paint mixing tips please
 

hi started painting my KT using revel water based paints, i seem to get the spray gun spitting and after applying the first coat (sandy yellow) i tried to put green on put it just looks terrible. how the hell do you mix the paint????? someone said 50/50....am i making it to watery? it just doesn't spray fine, its a brand new spray gun and a fresh tin of compressed air..

cheers

and Merry Christmas to everyone

Kev

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

Kev - I would suggest looking into the Revel brand thinner. Thinning paint with water is fine for some things but when airbrushing you really need the brands thinner. I am not familar with that paint but many times I will use a 91% alcohol as a thinner and it works great.

Also try turning down the pressure on your paintbrush.

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

Most arcylic paints thin well with water. Th trick is to lower the surface tension of the water. How do you do that???? Add a drop or two of dish detergent, and I would cut the mix rate back to about 30% water, and give that a try.

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

Hi thin it out so it has a consistancy of milk and you should be fine.

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

As to spitting make sure your airbrush stays CLEAN. OR the needle is just ever so slightly to close to the nozzle end. Adjust the needle back until it the spitting stops. I stick my air brush into a big bucket of either fresh water or thinner (depending on paint selected) to blow it out and get everything super clean.

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

I agree with pcomm1 on this. I always have an ice cream pail full of warm soapy water. As soon as I am done painting one color I immerse the whole brush in the warm water with just the siphon tube on the brush. Press the trigger and just let the warm water cycle through the press for 20 seconds, and then switch to the next color.

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

thanks for the tips, but the paint is water based, the guy at the model shop said to just use water to thin i out, i think i must be making it to watery......but i will use all of your advice to try to get it to work right....

thanks

merry christmas

Kev

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

Acrylic/water based same thing. Use a drop or two of dish detergent. Trust me it makes a world of difference. Cut the surface tension of the water and you will find the paint sprays much better, and you will be able to mix your paint "thicker" and still be able to spray it OK.

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

:Dbetter yet run windex cleaner through it.

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

To clean the airbrush this is true, but I don't think you want to mix Windex with the paint.

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

do i mix the dish washing liquid with the water that i thin out the paint with or add it straight to the paint?

cheers

Kev

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

I usually mx in the water to the paint and then add a drop of the dish detergent. Remember try mixing thicker then you have been. 25-30% water.

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

Kev, you really need to practice on an old model or at the very least some cardboard. Differences in equipment and paint require different mixtures/setups.

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

Use distiled water as normal water sometimes wont make the paint flow and cover good due to cloriene and other minerails in it... also you can use windex just spray a few sprays of the next color paint through the brush before hitting your model.

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

Ive given up lads!!!!!

made a right damm mess of things, spray gun has gone in the bin!!!!!
no matter what i tried, couldn't get it to spray right. Wasted a full tin of propellant, 4 pots of paint....what a waste of time. Hopping mad now GRRRRRR!!!

Ive found some tamiya spray paints on the web, can anyone tell me if these paints are the same colour?

TS-1 Red Brown - 85001 = XF-64 Red brown?
TS-2 Dark Green - 85002 = XF-61 Dark Green?
TS-3 Dark Yellow - 85003 = XF-60 Dark Yellow?

if these are the same colours, i can use spray cans ok, they are already mixed!!!!

either that or someone around the Sheffield area can paint if for me? i will pay no worries......Ive spent some time and money on making the KT work, i just want it to look good painted.

cheers

Kev

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

Yes mate those are the right colours , I usually paint with dark yellow using the cans of tamiya spray paint even tho I have an airbrush. It's easier to paint large areas that way.Then I go to an airbrush to do green and brown. UUHH ! how to say this - you let temper and frustration beat you with your air brush. If theres still time , retrieve it !! If you were using tamiya paint , the best to thin it with is metholatyed spirits. I know u were told water but its not as good for thinning that paint. the best of course would be tamiya thinner. You had two problems to deal with paint thinning and air pressure. if the paint was splattering I would try changing the air pressure down. Low air pressure with well thinned paint will give you fine lines , higher air pressure is for large area work. failing everything - use masks top paint the green 'brown on top of dark yellow. Thin cardboard cut with a sharp hobby knife and held off the tank by small balls of blue tac underneath the cardboard- gives a sharp but feathered edge. Practice is everything. look up youtube you will find video how to's on anything there!!!! good luck mate !!

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

hiya, it was revel water based paint i was using. I just dont have any idea on how to spray paint. The finish on the tank now is a little messy, ive wiped the tank down with a damp cloth which has lifted off most of the paint, but its still messy. Having said that, i suppose i could use that to my advantage???? well used look? i will go and get some tamiya paint tomorrow and some tamiya thinners. I will try one more time with the spray gun and lower the pressure. trouble is the cans of propellant are very expensive here in the UK nearly £10 for a tin of air!!!!!

thanks for the tips. I may if possible spray it again with the yellow, then hand paint the green and brown......

