Lots of questions

[ping-pong]

Hello,

I have a Badger 200-3, it is a syphon airbrush i think. I know next to nothing about airbrushes and the way they work. It will be my first attempt at doing it to.

I have revell aqua thinner and cleaner and i would love to know the ratio of paint to thinner.

I am a bit nervous to just try and need just a little guidance.

Thanks for any help.

Si

 

[Ian M]

I will try to give you a 30 second guide to airbrush and paint:

Regarding the amount of thinner to use is an open variable. Its a question of balance between air pressure, the size of the spray nozzle and the thickness of the paint. All three play a role. Change any one and the results will also change.

As a general rule you want a paint that is about the same thickness as good old milk. (The good stuff, If you are in England - (you might want to up-date your profile Mr.Pong....) I believe its silver top, the one that tastes of milk!!!!) It is also preferable, by most, to have a fairly low air pressure as this will give you better control of the paint coming out of the nozzle.

The actual nozzle is more or less a fixed point, so we will not worry about that at the moment.

Mix the thinner to the paint in a clear plastic pot or small jar. Try to get it so the colour runs off the sides but leaves a residue, just like milk on a glass....Others will say that you should just be able to see the fingers holding the jar when you swirl the paint around.

Having got the paint thinned, its then a simple trial and error with the air pressure. If no paint comes out, turn up the air. If the paint splatters and runs every where, turn the air down.

Thats it in a nut shell. The rest is trial and error and loads of practice. Find some plastic packaging to train on and things will soon be looking fine.

Ian M

 

[stona]

That's a very broad question and Ian has had a pretty good swing at answering it for you. I'd ask a couple of questions which will help others to help you.

Firstly what is your air source?

Secondly which paints are you using? You mention the Revell thinner,if you are using that line of paints I have to say I've not seen much good said about them.

Good luck and don't worry about asking questions here.

Cheers

Steve

 

[andygh]

Steve, to be fair about Revell aqua color they are very good for brushing in my experience, very very gloopy for the AB I would have thought though

 

[ping-pong]

Thanks for all the help on this. ive just had a look and the compressor is a ripmax mini compressor.

i tried to thin the paints down but one of the problems i found was i couldn't get detail.

i sprayed the body and the coverage was great. then i tried to do some camo on View attachment 31365 the 1:32 M151A2 jeep.

It felt that the pressure was too high and came out in a splat. (had to re-spray) is the compressor for this kind of airbrushing and also whta paint do you recommend.

View attachment 36415

 

[Ian M]

Well as you have hinted on your self, if its splattering the air might be to high. I am not familiar with the compressor you have but if is is with a tank and regulator it should be fine.

Mix the paint as you did for the base colour of the jeep, which looks like it has sprayed well, the use a practice piece and try to adjust the air down so that the paint comes out the nozzle clean and even.

I believe that the airbrush you have has a fine control adjuster at the rear of the handle, by screwing that in you will restrict the needle from being drawn right back and letting to much paint through the spray nozzle.

I have found that an air brush is a very personal thing. You just need to play with it to learn how she works best. As I mentioned before its all a question of balance. You need to play around and find which way works best for you.

There are those that like to have the paint a bit thicker and use more air to blow it out and there are those that thin the paint right out and turn the air right down. The only real difference is that the thick paint version covers better/quicker but can also go pear shaped quickly. The thin paint and low air just means that you take longer to build up the coverage, but have much more control. This is good for detail work and freehand camo.

Try and have a read of this; Modelskibet.dk - specialisten i modelskibe It explains the most common problems with airbrushing and also has a few "lessons" in there too. Dont worry about it being for an Antem, the princibles are the same, its just that its the only one I can find in English at the moment!"

Ian M

 

[ping-pong]

Thanks for your time and help on this.

One last question.... what paint make would you recommend.

