Airbrushes

Edavillenut

Member
i just bought my first airbrush an internak mix Aztec by Testors. the thing is great it is a singal and double action. it beats painting everything with a brush and better results. what is the best paint to use when airbruhing i used Floquil and the feumes really got to me and i was using a homemade spray booth.
 

Vic

Active Member
Polly Scale

I've been using Polly Scale paint since it came out and prefer it over the regular Floquil....Very little odor at all. It bonds well to metal, especially brass. When thinned it airbrushes well. Also, it brushes very nice too and dries with hardly any brush marks. Also it dries so smooth that you usually don't have to apply a gloss coat to the surface before applying decals.

Just be sure that when painting metal or plastic with it that the metal or plastic is clean and oil free.
 

IMRL393

Member
Also use a fume hood REGARDLESS of if you can smell the fumes or not - the paint particulates are just as bad for your lungs as the solvents !!!

Edavillenut, your hood is NOT working properly - please fix it or get another one - you are risking your health!

- Dr. George Bailey
Professor of Chemistry
St. Ambrose University
 

sumpter250

multiscale modelbuilder
Edavillenut,
I concur with Dr. George! Your spray booth has to be vented to the outside, and has to be able to move all the fumes, and overspray out that vent.
I still use Floquil paints, and diosol, and don't have a problem, because my spray booth has a fan powerful enough to exhaust all the paint and fumes.
Pete
 

Vic

Active Member
Don't use Polly S paint. Use Polly Scale. There is a difference. Polly S is a latex based paint....it does not adhere well. Polly Scale is an acrylic based paint and will adhere nicely to clean metal without a primer although using the primer wouldn't hurt.
 

Blake

Member
Polly Scale acrylics

Here are some tips for using acrylics:

1). Use the manufactuer's thinner for airbrushing and only mix what you need for one job at a time. DO NOT return the excess thinned paint back into the original paint jar. The thinner promotes fast drying and will dry out the rest of the paint.
2). Use a hair dryer in between coats, this speeds things up. I have done 3 color paint schemes in under 30 minutes this way.
3). Keep the inside of the caps and the mouths of the jars clean to insure a good seal. Acrylics will dry out very fast
4). Clean your models well with soap and warm water. Just before painting, clean the model with alcohol on a soft brush. Let it dry, then start painting.
5). If the paint gets a bit thick, thin with water and stir well.
6). Always strain the paint before putting it into the airbrush. One little glob and it's all over. You can use a very fine screen or a piece of a woman's stocking (make sure she is done with them or your models may wind up out on the lawn!!!).
7). Thoroughly clean your air brush after each painting session. Laquer thinner is great for this and really gets things clean. The great thing about acrylic enamels is that when airbrushing, previous colors won't disolve and effect the color you are using. You can paint black, rinse the brush out and paint white without getting gray.
8). Primer is reccommended for painting metal (I also use it for plastic). I have found an automotive primer called "Plasti-kote Car
Color" (#632) to have very fine grain, about the same as model primer. It is an acrylic lacquer that dries in about 15 minutes. If you decide to use it, make sure you get primer and not primer/surfacer. The primer/surfacer is designed to fill scratches so it will also hide detail.

Hope this helps
Blake
 

Edavillenut

Member
i have a big problem. i forgot to clean a nozel and color cup on my airbursh:mad: and the paint dried and i can get it off. i dont know what to use. i blam it all on on of my friends because she kept bugging my to stop what i was doing and talk to her so it is all her fault:D . but anyways how can i clean it. the paint was Polly Scale
 

Gary Pfeil

Active Member
Lacquer thinner should help. You may need to use small gauge brass wire for the nozzle. Be gentle to prevent nicking the nozzle.

Gary
 

Vic

Active Member
Like Gary said lacquer thinner will cure the problem. Disassemble the airbrush and soak the clogged parts in it for an hour or so. I like to use an old jar to do this so I can agaitate the parts every now and then. I like to use pipe cleaners to clean out the parts once the thinner has made the dried paint soft. Once you think you've got everything cleaned up re-assemble the brush and run some clean lacquer thinner thru it until its spraying nothing but clear thinner.

AIRBRUSH TIP: Just running clear thinner through the brush after a painting session doesn't really clean it properly. Every once in a while you need to disassemble the brush and give it a good cleaning as described above.
 

Vic

Active Member
Hi Shawn, I've never seen a plastic airbrush before. If that's the case use some denatured alcohol. Won't harm plastic and will cut the Polly Scale paint. It'll be slow going though.
 
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