Paint mixing

[banjer]

I am new to air brushing and am curious to know what you guys use as a container to mix paint in. I tried diluting it in the air brush pot with unsatisfactory results so assume it should be mixed first then poured in, hence the question.

Cheers Bill

[Jack L]

I am new to air brushing and am curious to know what you guys use as a container to mix paint in. I tried diluting it in the air brush pot with unsatisfactory results so assume it should be mixed first then poured in, hence the question.

Cheers Bill

I buy takeaway sauce pots from Amazon. £5 for 100 or something. Sealable lids so the mix lasts if spraying over time.

TIJAR® Sauce Containers with Lid... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BPMKCW...p_mob_ap_share

[adt70hk]

Something similar to jack but I normally only mix enough for the job at hand.... Takes a while to get used to judging what you need though

[davecov]

I use plastic dropper bottles such as this which I have in three different sizes and use according to the amount needed for a build. I also use disposable pipettes for measuring my paint and thinners which I normally use in a 50-50 mix.

Dave

[Panzerwrecker]

For just mixing, any clean, small plastic cup or pot will do but for saving mixes it will need a lid. I've used plenty of plastic pots with pop on lids for short term use but the paint mixes dry out over a short time. Tamiya sell empty jars which they brand as mixing jars which can be cleaned and used over and over. Pretty expensive compared to plastic alternatives but buying them in packs of six works out a little cheaper. As they are the same jars the paints come in they are great for keeping mixes long term.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272917046247

https://www.models2u.co.uk/contents/en-uk/p7479_paint-mixing-jar-acrylic-mini-multi-pack-deal.html

[David Lovell]

I've only ever mixed in the airbrush cup two reasons (my thoughts)I dont risk contamination pouring from this pot to that pot before it even gets to the airbrush and its how I was shown to use the airbrush.
Plus I'm tighter than a crabs so I've always got little or no waste. Dave

[Ian M]

New paint I tend to mix in the AB. Thinner if needed gets mixed in with a throw away pipette. suck it up and squirt it out kind of thing.
Older paint (read chance of crud) get mixed in plastic shot glasses. Cheap as chips (and I still re use them David).
We have a brand of jam here in DK that sells packs of "portions" jars with different jams. I buy them once in a while just for the jars. The jams a bonus. Also small jars that have Pesto and the like in very rarely get to the recycle bin. Paint keeps viable in them for months!

[BattleshipBob]

Morning

I use plastic shot glasses from cheapy shops

[BarryW]

I am new to air brushing and am curious to know what you guys use as a container to mix paint in. I tried diluting it in the air brush pot with unsatisfactory results so assume it should be mixed first then poured in, hence the question.

Cheers Bill

Airbrushing takes a lot of practise and there are a lot of variables such as needle size, psi, how thin the paint is, what type of paint you use. Indeed with many brands there is even inconsistency across their colour range.

There is just no right solution.

Personally I would recommend using lacquers through the airbrush. These have a lot of advantages over other types and are certainly much more user friendly that water based acrylics. There is one disadvantage of them, smell. So if that’s a problem you would be better off using something like Vallejo Model Air or deal with the smell by getting a good extracting spray booth, ideally not one of the cheaper ones but one that has a good pull.

I have a small flat and spray only lacquers and, using a Benchvent booth, keeping a window open and throwing the extraction tube out of it, I have no issues with odour getting into the rest of the flat.

I specifically use MRP’s range of lacquers and spray them at 10-15 psi, I have never had to thin them, even for fine lines. I use three airbrushes with my workhorse having a .35 needle, another with a spreader cap to spray primer with a .30 needle and another for detail work using a .2 needle. MRP works faultlessly with all these at the same settings.

With water based acrylics you need a needle size larger then .2 (my MRP have particularly fine particles). You will also, almost certainly, have to spray at a higher psi. You will need to use flow improver to reduce the risk of tip-dry and prevent clogging. Thinning ratios will also vary based on set up and the paint. An added complication can be humidity, the performance of these paints will be affected by that both in spraying and curing times. The latter is why these type of paints and the leading brand, Vallejo, are like Marmite, love it or hate it, with everyone reporting different experiences using them.

There are other types of paint, enamels and those with an alcohol carrier. I don’t believe that these have any advantages over lacquers.

The best thing to do is experiment with your set up and practise, a lot.

[Mr Bowcat]

I mix in the airbrush. Thinner first, then use a pipette to add paint. I suck the paint & thinner in and out of the cup a couple of times with the pipette to mix it.

[banjer]

Thanks for all the replies. I will get some sauce pots and will also try Bobs method of mixing in the cup. Less messy and appeals to my tight nature. I feel there would be quite a bit of waste mixing in a container.

[AlanG]

I use the spoons you get in baby formula tubs to mix my paint. Once used. Quick wipe out with a cloth and clean as a whistle. The one i have at present i've been using for 14 years! Works for me lol

[Guest]

Tamiya sell empty jars which they brand as mixing jars which can be cleaned and used over and over.

You can also clean out an empty paint jar of theirs (or similar). Best to do that before the paint in it dries out, as at that point you’re looking at a lot of scrubbing and scraping to get it all out but on the positive side, the label comes off fairly easily as long as you can make a clean start without it tearing (now how would he know all that? ).

[Tim Marlow]

One thing to be aware of Bob, not all plastic is impervious to paint thinners. If you are using water based acrylics you have nothing to worry about. If you are using enamel paint, lacquer paints, or lacquer thinner with Tamiya or Mr Color paint, then test the container first. If the thinner melts through the bottom of the container it will make a hell of a mess on your bench….
If in doubt, polythene is better than polystyrene, and metal or ceramic is better again….

[Airborne01]

Speak with your local friendly B&B etc that serves jam in small, screw-topped, glass jars - they're happy to give the used jars away and they're perfect for that and many other purposes!
Steve