Airbrush acrylic paint

[HoHoHo]

Morning all

Just bought an airbrush kit and now need paint.

I'm thinking along the lines of a Vallejo pack (pre-mixed) but I'm not sure if that's the best route to go down.

I know it's anbit extravagant however there's a kit on Amazon (or eBay) with around 72 pots of basic colours for £166 delivered. As mentioned I understand it's a few quid but if they last then I'm happy shelling out now. I'll also buy some thinkers and cleaner at the same time of course!

Thoughts and advice appreciated.

[dr_gn]

I mainly use Tamiya and Vallejo. You can get Vallejo Air specifically for airbrushing, but it sometimes still needs thinning a bit. Vallejo model colour is more versatile because it's OK for brush painting too if you think you'll need it. Obviously it needs thinning more than the Air stuff.

[HoHoHo]

dr_gn said:

I mainly use Tamiya and Vallejo. You can get Vallejo Air specifically for airbrushing, but it sometimes still needs thinning a bit. Vallejo model colour is more versatile because it's OK for brush painting too if you think you'll need it. Obviously it needs thinning more than the Air stuff.

Thanks

Is the premixed a good way to go or go Tamiya and mix?

[rich1231]

HoHoHo said:

Morning all

Just bought an airbrush kit and now need paint.

I'm thinking along the lines of a Vallejo pack (pre-mixed) but I'm not sure if that's the best route to go down.

I know it's anbit extravagant however there's a kit on Amazon (or eBay) with around 72 pots of basic colours for £166 delivered. As mentioned I understand it's a few quid but if they last then I'm happy shelling out now. I'll also buy some thinkers and cleaner at the same time of course!

Thoughts and advice appreciated.

What will you be painting?

[HoHoHo]

rich1231 said:

HoHoHo said:

Morning all

Just bought an airbrush kit and now need paint.

I'm thinking along the lines of a Vallejo pack (pre-mixed) but I'm not sure if that's the best route to go down.

I know it's anbit extravagant however there's a kit on Amazon (or eBay) with around 72 pots of basic colours for £166 delivered. As mentioned I understand it's a few quid but if they last then I'm happy shelling out now. I'll also buy some thinkers and cleaner at the same time of course!

Thoughts and advice appreciated.

What will you be painting?

Aircraft and car models, no nails or bodied

[dr_gn]

HoHoHo said:

dr_gn said:

I mainly use Tamiya and Vallejo. You can get Vallejo Air specifically for airbrushing, but it sometimes still needs thinning a bit. Vallejo model colour is more versatile because it's OK for brush painting too if you think you'll need it. Obviously it needs thinning more than the Air stuff.

Thanks

Is the premixed a good way to go or go Tamiya and mix?

Doesnt make much difference because they all still need thinning to some degree. I'd go for Vallejo model colour because it's more versatile. Having said that, I think the Vallejo Air acrylic silvers and metallics are the best out there because they appear to have a slightly finer grain than the model colour equivalents. End of the day, get a few opinions and decide what's best for you. If you know you'll never brush paint, go for the Air range or Tamiya. Tamiya seems more widely available from shops like Hobbycraft.

[HoHoHo]

dr_gn said:

Doesnt make much difference because they all still need thinning to some degree. I'd go for Vallejo model colour because it's more versatile. Having said that, I think the Vallejo Air acrylic silvers and metallics are the best out there because they appear to have a slightly finer grain than the model colour equivalents. End of the day, get a few opinions and decide what's best for you. If you know you'll never brush paint, go for the Air range or Tamiya. Tamiya seems more widely available from shops like Hobbycraft.

Does air stop require thinning even as a ready to airbrush product?

[dr_gn]

HoHoHo said:

dr_gn said:

Doesnt make much difference because they all still need thinning to some degree. I'd go for Vallejo model colour because it's more versatile. Having said that, I think the Vallejo Air acrylic silvers and metallics are the best out there because they appear to have a slightly finer grain than the model colour equivalents. End of the day, get a few opinions and decide what's best for you. If you know you'll never brush paint, go for the Air range or Tamiya. Tamiya seems more widely available from shops like Hobbycraft.

Does air stop require thinning even as a ready to airbrush product?

Still needs thinning a bit in my experience, but others may disagree. Remember that acrylics dry quickly, and can partially clog an airbrush jet after a few seconds, making fine work impossible. I've started using Vallejo retarder medium plus thinners to help eliminate this.

[SlipStream77]

dr_gn said:

I mainly use Tamiya and Vallejo. You can get Vallejo Air specifically for airbrushing, but it sometimes still needs thinning a bit. Vallejo model colour is more versatile because it's OK for brush painting too if you think you'll need it. Obviously it needs thinning more than the Air stuff.

I use Vallejo Model Air almost exclusively and can highly recommend it.

One note about Model Colour though is to check it's safe to spray. IIRC, the bottle of at least one of the shades of yellow specifically warns against spraying because it contains cadmium.

[The_Jackal]

Make sure you get some X-20a Tamiya thinners, that will make life easier if you havent sprayed before.
Also, only buy the colours you need. You wont use half those colours in that big pack (unless you just want a nice paint rack display lol).
Start of with thinning 50/50 and practice with that.
And watch some tutorials on youtube, there is a steep learning curve ahead dont expect great results straight away.
Do you have a compressor for your airbrush? If you plan on using cans you will make your life a lot more difficult.

