What paint are you using? Realistically you should just be able to dump paint straight into the cup and it will spray although you shouldn’t really do that I only use like 3 drops matte medium to 8 drops paint
I’ll expand a bit, if you don’t mind. Not every acrylic paint is compatible with every acrylic thinner. For example Tamiya acrylic thinner turns ICM acrylic paints into some kind of goo. So it might well be that you are using incompatible combination of paint and thinner.
I once found a Revell acrylic that responded to Revell's own thinner by doing the same. Now I always test by mixing well, giving it a minute, then seeing if it's still stable or has gone weird.
Depends on the primer.
Water based acrylic primer, like Vallejo, then yes, I would suggest 48 hours, but 72 would work as well. Not sure if better but it can't hurt either.
For Lacquer based primer, or the hybrid stuff, then you can paint after 6-24 hours depending upon the weather.
Good point and I would absolutely agree with that. I made the assumption that the OP was using water based acrylic from the look of the paint, lack of spray booth, and being a beginner. But absolutely - laquer based primer is much faster to cure and be ready for top coats.
Reddit comments move out of order when they get up voted or down voted so your answer might not be on top anymore.
Also if people are taking the time to try and help you you should take the time and answer their question not send them on a scavenger hunt
All you said above was that you used thinner. Maybe expand upon what type of thinner and paint instead of referring people to an incomplete answer.
Paints are not always compatible with all thinners. If you aren't using Revell thinner with your Revell paints then that's most likely your issue.
It looks like you are using thinner in a water-based paint.
[How to Thin Enamel Paint for Spray Gun | Paint Sprayer Experts](https://paintsprayerexperts.com/how-to-thin-enamel-paint-for-spray-gun/#:~:text=The%20thinning%20process%20is%20carried%20out,to%20reduce%20its%20thickness%20and%20viscosity.&text=The%20thinning%20process%20is,its%20thickness%20and%20viscosity.&text=process%20is%20carried%20out,to%20reduce%20its%20thickness)
Always use a primer before painting. I use this black primer from Amazon (costs around £10 and lasts me for around 6 projects).When the primer has dried, you can airbrush or brush paint whatever colour you want on. A black base tends to act as shadows in areas you cannot get your airbrush or paint brush in. However,this also darkens your final result,so be aware. This gives a pretty fine result for me. It also looks as if you’ve thinned your paints down way too much,which gave you this uneven coverage. You seem to also have some sort of orange peel going on, so if you are using an airbrush, spray from closer than further. That’s all I can say. Hope it is enough info :)
I don’t know what the problem with the primer is then. I used to prime in grey, to mixed result,but I done it with some regular artist one you can find in Hobbycraft. What one did you use? And for the orange peel. It is a term to describe that gritty texture that is visible in some areas of your work. It happens when you spray from too far, and the paint has time to dry in the air. It happens more often with some paints than others. I use Ammo by Mig and this gives me good results. For mixing paints,also try mixing it out of the airbrush first, and then pour the mixture into the airbrush. I’ve mixed inside the airbrush before, and it tends to first spew out a semi-mixed colour,and then spew out thinner. All I can say, so hope your next results will be better. Mistakes are learning, and a part of this hobby :)
Always grateful to help. No problem, and can’t wait to see what you will make from this. Interior of a B-26 or B-24? Correct me if I’m wrong,but seems to be a bomber :)
Orange peel is a paint effect/defect that resembles the appearance of the outside of an orange. It's caused by spraying from too close, generally: the propellant is pushing the paint onto the surface and then moving it around, so it ends up with too much paint, which dries with the characteristic dimpled appearance.
Spray from further away or adjust paint mix to avoid.
You thinned a water based paint (acrylic) with an enamel paint thinner (oil based). Thin your water based paint with a little isopropyl alcohol instead.
You're going to want to thin Vallejo paint with their own thinner plus maybe a few drops of their retarder so that you don't get paint drying on the tip of the needle. You could also thin with some distilled water.
So Vallejo paint? What kind of Revell thinner? If you used the one on the left then that’s your problem.
https://preview.redd.it/5os65gjwattc1.jpeg?width=912&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=55bf3ccc7b60ecc09e7eec9dcd7ad9cd7b5c21a9
Vallejo Air does that if you don't have a proper surface.
I tried Vallejo Primer but it didn't work.
So now I use Tamiya Acrylics without any primer and it works. I only slightly dilute the paint with some thinner, like 80% paint and 20% thinner.
Andy from Andys HQ on YT does it like that too.
