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Ok i finally got the airbrush to my apartment and would like to give it a whirl this weekend or monday when im free. But my problem is i dont know how much of what to mix.
im going to use floquill primer as my starting point. The glass jars that you use on the airbrush are what 1 oz bottles? How much primer should I use and how much thinner (whatever i end up using). Im going to use those model master suction pipetts. Can someone give me a ballpark figure on what ration i should use?
You can skip the glaze and go 70 paint, 30 thinner, just pour it straight into the mixing jar in that ratio by eye is close enough. Plus or minus a percent will make no difference, the thinner it is the easier it will spray, it will just require more coats. Too thin would be bad.
I personally use Polly Scale in a 60/40 or 70/30 Paint to 70% isopropyl alcohol with good results. Acrylics will dry faster on the tip of the airbrush which can be a pain but the low odor is worth the trade off for me. I spray Polly Scale at 15-25 PSI depending on application and detail required.
If you are using Floquil, then fill that glass bottle 3/4 of the way, and then the rest with thinner. I've been using Floquil for the past 20+ yrs and prefer it over many others I have tried. You can spray it straight if you want but I would thin it a bit. You will find after some experience, that all the formulas in the world don't mean squat.... it's what works for you in each situation. I use about 20 psi, sometimes around 15 psi if you thin the paint more. If you spray 100% paint, then use about 30 psi. I'm telling you now, be patient, go slow, use a few thin coats instead of 1 thick coat. Practice on a scrap piece just to get the feel at the start and you're off and running. Don't be a scared lol An airbrush can be your best friend.
I usually mix up about a teaspoon at a time in the cup on my Paasche airbrush. It is enough for an HO locomotive. I usually spray Floquil or testors, it all seems to be made by RPM.
I recently tried acrylics again after giving it up about 10 years ago. It was just as I remembered, basically a pain compared to laquers or enamels. I thinned it with water, like the bottle said, but you say isopropyl alcohol will work? Is that like thinning Floquil with laquer thinner (what I usually use)? The mantra I was taught is, if it isn't spraying well, add more thinner (with laquer anyway). I have painted things that range in size from the 16ft square 3d model of Yellowstone at the Canyon Visitor Center to tiny model train parts but can always learn more.
Also, since you are going to be using solvent paint, you either need a paint booth or you should be spraying outside. In either case you should also be using a good quality indistrial respirator. Solvent paint fumes are deadly over the long term and more exposure over time greatly increases your chance of developing a really bad form of leukemia in about 20 years. It's very insidious, since you have no symptoms until they catch it in a blood test, and it's too late by then.
thanks guys for the tips and such. I ended up going to my favorite store to pick up some DW stuff. I ended up asking which to go with Polly or Flo. Neither guy had a preference. The Flo needed thinner and he said a higher psi to use. The polly could be thinned a bit and sprayed right on the model without primer. So I ended getting a jar of PRR brunswick green from Polly Scale since I can just use rubbing alcohol instead of thinner.
Does the polly scale have alot of fumes?
i think the polly-s smells kinda sweet
i'm not a big fan of water based paint. only because i lack the needed
time with it. floquil is my poison!!! I LOVE this stuff, colors that POP!!
how smoooooth you can spray it on. and it has a fast flash time
good for one or two coats in a day
Polly S is water based so there's almost no fumes although you should still wear a respirator, since the overspray isn't good for your lungs. Forget the idea that Polly S doesn't need primer though. If anything, acylic paints need primer more than solvent based paint. Acylic paint by itself has very little "tooth", and primer gives it a good surface to mate with.
I've gotten pretty comfortable with Pollyscale. I've used both distilled water and Testors Universal Acryl thinner with good results, usually in about a 60/40 to 70/30 ratio. 15-20 PSI. As others have mentioned the water based paints can dry up on the tip quickly. If you're going to stop in the middle of your painting session it's best to shoot some distilled water or thinner through the brush and clean the tip.
And once you're done be sure to clean the airbrush right away. I use a water/ammonia mixture that seems to do a good job of cleaning up the works.
Good luck, and have fun!
