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So, everywhere I have looked online regarding airbrushing a base coat, just basically says, "water down the paint and do thin coats"

I just got a Badger 250-2 just to get my feet wet and speed up the process of base coating yellow marines.

The problem is, I can't figure out what I am doing wrong, tried multiple paint consistencies as well as distance and adjustments on the airbrush, but no matter what, it just flings a tremendous amount of paint on the models. I have to take a dry brush and clean up pools all over, but it seems to put on a decent coat, it is just not smooth and light.

Using GW Averland Sunset, Yriel Yellow, and Vallejo Gold Yellow. thinned with water and another time, Flow-Aid.

Also forgot to mention, I am using the canned air right now, have not picked up a compressor, maybe that's the issue?

Anything that jumps out at anyone or do I just need practice practice practice?

thanks,

Well, when they say multiple thin coats they mean that you need to leave time for them to dry between each pass, but it should be so thin it only takes about 15 seconds to dry. Additionally, oyu might be spraying from too close, ideal range for basecoating is 20-30cm with a small amount of paint coming out (do you have a dual control airbrush? Finally, canned air sucks. It's inconsistent, expensive and horrible. Awful. Terrible. Nightmarish.

You may be over watering your paints, they need to be like skim milk. Good way to test is to slosh the paint against the sides of the hopper and have it so it leave a very slight taint of paint colour, plenty of vids here on dakka describing it

Thanks! That helps a lot. I think that I am too close and still playing with consistency. I'll check out the videos.

Yeah, not a fan of the canned air, but this was just a quick trial. I do see the benefit of these things, especially for base coating. Will be investing in a small compressor later. Despite the trouble I am having, I can easily pull the pools off with a brush and I have three steps done in under an hour as opposed to many hours painting yellow layers, so liking it a lot.

Thanks again!

Not using a compressor with a moisture trap is definitely going to make it very hard to get good results, and in the long run it's much more expensive. You also want to barely be pulling the trigger, not going full bore spray.

Here are some useful links for getting started airbrushing miniatures:

http://theleadheadblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/compleat-cheapskates-guide-to-getting.html

http://www.apocprod.com/2013/01/09/15-tips-for-folks-who-want-to-airbrush-miniatures/

http://blog.brushthralls.com/?page_id=3024

http://www.akaranseth.com/blog/tutorials/airbrushing-for-figurine.htm

https://miniarmyhugetimesink.wordpress.com/2014/05/15/so-you-want-to-airbush-a-beginners-guide-part-1/

https://sites.google.com/site/donsairbrushtips/

 Gorgrimm wrote:
So, everywhere I have looked online regarding airbrushing a base coat, just basically says, "water down the paint and do thin coats"

No, a specific primer paint should be used or at least clean the miniature well.
Airbrush medium should be used or if you mix your own, some 1/3 paint, 1/3 alcohol, 1/3 water, couple drops of flow aid.

I just got a Badger 250-2 just to get my feet wet and speed up the process of base coating yellow marines.
The problem is, I can't figure out what I am doing wrong, tried multiple paint consistencies as well as distance and adjustments on the airbrush, but no matter what, it just flings a tremendous amount of paint on the models.

I keep hearing the sweet spot for this gun is ~20psi.
You might want to screw in more the nozzle from the paint jar so it is less in the air stream to reduce paint flow.
The alcohol or air brush medium will help with speeding up dry time as well so the paint sticks more rather than flow.

I have to take a dry brush and clean up pools all over, but it seems to put on a decent coat, it is just not smooth and light.

If desperate, a flow valve at the stem of the gun could be used.

Also forgot to mention, I am using the canned air right now, have not picked up a compressor, maybe that's the issue?

No regulated air pressure (could be anything, it is from the "can" right?) extended sprays it gets cold too from the propellent and attracts moisture (bad!).
An air compressor with a large tank will help prevent pulsing and stabilize the pressure a bit better (plus use a pressure regulator! Hazzah!).

Anything that jumps out at anyone or do I just need practice practice practice?

Spray about 8 - 12" away, cannot figure much else!

Good Luck!

Make sure you aren't pulling the trigger too far back. This is a common mistake of new airbrush users. You really just want it to be pulled back a little bit.

Primer: use Vallejo Model (or Game) Air Surface Primer.

Thinning: Flo-Aid is not ideal. The problem is that it dries too quickly. Try Vallejo Airbrush Thinner -- it works very well with GW paints.

What I do is take an empty eyedropper bottle, fill it up 1/3 of the way with GW paint,a nd then fill up another 1/4 - 1/3 of the bottle with Vallejo thinner. It varies, because some GW paints, like Mephiston Red are very thick, while others, like Alaitoc Blue are very thin.

You know your paint is too thick if, when it dries with one coat, you have anything remotely looking like opacity. It should take AT LEAST three coats before it begins to look opaque over top of black, and for colors like yellow.... it will be many, many coats, unless you have a different color primer.

Distance: The trick with distance to model is to match it with the amount of coverage/control you want and the air pressure and the viscosity of your paint.

