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What kinds of paint do you guys use for airbrushing? What doesn't work for you?

 chimeara wrote:
What kinds of paint do you guys use for airbrushing? What doesn't work for you?

I've tried Vajello, Reaper, Citadel and INSTAR in my airbrush.

Any paint specifically formulated for airbrushing has worked just fine. Otherwise, figuring out how to properly dilute the paint is a matter of trial and error to avoid clogging.

So top recommendation goes to Vajello Air and Citadel Air paints for ease of use.

I found INSTAR paints to be the hardest to get to work with the airbrush - getting a good working dilution continues to elude me, but I only have their black and moon grey paints. Certain paints in every range seem to hate airbrushes, however. I really suggest working with a small amount of a new paint to see if it's going to be trouble or not.

I've tried P3 and Vallejo paint so far. The P3 worked fine the first time, but today it was clogging up on me. The Vallejo was tricky too, it didn't like being sprayed. I ended up with an almost 2:1 thinner to paint ratio on the Vallejo. I'm gonna pick up some GW air stuff next pay for sure. I'll have to order the Vallejo air paint.

I've got some Tamyia clear red paint and some Badger ghost red I'm gonna try out on some of my stuff's too.

GW, Vallejo, Scale 75, FW, Army Painter, Tamiya. Everything works, as long as you dilute your paints in a separate mixing bowl, thus ensuring there are no clumps.

GW normal paint with car screenwash to thin it. It works with older GW paints, but the newer (2 years and less) need the lumps straining out
I found a couple of bottles of GW air thinner from a shopping trip ages ago, and I'll try them next.

I've used several thinners for GW paint: Vallejo and MiG. Both worked perfectly.

Something to consider: When you buy "regular" paint, you are getting about 15-20ml of paint (depends on the paint pot). Air brush paints are in the exact same style and size of paint pot, but it's "pre-diluted" for use in an air brush which means... you get less paint for buying "air brush paint". In air brush paint, it has more water, more thinner, more medium, and less pigment then a regular bottle of paint. You can buy a 200ml bottle of Vallejo Airbrush Flow Improver for about $15, and make your own "air brush paint".

How much less pigment do you get in an air brush paint? As much as 50% less, and in some cases, 75% on some very difficult pigments. Ever wonder why air brush paints are so much lighter in tone than regular (brushed on) paint? This is why. Less pigment. No big deal, right? Just airbursh more layers. You can't get a paint darker then it's original tone no mater how many layers you paint. You can shade it, you can use a dark under coat, but the only thing multiple layers does is increase the "richness" of the color, removing the translucency of the layers. This is why priming with white/grey or black affects the first couple of layers when you airbrush. Each layer is translucent allowing the layer beneath to show through the upper layer. Paint enough layers, and that translucency fades away.

Most airbrush paints still require even more thinning before you can use them. So if you are OK with paying for roughly 1/2 the paint that you still have to dilute before you shoot it, and you'll still have to monkey around with the shade and tone, go for it. Or, just buy regular paint and a bottle of Flow Improver and mix your own paint into an "airbrush paint".

As a disclaimer, I love the Vallejo Air Metals because of the fine flakes of pigment. They are like a liquid metal for painting. I've heard Scale 75 is similar, and I know Tamiya metalics are probably the best for metallic paint, but Tamiya uses an alcohol based medium that is difficult to work with (and they smell like ).

TLDR; Don't waste your money on "air brush paint". Get a bottle of flow improver, and use water and mix your own.

 Tamwulf wrote:
TLDR; Don't waste your money on "air brush paint". Get a bottle of flow improver, and use water and mix your own.

Yup.

I run GW, Vallejo, Scale75, and P3 all through my airbrush with zero problems. All I use is a few drops of Vallejo's Flow Improver, and varying quantities of water, based on the original viscosity of the paint and what I'm trying to achieve.

