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Hey guys, i bought my first airbrush, its on its way to me now

but i wanted to know what should i use to thin the paints? i have heard of some crazy stuff like people using Windex

But i have heard things like rubbing alcohol work as well?

what do you suggest?

Also side question, how does the canned propellant work? dont have enough cash for a compressor and though i would just use the canned stuff until then.

is it pretty much your standard screw on hose deal? or do i need any special attatchments

Windex is good, 50/50 alcohol/water is too.
I've used both and even used them together without any problems.

When using either of these with metallics, test it on a drop of paint to see if it breaks down noticeably. Not all paints are made the same.

I would avoid the canned propellants. Through use the can will get cold (like an air duster) this can cause condensation and moisture to come through the brush. You'd end up spraying out bursts of water along with the paint, and that'll ruin your day real quick.

Don't use anything that has ammonia in it to thin the paints. A mask would be a good idea too.

 Xenobond wrote:
Windex is good, 50/50 alcohol/water is too.
I've used both and even used them together without any problems.

When using either of these with metallics, test it on a drop of paint to see if it breaks down noticeably. Not all paints are made the same.

I would avoid the canned propellants. Through use the can will get cold (like an air duster) this can cause condensation and moisture to come through the brush. You'd end up spraying out bursts of water along with the paint, and that'll ruin your day real quick.

Seriously, Windex is not a paint thinner. At all. Stop recommending it as one, as it is bad for a number of reasons. Alcohol/water is not optimal either, the paint dries fast enough without adding alcohol to it. Go buy an actual airbrush thinner (Vallejo makes the best one in my opinion, but there is also some available from Liquitex, Golden, etc.) or do the DIY thing and make your own. Here is a video on how to do it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoKJUrISnTo&list=PL4eI2nyTHNCLdeXBYTs7FkvC3xPlxjsBA

What's with the windex nay-sayers?
Is it the possibility of corrosion in the airbrush (if you have a crummy airbrush, or one that you don't take care of)
Is it the fumes?

Maybe I should have clarified how much windex I'm using here as I have no problems on my end.
My dropper bottle with Windex is probably 40% windex, 60% water.
I've got another that's 50/50 alcohol & water.
Another that's 50/50 flow aid & water
Then I got my medium and another with Future.

Out of maybe 2ml of liquid I'm putting through the airbrush at a time there is a very small amount that has the windex solution. Windex is ~5-10% ammonia, so seriously is the amount that doesn't get blown out from the ventilation system and make it through my mask going to cause me health problems?

I'll try that recipe in Les' video. I've got all that stuff, I just experiment and see what works best for me.

Is there new info on Ammonia based Windex that I just don't know of? I'm just going off of what's been covered in hobby books.

 Xenobond wrote:
What's with the windex nay-sayers?
Is it the possibility of corrosion in the airbrush (if you have a crummy airbrush, or one that you don't take care of)
Is it the fumes?

Maybe I should have clarified how much windex I'm using here as I have no problems on my end.
My dropper bottle with Windex is probably 40% windex, 60% water.
I've got another that's 50/50 alcohol & water.
Another that's 50/50 flow aid & water
Then I got my medium and another with Future.

Out of maybe 2ml of liquid I'm putting through the airbrush at a time there is a very small amount that has the windex solution. Windex is ~5-10% ammonia, so seriously is the amount that doesn't get blown out from the ventilation system and make it through my mask going to cause me health problems?

I'll try that recipe in Les' video. I've got all that stuff, I just experiment and see what works best for me.

Is there new info on Ammonia based Windex that I just don't know of? I'm just going off of what's been covered in hobby books.

alot more will get into your face than you might think. vaporizing windex is probably not a good idea. small scale models means you'll be getting your face right up to it usually to see what youre doing.

hobby paint is very bad to breath in too so be careful.

all you need to thin your paint 90% of the time is water. if a paint doesnt shoot properly with just water it's crap paint IMO and i bin it.

I use Windex as a cleaning solution, rather than a thinner. I've run it through my Sparmax in the year or so since I've had it, and it hasn't caused any noticeable corrosion, nor any negative impact on my airbrush yet.

It doesn't work quite as well as true airbrush cleaner, though.

For thinners, I stick to Tamiya Acrylic Thinner for any non-Vallejo paints, but I use exclusively Vallejo Airbrush Thinner for all my Vallejo paints, including Air Colour.

For some reason, Vallejo paints do not play well with other brands of thinner.

I use Future as my thinning medium. As it is acrylic, there is no concern with it damaging the bond of the pigments in the paint. It thins without making it watery, and has added some extra toughness to paint. I have not noticed it adding any gloss to the paint but with a matte varnish it doesn't matter.

I do use Windex as an airbrush cleaner as recommended by Badger via Wargamers Consortium.

I have tried various dilutions of alcohol as thinner, and while they work as a cleaner, when added to paint it results in severe coagulation and degradation of the paint. Required some serious cleaning.

Future has none of those issues, and also helps as a flow-aid. I've used it in airbrush set ups of .35mm and .76mm with equal success with hobby paints and craft acrylics.