Airbrushing Vallejo and other acrylics

[Deleted member 9606]

From the get go I decided to forego lacquers and enamels in order to stay on the good side of those who live with me. So, I’ve been using mostly Vallejo water based acrylics which required a learning curve. Acrylics In general dry quickly and inevitably on the tip of the airbrush or inside the nozzle. I find thinning properly and employing proper trigger discipline mitigates this significantly.

Dr. Strangebrush came up with this formula and it’s better than anything else I’ve tried.

Premix:

90% Vallejo Airbrush Thinner
5% Liquitex Flow-Aid
5% Liquitex Slo-Dri Fluid Additive (not their Slo-Dri Medium!)

That mix can be increased to 10% each on the Liquitex to as much as 20% for problematic acrylics. I live in a very dry climate in the winter and have used 80/10/10 with great results. I find the Liquitex works better than the corresponding Vallejo products.

Use this mix to thin your Vallejo Model Air at 70% paint : 30% thinner ratio. For Model Color reverse those numbers. Obviously thinning depends on several factors including the specific color you’re spraying, but it’s a good starting point.

This formula works with most acrylic lines utilizing their proprietary thinners, even including alcohol based acrylics such as Tamiya.

I’ve also learned to stop the paint flow first before stopping the air flow with my double action brush. This trigger discipline ensures the last of the paint will be blown off the needle when releasing the trigger, which mitigates tip dry and clogging.

Interesting article here.

 

[Ian M]

I give a drop Vallejo drying retardant in of five drops of their thinner when needed. Works well for me.

 

[adt70hk]

I give a drop Vallejo drying retardant in of five drops of their thinner when needed. Works well for me.

Same here!

 

[Tim Marlow]

Plus one on that, though I might go to 50% paint to thinner……

 

[adt70hk]

Plus one on that, though I might go to 50% paint to thinner……

I tend to do 2:1 paint to thinner.......but 50/50 when using primer.

 

[JR]

I have found that straining the paint from the bottle through a very fine sieve removes any lumps.

The brown mark in the center is the remains of residue , In that note several lumps, these would have no doubt caused a blockage in the AB


I am slowly going over the AK 3 rd generation paints , much easier. Still will use the sieve method .

 

[Jim R]

There is no set formula for diluting paint. The amount of dilution needed varys a lot. The thickness of paint depends on the colour, how old it is, how much is left in the pot, how long it's been opened etc.
The old idea of thinning to the consistency of whole milk seems a good starting point.
Adding a retarder and a flow enhancer is very helpful and shutting off the paint before the air helps in lessening tip drying.

 

[Deleted member 9606]

There is no set formula for diluting paint. The amount of dilution needed varys a lot. The thickness of paint depends on the colour, how old it is, how much is left in the pot, how long it's been opened etc.
The old idea of thinning to the consistency of whole milk seems a good starting point.
Adding a retarder and a flow enhancer is very helpful and shutting off the paint before the air helps in lessening tip drying.

Yes that’s what I said. There’s no set formula but there’s definitely a starting point. For example, Mission Models goes out of their way to warn you not to thin their acrylics up to 50/50. They flat out tell you the paint will be ruined. On the other hand, Vallejo tells us to spray their Model Air right out of the bottle and that definitely doesn’t work for most people, so 30% thinner in a paint designed for airbrushing seems to be a reasonable starting point.

 

[BarryW]

From the get go I decided to forego lacquers and enamels in order to stay on the good side of those who live with me. So, I’ve been using mostly Vallejo water based acrylics which required a learning curve. Acrylics In general dry quickly and inevitably on the tip of the airbrush or inside the nozzle. I find thinning properly and employing proper trigger discipline mitigates this significantly.

Dr. Strangebrush came up with this formula and it’s better than anything else I’ve tried.

Premix:

90% Vallejo Airbrush Thinner
5% Liquitex Flow-Aid
5% Liquitex Slo-Dri Fluid Additive (not their Slo-Dri Medium!)

That mix can be increased to 10% each on the Liquitex to as much as 20% for problematic acrylics. I live in a very dry climate in the winter and have used 80/10/10 with great results. I find the Liquitex works better than the corresponding Vallejo products.

Use this mix to thin your Vallejo Model Air at 70% paint : 30% thinner ratio. For Model Color reverse those numbers. Obviously thinning depends on several factors including the specific color you’re spraying, but it’s a good starting point.

This formula works with most acrylic lines utilizing their proprietary thinners, even including alcohol based acrylics such as Tamiya.

I’ve also learned to stop the paint flow first before stopping the air flow with my double action brush. This trigger discipline ensures the last of the paint will be blown off the needle when releasing the trigger, which mitigates tip dry and clogging.

Interesting article here.

I used to use Vallejo MA but after trying MRP lacquers swapped over completely to them.

The smell is an issue but the answer to ensure a happy family is to get a good extracting spray booth, not one of the cheap ones, but a more expensive professional grade one. It’s well worth the cost not to have flap around with all that goes with trying to make Vallejo work.

 

[Deleted member 9606]

I used to use Vallejo MA but after trying MRP lacquers swapped over completely to them.

The smell is an issue but the answer to ensure a happy family is to get a good extracting spray booth, not one of the cheap ones, but a more expensive professional grade one. It’s well worth the cost not to have flap around with all that goes with trying to make Vallejo work.

