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I've heard rave reviews about 'windex' for thinning paints for the ol' airbrush. I literally got my airbrush/compressor today and tried with water + citadel to wang on some basecoat on a piece of scenery.

However as I'm living in the UK, and I come from rural Ireland (where we paint using a squirrels tail on a piece of stick) I don't know what the equivalent for windex is. I have heard that halfords screenwash is good but wondering if anyone else has tried it.

I only ask as I am on a pause from my degree so getting IPA, ethanol, cyanide etc is not possible for me.

Look into Vallejo Airbrush Thinner (71.061). It is fantastic. Typically it is a 1:1 for Vallejo Game Color and Model Color. The few times I remember shooting GW paint in my airbrush it was roughly the same ratio.

I would stay clear of windex and alcohol as a thinner. They are great to clean it with but that is about it. Get some proper AB thinner be it Liquitex, Vallejo, or whatever. You can also make your own with acryllic matte medium and flow improver. I'd advise just picking some up though. I even use the AB thinner 50:50 with water to thin paint for normal brushing.

You can use liquitex Flow Aid and Matte Medium. about a 1:3 mix. The Vellejo is the easiest as its premixed for you.

I would not use Windex or any equivalent. These cleaners are lung irritants.

windex is cheaper then acrylic thinners, but it also has very bad fumes. thinning with water or acrylic thinner (Iike vallejo's) are pretty good!

Vallejo Model Colour will need thinning, Model Air should be around the correct consistancy .

To thin GW paints, I still use Tamiya thinners.

Either way, the most quoted advice is to aim for a consistancy of milk, although no-one has ever told me if that's full fat, semi-skimmed, or skimmed. The consistancy that is right for you may also depend on the nozzle you're using. smaller nozzles require thinner paint to prevent clogging.

Personally, I like to play around a little, add a little Lahmian Medium to the mix, and always be prepared to
a) Keep shaking the mixture in the airbrush to prevent settling, and
b) be prepared to adjust the consistancy as you go. Too thin and you'll notice it pulling away from the edges, too thick and you'll be stopping to clear your nozzle all the time.