Stynylrez Thin or Not To Thin That is the.....

[topgazza]

I have a 0.3 needle only at the moment and I gather a little thinning is recommended ? Read various percentages for priming with Stynylrez. 50/50 seems the most common but that seems a bit too thin. But I’d appreciate any advice please

[Jim R]

Hi Gary
I use Synylrez primer and love it. I always thin it. I can't give a precise mix ratio as it depends on the primer and what I'm priming. A new bottle of primer will need less thinning than the last bit from an old bottle which may well have thickened. If I'm priming a large flatish area I will thin less and if I'm priming something with lots of nooks and crannies I thin more and drop the air pressure.
Not much help but I think with all airbrush work it is very difficult to give definitive dilution ratios or air pressures as there are so many variables. I do however think that 50/50 is more dilution than I would ever go to. With Stynylrez just 10/15% thinner can make it spray easier, at a lower pressure, without affecting the quality of the finish. I doubt I ever need to go higher than 30% thinner in the mix.
Jim
Edit - I thin with Ultimate AB thinner but I don't see why other acrylic thinners shouldn't work OK. I wouldn't thin with water but ever plain water might work fine.

[topgazza]

Thanks Jim. 50% seemed too much for general priming. I’m all for multiple thin coats but that just seems a bit OTT. I’ll try the 10% or so at 15 psi and have a play

[Dave Ward]

Gary,
I thin ( roughly ) 80/20. I say roughly because I always mix in a plastic shot glass, add the primer & drip in the thinner, mix, then I draw the mix up the side of the shotglass with a paint brush & assess the thickness/opacity & adjust until I'm happy. I found mixing in the ab cup was a recipe for disaster - too thin - poor coverage, too thick - no coverage & an airbrush stripdown!
Dave

[topgazza]

I tend to do all my mixing in a small pot as well Dave. A bit of judicious brush use shoves the residue into the AB pot. As you say much better than mixing in the AB with all the inherent issues. Is milk like flow still the standard ?

[Dave Ward]

Gary,
they say semi-skimmed milk, although I've never compared it with full fat!
Dave

[topgazza]

Reminds me of Ron Swanson a character from US sitcom Parks & Recreation "I hate liars. Like skimmed milk. Which is water, lying about being milk"

Just ordered 120ml Grey and 60ml Black from SMS.

[topgazza]

Sorry guys , meant to ask what to thin it with if not using Ultimate AB Thinners. Is water OK ? Or IPA ?

[Steve Jones]

I was surprised to hear people thin Stynylrez. Never had the need myself. I do however prime my models with a 0.5mm needled airbrush. I suppose if you are thinning it water should be okay??

[topgazza]

Just read an impassioned “rant” about not thinning but using bigger needle and 30 psi. I’ll give that a try

[Jim R]

Badger, the makers of Stynylrez, say that it is airbrush ready straight from the bottle. They advocate a 0.5 mm nozzle and 30psi pressure. Steve does that and gets a top quality result. The only way to decide what suits you is to do some experimenting and find out what approach gives a result you are happy with.
In modelling certain things raise a whole range of differing opinion. Glue, paint, filler, sanding sticks - the list goes on and on. As many views as there are modellers. Find out what suits you and go for it.
Jim
HERE - application instructions in tiny writing near the bottom of the page.

[topgazza]

ThanksJim. Makes sense

[stillp]

Sorry guys , meant to ask what to thin it with if not using Ultimate AB Thinners. Is water OK ? Or IPA ?

Someone suggested to me that it's a good idea to try a drop of the thinners you want to use, and a drop of Stynylrez (or other paint), on a palette or a saucer so you can see if there's any reaction before putting it in your airbrush. Some cleaners can, apparently, form a jelly with Stynylrez.
Pete

[Gern]

Sorry guys , meant to ask what to thin it with if not using Ultimate AB Thinners. Is water OK ? Or IPA ?

Not sure I'd use IPA as a thinner for Stynlrez. I use that to clean out my A/B after using Stynylrez as it's the only thing I've found that works.

I have used IPA to clean models after they've been primed with Stynylrez and it fetches the primer clean off.

[topgazza]

Just used the Stynylrez grey, nest, for the first time in my H&S Evolution with the PSI turned up to 28 after an earlier slightly, but only slightly, spitting spray. Boy does it go on well and looks great. Nice even finish that retains all the detail.