Rice Pudding Skin

[Guest]

Rice pudding skin - all very school dinner like and nostalgic but not the sort of thing you want in your airbrush. This is what happens when I use Model Air paints. I thin it with Vallejo thinners but every time I use it, I get a skin in the cup of my AB. It doesnt happen with Tamiya etc just Model Air. I always give it a really good shake and stirwhen mixed but it always appears. Not a complete skin across the surface of the paint in the cup just a partial one which sinks and clogs up the AB if I dont spot it and get it out in time. I deep clean the brush regularly but it keeps happening. Can anybody suggest something to help? Jam is not the answer!

Keith

[Guest]

I remember reading that Vallejo had reformulated their acrylic thinners and there were a few people moaning about it for one reason of another.

One problem was that the thinners hadn't got the "drying-delay" properties it had in the previous version and the paint was going off in the brush.

I'm not an airbrush user so i could be on the wrong wavelength here but maybe it's worth checking????

[Guest]

Thanks, Colin. I might try water next time to see if there's any difference.

Keith

[Guest]

Keith not ever had the problems that Colin has mentioned & I only use Valljo Air in an Airbrush. Vallejo have recently started marketing a new thinners. Both the old & new have not caused me any problems at all.

Is this just with one particular colour or does it occur with all of the Vallejo Model Air. If just one colour I am suspecting that the paint is old or it has a problem.

What airbrush are you using & what needle/nozzle size ?

Best to consult the Oracle. Email customer service at Vallejo. Contact and location. Great service they give & normally very fast.

Also worth reading the stuff on their web site about Vallejo Model Air. They do a great question & answer section. http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/en_US/media/7a20162bd74916cc55c823312871c71b.cms/faqs.pdf

Laurie

[Guest]

It happening with all at the moment which suggests it might be the thinners. I use a Iwata BR with a 0.3 nozzle. I never thought about emailing, Laurie. Definitely worth trying. I will be doing a bit of spraying tomorrow and I'll try water instead of thinners. If there is no skin forming, it looks like the thinners are to blame. The FAQ section recommends rolling the paint in your hands rather than shaking the bottle so I'll try that as well.

I was a bit reticent to post this question but I'm glad I have as it has given me a few ideas to think about.

Keith

[Guest]

Yes ditto Keith. Some times I have thought daft question but then posed it & found a great response with numerous answers.

Matter of interest Keith what is the exact description on the thinners ie make & type etc.

Laurie

[Guest]

Its Vallejo Thinners as pictured here[ATTACH]51237.vB[/ATTACH]

I also fired off an email to Vallejo for their advice last night. I just need to wait and see now.

Keith

[ATTACH]53833.IPB[/ATTACH]

[Guest]

Yes I have used that one Keith without problems. But I know there is a lot of acrylic resin in it. A spot of it dried will show. Not a problem but perhaps a bad batch may have caused the problem.

They now market a new thinner. It is transparent & is labelled Airbrush Thinner new formula.

Be interested to here their reply.

Laurie

[Guest]

Thanks, Colin. I might try water next time to see if there's any difference.Keith

thats all i use and never had a problem

[Guest]

Just a small warning about using water as a thinners.

Paint manufacturers put in their paint for want of a better expression an adhesive. In Vallejo's case they use an Acrylic Resin to enable their primers to stick to plastic & the paint to stick to each layer.

The thinners has the same Resin Acrylic content as the paint. So when the paint is thinned there is no reduction in the adhesion. If you spot on plastic thinners it will dry leaving that adhesive behind & it is very difficult to remove it.

If you use water as say 25% thinner then you are reducing the adhesive nature of the paint by an equal amount. For instance if you wet & dry between coats then the paint does not have the same resilience as the layers are not so well "stuck" together. Also the water slows up the drying compared to the dryers in the thinners.

Laurie

[Guest]

i normally only add 1 part water to 9 parts paint if i thin them at all, i thought the whole idea of model air was they where ready to use right from the bottle.

i only tend to thin them if i'm doing fine, light work with a lower pressure than normal.

[Guest]

Yes I do thin my about 25% Wayne depending on the colour as I have found some colours need more or less than others. Have to admit to dropping the thinner in drops into the cup forgetting the number of drops & saying to my self "that looks OK". Scientific method you see. Ha Ha. Good on theory poor on execution.

Another factor is the size of needle & nozzle of the airbrush. .4 needle I can use direct from the bottle. 02 I have to thin otherwise I get blockages.

Think as they say horses for courses I have found with a bit of experience what suits best. First coat of paint I tend to thin more to give good cover to that initial coat.

Actually I would have doubted if 9 to 1 Wayne would make much or at least very minimal difference if you use water or thinners.

Laurie

[Guest]

well it seems to make a difference as it flows better and has less blockages, using a .2 needle and nozzle BTW.