\ said:
Aidan. If you are going to airbrush Valljo & you thin then you will need more coats.A. I use a .4needle nozzle at about 20 psi Harder & Steinbeck airbrauh.
B. Should be able to tell by eye with both gloss & matt when you have sufficient coverage. You will tell with the matt as said before it is matt matt.
C. Warning. After finishing air brushing with out any delay clean the airbrush as if you do not you will spend a long time getting dried clogged varnish off. Do I not know that !!!!. These varnished dry fast. I normally for the paints use clear water. For the varnishes I use Vallejo Airbrush Cleaner which is a superb liquid for cleaning all their products. I also for the varnish gently ream out the nozzle to make sure you get rid of every evidence of varnish.
D. Matter of interest I have trid vanish with the above set up with a.2 needle & nozzle & it clogs the airbrush in seconds.
And this is the end of my meandering !
Laurie
I use acrylics exclusively.
A. Me too. I also thin to 10% or 15% (Vallejo Airbrush thinner).
B. I use Tamiya "Clear Gloss". For some reason I have to hold the airbrush nozzle no more than about 2 inches away to get any coverage at all, otherwise the varnish seems to dry and blow away before it reaches the model. I pull the trigger out a good way to get a good flow. Also, I normally do only one coat, watching it go on with reflections against the light until it is really wet and shiny. But if you spray too much it will pool although it is surprising how deep in can be without adverse effect, but runs spoil the job. Beware of wing roots. Varnish pools there, probably because it being a 90 degree area, the spray in confined. Do that area more quickly (as to movement of the airbrush).
I have tried doing two coats (the first much less thick) but have not found any difference.
My theory is that you must make a gloss coat (or the last gloss coat if more than one) thick and wet enough for the droplets to coalesce into a continuous film before it will become glossy.
I use Tamiya "Clear Flat" for the very last coat. It does not need so thick a coat, about the same as with a colour coat. Spray to the beginning of wetness. You can easily spray more immediately, or later. It will look slightly granular until dry but that's OK.
Practice on gash plastic is the key. Use 2 litre Sainsbury or ASDA lemonade bottles. Colour coat them with a darkish colour (no need to prime), then practice varnishing. Plastic milk bottles are not so goo d because they have a slightly rough surface.
C. I agree. Varnish is probably designed to provide a hard surface. (But I would hesitate to ream out the nozzle with any item having any metal in it. I use the tiny bottle brushes (plastic bristles) sold for the purpose.)
D. I have never used a 2 mm needle, but I think Laurie is correct. Especially with gloss varnish, and matt also I think. One factor is that varnish being clear, it cannot be easily seen blocking the nozzle and other parts. (I always look through the nozzle with an eyeglass, after sucking out any remaining liquid (cleaner) to confirm a clear inside.)
BTW, I will probably change to Vallejo varnish, 'cos I like Vallejo products.
On your (ACB99) question about how much varnish to apply before decalling, in theory I think it should be a full gloss coat (as above), at least that's what the experts say, so I stick with that. (The problem is to prevent silvering caused by trapped water in the tiny surface crevices of a matt varnish). For my two models I have not had any silvering problems.
I found airbrushing gloss needed more practice than any other airbrushing job.