The higher the air pressure, the further away you must be from the model in order not to saturate it. This also means you'll have less control, but the process will go quicker. If you want to basecoat just a sword in silver, for instance, the last thing you want to do is airbrush from a foot away, because even if you shield off the rest of the model, you'll waste 95% of your paint. On the other hand, if you're priming a Stormraven one color, step back, and blast away.

As you get closer to the model, you can control what gets hit with paint, more. You then need to lower the air pressure, so that you're not just moving the paint that hits the model. And, because you've lowered air pressure, you must also thin the paint, so that it can still get through the nozzle.

The TLDR --

To coat large areas use Model/Game Air on a .3mm+ nozzle, less than 20psi, and spray from 6" or more. With GW paints, thin until it is quite liquidy, about 60/40 ratio of paint to thinner.

To coat smaller areas, reduce pressure to 15psi (or even a bit less), spray from 3" to 6", and be very gentle on the trigger. With GW paints, thin to about half and half. No need to thin Model/Game air. Be prepared to frequently clean out the tip.

To detail very small areas, remove the crown, reduce pressure to as low as possible (MAC helps), spray from "almost touching", and thin the GW paint to at least half and half (no hard and fast rule, because paint viscosities vary too much). Thin the Model/Game air as needed, too.

The best thing to do, too, is to practice on paper first. Make sure that you can consistently output the amoutn of paint you feel is proper. Also, every time before you hit a model with paint, do a little dot on a piece of paper, just to get the paint running and to make sure you don't have a clog or some other issue that would wreck the model.

Talys wrote:
Distance: The trick with distance to model is to match it with the amount of coverage/control you want and the air pressure and the viscosity of your paint.

The higher the air pressure, the further away you must be from the model in order not to saturate it. This also means you'll have less control, but the process will go quicker. If you want to basecoat just a sword in silver, for instance, the last thing you want to do is airbrush from a foot away, because even if you shield off the rest of the model, you'll waste 95% of your paint. On the other hand, if you're priming a Stormraven one color, step back, and blast away.

As you get closer to the model, you can control what gets hit with paint, more. You then need to lower the air pressure, so that you're not just moving the paint that hits the model. And, because you've lowered air pressure, you must also thin the paint, so that it can still get through the nozzle.

This is the holy trinity really, how thick your paint is, to how much pressure through the brush, to how close you are

Learning this was like learning how to drive manual, once you get the hang of it, it is quite simple.

Talys wrote:
Make sure you aren't pulling the trigger too far back. This is a common mistake of new airbrush users. You really just want it to be pulled back a little bit.

This model is a single action - push button only but good advice none-the-less.

Primer: use Vallejo Model (or Game) Air Surface Primer.

These are good because they are more tolerant for surface contaminants and add a little "tooth" to the surface (does not go on too smooth).

Thinning: Flo-Aid is not ideal. The problem is that it dries too quickly. Try Vallejo Airbrush Thinner -- it works very well with GW paints.

Flow-aid does help a bit with thick paints if you are using a small nozzle brush (~.2mm), too much though, and it flows into the corners too much and almost none to the leading edges of the miniature, isopropyl alcohol helps with this more if you cannot get an off the shelf airbrush medium. I would also suggest looking at "Luiquitex" you can get more of it for less.

What I do is take an empty eyedropper bottle, fill it up 1/3 of the way with GW paint,a nd then fill up another 1/4 - 1/3 of the bottle with Vallejo thinner. It varies, because some GW paints, like Mephiston Red are very thick, while others, like Alaitoc Blue are very thin.

Agreed, close to about 1:1 on the mix. I suggest spraying a test piece before trying a mix out... just in case.

You know your paint is too thick if, when it dries with one coat, you have anything remotely looking like opacity. It should take AT LEAST three coats before it begins to look opaque over top of black, and for colors like yellow.... it will be many, many coats, unless you have a different color primer.

Hmm... depends I find. I can do one-coat sprays for block painting but to be safe, dialing back to a mist is safer for a more controlled paint process, it will also make good practice for gradient painting.

Distance: The trick with distance to model is to match it with the amount of coverage/control you want and the air pressure and the viscosity of your paint.

It is funny as pointed out that those 3 things are so interdependent: distance can be farther if paint is thinner and air pressure is higher (but could dry before hitting the model and get fuzzy!!) but covers less as you move farther away, higher pressure can push out more paint and overcome thicker paint which can create greater coverage... blah, you get the message: I suggest keeping a consistent air pressure and careful paint viscosity control and then you can vary your distance for coverage (once you have a dual action you would keep distance near-constant as well.

The higher the air pressure, the further away you must be from the model in order not to saturate it. This also means you'll have less control, but the process will go quicker. If you want to basecoat just a sword in silver, for instance, the last thing you want to do is airbrush from a foot away, because even if you shield off the rest of the model, you'll waste 95% of your paint. On the other hand, if you're priming a Stormraven one color, step back, and blast away.

This airbrush is pretty much the business for this painting method.

As you get closer to the model, you can control what gets hit with paint, more. You then need to lower the air pressure, so that you're not just moving the paint that hits the model. And, because you've lowered air pressure, you must also thin the paint, so that it can still get through the nozzle.

I have started playing with a air flow control valve in the stem of my gun and find varying that allows for the up-close work.

