Vallejo paints

[Zero77]

I do fine using alcohol only to clean the AB. Of course, it is not enough to just spray some alcohol to get it clean. You do need to disassemble it. One always do.

 

Try it with "spanish" acrylics and have fun.

Indeed, you would definitely have to disassemble it to remove the goo.

[Hardcore]

Yeah, but i use water for thinning, ofc. I do have learned from others experience B-)

[Zero77]

What i find very annoying with those paints is that nothing seems to dissolve it back to a liquid state. At best, the paint is removed as small particles, and they are always painful to clean up, at least with a fine nozzle. 

[Hardcore]

True. I use to shave a small wooden stick to get something long and thin enough to clean the nozzle with.

[Zero77]

I did a few more tries today and finally ended using my old gunze alcohol bases acrylics. The behave definitely differently. With the Gunze paints, i can make very thin lines, maybe less than 1mm, and i can control the flow very well with the trigger. With the water based AK, it's just all or nothing. I press the trigger slightly, no paint, and suddenly a huge amount of paint come, whatever i thin it (thinning it only change the aspect of the mess, either transparent and fluid, or thick and sticky). For an uniform color on a large area, it's ok as there is no need for precision, but for small and thin blotches on german camos for example, it's a real PITA. I just dont understand what i dont do correctly.

[Dave Williams]

Alright Zero77, let's take a step back and look at this. You have a Harder and Steinbeck Evolution AL (I have the Harder and Steinbeck Infinity). You are using acrylics. Harder and Steinbeck plus using acrylics places you in the upper percentile of modeller IQ. Where am I going with this? It is obviously a AK problem and not yours.

I guess I'm in the lower IQ percentile since I use a poor old Iwata and the Spanish acrylics work fine for me.

[Guest Peterpools]

I use mainly Model Air, Tamiya, Ammo by Mig and AK and just don't seem to have these problems. When I'm done with a session, I do a thorough cleaning with Vallejo AB Thinner, whatever specks there are are flushed out and all is well. Most acrylics when dry, don't revert back to a liquid state when cleaning and a bit of care is needed.

Peter

[CANicoll]

Zero,

 

I am just starting with the Vallejo paints myself - having usually used Model Master acrylics and Tamiya acrylics as well.  I've experienced a learning curve with the Tamiya paints too, and have taken the same tact as Peterpools.  I now use Tamiya thinner with the Tamiya paints, and MM thinner and cleaner for the Model Master paints.

 

I am doing the same with the Vallejo paints as well, at least until I get more experience with them.  Using the Vallejo thinners and cleaners.

 

I do have a 'practice' model that I try new paints and techniques on and will be testing out thinners and mixes on that before I use them on the HK P-39 I'm building. 

 

There are few things more frustrating in model building than having problems with the airbrush so I hope you find the answers to your paint issues.  Looking forward to hearing your solution.

 

Best of luck!

[Zero77]

Alright Zero77, let's take a step back and look at this. You have a Harder and Steinbeck Evolution AL (I have the Harder and Steinbeck Infinity). You are using acrylics. Harder and Steinbeck plus using acrylics places you in the upper percentile of modeller IQ. Where am I going with this? It is obviously a AK problem and not yours.

I have also an infinity and a stainless steel Evolution (not AL). I tried with the infinity, too, with a 0.15 nozzle and it's even worth. I should try with the Evolution, with the 0.4mm nozzle. Maybe these spanish acryics prefer larger nozzles?

 

 

I guess I'm in the lower IQ percentile since I use a poor old Iwata and the Spanish acrylics work fine for me.

Dont worry, i think it was humour. I agree that if many people have positive feedback with the paints, there is something i must not do correctly, or maybe i'm just not used to this kind of paint. However, i still find them way less forgiving and easy to use than the alcohol based acrylics. Except the small bottles, which are very handy to put just the needed paint, drop by drop.

 

 

I use mainly Model Air, Tamiya, Ammo by Mig and AK and just don't seem to have these problems. When I'm done with a session, I do a thorough cleaning with Vallejo AB Thinner, whatever specks there are are flushed out and all is well. Most acrylics when dry, don't revert back to a liquid state when cleaning and a bit of care is needed.