Is the Flow Improver the same as the Airbrush Thinner?

 chimeara wrote:
Is the Flow Improver the same as the Airbrush Thinner?

No, they do two very different things that sometimes achieve the same results. Flow Improver adds an emulsifier, paint drying retarder, and acrylic medium that "thins" the paint by adding more "stuff" to the paint. This allows it to "flow" easier through an airbrush and helps reduce tip dry.

Thinner adds chemicals that actually break down the chemical bonds in the pigment and acrylic medium making the paint thinner by breaking down the paint. It helps it flow through the airbush. It helps reduce tip dry because... there is less "sticking/drying" agent flowing through the air brush.

So by using the Improver I'll get less translucent layers vs using the thinner?

Vallejo, Scale75, Minitaire, P3 and GW if I have to.

I have a homemade mix for thinning paints and use it whenever it is necessary but usually, Vallejo, Minitaire and Scale75 do not require thinning.

 chimeara wrote:
So by using the Improver I'll get less translucent layers vs using the thinner?

Both flow improver and thinner add stuff to the paint, so there is less paint being pushed through the airbrush. They do it in different ways. Improver adds a bunch of extra liquid, thus, thinning the paint (less paint per volume of spraying). Thinner adds more liquid and breaks down the paint thinning it even more (less paint per volume of spraying).

The translucency of your layers depend greatly on how thin your paint is, the distance from the nozzle to the surface you are painting, the amount of air you are using, trigger control, etc. etc.

Airbrushing is an art. There is no magic formula that says "Add X amount of flow improver, Y distilled water, Z paint, keep the nozzle at 3" away from the surface, use 15 PSI, etc. What works for the person that has a home brewed formula for thinning GW paint may not work for you because of your airbrush and compressor set up, the temperature in the room, the humidity, you use P3 paint, etc.

You have to experiment and figure out for yourself what works and doesn't work. Read what others write, watch some Twitch/Youtube, try out the various techniques and styles, and use what works best for you. There is no right or wrong for airbrushing. Well, there is some, but if you have common sense, you'll be able to figure those out.

Spectacular, thank you for the swath of information. I'll check out some videos and play with mixtures.

 Tamwulf wrote:
Something to consider: When you buy "regular" paint, you are getting about 15-20ml of paint (depends on the paint pot). Air brush paints are in the exact same style and size of paint pot, but it's "pre-diluted" for use in an air brush which means... you get less paint for buying "air brush paint". In air brush paint, it has more water, more thinner, more medium, and less pigment then a regular bottle of paint. You can buy a 200ml bottle of Vallejo Airbrush Flow Improver for about $15, and make your own "air brush paint".

This is a good point. Airbrush paint is a convenience. You can buy empty bottles and pre-dilute any paint to airbrush consistencies if you like.

 John Prins wrote:

 chimeara wrote:
What kinds of paint do you guys use for airbrushing? What doesn't work for you?

I've tried Vajello, Reaper, Citadel and INSTAR in my airbrush.

Any paint specifically formulated for airbrushing has worked just fine. Otherwise, figuring out how to properly dilute the paint is a matter of trial and error to avoid clogging.

So top recommendation goes to Vajello Air and Citadel Air paints for ease of use.

I found INSTAR paints to be the hardest to get to work with the airbrush - getting a good working dilution continues to elude me, but I only have their black and moon grey paints. Certain paints in every range seem to hate airbrushes, however. I really suggest working with a small amount of a new paint to see if it's going to be trouble or not.

Our paints do go through an airbrush ok but as you stated the dilution formula is a little tricky to get right, that said once you do find a level they cover really well!

They are very sensitive to thinning though, slightly too much water and you'll notice the coverage drop off very quickly. One thing we have found is that increase the pressure to near maximum helps a great deal in getting it through the airbrush.

The undercoat we did on a Spitfire we're working on was done entirely with INSTAR Mud Brown and Blue Steel through an airbrush.