S
Stevekir
Guest
Because I don't want to spoil my first kit, I have been practising on some gash parts from an incomplete Airfix kit which I got from my Model Centre. I have been using:
Primer is Vallejo Acrylic-Polymer Surface Primer 73.601 (It says "Apply directly by airbrush at 20 cm", so I did not thin it).
Paint is Xtracrylix Dark Earth (for spitfires);
Airbrush cleaners are Xtracrylix Thinners, Medea Airbrush Cleaner, and Muc off (from Halfords);
Airbrush, Dual action, 0.3 mm needle. Cheap (£16, part of an offer!);
Air Compressor set at 40 psi;
Spray Booth (the popular collapsible portable one).
Parts: A wing, a torpedo 3" long, and a separate flat gash part, the first two glued, and filled with Mr. Surfacer 500. Each sanded carefully and cleaned with a wet wipe for spectacles.
I have watched movies of airbrushing and airbrush cleaning. Very useful.
Some questions please:
= 1 Is 40 psi too high?
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= 2 Should acrylic primer and paint be airbrushed on until it shows a glossy wet appearance during airbrushing, or with a lower flow so that it remains matt during airbrushing.
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= 3 If primer and paint kept matt while airbrushing, would the coat be thick enough? Should a second be applied? (The strength of colour of a coat of coloured paint would of course give a clue to adequate coverage.)
----------------------------------
The primer is almost the same colour as the plastic part and I found it difficult to judge how much paint had gone on.
= 4 Would it be a good idea to add (in the airbrush) a tiny amount of (water-based) food dye to colour it slightly?
---------------------------------
When painting the torpedo (a small object that gets blown away by the airbrush stream, rather than a complete aeroplane which probably doesn't), I used two loops of 6 mm Tamiya tape, each with the sticky side outside. Then I pressed the loops near the ends of the torpedo and then on to the paper towel covering the turntable. The torpedo still wobbled a lot during airbrushing. After the first AB pass on the torpedo and after the paint had dried, two more 120 degree turnings were needed for the rest of the surface. This required more loops of tape. A right fuss. (Blu-tack did not stick well to the paper.)
= 5 What's the best way to fix individual 3D objects while airbrushing, when they don't have a suitable hole for a toothpick or similar to keep them steady?
--------------------------------
I used a crunched paper towel to remove as much paint as possible from the AB cup, then cleaned the airbrush by running the Xtracrylix Thinners, then the Medea Airbrush Cleaner, through it until clear, also used a brush to clean the lower part of the paint cup. All looked OK. Then, after about an hour, I did the second then third stage of priming including cleaning the AB each time. But when I started to paint with the Dark Earth an hour later, very little came out. I had to disassemble the needle, wipe it, return it and re-clean. It had gummed up. I also brushed the nozzle with cleaner
= 6 Is it generally necessary to clean so thoroughly as often as that? (Acrylic does dry quickly.)
-------------------------------
= 7 Before each spraying episode with the AB, and again after using it, I dipped the nozzle into a crown cork holding some thinner, to avoid the nozzle drying. Is that a good idea, or am I being over cautious?
-------------------------------
Although I sanded and filled the seams until they looked good, the primer showed up some unevenness. It is surprising how careful you must be to fill and smooth perfectly (although the top, colour, coat smoothed things out a bit more).
Grateful for any help.
Primer is Vallejo Acrylic-Polymer Surface Primer 73.601 (It says "Apply directly by airbrush at 20 cm", so I did not thin it).
Paint is Xtracrylix Dark Earth (for spitfires);
Airbrush cleaners are Xtracrylix Thinners, Medea Airbrush Cleaner, and Muc off (from Halfords);
Airbrush, Dual action, 0.3 mm needle. Cheap (£16, part of an offer!);
Air Compressor set at 40 psi;
Spray Booth (the popular collapsible portable one).
Parts: A wing, a torpedo 3" long, and a separate flat gash part, the first two glued, and filled with Mr. Surfacer 500. Each sanded carefully and cleaned with a wet wipe for spectacles.
I have watched movies of airbrushing and airbrush cleaning. Very useful.
Some questions please:
= 1 Is 40 psi too high?
----------------------------------
= 2 Should acrylic primer and paint be airbrushed on until it shows a glossy wet appearance during airbrushing, or with a lower flow so that it remains matt during airbrushing.
----------------------------------
= 3 If primer and paint kept matt while airbrushing, would the coat be thick enough? Should a second be applied? (The strength of colour of a coat of coloured paint would of course give a clue to adequate coverage.)
----------------------------------
The primer is almost the same colour as the plastic part and I found it difficult to judge how much paint had gone on.
= 4 Would it be a good idea to add (in the airbrush) a tiny amount of (water-based) food dye to colour it slightly?
---------------------------------
When painting the torpedo (a small object that gets blown away by the airbrush stream, rather than a complete aeroplane which probably doesn't), I used two loops of 6 mm Tamiya tape, each with the sticky side outside. Then I pressed the loops near the ends of the torpedo and then on to the paper towel covering the turntable. The torpedo still wobbled a lot during airbrushing. After the first AB pass on the torpedo and after the paint had dried, two more 120 degree turnings were needed for the rest of the surface. This required more loops of tape. A right fuss. (Blu-tack did not stick well to the paper.)
= 5 What's the best way to fix individual 3D objects while airbrushing, when they don't have a suitable hole for a toothpick or similar to keep them steady?
--------------------------------
I used a crunched paper towel to remove as much paint as possible from the AB cup, then cleaned the airbrush by running the Xtracrylix Thinners, then the Medea Airbrush Cleaner, through it until clear, also used a brush to clean the lower part of the paint cup. All looked OK. Then, after about an hour, I did the second then third stage of priming including cleaning the AB each time. But when I started to paint with the Dark Earth an hour later, very little came out. I had to disassemble the needle, wipe it, return it and re-clean. It had gummed up. I also brushed the nozzle with cleaner
= 6 Is it generally necessary to clean so thoroughly as often as that? (Acrylic does dry quickly.)
-------------------------------
= 7 Before each spraying episode with the AB, and again after using it, I dipped the nozzle into a crown cork holding some thinner, to avoid the nozzle drying. Is that a good idea, or am I being over cautious?
-------------------------------
Although I sanded and filled the seams until they looked good, the primer showed up some unevenness. It is surprising how careful you must be to fill and smooth perfectly (although the top, colour, coat smoothed things out a bit more).
Grateful for any help.
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