Kev

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

Get some windex, spray it on the tank and wipe it off. That'll remove acrylics.

I never used an airbrush before either. I'm a dunce and half and I conquered it! Found the Polly Scale paints easier to work with then anything else, including Tamiya. Besides that, it doesn't smell and stink up the house! You never said what kind of equipment you were using. Tell us and we'll tell you how to do it right.

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

madbadger...Hi,
Just to throw my 5 cents into the ring. If you are new to spray painting then practise on a material that isn't important. Like Swathy, said try cardboard or something similar and use a paint that is formulated the same way as Tamiya paints. In other words use a paint with an alchohol based thinner. It dries far quicker and should be easier to use whilst you improve your paint spraying skills.
Retrieve your spray gun from the bin. Give it a good clean and use Isopropyl Alchohol as a thinner to begin with ( read Tamiya thinner from model shops as a good starting point ) using a mixing ratio of 75% paint from the bottle/tub and 25% thinner.
Always use many light coats of paint instead of trying to cover the model in one coat.....Remember 3 or 4 light coats to build even colour depth is far better than 1 coat full of runs and paint splatter.
I'm not sure on the use of water thinned paints having used predominantly Tamiya paints. I have used Modelzone paints briefly in the recent past and used water to thin them with. It does take longer to dry using these but applied carefully I have got good results.
If the finish you have applied is that unacceptable then try to remove it carefully and start again.
Paint spraying is an aquired art that is very satisfying when you begin to master it.
Don't give up, try again and if you need any more help just pm me.

All the best,

Nick

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

I'm using a canister propelled spray gun, i did use tamiya paints to start with, but ran out, the shop is 20 miles away so i went to the nearest one to me (in my home town) but the guy doesn't stock tamiya paints only Revel which are water based and you have to thin them with water if you want to use them in a spray gun. I must admit it did spray better with the tamiya paints but both kinds of paint were spitting out of the spray gun, i don't know what causes it to spit....paint to thick? to thin? wrong pressure (how do i change spray pressure with a can of propellant) there is a screw valve on top of the adapter, is it this that regulates pressure? how much thinners do i put in the tamiya paint, one bottle of paint to %? thinners.

what is Windex? we don't have it here in the UK, so whats in it? i have just been rubbing some of the paint off with white spirit which has left a smooth finish. I have some 1600 wet and dry rubbing paper which i will rub any blobs down with.

i don't know what else to tell you. Only if i shake the air canister, the pressure goes up!!

Kev

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

Ok Kev.
you can still use water base Revel paints. I think Revel are made in France as are Modelzone (possibly). If thats the case then it's a slightly different spray technique. As I said water based paint take longer to dry than alchol based paints and can run and splatter more easily. Use very light coats leaving the paint to "tack" dry between coats. You can use a hairdryer to speed up drying, but be careful only use enough heat to dry the paint and not so much as to begin to melt the plastic.
Air cans freeze and lose pressure after a few seconds. The reason is Adiabatic. Other than applying a heat source to your propellant can (which I don't recommend) your best bet is to buy a suitable air compressor.

Nick.

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

Kev, windex is a glass cleaner here in the US. Not sure what it's called on your side. What was the airbrush? Name and part number would greatly aid us in helping you.

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

the airbursh just says Badger on it!! it cost me around £15 when i bought it, i have had it some years but never used it until now. The air is blown over the paint tube which is at 90 degree angle to the air jet.....whether this helps you i don't know.

badger is actually my nick name....LOL

Kev

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

Badger , sounds like you are lacking control over your air pressure, that would mean even if you get the right paint thinning sorted you will still get splatters due to highish air pressure. Maybe experiment with the screw in the can lid, tho i think what your missing is an air pressure regulater (auto shops} At 15psi you should not have splatters caused by air pressure. Also ( sorry to burden you) straining the paint thru a stocking will remove lumps helps! Gets me in trouble if I grab the nearest ones ( missus)

RE: paint mixing tips please
 

Spitting is caused by either a dirty nozzle, or the paint being too thick. If your nozzle is clean, then you need to thin your paints more, in order to "atomize" the paint.

I don't know the ration I use on my Tamiya paints. I usually just open up a new jar, and fill it to the top with alcohol. Then mix well.

I'm guessing part of the problem is your air propellant. Those cans are nearly useless, because you cannot regulate and have no way of knowing what PSI you're working with. Plus they do not have a moisture trap. That is probably causing some of the spitting problem as well.

If I were you, I'd put your King Tiger away until you can buy a small decent air compressor, and a double-action airbrush. Well worth the money, considering the time and money you already put into your tank.