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Problem with Tamiya XF3 Yellow: Flakes in the cup


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Hi all,

 

I am trying to airbrush a yellow cowling on a P47, using Tamiya XF03 1:1 thinned with Mr Color leveling thinner, on top of a coat of Mr Surfacer 1500. The same combination works excellently on a bottle of Tamiya green I recently bought. Pressure was between 10-20 PSI, I have tried the lower and higher ends with no effect.
 

But with this bottle of yellow, there are flakes or small bits of paint that do not dissolve, be it in the mixing cup or during airbrushing, resulting in a rough, splattered finish. 
 

No idea what I am doing wrong here, except for the fact that this particular pot of XF03 is a few years old. 

I shake the bottle and mix the yellow paint in a separate cup with the thinner. But even before pouring into the airbrush I can already see the flakes.

 

I have ordered a new bottle, will be interesting to see if this fixes it. I had not thought that Tamiya had issues with shelf life like that, albeit this particular bottle was stored in rather rough conditions. 

Any tips or ideas what I could be doing better? 
 

Many thanks,

David 

Edited by David.D
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On 5/25/2021 at 8:50 AM, David.D said:

Any tips or ideas what I could be doing better?

Post doesn't say whether or not the Yellow itself has been examined for flakes before mixing.

In my experience with Tamiya Acrylics dried paint on cap interior and bottle top interior have caused dried flakes to fall in to paint upon opening the bottle.

So, to paraphrase a phrase, Cleanliness is next to flakelessness.

Do, however, note that I am not the patron saint of flakelessness & this still occasionally takes place here.

 

Flakes in the bottle (sounds like a band name) are usually removable by catching them with a paintbrush dipped in to the UN-stirred paint right after the cap is taken off.

 

Here, illustrations, guaranteed flake sources,

 

51211087367_1f62c3b0bd_c.jpg

 

51211087352_2173e19c38_c.jpg

Edited by southwestforests
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If you have access to coffee filters or some other like material, you can strain the paint through that before using. 

I remember some years ago about a guy who used an old pair of his wife's pantyhose. He cut them up into small squares and strained his paint through that. A used teabag that has the old tea removed would probably work, too.

 

 

 

Chris

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