Peter

 

Alcohol based acrylics like Tamiya or Gunze do, with alcohol, lacquer thinner, or acetone. My cleaning process when i change the colour (i dont mean the "big" cleaning when i disassemble the AB) is to empty the cup of any remaining paint, then fill the cup with alcohol, quickly rub the inside with a cotton bud, spray the juice, and then spray 2 or 3 cups of alcohol or acetone, while stopping up the nozzle from time to time to make bubbles in the cup and washing it. Sometimes i finish spraying a cup of Tamiya airbrush cleaner. It works fine and i almost never have any specks (in fact only when the AB is very dirty and need a full cleaning with desassembly).

 

 

Zero,

 

I am just starting with the Vallejo paints myself - having usually used Model Master acrylics and Tamiya acrylics as well.  I've experienced a learning curve with the Tamiya paints too, and have taken the same tact as Peterpools.  I now use Tamiya thinner with the Tamiya paints, and MM thinner and cleaner for the Model Master paints.

 

I am doing the same with the Vallejo paints as well, at least until I get more experience with them.  Using the Vallejo thinners and cleaners.

 

I do have a 'practice' model that I try new paints and techniques on and will be testing out thinners and mixes on that before I use them on the HK P-39 I'm building. 

 

There are few things more frustrating in model building than having problems with the airbrush so I hope you find the answers to your paint issues.  Looking forward to hearing your solution.

 

Best of luck!

 

Thanks ! I'll keep practicing, and i hope i can find a good way to use it correctly without any mess.

[logical]

Some helpful tips here for me. I clean my airbrush with Tamiya and Revell paints exactly the same way Zero. Even did it with my Mig paints and it was fine. Just the Vallejo. Payday Friday so will buy some proper cleaner. My local shop only has Midea stuff though.

[CANicoll]

I just sprayed my first batch of the Vallejo paints on various parts of the interior of my P-39.  I didn't dilute the paint (per suggestion from my LHS) like I usually do with the Tamiya and MM acrylics.  I did 'prime' my Iawata HP-C with a few drops of water before adding the paint.  

 

The session went very smoothly, shooting at 20psi.  For clean-up, after emptying the cup of the little bit of residual paint, I added more water which pretty well cleaned out the cup and brush (still at 20psi), then added some windex (ammonia-based glass cleaner) and sprayed that. Back to water and it was all clear.  

 

Hope this helps.

[Uncarina]

Just getting caught up with this, and I apologize if I missed it in the thread. Which solvent will strip dried Vallejo paint from a model without damaging the plastic underneath?

 

Thanks, Tom

[ChrisK89]

 

Just getting caught up with this, and I apologize if I missed it in the thread. Which solvent will strip dried Vallejo paint from a model without damaging the plastic underneath?

 You can use the Gunze thinners like their Mr. Color Thinner.

 

 

@Zero77

 

I had a hard time with Vallejo/AK Acrylics in the beginning, too.... especially with their darker colors. 

From my tries i learned the following:

 

1. NEVER use the 0.15mm Nozzle

2. Spray at ca. 0,8-1bar (15Psi)

3. Even if Vallejo says "no thinning needed" thin them.. darker paints a little more than their lighter paints. I mainly use the 0.2mm Evolution and for me the ratio 1 drop thinner for 2 drops paint +1drop Flow Improver works best.

  and don't forget.. if you mix in the cup ever use the thinner first.

4. When you experience a drop in paint flow.. use a scrap paper and "blow" the dried paint out of your tip. Afterwards it should work as a charme again for.. lets say 1-2minutes.

 

Even so you won't be able to work with them you are used to work with your Tamyia/Gunze paints... they always behave a little coarse but for complete coverage (no german mottling or very fine lines) they are great.

 

Be in mind that this is only what i experienced/learned... maybe its different from others advices but if you keep having trouble try it.

 

cheers Chris

[Dave Williams]

Just getting caught up with this, and I apologize if I missed it in the thread. Which solvent will strip dried Vallejo paint from a model without damaging the plastic underneath?

Thanks, Tom

One of their books recommends using the Vallejo airbrush cleaner to strip the paint off. The stuff is water based, so it won't harm plastic.

[Bill_S]

Just getting caught up with this, and I apologize if I missed it in the thread. Which solvent will strip dried Vallejo paint from a model without damaging the plastic underneath?

 

Thanks, Tom

I haven't used Vallejo acrylics, only Tamiya. Paint a scrap piece with Vallejo, let it dry, and put diluted ammonia (about 4 parts water: 1 part ammonia) on it. It melts the Tamiya right off. Quickly.