Airbrushing, new to me, looking for help advice

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  • Ken_NJ
    Captain
    • Sep 2014
    • 744

    Airbrushing, new to me, looking for help advice

    My son got me this Master Airbrush kit last Christmas, and now I need to get going on using it. Never used on before, never really had to in the past, now I need to with the Skipjack I'm working on. It came with two gravity feed airbrushes and on siphon feed. I also have the color wheel and I bought a 2 foot section of plumbing pipe that will be my practice subject. Along with an oak tag sheet. Still don't have an FSD-STD-595 color deck. There are plenty of pictures, mostly by David, on how to's for painting. But there are questions I have to start. Do I need anything else? I'll start practicing with the paint that came with the kit and progress from there. David got me going on scribing with my Marlin so I'm sure I'll get some kick-ass advice from him (and probably some ridiculing) and others and getting started with airbrushing.

    When using decanted paint from spray cans, does the paint need to be thinned at all? Or as is?
    Does decanted paint change at all while it is stored in a sealed container? Does any of the thinning agent evaporate away?

    Helpful links...
    https://forum.rc-sub.com/forum/tips-...ecommendations
    https://forum.rc-sub.com/forum/tips-...arkings-part-2














    Last edited by Ken_NJ; 08-28-2021, 01:44 PM.
  • He Who Shall Not Be Named
    Moderator
    • Aug 2008
    • 12253

    #2
    Originally posted by Ken_NJ
    My son got me this Master Airbrush kit last Christmas, and now I need to get going on using it. Never used on before, never really had to in the past, now I need to with the Skipjack I'm working on. It came with two gravity feed airbrushes and on siphon feed. I also have the color wheel and I bought a 2 foot section of plumbing pipe that will be my practice subject. Along with an oak tag sheet. Still don't have an FSD-STD-595 color deck. There are plenty of pictures, mostly by David, on how to's for painting. But there are questions I have to start. Do I need anything else? I'll start practicing with the paint that came with the kit and progress from there. David got me going on scribing with my Marlin so I'm sure I'll get some kick-ass advice from him (and probably some ridiculing) and others and getting started with airbrushing.

    When using decanted paint from spray cans, does the paint need to be thinned at all? Or as is?
    Does decanted paint change at all while it is stored in a sealed container? Does any of the thinning agent evaporate away?

    Helpful links...
    https://forum.rc-sub.com/forum/tips-...ecommendations
    https://forum.rc-sub.com/forum/tips-...arkings-part-2














    The decanted rattle-can paint has four magic ingredients: the pigment, a resin binder, thinner/solvent, and a propellant.

    You need to let the propellant boil off for a day, at room temperature, in your container -- which, during the propellant boil-off, must be sealed with a very loose lid or you'll have a paint explosion (likely in the wee hours of the night when everyone's asleep -- "hey, honey, look at all the pretty colors on the ceiling... and the walls... on the cat... and the floor... and in my hair!").

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    As rattle-can paint is formulated to squirt out the small nozzle atop the rattle-can, the paint requires no further thinning.

    As the thinner/solvent is very volatile it will eventually go away unless your container is tightly sealed. Shelf-life is a year or two.

    David
    Last edited by He Who Shall Not Be Named; 08-28-2021, 02:49 PM.
    Who is John Galt?

    Comment

    • Ken_NJ
      Captain
      • Sep 2014
      • 744

      #3
      Good information David, thanks. Didn't know about bleeding off the propellant.

      Comment

      • He Who Shall Not Be Named
        Moderator
        • Aug 2008
        • 12253

        #4
        Originally posted by Ken_NJ
        Good information David, thanks. Didn't know about bleeding off the propellant.
        Important safety tip. Guess how we learned that lesson!

        David
        Who is John Galt?

        Comment

        • Ken_NJ
          Captain
          • Sep 2014
          • 744

          #5
          By experience I bet?

          Someone in our boat club, don't know what he was doing or how it happened. A spray can exploded on him, lost his eye, now has a glass eye.

          Comment

          • Ken_NJ
            Captain
            • Sep 2014
            • 744

            #6
            Will need something to store decanted paint in. Found these on Amazon. They come in 2oz, 4oz or more bottles and are airtight, so they say.

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            • He Who Shall Not Be Named
              Moderator
              • Aug 2008
              • 12253

              #7
              Originally posted by Ken_NJ
              By experience I bet?

              Someone in our boat club, don't know what he was doing or how it happened. A spray can exploded on him, lost his eye, now has a glass eye.
              Guys will soak a rattle-can in hot water to increase the pressure within to enhance a spray pattern (or rejuvenate a can that gets cold through prolonged use). And then there are those hopeless idiots who will toss one of these colorful hand-grenades' into a fire...

              David
              Who is John Galt?

              Comment

              • Ken_NJ
                Captain
                • Sep 2014
                • 744

                #8
                A few more questions.

                Originally posted by He Who Shall Not Be Named
                Water soluble acrylics for weathering and touch-up work.
                Once the base coat is on the model and clear coated, all subsequent coats (weathering) is done with acrylics?
                Is the above waterline streaking acrylics as well?
                The weathering is then clear coated again? With clear flat acrylic?

                I must get my facts straight before I start so I get better at this, remember newbie to airbrushing.

                Comment

                • He Who Shall Not Be Named
                  Moderator
                  • Aug 2008
                  • 12253

                  #9
                  Originally posted by Ken_NJ
                  A few more questions.



                  Once the base coat is on the model and clear coated, all subsequent coats (weathering) is done with acrylics?
                  Is the above waterline streaking acrylics as well?
                  The weathering is then clear coated again? With clear flat acrylic?

