discussion best acrylic paint for brush and airbrush

[Guest]

i may of asked this question before but what is the best acrylic paint to use for brush and airbrush painting ie a single use paint for both jobs please ?

 

[Guest]

Enamels Dave!

 

[Guest]

Vallejo model colour without a doubt their range of colours caters for everything , you will need vallejo thinners but is not hard to get the right ratio , model air is great to ab straight from the bottle but seeing you want an all in one paint model colour is the stuff , tamiya is great for airbrushing but a pig to brush on ,


I`m sure you will get many recommendations who will disagree LOL


Richy

 

[Guest]

thanks guys i will look into some of these paints except enamels dubster i hate using them

 

[Guest]

Lifecolor if no smell is important to you. Derek

 

[PaulTRose]

cant get on with tamiya.......love valejo but use mol color for brush and air for ab..............so maybe revell aqua......but you need to thin it for airbrush use

 

[Guest]

thanks derek that would be perfect is it brush and ad friendly ? thanks paul i have just sold a shed load of tamiya and humbrol acrylics and replaced them with revell aqua colour but they don't do all the colours i need for my kits and i would like to keep all the paints the same make i guess i must have a little tiny bit of ocd when it comes to paints i have been looking at the vallejo model colour range on the paint conversion chart and they have pretty much every colour i need now can i use these in the ab and brush paint them and is there no smell to them

 

[Guest]

If you are interested in Vallejo Model and Model Air have a study of this.


The downloads will give a host of info. Especially look at the Q and A section. They also do a good equivalents for a number of other manufacturers paints.


Laurie

 

[Ian M]

Without a doubt Vallejo model Color. brush very well and spray very well. Many will say thin with water. Don't.


Buy the two thinners. There is one for brush painting and another for air brush. Why the two? The airbrush one is a lot thinner and I think has some retarding agent. The ordinary is milky white (no effect on the paint colours don't worry), self leves to a nice finish.


When using the hairy stick, leave time for the paint to cure between coats. At least 24 hours. Rushing to the next coat could result in the new paint dragging the previous coat off.


You can add extra retarder to the brush paint mix which can make them stay wet for an hour, so you can blend them.


Ian M

 

[Ian M]

Forgot to say. No they do not smell. The airbrush cleaner, if that smells of any thing it is like a light washing up liquid smell. Not unpleasant or heavy.

 

[Guest]

thanks guy's i am going to start my collection this week then. now i just need to find a good supplier of model colour in the uk

 

[Guest]

Also not to forget that Vallejo have just introduced an Airbrush Flow Improver. First go with it tomorrow. Watch this space


LAurie

 

[Guest]

Dave, My KGV was done with Lifecolor with Airbrush, the decks and turret tops etc in dark grey were hand brush painted. Highly recommended. Will be using it on my Scharnhorst. Derek

 

[Guest]

has anybody used tamiya or humbrol acrylics in an airbrush ?

 

[Guest]

Tamiya is lovely through an airbrush, although I do thin with cellulose thinners so that probably wouldn't suit you! 2 rules with Tamiya - get in close to prevent orange peel & always use either their own thinner or cellulose / lacquer.

 

[Guest]

humbrol acrylics in an airbrush

Both Revell and Humbrol are prepared for hand brushing and they can be used for airbrushing. But you have to thin them a lot.


Beauty of Vallejo Model Air is that it is specifically produced for airbrushing. The pigments are more finely ground which avoids a lot less blockages. Mig Acrylics and Lifcolor are similar.


Laurie

 

[Guest]

Beauty of Vallejo Model Air is that it is specifically produced for airbrushing. The pigments are more finely ground which avoids a lot less blockages. Mig Acrylics and Lifcolor are similar.


Laurie

I know we've been down this road before Laurie, but Dave wants a paint that can be used for both types of painting - whilst Model Air is specifically designed for airbrushing, he'd need to buy Model Colour for hand brushing, doubling the cost! Not everyone has deep pockets

 

[Guest]

Speak to john in the shop if he can get what you want he will, and I bet for a better price.

 

[BarryW]

Actually Patrick that is not necessarily so. I find that very few colours are both airbrushed and hairy stick brushed. Also where I use the hairy brush tend to be small bits of detail where Model Air is fine with a couple of coats and being allowed to dry between. As a result I have just half-dozen Model Colour paints and the full range of Model Air.


That said I am moving over now to using AK Interactive Air Series. These spray brilliantly unthinned, better even than Vallejo in my view, and are also marketed as being good for the hairy stick as well.


the review below confirms that they do work for both.


http://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/paint/aki/paint_aki_2010.shtml

 

[Guest]

has anybody used tamiya or humbrol acrylics in an airbrush ?

Yup, and brushing! I really like the Tamiya paints, but have a collection of both Tamiya and Vallejo model air. They behave differently, have a different finish, and have both got their advantages and disadvantages! This is true for ALL paints, always has been! I think that we have an unfortunate habit of not persisting enough with one, and then, looking at other people's models, that are painted with different paint, and thinking that the new paint will solve their issues. One thing we can be sure about is, that there are many, many models out there that are gold-medal winners, that have ben hand painted with what many would consider inferior products. Look at Grumpa's models and Dioramas, they have so much depth and character to the finish. They really convey the filth and squalor and, most importantly, human intervention with these machines. And he does it all with brushes and hobby store acrylic paints. Sure, this approach might not work with, say, 1/144 airliners (Still reeling over that double decker airbus from a week or so back!!!), but my point is, if you stick at it, and learn to understand your chosen materials' limitations, you will gradually find your paint-jobs looking more and more what you wanted! When I started modelling a bit before Christmas, I had been told that enamels were being phased out, and it was all acrylic from now on. Had I not heard this, I'd have probably erred towards enamels, as that was what we all used as kids, and they had great coverage and a wide range of colours. So I found myself with a load of Tamiya acrylics, and was happy with them until I started reading how "difficult" they were to brush with. But I also read that plastic bottles were a good source of practice material, so I practiced! The one bit of advice I'd lay down here is, that ALL paint has a working time period, before its physical state undergoes a major change, and starts to set/cure/dry. If you can tune in to that state change, and always use a light touch, your brushed surfaces will improve very rapidly. Anything that dries quickly is going to be a major hurdle in this process - not insurmountable, but enough to keep you on your toes!


My work-flow has evolved towards Airbrush for Primer and base coats, but from there on it, its brushes all the way, switching from acrylics to oils. Keeps me happy, does a pretty good job, and will save me a fortune in the long run! Sorry to have gone on a bit, I'll get me coat...