[HoHoHo]

The_Jackal said:

Make sure you get some X-20a Tamiya thinners, that will make life easier if you havent sprayed before.
Also, only buy the colours you need. You wont use half those colours in that big pack (unless you just want a nice paint rack display lol).
Start of with thinning 50/50 and practice with that.
And watch some tutorials on youtube, there is a steep learning curve ahead dont expect great results straight away.
Do you have a compressor for your airbrush? If you plan on using cans you will make your life a lot more difficult.

I've bought some thinners and although it's ready to go paint I'll thin slightly as you all suggest, I'm probably not aware how difficult it will be to start with and have a couple of old models to practice on and I'm not expecting results that we all admire on this and other sites within the next week or two

I've also been watching loads of YouTube videos, seems to be an endless supply of 'how to do's' which will be a great help.

Yep, the kit I bought has a compressor and a two stage airbrush and depending on how I feel I have also thought of buying a small extractor kit off eBay (think you have one dr_gn?) - are they worth it? I have a games room with a table next to a window and thought that would save working in the garage at night

[dr_gn]

HoHoHo said:

The_Jackal said:

Make sure you get some X-20a Tamiya thinners, that will make life easier if you havent sprayed before.
Also, only buy the colours you need. You wont use half those colours in that big pack (unless you just want a nice paint rack display lol).
Start of with thinning 50/50 and practice with that.
And watch some tutorials on youtube, there is a steep learning curve ahead dont expect great results straight away.
Do you have a compressor for your airbrush? If you plan on using cans you will make your life a lot more difficult.

I've bought some thinners and although it's ready to go paint I'll thin slightly as you all suggest, I'm probably not aware how difficult it will be to start with and have a couple of old models to practice on and I'm not expecting results that we all admire on this and other sites within the next week or two

I've also been watching loads of YouTube videos, seems to be an endless supply of 'how to do's' which will be a great help.

Yep, the kit I bought has a compressor and a two stage airbrush and depending on how I feel I have also thought of buying a small extractor kit off eBay (think you have one dr_gn?) - are they worth it? I have a games room with a table next to a window and thought that would save working in the garage at night

Yes - I think an extractor is essential if you're spraying indoors. Shove the pipe out of a window, or somehow plumb it in. I use mine in the garage and I've just routed the pipe away from the bench. By the time the spray has gone through the main and secondary filters, there's not much that goes out of the pipe anyway. Not only does it pull the spray away from your face, it keeps the model out of a cloud of airborne particles that can sometime land on the bits you are painting...

[johnS2000]

Not wanting to be a nuisance but is there not an issue with mixing Vallejo paints with Tamiya thinners ???

[dr_gn]

johnS2000 said:

Not wanting to be a nuisance but is there not an issue with mixing Vallejo paints with Tamiya thinners ???

Yes, they are not compatible; If you mix them you sometimes get a precipitate which instantly blocks the airbrush and means a stripdown of the needle and nozzle. Vallejo Thinners for Vallejo, Tamiya X20 for Tamiya. I've used diluted Isopropyl Alchohol in the past, but its not worth the hassle - just buy the right stuff and be done with it.

[The_Jackal]

I've never had an issue with x-20a and model air.
I've used about 9 different colours with it.

[dr_gn]

The_Jackal said:

I've never had an issue with x-20a and model air.
I've used about 9 different colours with it.

Maybe it's Vallejo thinners with Tamiya then - there's certainly one combination that ends in disaster. Either way, I've stopped mixing them, it's easier to just use corresponding paints/thinners.

[Eric Mc]

I use Tamiya acrylics a lot.

I also use Xtracrylic.

I find Xtracrylic thinner works (obviously) with Xtracrylic paints but it also works well with any other acrylic paints I've used - including Tamiya.

HOWEVER, I have found that TAMIYA thinner only really works well with Tamiya paint.

[dr_gn]

dr_gn said:

johnS2000 said:

Not wanting to be a nuisance but is there not an issue with mixing Vallejo paints with Tamiya thinners ???

Yes, they are not compatible; If you mix them you sometimes get a precipitate which instantly blocks the airbrush and means a stripdown of the needle and nozzle. Vallejo Thinners for Vallejo, Tamiya X20 for Tamiya. I've used diluted Isopropyl Alchohol in the past, but its not worth the hassle - just buy the right stuff and be done with it.

Just did a quick experiment with Vallejo/Tamiya.

This is Vallejo Model Colour thinned with Tamiya X-20 on the left (reacts to give a darker tone and the aforementioned precipitate which instantly blocks the airbrush) and Vallejo Airbrush Thinner on the right - fine.



I tried the same thing, but using Vallejo Model Air paint, and it didn't seem to react. Either way I just use the correct thinners for whatever paint I'm using, and clean the airbrush with aerosol airbrush cleaner if I'm changing between paint makes or types. It's just not worth the risk IMO.

[Eric Mc]

Which airbrush cleaner do you use? My favourite is the Spraycraft brand - which used to be sold as a Badger product.

I find it very effective.

[a boardman]

which airbrush kit did you buy.