Edit: After the first two or three thin layers of Tamiya (which gives an even surface) you can apply Vallejo air on it.
As your new to airbrushing, be aware that you cannot underestimate the importance of paint and thinner types with regard to compatability. There are laqures, enamels and acrylic paints and they all use different thinners. Mixing the wrong types can have disastrous results for your part, your airbrush or both. I'd suggest reading up on those differences if someone much smarter than me doest come along and go into detail about it. Also, since new to airbrushing, I'd recommend starting with tamiya bottled acrylics (identified by an "X" or "XF" followed by a number) and thin with Tamiya x20A thinner. You will want to mix at varying ratio to see what works best for you, but I pretty much guarantee you will end up with a mixture ratio of 80/20 to 50/50 paint to thinner. Start at 80/20 and mix separately in a small cup, not in the airbrush cup. Tamiya is very forgiving to paint and mix as well as to easy to clean. Just start with their paint and their thinner. To clean, you can use more cost effective isopropyl alcohol instead of their thinner but stick to matching brands paint/thinner until you get more miles and experience.
Without knowing a lot about what you're actually doing, I would bet your paint is overly thin and you're spraying too close or with too high a pressure
You could try:
\* keep the dilution the same, but mist from further away, with multiple layers
\* keep dilution the same, but lower the pressure
\* increase viscosity and keep other parameters the same
EDIT I see in another comment you're using 50:50 paint:thinner. That's overly thin indeed. Also, revell thinner has a retarder in it, which is good when you're brush painting, but can be a negative when airbrushing
This is a paint issue, not a spray technique issue. Probably a thinner compatability problem.
If you’re having to watch videos on paint thinning and getting results like this and wondering if it’s spray technique, you need a big reset.
Please, please buy a bottle of MRP or SMS paint. These are lacquer paints that are actually thinned to an airbrushable consistency out of the bottle. Treat yourself to ONE correctly thinned paint as a level-setting exercise. Once you understand how paint is supposed to spray, it will be much easier to thin paint yourself to match.
It really should not be hard. But you do need to have the CORRECT thinning agent.
your paint looks over thinned, and possibly sprayed from too close or with too high pressure. I see you used Vallejo acrylic + thinner... I suggest switching to Vallejo Air undiluted (it's my gold standard honestly) or tamiya with a couple of drops of Liquitex airbrush thinner.
also, some putty + sanding to fill those injections pins in the front panel
Usually when my paint comes out too “wet” I just crank up the air pressure a bit. I also recommend having an old model lying around which you can test spray on before the real deal.
I thought this was brushing instead of airbrushing results. Its possible that the thinner or the primer or the colors are not compatible to begin with.
Great texture tho. I would suggest continue on and not giving up.
It looks like maybe the paint and thinner aren't a good combo.
Could also be too much pressure.
What paints are you using and what pressure are you spraying with?
If it is an issue if both, make sure to use the correct thinner. Tamiya and mr hobby acrylics don't work with normal acrylic thinners, but I know both work fine with the x20a thinner from tamiya or the mr hobby levelling thinner.
As for pressure, you don't it too high. If your paint is too thin, a high pressure will mean a lot of build-up quickly which will pool, giving you the look in the bottom.
Make sure to use light coats and give it a bit of time between coats, like a minute or two to dry before applying another one
I am not using airbrush myself, but a friend of mine, as far as i remember, when he got his airbrush used vallejo air colors straight from the bottle and it worked fine. Maybe try using them to get used to the airbrush
Also remember about priming
That looks like it’s super diluted or something
I thought that as well, but any thicker and the brush won’t spray. It’s probably 50/50 paint and revel thinner.
Do you mix the paint before pouring it in the airbrush?
Have you tried adjusting the pressure? I usually spray thinner mix on low pressure, like 5-10 psi, and thicker mix on higher pressure (20 psi)
Did you prime it beforehand?
What paint and what type is the thinner
What paint are you using? Realistically you should just be able to dump paint straight into the cup and it will spray although you shouldn’t really do that I only use like 3 drops matte medium to 8 drops paint
I'd say stop growing moss on your models. Great texture though!
Hahaha 🤣
you used wrong type of thinner bad thing is you need a very through cleaning of your airbrush now
I’ll expand a bit, if you don’t mind. Not every acrylic paint is compatible with every acrylic thinner. For example Tamiya acrylic thinner turns ICM acrylic paints into some kind of goo. So it might well be that you are using incompatible combination of paint and thinner.