The TLDR --
To coat large areas use Model/Game Air on a .3mm+ nozzle, less than 20psi, and spray from 6" or more. With GW paints, thin until it is quite liquidy, about 60/40 ratio of paint to thinner.
To coat smaller areas, reduce pressure to 15psi (or even a bit less), spray from 3" to 6", and be very gentle on the trigger. With GW paints, thin to about half and half. No need to thin Model/Game air. Be prepared to frequently clean out the tip.
To detail very small areas, remove the crown, reduce pressure to as low as possible (MAC helps), spray from "almost touching", and thin the GW paint to at least half and half (no hard and fast rule, because paint viscosities vary too much). Thin the Model/Game air as needed, too.
The best thing to do, too, is to practice on paper first. Make sure that you can consistently output the amoutn of paint you feel is proper. Also, every time before you hit a model with paint, do a little dot on a piece of paper, just to get the paint running and to make sure you don't have a clog or some other issue that would wreck the model.

Nice!
Best advice I found with dual-action guns is turn-on air first (push down) start pulling back on the trigger while moving (do not dwell in one spot) to get paint moving.
Detail work is out of the question with this gun unless extensive masking is done.
Some materials that work good for masking:
Silly putty.
Cling-film.
"green" masking tape.
Vinyl tapes.
Liquid frisket "Incredible White Mask" is nice. Remember to cut the outer edges to ensure it does not peel up the paint when removed.
Film frisket - backing film types help a bit with handling.

I like these discussions: there are so many ways to do the same thing it borders on ridiculous.

Sounds to me like your paint is too wet. When paint is too wet it gets sucked out too easy and destroys models. In my experience a lower ratio of water to paint is preferable for most paints. For airbrush ready paints 1:10 water/windex/alcohol to paint works pretty good for me. For GW paints 1:4 or 1:5 seems to work best based on paints thickness. PSI plays a huge roll in this as well. If you are using canned air...I suggest you get a compressor immediately as this will allow you to adjust your PSI to your paint mixture to get proper flow.

Posting my question in the right forum/thread now...

I'm trying to work out whether buying this is a good idea or not.

http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/corvus-belli/infinity/angel-giraldez-masterclass-airbrush-bundle/prod_32048.html

Never having airbrushed before in my life...

However, I figure that an airbrush or something has got to be the only way I'm ever going to get my scenery painted in this century. - But, it seems odd that the compressor is only good for 30 minutes at a time?

 Compel wrote:
Posting my question in the right forum/thread now...

I'm trying to work out whether buying this is a good idea or not.

http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/corvus-belli/infinity/angel-giraldez-masterclass-airbrush-bundle/prod_32048.html

Never having airbrushed before in my life...

However, I figure that an airbrush or something has got to be the only way I'm ever going to get my scenery painted in this century. - But, it seems odd that the compressor is only good for 30 minutes at a time?

Not seeing any product on that link, but 30minutes run time sounds reasonable for a small compressor, its becasue the motors are not heavy duty enough to run constantly, they get hot and need to cool off.
To be honest the heat from it will cause moisture from the air to condensate and moisture will shoot out of the airbrush. You can catch this in a moisture trap to avoid wrecking your work, but this means the motor is running too hot.

Normally I point people to https://www.everythingairbrush.com/ to figure out what they need, this place stocks it all. People in the UK this is probably the most well stocked supplier for us.

edit; A compressor with a small tank would run much much longer; the motor fills the tank to x psi, and stops. then as you consume air from the tank, and the pressure drops to x - y the motor kicks back in and keeps the tank topped up to x.

typically you'l see a range of a couple of bars, which makes the motor rest periodically.

Personally I've got an AS196, a twin piston version of the common as186, with a 3L tank. The twin pistons fill it up quicker, and thus reduce the time they actually fire up even more (but two are louder than one)
I got it from that everything airbrush site, about 3-4 years ago and it still runs perfectly fine, I did replace the moisture trap once so far. That doesnt see much use lately as I also have a larger workshop compressor in the shed ~ I bought a 24L tank with a in/out valve, which I fill up in the shed and bring inside to airbrush for 60-90 minute runs (the silence of it while painting is why). The tank set me back about £70, and the compressor in the shed was about £150 (nothing special its noisey as f**k and fills my tank to 8 bars in about 2minutes.

I really prefer the refillable tank system I run now to the small compressor I ran for 3 years until I got the tank. Sure I have to lug the tank out to the shed now and then, but it fills really fast, the compressor itself has a 24L tank on it, which is also filled by default, I could run them in a chain too I suppose.

At my desk, I have an airbrush stand with a moisture trap / pressure gauge (manometer), I use a springy hose with quick connectors to link up the tank to that, and then have a nice braided hose off that to the airbrushes. Certainly something to consider, the silence allows for midnight spraying if you're a night owl.
You could get a cheaper compressor than I did to fill a mobile receiver tank up easily enough.

Think I did a summary of some threads here:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/630376.page#7492274

Thanks everyone for all the great advice. I was away for week on business travel, but looks like I really should get that compressor and make sure I have the right ratio of paint to medium. I'll have to check in later.