strikeeagle801 Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 Hey all I know that this topic probably has been covered 1000 times before, but I need help. I am using Testors enamel paint, thinned with Klean Stripe medium-drying lacquer thinner, and am shooting at about 25 psi through my Aztek airbrush. I've tried to thin the paint anywhere from 50/50 to 70/30 (thinner to paint) and seem to have the same problem...The paint is basically dry by the time it hits the model part, and leaves a gritty mess. What can I do to fix this? Any hints would be appreciated. Aaron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mstor Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 Lacquer thinners can be too fast drying for Testors enamels. I would try their own thinner, which is what I use, or a mineral spirits thinner. Gunze Mr Paint Leveling thinner may work but I have never tried it. It is very mild lacquer thinner that has a drying retarder included. I have had success in the distant past adding some Floguil Crystal Clear gloss to the paint and using lacquer thinner. It acted as a retarding agent to slow drying and gave the paint a satin finish, but Floquil railroad enamels are hard to find these days. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 +1 Those big cans of lacquer thinner are only useful for cleaning your airbrush. Model Master airbrush thinner does a fine job. I thin all paints to the consistency of 1% milk and spray at 1 atmosphere. Paint in close, like 0.25 to 2 inches. Thin coats to build coverage. Watch the paint hitting the surface to ensure it's wet. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RichardL Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 10 hours ago, strikeeagle801 said: I am shooting at about 25 psi through my Aztek airbrush. Way too high of an air pressure in my opinion. I would never go that high, even with a siphon feed airbrush. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RichardL Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 10 hours ago, strikeeagle801 said: I am using Testors enamel paint, thinned with Klean Stripe medium-drying lacquer thinner Below is a picture showing the thinner I use, and the finish always turns out smoother than a baby's butt. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
strikeeagle801 Posted May 12, 2018 Author Share Posted May 12, 2018 4 hours ago, RichardL said: Way too high of an air pressure in my opinion. I would never go that high, even with a siphon feed airbrush. I usually spray about 10-15, but thought I would go higher to see if low pressure was the problem. Was just doing some trial and error, but wanted to include the pressure in the OP so you guys knew the exact conditions, and how to help. I appreciate the responses, and will be buying some Model Master thinner and/or mineral spirits today. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RichardL Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 Also, as mentioned above, you want to be fairly close to the model surface when spraying because the farther the distance, the more time the paint particles have to dry out before hitting their target. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
strikeeagle801 Posted May 13, 2018 Author Share Posted May 13, 2018 Just a small update. I bought some Model Master thinner today, and tried again tonight. Complete 180 on the results. Dialed the pressure back down to 12-15ish, and the paint sprayed beautifully! I now much a bunch of hangy/pointy/explody thingies in various shades of green and gray ready for my 1/48 Tamiya F-16. Thank's for the help! Aaron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chuck1945 Posted May 13, 2018 Share Posted May 13, 2018 Good, keep using the Testors Airbrush thinner for spraying Testors paints and use the lacquer thinner for clean-up Quote Link to post Share on other sites
serendip Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 On 5/12/2018 at 3:19 PM, dnl42 said: +1 Those big cans of lacquer thinner are only useful for cleaning your airbrush. Model Master airbrush thinner does a fine job. I thin all paints to the consistency of 1% milk and spray at 1 atmosphere. Paint in close, like 0.25 to 2 inches. Thin coats to build coverage. Watch the paint hitting the surface to ensure it's wet. Agreed, that's the trick - low pressure and especially well thinned so it spreads over the surface before starting to dry. You need to try to immerse the model. What also help me is getting the room as clean as possible which I do is closing the windows and vaporising water to pull dust and other contaminents out of the air. HTH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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