Mart and a Sherwin Williams, nothing else. I was looking around today at paints and there are so many different types, it's mind bogling! The enamels you guys are using are they "acrylic enamels"? There are acrylic latex's too...oh and acrylic lacquers.....very confusing!

Thanks for the help!

RM

I use PollyScale and Model Master acrylics exclusively. I used to have trouble airbrushing, until I read a tip here on RMS:

Windshield washer fluid.

I now use that to thin the acrylics for airbrushing, and have great results. Unlike water, the WW fluid has a little bit of detergent or something that breaks up the surface tension. The weak blue dye in the liquid has no impact at all on the color - even when aiurbrushing white.

I'm using an Iwata airbrush, and usually spray at 12-15 psi.

I used to dislike airbrushing- 'cuz i got such uneven results. Since switching from distilled water to WW fluid, I now get good results every time.

I'm curious as to how thin you are making the paint RC....if you have the paint in your jar can you get the paint to swirl like milk or is still too thick to move much?

I tried the windex last night and did help but I am thinking I need to thin it a bit further yet...will try again this eve. :D

Thanks for the help.

RM

When I have troubles finding a proper paint thinning with a new brand, I try first with the "wrong" ratio on a scrap model. Instead of thinning the paint, I start with thinner and then add paint until it flows well: it's easier to see when the paint is too thin because it runs and/or doesn't cover well.

Anyway, I work mainly with Gunze acrylics and a good ratio is around

Always test with plastic (paper or cardboard don't give reliable results).

My 0.02

As a rule of thumb, I thin about 30%, but it also depends on how thick the paint was to start. I go for the fabled "milk consistency"- definitely thin enough to swirl around.