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Ok, the people talking about having Hard Water, can you elaborate on this. I get it that minerals are in the water, but what does it matter, i would think its so minimal? I use tap (hard water) in my rinse cup and normally a drop (with flow improver) in the airbrush.

I also just gave up and used bulk cheap china brushes that i buy in like packs of 50. Im wondering if getting a water softner would help this?

It doesn't matter. Least not in the UK. All the places I've lived have had moderate to very hard water. It's seems like something people mistakenly blame for when their painting doesn't go right, and has them out buying distilled water or mediums instead.

Hard water has a tendency (at least with clothing) to yellow over time. The high amounts of iron in hard water (hence the nickname for it) can cause issues.

I have hard water and maybe it won't ever cause issue but I just buy a gallon jug of distilled water from the store. $2 for the initial jug and like 80 cents for a refill for as long as I own the jug. A gallon of water for thinning paints and soaking a wet palette will last nearly a year.

Again, compared to the actual cost of models not that large of an expense.

jivardi wrote:
Hard water has a tendency (at least with clothing) to yellow over time. The high amounts of iron in hard water (hence the nickname for it) can cause issues.

I have hard water and maybe it won't ever cause issue but I just buy a gallon jug of distilled water from the store. $2 for the initial jug and like 80 cents for a refill for as long as I own the jug. A gallon of water for thinning paints and soaking a wet palette will last nearly a year.

Again, compared to the actual cost of models not that large of an expense.

Hmmm. I have noticed some yellowing on some of my bone colored models. Also heard it might be the Johnson floor polish / Pledge Klear stuff.

Might be time for a test to do a bone primer and see what the difference is to see what is actually the culprit.

I'd imagine yellowing on a model would be more likely to be the clearcoat rather then the water with which the paint was thinned.

Here's a quick google search on effect of hard water on watercolor. Results may vary on acrylics.

https://leeangold.com/2017/04/26/effects-of-water-hardness-on-watercolour-paints/