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Hello All! (My first post)

I need a bit of new ideas on medium mixes for my airbrush.

As a background I use mostly the different Vallejo series. I started thinning with just water but realized that I had a bit of buildup on the tip and started experimenting a bit.

At present i mostly use a mix found in a WGC Youtube clip. 5 parts Vallejo Airbrush Cleaner, 1 part Vallejo Airbrush Thinner.

It is pretty ok, but I am thinking of using a bit of flow improver or drying retarder to get a smoother paintflow and even less buildup.

As food for thought I wonder what your favourite thinningmixes are.

Thanks!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I did try using a few drops of W&N drying retarder but its hard to know how much i should have.

Hi there,

I think this is one of those topics you can get lots of different responces as peoples experiences dramatically differ.

I have found brand of paint to really effect how I get results thinning. My favorite formula is a similar version to the one that is passed around and is essentially Liquitex matte medium and water+ some liquitex flow aid. I have found this to be great for GW paints (non metallic). For metallic paints I like to use just a small amount of the liquitex flow aid and water combo if it needs thinning at all. Recently when working with some fairly thick paint from Vallejo's model color line I have found that just using water or water with the flow aid as well to be better then using the matte medium in combination. I am not sure why this is but when going the route of the first option with the matte medium my brush would either get clogged or I would get dry tip much faster. My ratios for the first combo formula vary depending on the specific paint color but I usually start with 2:2:1 Paint/medium/water. The second version with the model color I use 1:2 Paint/water.

Palmer

Thanks you for the extensive answer.

Yes, I realize there are many different ways to go but hearing how others do it help me to think in new ways and not get stuck in the same old habits.