I have one that moves more air than most of the consumer booths and I can still smell it in the room after. And I have to turn it down because it sucks dust right into the model. But afterwards the model is still outgassing, the rag I used to clean up the airbrush is outgassing, the filter in the booth is outgassing etc etc. Then there’s the problem of the booth evacuating the heat out of the house in the winter and the A/C in the summer.

I know lacquers spray better. But I’ll make this sacrifice. My models will never look like PLASMO’s. Once I realized this I stopped trying to be a perfectionist.

 

[Jakko]

My models will never look like PLASMO’s. Once I realized this I stopped trying to be a perfectionist.

There is only one person you really have to please in modelling, and that’s yourself. I long ago decided that a good road to unhappiness is to keep comparing your efforts with those of others, especially those who are better at it than you are. And not just in modelling, either.

As for airbrushing Vallejo, or other water-borne acrylics for that matter … my experience with them is rather mixed, to the extent that I’ve pretty much decided to stop using them for whole models, but will use them for camouflage, highlighting, dust effects, etc. that don’t involve large areas. For some reason, they do work fine(ish) for me for that, but I much prefer alcohol-based acrylics for spraying large areas in a single colour (and I also use those for all the other stuff, if I want/need to).

 

[JR]

I used to use Vallejo MA but after trying MRP lacquers swapped over completely to them.

The smell is an issue but the answer to ensure a happy family is to get a good extracting spray booth, not one of the cheap ones, but a more expensive professional grade one. It’s well worth the cost not to have flap around with all that goes with trying to make Vallejo work.

Fully agree Barry ,
I've loads of Vallejo and it's a night mare . Like you changing to another make.
The 3 rd Gen AK is very much fool proof , some thinners and away you go .
Of course the only other thing I'm doing is put the paint thro a sieve.
I've also bought , but not yet tried AK real colour along with their thinners .

 

[KarlW]

I added an activated carbon filter to my spray booth exhaust, as I vent back into the room due to not wanting to cut a hole in my tin shed, it's worked very well at getting rid of the solvent smells.

 

[David Lovell]

Vallejo other and much better brands available

 

[Deleted member 9606]

Vallejo other and much better brands available

That’s a matter of opinion. Many people simply don’t know how to apply it.

 

[BarryW]

That’s a matter of opinion. Many people simply don’t know how to apply it.

That is a little patronising.

I used Vallejo MA for over 5 years successfully and, yes, it is a learning curve and with a lot of effort you can get good results.

Then I tried MRP lacquers and immediately gave away 200 Vallejo and bought a full range of MRP. They really were that much better and it was worth every penny.

What’s not to like: MRP is dry and cured within 30 minutes ready to mask over, rather than wait 24 hours of more for Vallejo to cure and, in poor humidity, Vallejo could be longer. With MRP, no tip dry, no adding retarder, no adhesion issues, no thinning even for fine lines. MRP are consistent in use across their colour range and regardless of how old the bottle of paint is.

Well, to be fair, there is one downside of MRP, they smell. But it’s worth it and the only reason to suffer the quirks of Vallejo might be it being less odorous.

So please don't patronise people the way you did Dave, it is quite correct to say that there are better options even for those who put up with Vallejo

 

[outrunner]

I would say, each to their own I have tried Vallejo and just could not get on with them and stuck with Tamiya acrylics. For me the limited colour range is not a problem with the stuff I build and lacquer paints are a no no as I just can not tolerate the smell. As for thinning ratios and air pressures what works for you is the important thing. Having said that I do use Vallejo Metal colour silver which seems to work OK for me.

Andy.

 

[KarlW]

I used VMA with no little issues for years, even without flow improvers and retarders. Necessity of having my bench in the house and ease of getting my hands on them made them a no brainer.
But I always preferred "hot" paints and after seeing reports on MRP made the switch. (Though I sold all my VMA instead of giving them away.)
I've since explored AK Real, and Tamiya LP (The Tamiya are the smelliest.)
And I will say this, making the switch has been the biggest boost to my mojo ever. Just the ease of use, ease of cleaning the airbrush, ease of correction, it's all just easier. I've had 4 colour paint jobs done and dusted in an evening, 3 of the 4 down in under an hour, using masking tape. The last as a quick 5 minutes before bed as the airbrush clean up is simple.
The addition of an activated carbon filter to the spray booth has been a great help too, it really makes a big difference controlling the smell better than I hoped.

 

[David Lovell]

Paint thinning and correct air pressure are the only two ingredients to successfull airbrushing ,as far as I'm concerned if you have to result to alchemy just to spray a certain brand of paint it doesn't say much for that product. Go on any modelling web site ninty nine percent of peoples problems arise from VMA ,dont you think its strange they've bought out a hand full of products to TRY making there products less painful to use ,if you can't get on with something why continue to struggle with it .

 

[KarlW]

Paint thinning and correct air pressure are the only two ingredients to successfull airbrushing ,as far as I'm concerned if you have to result to alchemy just to spray a certain brand of paint it doesn't say much for that product. Go on any modelling web site ninty nine percent of peoples problems arise from VMA ,dont you think its strange they've bought out a hand full of products to TRY making there products less painful to use ,if you can't get on with something why continue to struggle with it .

Agreed Dave, I never used a retarder or flow enhancer with VMA, got good results.
You could argue that any product that you have to add other stuff to isn't really fit for purpose and should be returned.
Like yourself I had a pretty heavy investment in VMA, and I'm a bit of a miser, so a wholesale change of paints wasn't easy, but it was worth it.