Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Hi everyone! Just a problem I'd like to ask when airbrushing Alclad aluminum. I prepared the surface smooth and clean, sprayed a gloss black coat; stirred/shook the Alclad bottle/paint very well, but when sprayed with at around 15 psi, it got a powdery texture and not the typical smooth glossy sheeny paint coat. What could possibly went wrong????? Thanks in advance!

 

Forgot to add, it was a clear sunny day and I was 100% certain that the bottle/paint is not contaminated/adulterated.

Edited by flybywire
Link to post
Share on other sites

Fly

 

How far away from the surface of the model were you spraying? I had a similar issue with the Alclad chrome. I was a little too far from the surface of the test spoon I was spraying. I moved to around 5" away and it didn't powder. Now if I could just figure out why my MM enamel is powdering.

Link to post
Share on other sites

was this bottle previously used use or is it a new bottle? I've had some problems in past spraying alclad just to find it was a bad bottle. did you happen to over spray or just sprayed it on too thick? I know some folks got the powder affect from caking it on by accident. I normally spray alclad @ 10 psi regardless of the finish.

Edited by randypandy831
Link to post
Share on other sites

FWIW, ~15psi is my usual spray pressure at 2 to 3 inches. Make sure that the pressure is checked while air is flowing; static pressure will be higher.

 

I've only ever had lacquer turn into powder when I was too far away.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

 

Following are the major reasons why paint turns to powder while airbrushing:

 

1.   You are too far from the model surface, giving the paint the time to dry before it hits its target.

2.   Your pressure is set too high, causing the paint to dry before hitting its target.

3.   If you are painting in a corner (i.e., where the vertical and horizontal stabilizers come together), the paint will swirl in circles, causing it to dry while it is swirling.

4.   Your paint is not mixed properly, causing it to dry out on its short trip to the model.

 

You'll need to experiment on some old "junker" models to come up with the right mixture of everything (paint, thinner, air pressure, distance

that you are painting from airbrush to model, etc.).  It takes PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!!  This part is half of the fun of modeling!

GOOD LUCK!!!

  

Link to post
Share on other sites
On 11/13/2016 at 11:29 AM, randypandy831 said:

was this bottle previously used use or is it a new bottle? I've had some problems in past spraying alclad just to find it was a bad bottle. did you happen to over spray or just sprayed it on too thick? I know some folks got the powder affect from caking it on by accident. I normally spray alclad @ 10 psi regardless of the finish.

It's a new bottle. Just bought it mainly for the main airframe painting. Indon't think i oversprayed. The moment I saw the desired layer of sheen , I move to the next area.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...