                  I must get my facts straight before I start so I get better at this, remember newbie to airbrushing.
                  God! Finally I'm dealing with a real talent in search of new (and what he will discover to be a wonderous technique) way of doing things. OK. I now extract my nose from your butt.

                  Yes, the fun stuff is done with air-dry, water-soluble acrylic paint. Keep in mind once dry it is no longer water-soluble, so if you make a boo-boo you can abrade it off without damaging the base color -- that's why the clear coat between the two, a sort of shield that permits you the opportunity to scrub away boo-boos without having to re-paint the entire ****ing model again. The work goes vary quickly if you accelerate drying with careful use of a heat-gun.

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                  Yes, the streaking is Acrylic too (sigh).

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                  The streaking will be way too exaggerated. You tone it down with a misting of the base color. Half of this streaked model is in the raw, and the other half is getting a mist coating of the base color to make the display more presentable.

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                  Flat clear-coat dries quicker. And is the absolute last coat after all the weathering and markings are in order. But, between operations it matters little if the clear protective coat (shield) is flat or gloss.

                  And use an automotive quality clear-coat system for that last coat. It gives you the ability to control the sheen and cures to a very tough surface not as easily damaged by handling, and collisions as the 'hobby' and 'box-store' paints.

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                  You're asking the right questions, and your assumptions so far are right on the money, Ken.

                  David
                  Attached Files
                  Last edited by He Who Shall Not Be Named; 08-29-2021, 10:47 AM.
                  Who is John Galt?

                  Comment

                  • Ken_NJ
                    Captain
                    • Sep 2014
                    • 744

                    #10
                    Does the acrylic brand matter much? You're using Delta Ceramcoat. And they have all sorts of choices, pastel, brights, flashy etc. I probably need only basic colors?

                    https://www.amazon.com/Delta-Creativ.../dp/B01MFGW2ON

                    I know acrylic over enamel is fine. The mist coat is enamel. Am I screwed with mist coat enamel over acrylic? (Maybe here comes the yelling?) Maybe as long as the acrylic is cured a few days enamel mist is OK?

                    Comment

                    • He Who Shall Not Be Named
                      Moderator
                      • Aug 2008
                      • 12253

                      #11
                      Originally posted by Ken_NJ
                      Does the acrylic brand matter much? You're using Delta Ceramcoat. And they have all sorts of choices, pastel, brights, flashy etc. I probably need only basic colors?

                      https://www.amazon.com/Delta-Creativ.../dp/B01MFGW2ON

                      I know acrylic over enamel is fine. The mist coat is enamel. Am I screwed with mist coat enamel over acrylic? (Maybe here comes the yelling?) Maybe as long as the acrylic is cured a few days enamel mist is OK?
                      Brand difference. None that I've been able to qualify.

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                      These items were spray and hand-painted with Walmart acrylics. These 'observation compartment' inserts have weathered both lake and swimming pool water with no ill effects.

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                      Can't give you a straight answer about the enamel-over-acrylic question as I stopped using enamels in the early 70's.

                      You're putting together a test article, right? So... TEST that combination already!

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                      Let's say you don't get any crackle, bleeding, or gooey results from the enamel-over-acrylic trick. The final proof of that combinations utility under physical stress is to mask off a portion of the work and see if the tape pulls anything up it shouldn't. If not, you've just added another round to your magazine of painting tricks.
                      Attached Files
                      Last edited by He Who Shall Not Be Named; 08-29-2021, 02:00 PM.
                      Who is John Galt?

                      Comment

                      • Ken_NJ
                        Captain
                        • Sep 2014
                        • 744

                        #12
                        Sharing my experience so far.
                        I bought some acrylic paints from the craft store. They were only 79 cents each. These paints will need to be thinned before spraying. I also have some the same colors that came with the airbrush kit which are ready to use. I also bought airbrush cleaner and reducer from Amazon. So now I'm ready to go. I added some paint to a gravity feed dual action airbrush and sprayed some on plain paper and cardboard. I felt pretty good about it. So I started mixing black and white for gray on the masts with the store paints and added reducer to thin it out. The base colors on those masts came out good for me. For the mottle I mixed up a darker gray and splotched on the dots and masked and sprayed other portions. I then placed some of the dark gray on a sheet and mixed some white to lighten it up for a lighter shade for the mottle effect. Maybe the base gray is a little on the dark side? The the snorkel I spray Testor's Aluminum color which is enamel. The periscope's were sprayed with Testor's enamel silver. With the enamel I cleaned the airbrush with regular paint thinner. With the acrylics I used the Amazon airbrush cleaner. I have a little touch up work to do.

                        Now that I got started using the airbrush, I can get use to this! Opening up a whole new way of painting!

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                        • He Who Shall Not Be Named
                          Moderator
                          • Aug 2008
                          • 12253

                          #13
                          'Air-brush Reducer' Waste of money. Water!

                          KISS.

                          David
                          Who is John Galt?

                          Comment

                          • Ken_NJ
                            Captain
                            • Sep 2014
                            • 744

                            #14
                            Right. Acrylic is water based. Thanks.

                            There are all kinds of videos on YouTube for thinning with all kinds of liquids. Water makes sense!

                            Comment

                            • He Who Shall Not Be Named
                              Moderator
                              • Aug 2008
                              • 12253

                              #15
                              Originally posted by Ken_NJ
                              Right. Acrylic is water based. Thanks.

                              There are all kinds of videos on YouTube for thinning with all kinds of liquids. Water makes sense!
                              The ONLY Thing you will add to acrylic is a flattening agent (most of the time not needed) and a drop of liquid soap to bust water tension -- to mitigate against 'fish-eye' and runs if you get too aggressive with the lay-down.

                              David
                              Who is John Galt?

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