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What is the best method for decanting spray paints


LSP_Ron

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For small touch ups, i just spray from the spraycan in my airbrush cup. When i need a lot of paint from the spraycan, i take a bit of straw (lenght about 8-10cm), an empty paint jar, and just spray paint into the straw to the jar. I let it for a few minutes until there is no bubbles anymore, then i can close the jar.

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  • 1 year later...

From the "dredging up an old thread" department...

 

What's the best paint to use to tint Tamiya AS-12 to achieve different shades of metal?  Can you use Tamiya acrylic, or do you need to use another enamel paint?

 

I've never done it, but I suspect Tamiya acrylics will work fine. Personally, I'd opt for a bit of Smoke, as it won't interfere with the reflectivity of the silver paint, and is guaranteed to provide a subtle effect. You could also use other 'clear' colours, though they're likely to provide a less realistic result. I definitely would not use enamels, though. AS-12 is a synthetic lacquer, with a relatively mild carrier, and I wouldn't trust it to be strong enough to dissolve enamel paints, especially since you're likely to be using either the Gunze or Tamiya lacquer thinners to thin the paint for airbrushing, neither of which is particularly strong.

 

Kev

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I wonder if adding a small amount of some MM metalizers or Alclads to the AS-12 would give you what you want. A while back, I know someone did some experimentation with obtaining different metallic effects...

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  • 11 months later...

Like some others here, I'm also about to try decanting Tamiya TS-series paints for the first time but I have a specific concern about how the environment in my current location may need for me to adjust the procedures. I'm currently in Bogotá, Colombia (elevation 8,600 feet and cool temperatures - need a sweater or jacket in the mornings & evenings but shirt-sleeve weather during the afternoons, temperatures exactly like San Francisco but without the fog). How will the lower air pressure at this elevation plus the cool temperatures affect the out-gassing process?

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Like some others here, I'm also about to try decanting Tamiya TS-series paints for the first time but I have a specific concern about how the environment in my current location may need for me to adjust the procedures. I'm currently in Bogotá, Colombia (elevation 8,600 feet and cool temperatures - need a sweater or jacket in the mornings & evenings but shirt-sleeve weather during the afternoons, temperatures exactly like San Francisco but without the fog). How will the lower air pressure at this elevation plus the cool temperatures affect the out-gassing process?

Well, your ambient pressure is lower than sea level, so you'd expect the outgassing to be faster, but the cooler air is denser, so there's that.  You're closer to the Equator, so your linear velocity is higher, which I'm sure has some effect . . . seriously, I'm not sure, but it won't hurt to be conservative.  Decant, put a cover on the jar to stop dust getting in, and leave it for a couple of days.  You can always try a little shake after a few hours.  If it it bubbles, you know you've got a ways to go.  I live in Florida at sea level and when I decant I don't touch it till the next day.

 

Good luck.

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Well, your ambient pressure is lower than sea level, so you'd expect the outgassing to be faster, but the cooler air is denser, so there's that.  You're closer to the Equator, so your linear velocity is higher, which I'm sure has some effect . . . seriously, I'm not sure, but it won't hurt to be conservative.  Decant, put a cover on the jar to stop dust getting in, and leave it for a couple of days.  You can always try a little shake after a few hours.  If it it bubbles, you know you've got a ways to go.  I live in Florida at sea level and when I decant I don't touch it till the next day.

 

Good luck.

 

Mark,

 

Thank you. I guess my biggest concern is with the aerosol propellant presumably evaporating more rapidly under the lower air pressure here, do you believe that will tend to make the decanted paint more volatile with a stronger tendency to boil during the out-gassing process?

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Hi Ron

no problemo, just do it in small quantity.

Some "warnings":

first: spray for some seconds 15-20 to fill in the small plastic bottle, stop it 2mn, spray again,...this is to not frozen at the spay nozzle.

second: let the paint stay for complete degassing in the jar for 24hrs.(Do not drop a steel ball in when fresh!!!)

 

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Mark,

 

Thank you. I guess my biggest concern is with the aerosol propellant presumably evaporating more rapidly under the lower air pressure here, do you believe that will tend to make the decanted paint more volatile with a stronger tendency to boil during the out-gassing process?

 

Ray,

 

I know Bogota's air pressure is only about 72% of that at sea level, but since aerosols still work as designed there, I don't think you'll have too much of a problem.  As rafju suggests, do it in stages, the paint shouldn't come to any harm.

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Hi Ron

no problemo, just do it in small quantity.

Some "warnings":

first: spray for some seconds 15-20 to fill in the small plastic bottle, stop it 2mn, spray again,...this is to not frozen at the spay nozzle.

second: let the paint stay for complete degassing in the jar for 24hrs.(Do not drop a steel ball in when fresh!!!)

 

crc5ja.jpg

 

xolp3n.jpg

 

cnigpf.jpg

 

 

 

Awesome idea!  I have a LOT Of these clear droppers exactly like this but am normally short on straws large enough to accomplish this. I do wish however that Tamiyas acrylic lacquers had that "lip" on the exit for the rattle cans, that would be perfect to attach the cut droppers to.   I still think cutting one of these droppers might be the way to go for me personally. 

Ill have to give it a shot, as Kev mentioned many years ago in this thread, colors such as Tamiyas Camel yellow, and more recently, a need for their TS-15 blue, can be invaluable and decanting is about the only way it seems. Ive looked for a close match to MRPs acrylic lacquers and only their metallic blue is even close, but cant use the metallic part, so decanting their TS-15 is where Im headed it seems. 

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Ray,

 

I know Bogota's air pressure is only about 72% of that at sea level, but since aerosols still work as designed there, I don't think you'll have too much of a problem.  As rafju suggests, do it in stages, the paint shouldn't come to any harm.

Mark,

 

Thanks again. I think I'm just going to have to try to use very little pressure on the nozzle cap as I begin decanting and start with very small amounts to see what happens, then if everything seems stable move on to larger amounts of paint.

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5/10 sec. max per pschiiiiiiiiiiitt might be better ;-) then relax, and wait, check the nozzle: no ice is ok, shake again the can and do it again...(lol)

If only a small paint qty needed, Àlan (in Austria) process, some drops direct in the airbrush cup is a really good way to go.

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5/10 sec. max per pschiiiiiiiiiiitt might be better ;-) then relax, and wait, check the nozzle: no ice is ok, shake again the can and do it again...(lol)

If only a small paint qty needed, Àlan (in Austria) process, some drops direct in the airbrush cup is a really good way to go.

Thanks; that is more or less what I was thinking of trying. It's reassuring to know someone with experience with the process thinks that's a sound approach in my environment.

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