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Airbrushing problems need HELP


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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!

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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 by dnl42
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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 

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.  

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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.

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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.

 

badger-02.jpg

 

Rob

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