 

[andygh]

Try Vallejo model air to start with, it's pre-thinned for airbrushing so no need to mess about

Others that are good but may need thinning are Tamiya, Gunze Aqueous, Lifecolor and Xtracrylix

 

[ping-pong]

Try Vallejo model air to start with, it's pre-thinned for airbrushing so no need to mess aboutOthers that are good but may need thinning are Tamiya, Gunze Aqueous, Lifecolor and Xtracrylix

Thank you. ill definitely give them a go.

Si

 

[stona]

Tamiya and Lifecolor spray well from Andy's list. I've never used the Gunze stuff so can't can't comment. I use Xtracrylix as my default acrylic paint but I wouldn't recommend it for a starter as it is quite tricky to master. The Vallejo paints mentioned spray okay too,though I've only rarely used them. I highly recommend the Vallejo satin and matt varnishes.

If your compressor is the one I looked at online then it should be absolutely fine for your airbrush. It is difficult to be specific but try to get your paint flowing nicely at about 15-20 psi. I'd be surprised if you had to go much higher than that.As Ian said,have a play with your paints and set up. You'll have a few "malfunctions" but don't be put off,you will be able to crack it. You can always get more help and advice here.

Cheers

Steve

 

[tecdes]

Morning Si. Have a go at this - Tutorail videos.

As has been said it depends all on the way you like, as I have found in my short experience, to work.

But this gives a good in sight into the subject. Main thing is practice & not just five minutes. After 6 months at it I often have a practice for 20 mins using different amounts of thinners & also air pressure. Phil Flory recommends a higher pressure than most would agree which just shows how in the end it is up to us as individuals.

Laurie

 

[ping-pong]

Thank you Steve and Laurie. Definitely going to keep going. nearly finished my second . ive posted some pics on the general automobile thread.

Thanks again

Si

 

[andygh]

Gunze is now my favourite for spraying, it gives a lovely fine smooth matt finish, the downside is that it's all that easy to get hold of and it's quite expensive, I do love it though

 

[ping-pong]

Hi Andy where do you get your paint from?

 

[andygh]

Here normally

Paint on ModelDesignConstruction - Model Design Construction (MDC)'s range of Paint from Mr Hobby. We can supply these for customers in UK, Ireland and Scandinavia ONLY. Overviews of the colour charts can be viewed by clicking here... Or you can down

If you want ModelAir John sells it from the site shop

 

[GazB]

Hi Ping-pong,

I only started airbrushing recently too and I use modelair.

The thing I liked when I started was it is it took away one of the possible "what am I doing wrongs" if things don't go so well, at least you know it's not a thinning problem!

I bought mine from the site shop, not only was it cheaper than anywhere but the speed of delivery was brilliant too.

 

[andygh]

The thing I liked when I started was it is it took away one of the possible "what am I doing wrongs" if things don't go so well, at least you know it's not a thinning problem!

Yep, that's exactly why I started off with it, it gives you a perfect indication of what your consistency should be like

 

[ping-pong]

Thank you thank you thank you. this site is full of so many nice and helpful people. makes me feel warm and mushy inside. lol.:eek:

 

[ping-pong]

Hi again.

Another question. going to order some modelair paints from the shop tomorrow.

Which colours should i always have (i know each model needs different colours) but are there any that are worth having because they are used the most.

Primary colours.

Thanks again.

Si

 

[Gern]

Hi Ping. It doesn't matter how many colours you have, sooner or later you'll buy a kit which needs something you haven't got! The beauty of this of course is that you buy a tin/jar for one kit and it's there in your stock for the next kit of the same type. The basic range of colours you're looking for will depend on what you do. You could do German WWII 'planes with a combination of RLM colours for example, but for modern US 'planes you would need a selection of light/medium greys.

I could start a basic list:

Black and White in both gloss and matt, a brown for wood, iron/silver for steel parts such as pick/shovel blades and pistons, very dark grey for tyres, red and yellow for lights/switches/dials etc. a rust red and brown/sand for ground colours and general dirt. Doubtless the other guys here will be able to add to this.

Gern