My first airbrush - questions.

Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:

No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.

If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

**Capamaru**

PrehistoricUFO wrote:
Hey soldiers!

This will be my last post in a row, so someone post something so I don't get twisted back by a mod!

So today I decided to go to a local art store 5 minutes from me, and they had the coupling I needed. Woot!

Started some spray testing today, and I've gotta say, this is way harder than I anticipated. The brush I use at work is very easy and is easy to control, but this brush has dual-trigger design and thus has a steeper learning curve due to the control and settings on the brush, and not to mention thinning paints is very tricky! Sometimes I get the paint thinning down pat, then on the next refill, it's too thick or too thin! I test sprayed a model and to be honest, I'm having issues figuring out how to spray without an initial 'blast' of paint that blows that shot outward in a big web. I know spidering is a common issue, but this brush is brand new, there's no moisture in the line, the PSI is where it should be (25 - 30) but it still happens!

I googled for hours trying to find an ideal mix/ratio for Createx/Citadel paints, but it looks like the opinions vary and for the most part, everyone prefers a different additive to thin down the paints. Some people are actually saying Windex? Fantastik? Then others are saying don't bother and buy actual paint thinners. It's all very overwhelming!

Super excited with this, I can see the possibilities will be endless once I get the hang of this madness.

I will repeat myself

Lets say you want to prime/undercoat 10 models. All you have to do is put black primer into the a/b set the pressure to 30-40 psi and spray. Paint being thicker won't matter since pressure is high and you don't care about detail since you are undercoating and you are spraying far for the mini.
Now you want to do some detail work (highlights and shadows). This means that you need to get closer to the model so pressure goes to the range of 22-28 psi and paint needs to get thinner, since pressure is lower, but not too thin.
Now for the really detailed work you need to get even closer so pressure goes to 18-22 and paints gets a little thinner.

Failing to regulate pressure and paint will result in clogging / spitting or spider effects.

When you have a splatter effect you can try 1) Blow some paint on a piece of paper and then go on the model. Some times overpulling the trigger will cause some paint to remain on the tip of the needle and cause a splatter 2) Lower the pressure. 30 psi is high if you are very close to the model so try going down to 20-22 and see if it still happens. 3) Make the paint thicker. High pressure means the airbrush can handle thicker paint. Thicker paint doesn't splatter around but clogs your airbrush faster.

Get some flow aid mix it with water and use it to thin your paints (1 part flow aid 10 parts water). If you cant find flow aid then use only water. Don't use windex or alcohol they are only good for cleaning the brush during color changes. I thin citadel paints (I only have colors from the old

range) at least 2:1 since they are quite thick. Put some milk in a glass and see how it behaves when you let it slide against he glass. It sticks but not too much. You paint must be that thick or maybe a little tad thicker.

Always wear a mask and spray in a well ventilated area!

**PrehistoricUFO**

Capamaru wrote:
PrehistoricUFO wrote:
Hey soldiers!

This will be my last post in a row, so someone post something so I don't get twisted back by a mod!

So today I decided to go to a local art store 5 minutes from me, and they had the coupling I needed. Woot!

Started some spray testing today, and I've gotta say, this is way harder than I anticipated. The brush I use at work is very easy and is easy to control, but this brush has dual-trigger design and thus has a steeper learning curve due to the control and settings on the brush, and not to mention thinning paints is very tricky! Sometimes I get the paint thinning down pat, then on the next refill, it's too thick or too thin! I test sprayed a model and to be honest, I'm having issues figuring out how to spray without an initial 'blast' of paint that blows that shot outward in a big web. I know spidering is a common issue, but this brush is brand new, there's no moisture in the line, the PSI is where it should be (25 - 30) but it still happens!

I googled for hours trying to find an ideal mix/ratio for Createx/Citadel paints, but it looks like the opinions vary and for the most part, everyone prefers a different additive to thin down the paints. Some people are actually saying Windex? Fantastik? Then others are saying don't bother and buy actual paint thinners. It's all very overwhelming!

Super excited with this, I can see the possibilities will be endless once I get the hang of this madness.

I will repeat myself

Lets say you want to prime/undercoat 10 models. All you have to do is put black primer into the a/b set the pressure to 30-40 psi and spray. Paint being thicker won't matter since pressure is high and you don't care about detail since you are undercoating and you are spraying far for the mini.
Now you want to do some detail work (highlights and shadows). This means that you need to get closer to the model so pressure goes to the range of 22-28 psi and paint needs to get thinner, since pressure is lower, but not too thin.
Now for the really detailed work you need to get even closer so pressure goes to 18-22 and paints gets a little thinner.

Failing to regulate pressure and paint will result in clogging / spitting or spider effects.

When you have a splatter effect you can try 1) Blow some paint on a piece of paper and then go on the model. Some times overpulling the trigger will cause some paint to remain on the tip of the needle and cause a splatter 2) Lower the pressure. 30 psi is high if you are very close to the model so try going down to 20-22 and see if it still happens. 3) Make the paint thicker. High pressure means the airbrush can handle thicker paint. Thicker paint doesn't splatter around but clogs your airbrush faster.

Get some flow aid mix it with water and use it to thin your paints (1 part flow aid 10 parts water). If you cant find flow aid then use only water. Don't use windex or alcohol they are only good for cleaning the brush during color changes. I thin citadel paints (I only have colors from the old

range) at least 2:1 since they are quite thick. Put some milk in a glass and see how it behaves when you let it slide against he glass. It sticks but not too much. You paint must be that thick or maybe a little tad thicker.

Always wear a mask and spray in a well ventilated area!

Hey Capamaru, thanks for the response.

I've continued using it with this post in mind earlier today, and changing the PSI frequently has really made a difference. I only use distilled water right now to thin, and it seems to work okay but then again I have little to compare it with, so I'm going to look for the flow aid. I need to buy some additional supplies to make the color switching and mixing easier, I'll be back with more questions about that process soon I'm sure.

I bought a pretty cool respirator, came with additional filters and seems pretty durable.