eagleflite Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 I normally build military models, but I've been working on an old 1/12 Chevy. Big kit. Never had a problem until I started working on this car. I'm using Model Masters Auto Enamel Classic Black paint decanted from the spray can through my airbrush. Running at 20 to 25 psi. Used 2 separate airbrushes with similar problems. In the middle of my passes, I'm getting splatter. Is the mix too thin or not thin enough? Also, I'm not getting even coats. I'm beginning to think I need to go back to the bottles and do my mix. This is driving me mad. HELP! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 (edited) I've never tried decanting spray paints, so I cannot comment on such techniques. Do you normally use Model Master enamels? Perhaps your technique is better tuned to different paints? By "middle of my passes", do you mean spatter starts after a while of good painting? Or, do you get spatter between the start and end of a single stroke? If the former, perhaps you're getting some paint build-up on the tip that's causing the spatter? I've learned to "burp" the airbrush every so often. This means pointing the airbrush away from the model and opening up the air and paint flow to maximum for a second to make sure there's no paint accumulation at the tip. Some airbrushes have a slot in their tail to enable the needle to be manually pulled way back, expressly for this purpose. Edited November 28, 2019 by dnl42 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ytsejam87 Posted November 29, 2019 Share Posted November 29, 2019 Did you thin the paint? Did you give the paint time to off gas the propellant? The following older link seemed to have decent suggestions, though it seems to speak to tamiya specifically. Maybe it can be helpful for your circumstance. http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/tools_techniques_and_reference_materials/f/18/t/156022.aspx Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eagleflite Posted November 29, 2019 Author Share Posted November 29, 2019 I use both Vallejo Acyk and Model Master Enml, but normally use Model Master Enamels dnl42. I'm getting splatter in the middle of the stroke. That has happened with both the bottle and decanted paint. I would have thought that the decanted paint would have worked, since it it was from the spray can. I will try the "Burp". ytsejam, I did thin the bottled paint, more like eye balled the ratio. As for gassing it off, not really a few minutes. How log should I let it gas out? I did not thin the decanted paint though. Not much time either for gas out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rob de Bie Posted November 29, 2019 Share Posted November 29, 2019 On 11/28/2019 at 6:56 PM, eagleflite said: I normally build military models, but I've been working on an old 1/12 Chevy. Big kit. Never had a problem until I started working on this car. I'm using Model Masters Auto Enamel Classic Black paint decanted from the spray can through my airbrush. Running at 20 to 25 psi. Used 2 separate airbrushes with similar problems. In the middle of my passes, I'm getting splatter. Is the mix too thin or not thin enough? Also, I'm not getting even coats. I'm beginning to think I need to go back to the bottles and do my mix. This is driving me mad. HELP! I had that problem too with my Badger 150. It's the design of the most forward part, interestingly called 'splatter cap' I think. Can't explain it easily, but there's a 'donut' shaped vortex there, that picks up a bit of paint from the spray, and deposits it in the corners of that splatter cap. And when there's enough paint, it spits it out along with the regular flow. My solution: I ground it completely off. Now I don't have a protection for the needle anymore, but I like it better. Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mstor Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 3 hours ago, eagleflite said: I did not thin the decanted paint though. Not much time either for gas out. Decanted paint should be allowed to gas off for at least a couple of hours (I let it degas at least 4 hours, sometimes more). If not thoroughly degassed, any agitation of the paint will cause the gasses to bubble to the surface. This certainly could be the cause of your splattering. Completely degassed paint will not bubble when agitated. I'm sure you have noticed that right after you decant the paint, it you agitate it, it bubbles violently, often overflowing the container the paint was decanted into. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eagleflite Posted November 30, 2019 Author Share Posted November 30, 2019 Mstor, I poured the decanted paint into a jar. Do you screw the cover on loosely? I guess I'm wondering if the paint will dry out if it's not covered. Rob, maybe I have a different tip. I am pretty clumsy and drop stuff. I will try exchanging it will in use. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eagleflite Posted November 30, 2019 Author Share Posted November 30, 2019 ytsejam87, good info in the link. I thought I saw it, but read more. Thanks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ytsejam87 Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 EF, I should have searched ARC first! Apologies to all. This seems to roll it up in a nutshell: Searching here is quite enlightening! there has been a lot of discussions here, and one can learn alot just from browsing thru time here. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mstor Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 1 hour ago, eagleflite said: Mstor, I poured the decanted paint into a jar. Do you screw the cover on loosely? I guess I'm wondering if the paint will dry out if it's not covered. Rob, maybe I have a different tip. I am pretty clumsy and drop stuff. I will try exchanging it will in use. You could do that, though I wouldn't screw it on, just lay it on. I use some of that self-sticking plastic wrap. I cut a piece and cover the bottle top tightly. Then I cut a 2/3 inch slit in the plastic wrap to let the gasses out. I use the same cover when decanting the paint. I use a cut down paint pipette that I attach to the part of the spray can nozzle that protrudes out. If you cut the tip of the pipette correctly, it forms a nice tight seal and no other sealing is necessary. Then I insert the other end of the pipette into the slit in the wrap on the bottle and spray away. I stop every few seconds to let the bubbles settle down. When I have enough paint, I just let the bottle sit until completely outgassed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rob de Bie Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 On 11/29/2019 at 11:02 PM, Rob de Bie said: I had that problem too with my Badger 150. It's the design of the most forward part, interestingly called 'splatter cap' I think. Can't explain it easily, but there's a 'donut' shaped vortex there, that picks up a bit of paint from the spray, and deposits it in the corners of that splatter cap. And when there's enough paint, it spits it out along with the regular flow. My solution: I ground it completely off. Now I don't have a protection for the needle anymore, but I like it better. Rob Here's a picture of my modification. Shown on the left is the original splatter cap design, next to it the improved design with four 'teeth', that demonstrates that Badger knew of this problem. But even this design did not stop the spitting, and therefore my radical solution. I always put on the metal protection cap, because it's very easy to bump or drop the airbrush. Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.