discussion Airbrush Weathering : Acrylics : not enamel

[Guest]

Trying to improve my techniques which are pretty basic in using an airbrush for weathering.

This is with acrylics as being in a small flats enamels are not practical.

Tried to find tutorials etc. Found some but they flutter round the surface and give little explanation of what they are doing or the technique they are using what paints how to thin etc etc..

One technique I wish to achieve is for instance the art of producing shading in a narrow stripe of thin paint thinning away to nothing at the edges.

Find with weathering tutorial they expect you to be an expert before you start. Tutorial magazines I have found to be almost useless as the detail is all hidden.

Any help gratefully received.

Laurie

 

[eddiesolo]

I have had a go at weathering with my AB but was not successful, more practice probably. I would have thought that more a mist coat would need to be laid down to get it peter-out near the end with more coverage near the beginning, also distance from object-although you will have to mask off a large portion of the model for just a small area.

Interesting question Laurie, hopefully the more adept at weathering and AB use can give more as I would like to know too.

Si

 

[Guest]

Thanks Si. Just to give what I have tried.

Found one difficulty is that acrylics are relatively heavy and also tend to dry at the nozzle. Over come that to an extent with a blast through. Tried Vallejo thinners but that has a lot of additives and though a thinner the additves do not allow as much thinning as hoped. Tried Mig acrylic as Barry had introduced a few weeks back. This is a nice paint and appears to be more finely ground than Vallejo.

Tried the Mig with Vallejo thinners plus Vallejo Airbrush Cleaner for which I got the best results from the latter. Thinned as much as possible so that I can airbrush with arylics at about 8 PSI hoping for more control. All that has helped. Using a .2 needle nozzle.

It is the technique which has alluded me.

Laurie

 

[Guest]

Laurie, do you have a single or double action airbrush? I consider myself "not a bad hand" with the airbrush... So would be happy to see if I can help.

Stuart

 

[Ian M]

Far from an expert. but things I have had moderate success with:

For weathering with an air-brush you need three things. Very thin paint, a very steady hand and a good aim.

You also need LOADS of practice. LOL A thing to remember is the thinner the line you are painting the smaller the width of the feathering. The soft edge that you are after.

A cheat is to use masking. Direct on the surface for the hard edge and off the surface for the soft edge. A lot of fiddling and extra work.

What scale are we talking of. I would say that in 1/48 and under it could be more work than it's worth.

I guess a good way to perfect the trick would be to start big and work down until you get to the size of line/shadow that you are after.

Thinning...For weathering I would say that water is the best bet, however I have had good results with Vallejo airbrush thinners.

So grab the AB and a sheet of card and go for it.

Ian M

 

[Guest]

Far from an expert. but things I have had moderate success with:For weathering with an air-brush you need three things. Very thin paint, a very steady hand and a good aim.

You also need LOADS of practice. LOL A thing to remember is the thinner the line you are painting the smaller the width of the feathering. The soft edge that you are after.

A cheat is to use masking. Direct on the surface for the hard edge and off the surface for the soft edge. A lot of fiddling and extra work.

What scale are we talking of. I would say that in 1/48 and under it could be more work than it's worth.

I guess a good way to perfect the trick would be to start big and work down until you get to the size of line/shadow that you are after.

Thinning...For weathering I would say that water is the best bet, however I have had good results with Vallejo airbrush thinners.

So grab the AB and a sheet of card and go for it.

Ian M

I think I have a problem Ian. Aim where do you get that from especially the straight line ?

Second I have an A4 sheet of plastic card which has been covered in my doodles wet and dried own 3 times and now on the 4th. Getting better and just realised what an Airbrush can do for you (with massive practice) other than covering large areas with paint..

Laurie

 

[Guest]

Laurie, do you have a single or double action airbrush? I consider myself "not a bad hand" with the airbrush... So would be happy to see if I can help.Stuart

Hi Stuart. Thanks for that very kind.

I have a an Iwata Eclipse HPBS which I got for detail work. Any help will be gratefully received. I did a lot of detailed work on the merlin helicopter 1/48. Although I was surpised that I could achieve a certain standard it was not as good as I had hoped but I think getting better.

One very large problem is drying on the end of the needle I can sometimes if I get it early blast it off but end up withdrawing the needle. I have use Lifecolor medium which not only thinned the paint but also helped with flow, a bit.

Laurie

 

[Guest]

Ok life colour are particularly bad for "tip dry" as I call it. One thing you can try is "acrylic flow improver" below

Add a couple of drops to the paint mix and this will help

Otherwise what I sometimes do for longer jobs is have a cotton bud with thinner and every so often pull the needle back and wipe the nozzle area with it. Sometimes I'm too lazy for both of these things and resort to blasting a quick pulse of paint through onto a scrap piece of cardboard.

Hope this helps, if it's as clear as mud please shout and I will explain

Stuart

 

[Guest]

Just googled your brush,

With it being double action it is a blessing and a curse.

It allows you more forgiveness with paint overload, as in you only introduce a small amount of paint and it reduces he risk of flooding your surface ergo mistakes are easier covered up.

The curse is that the increased air to paint ratio means that tip dry is more likely - then see above.

Again hope this helps, again if clear as mud just holler

Stuart

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[monica]

sorry can not add to this one,but tagging alone in the hope of getting info as well,

as i also would like to be able to get more out of my AB,other than base coats and top coats,

do like the sounds of the flow,improver,

to stop the tip drying,but i hear some were not able to get in Aust,but will ask at the art shop,

 

[Guest]

Safe to say im no expert, but been practicing my basic airbrushing a fair bit, also searched the web for tips...... Whats helping me is a few drops flow enhancer (as mentioned already) and a few drops of paint drying retarder (Ebay).... Not sure if this will help with your needs, but it does help to keep a better paint flow, also use the cotton bud trick.

 

[monica]

I do have some of the vallejo retarder,but its a thick gel

so that one is ruled out,

what brand is the one you use plz Amos,

 

[Guest]

sorry can not add to this one,but tagging alone in the hope of getting info as well,as i also would like to be able to get more out of my AB,other than base coats and top coats,

do like the sounds of the flow,improver,

to stop the tip drying,but i hear some were not able to get in Aust,but will ask at the art shop,

Monica, I got mine in an art shop and at 75ml it will last a long time!

Stuart

 

[Guest]

I do have some of the vallejo retarder,but its a thick gelso that one is ruled out,

what brand is the one you use plz Amos,

Mine is also vallejo "water based retarder medium val597"...... But i decanted mine into a bigger bottle and watered it down til i could control the amount added better .... Read that on another forum.

 

[monica]

thats such a good idea so what are we talking about with thinning it down,50/50 or more or less ? plz

 

[Guest]

Would love to get all technical on you...... But i just kept adding water til it came out in drops..... But not to runny.... Still learning myself

 

[monica]

ta thats a start as i just don,t wont to wreak it all ,as its think will start at about 20% water or use thinners,

would be better to use, ?

 

[Guest]

I just used distilled water

 

[Guest]

For most I go 1 part thinner 2 parts paint but Vallejo model color and revel acrylics need more as they start off thicker.

For thinners I've used windscreen fluid, rubbing alcohol, meths and water. There's minimal difference except price of course

Stuart

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[BarryW]

Laurie - I see what you say about the small flat and needing acrylics.

That said I have found that the AK enamel washes dont have too much smell and you can use their oderless thinner with them. Because of their nature they dry slower and you dont get the problem with drying on the tip of the airbrush. I have certainly found no real issues with them for smell but would wear a mask when actually spraying. You could also get one of the small spray booths that do not need venting such as I use. Taken together you might find there are no issues.