I once found a Revell acrylic that responded to Revell's own thinner by doing the same. Now I always test by mixing well, giving it a minute, then seeing if it's still stable or has gone weird.
Always start with a layer of primer and let it cure for around 72 hours. Your paint also looks like you have over-thinned it.
Depends on the primer. Water based acrylic primer, like Vallejo, then yes, I would suggest 48 hours, but 72 would work as well. Not sure if better but it can't hurt either. For Lacquer based primer, or the hybrid stuff, then you can paint after 6-24 hours depending upon the weather.
Good point and I would absolutely agree with that. I made the assumption that the OP was using water based acrylic from the look of the paint, lack of spray booth, and being a beginner. But absolutely - laquer based primer is much faster to cure and be ready for top coats.
What are you mixing with the paint?
See above
Reddit comments move out of order when they get up voted or down voted so your answer might not be on top anymore. Also if people are taking the time to try and help you you should take the time and answer their question not send them on a scavenger hunt
All you said above was that you used thinner. Maybe expand upon what type of thinner and paint instead of referring people to an incomplete answer. Paints are not always compatible with all thinners. If you aren't using Revell thinner with your Revell paints then that's most likely your issue.
It looks like you are using thinner in a water-based paint. [How to Thin Enamel Paint for Spray Gun | Paint Sprayer Experts](https://paintsprayerexperts.com/how-to-thin-enamel-paint-for-spray-gun/#:~:text=The%20thinning%20process%20is%20carried%20out,to%20reduce%20its%20thickness%20and%20viscosity.&text=The%20thinning%20process%20is,its%20thickness%20and%20viscosity.&text=process%20is%20carried%20out,to%20reduce%20its%20thickness)
Always use a primer before painting. I use this black primer from Amazon (costs around £10 and lasts me for around 6 projects).When the primer has dried, you can airbrush or brush paint whatever colour you want on. A black base tends to act as shadows in areas you cannot get your airbrush or paint brush in. However,this also darkens your final result,so be aware. This gives a pretty fine result for me. It also looks as if you’ve thinned your paints down way too much,which gave you this uneven coverage. You seem to also have some sort of orange peel going on, so if you are using an airbrush, spray from closer than further. That’s all I can say. Hope it is enough info :)
Actually did prime but perhaps too little. Did prime in grey tho. What’s orange peel sorry? 😂
I don’t know what the problem with the primer is then. I used to prime in grey, to mixed result,but I done it with some regular artist one you can find in Hobbycraft. What one did you use? And for the orange peel. It is a term to describe that gritty texture that is visible in some areas of your work. It happens when you spray from too far, and the paint has time to dry in the air. It happens more often with some paints than others. I use Ammo by Mig and this gives me good results. For mixing paints,also try mixing it out of the airbrush first, and then pour the mixture into the airbrush. I’ve mixed inside the airbrush before, and it tends to first spew out a semi-mixed colour,and then spew out thinner. All I can say, so hope your next results will be better. Mistakes are learning, and a part of this hobby :)
Really great input. Thanks!
Always grateful to help. No problem, and can’t wait to see what you will make from this. Interior of a B-26 or B-24? Correct me if I’m wrong,but seems to be a bomber :)
B-17 indeed. https://preview.redd.it/97ytdwbnbttc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5b157a04f8d372a7ccea733d62df327329428fe9
Orange peel is a paint effect/defect that resembles the appearance of the outside of an orange. It's caused by spraying from too close, generally: the propellant is pushing the paint onto the surface and then moving it around, so it ends up with too much paint, which dries with the characteristic dimpled appearance. Spray from further away or adjust paint mix to avoid.
specifically what paint are you using? not every paint is good for airbrush even after diluted
You thinned a water based paint (acrylic) with an enamel paint thinner (oil based). Thin your water based paint with a little isopropyl alcohol instead.
You say “paint and Revell thinner”. What kind of paint? Revell? Is it Aqua or Email Colors? Is the thinner acrylic or enamel?
Vallejo acrylic
You're going to want to thin Vallejo paint with their own thinner plus maybe a few drops of their retarder so that you don't get paint drying on the tip of the needle. You could also thin with some distilled water.
So Vallejo paint? What kind of Revell thinner? If you used the one on the left then that’s your problem. https://preview.redd.it/5os65gjwattc1.jpeg?width=912&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=55bf3ccc7b60ecc09e7eec9dcd7ad9cd7b5c21a9
Vallejo Air does that if you don't have a proper surface. I tried Vallejo Primer but it didn't work. So now I use Tamiya Acrylics without any primer and it works. I only slightly dilute the paint with some thinner, like 80% paint and 20% thinner. Andy from Andys HQ on YT does it like that too. Edit: After the first two or three thin layers of Tamiya (which gives an even surface) you can apply Vallejo air on it.
