Model Masters Acrylic Thinning

[mz826]

Model Masters Acrylic Thinning.

 

Hello

 

I have finally finished accumulating my first airbrush set up and am about to begin with painting. I got a 1 gallon tanked compressor with regulator and water trap and an Iwata eclipse side fed airbrush. I am going to be using MM acrylics and have heard that they are pre thinned for airbrushes, is this the case or is further thinning a good idea? I have also heard that you can use rubbing alcohol to thin is this also true? Thanks in advance.

 

Graeme

[tomp.]

I always thin mine with tap water with no problems clogging. I'm sure others will recommend other alternatives. I also prime all plastic parts with Duplicolor Truck, Van & Suv spray primer, it's about 5 USD for a 11 0z (311g) can, it leaves a nice smooth finish. They don't stick so well to bare plastic when masked over with anything other than low tack tape.

[DaveJ]

MM Acryl is thinned already, so unless it's an older bottle that has thickened, it's good to go straight from the bottle.

 

I always prime the model first, usually with Tamiya from the rattle can.

[Guest Peterpools]

Graeme

I've been using a Iwata Eclipse CS double action airbrush and find the quality and feel to be wonderful. I still have three Badgers but the Iwata is now the weapon of choice. I shoot both acrylics and enamels and find acrylics need to be thinned out. I don't use a thinning ratio but mix the paint and thinner - 91% Isopropyl Alcohol .) I don't recommend rubbing alcohol and 70% alcohol just contains more water), until the mixture beads off my stainless steel mixing rod. I like to shoot acrylics at 12-15 psi for fine work and 20 - 25 psi for wide coverage. I also found acrylics shoot best with a number 3 medium tip set up. For fine line work I back off the air and paint or go with a fine tip set up and always apply color coats over primer. Hope this helps.

Peter

[mz826]

Great! Thanks for the help everyone!

 

Graeme

[LSP_K2]

I must confess I've never used MM acrylics, only Gunze. For the Gunze, I've always used denatured alcohol to thin when needed.

[Guest Nigelr32]

I've been playing around with different paint and thinner combinations lately, and am now tending to use only Tamiya or Gunze thinned with tamiya Thinners. Gunze thinners is awesome, but a lot more smelly than Tamiya. I always use Halfords primer before applying any colours, on every single part of the kit.

 

One piece of advice I can give you is this:- If you intend to rub down or polish your primer, do NOT use Vallejo Grey primer.!! It leaves a lovely finish, but dries like PVA and peels off the plastic, and it's a nightmare to wash out of your Airbrush. Just my 2p.

[Guest Peterpools]

Nige

Thanks for the heads up about the primer. I haven't heard that before abut it is good to know. I've also been doing a little bit of research on their model air aluminum and in the tutorial, step #16 states "During use, regularly clean the tip with paper towel dampened with alcohol or Vallejo Cleaner, as the formulation of acrylic resin can cause the accumulation of pigment on the tip after a period of continuous work."

I'm wondering if anyone knows if they mean a few minutes of continuous use or what the approximate window is?

Peter

[big matt]

Peter, I use Model Air paint all the time. It will accumulate on the needle and cause poor performance. I also have an Iwata HP-CS. I use the .5mm needle and nozzle rather than the .35 that it came with. Depending on local humidity you will have to clean the tip more or less often. In sunny (hot) Los Angeles, in my non-climate controled shop, I clean the needle with a windex dampened q-tip every minute or so during the summer. Some days I can paint forever without a problem.

 

For what it's worth, I use MM Acryl out of the bottle and it works great. Same build-up problem though.

 

Matt (still struggling with airbrush black arts)

[Guest Peterpools]

Matt

Thanks for the info, heads u and good advice. I guess it's a case of too much reading and not enough; just digging in and doing it. I live on the other coast, Long Island, NY and in the summer, it's humid. We keep the AC is on all the time. I'll follow your lead and keep a bottle Windex on the workbench. Thanks again

Peter

[Aptivaboy]

I actually add some rubbing alcohol to the bottle before using, just topping off the unused bottle. some colors, like their darker greys and yellows, are sometimes a bit on the thick side. The alcohol also helps flow through my crappy old Paasche VL airbrush. Testors might claim that they're pre-thinned, but I've had some experiences with clogging using those "thicker" colors straight from the bottle. Lighter colors? No problems. Acryls are my preferred paints due to quick drying times and ease of use, but do consider thinning them just a bit.

[mz826]

Thanks again for the help everyone