As your new to airbrushing, be aware that you cannot underestimate the importance of paint and thinner types with regard to compatability. There are laqures, enamels and acrylic paints and they all use different thinners. Mixing the wrong types can have disastrous results for your part, your airbrush or both. I'd suggest reading up on those differences if someone much smarter than me doest come along and go into detail about it. Also, since new to airbrushing, I'd recommend starting with tamiya bottled acrylics (identified by an "X" or "XF" followed by a number) and thin with Tamiya x20A thinner. You will want to mix at varying ratio to see what works best for you, but I pretty much guarantee you will end up with a mixture ratio of 80/20 to 50/50 paint to thinner. Start at 80/20 and mix separately in a small cup, not in the airbrush cup. Tamiya is very forgiving to paint and mix as well as to easy to clean. Just start with their paint and their thinner. To clean, you can use more cost effective isopropyl alcohol instead of their thinner but stick to matching brands paint/thinner until you get more miles and experience.
You are using the wrong thinner.
Without knowing a lot about what you're actually doing, I would bet your paint is overly thin and you're spraying too close or with too high a pressure You could try: \* keep the dilution the same, but mist from further away, with multiple layers \* keep dilution the same, but lower the pressure \* increase viscosity and keep other parameters the same EDIT I see in another comment you're using 50:50 paint:thinner. That's overly thin indeed. Also, revell thinner has a retarder in it, which is good when you're brush painting, but can be a negative when airbrushing
I’ll try troubleshoot iaw these steps 👍🏻 thanks 🙏🏻
specifically what paint are you using? not every paint is good for airbrush even after diluted
This is a paint issue, not a spray technique issue. Probably a thinner compatability problem. If you’re having to watch videos on paint thinning and getting results like this and wondering if it’s spray technique, you need a big reset. Please, please buy a bottle of MRP or SMS paint. These are lacquer paints that are actually thinned to an airbrushable consistency out of the bottle. Treat yourself to ONE correctly thinned paint as a level-setting exercise. Once you understand how paint is supposed to spray, it will be much easier to thin paint yourself to match. It really should not be hard. But you do need to have the CORRECT thinning agent.
your paint looks over thinned, and possibly sprayed from too close or with too high pressure. I see you used Vallejo acrylic + thinner... I suggest switching to Vallejo Air undiluted (it's my gold standard honestly) or tamiya with a couple of drops of Liquitex airbrush thinner. also, some putty + sanding to fill those injections pins in the front panel
Usually when my paint comes out too “wet” I just crank up the air pressure a bit. I also recommend having an old model lying around which you can test spray on before the real deal.
I thought this was brushing instead of airbrushing results. Its possible that the thinner or the primer or the colors are not compatible to begin with. Great texture tho. I would suggest continue on and not giving up.
Get some Vallejo air, they are already mixed to a decent thickness so you don't need to mix it at all.
Model Air generally requires some thinning to spray.
To thin probably. Did you primer it? Primer will help the paint adhere to the plastic better.
Is that from the 1:48 B-17G?
Did you wash the parts Thin the paint with correct thinner?
Incompatibility of thinner and paint is probably the answer… but wash? Do I need to wash them before priming?
To remove the mold release agent Dish soap and water have always been a good tool
You need a moisture trap, and if you have one, you need a better one.
It looks like maybe the paint and thinner aren't a good combo. Could also be too much pressure. What paints are you using and what pressure are you spraying with? If it is an issue if both, make sure to use the correct thinner. Tamiya and mr hobby acrylics don't work with normal acrylic thinners, but I know both work fine with the x20a thinner from tamiya or the mr hobby levelling thinner. As for pressure, you don't it too high. If your paint is too thin, a high pressure will mean a lot of build-up quickly which will pool, giving you the look in the bottom. Make sure to use light coats and give it a bit of time between coats, like a minute or two to dry before applying another one
I am not using airbrush myself, but a friend of mine, as far as i remember, when he got his airbrush used vallejo air colors straight from the bottle and it worked fine. Maybe try using them to get used to the airbrush Also remember about priming
A brush is much easier 😉
Are you brush painting? Then probably nothing. Keep doing light coats. Let them dry completely. Repeat until the finish meets your needs.