How much water/color with Tamiya Acrylic in airbrush?

gws-rc-models.ch · Dec 29, 2006, 03:58 AM

Hello there....

I´m new to airbrushing styro models.

I bought Tamiya Color Acylic Paint (mini) and wonder which is the best water to color mix ratio with that color.
The two tests I made so far weren´t to sucessfull, first with to much water, next with not enough.

Anyone with experiances with that color in airbrush??

Thanks alot.....

GPT · Dec 29, 2006, 04:08 AM

This is what I used on this GWS Spitfire.Tamiya acrylics thinned 50/50 with Tamiya acrylic thinner.

Roger Lombard · Dec 29, 2006, 04:18 AM

I use Tamiya acrylics thinned 50/50 with Tesco windscreen de-icer fluid. I guess any deicer fluid that has isopropyl alcohol as an active ingredient would work. The alcohol evaporates off so the paint dries quicker. The big message is lots of thin coats rather than a few thick ones which leads to paint runs and added weight

molders · Dec 29, 2006, 08:25 AM

Or you could do as my mate does on his plastic kits. Thin the Tamiya as required with di-ionised water, as purchased in motor spares shops for topping up batteries. It is clear of impurities. I have to admit that on occasion I have used it direct and undiluted from the jar.

BTW. I have found Tamiya Acrylics to be more accurate than Polly or Testors. When I get my film back I will illustrate this with the Bf. 109. I modelled the GWS on a Hasegawa 1/32 scale kit. The difference between the grey [RLM 02] is very marked. I compared both with a colour chip card made from colour chips supplied by the original German paint manufacturer and Tamiya is perfect. The others are too brown.

Cheers

Ian

"Fly GWS - it's much easier"

TopSpin · Dec 29, 2006, 10:38 AM

Ian, does the paint dry differently when using de-ionized water as opposed to de-icer fluid or alcohol.

It seems like the pure water would be the best way to thin paint from the standpoint of maintaining accurate color but the alcohol would dry mych faster. By the way, All de-icer fluid in the states has a blue colourant in it, even denatured alchohol is tinted red depending on which brand you buy. The guy in the local hardware store got pretty up tight when he saw me opening cans of alky to inspect the color.

John..

molders · Dec 29, 2006, 01:36 PM

Topspin

No, there is no alteration to the colour. If there were then Phil would never use it - he's a perfectionist. I find with GWS and foam models I have to be very careful as to which brands I use. That is why I always test the paint on a spare piece of foam. It is disheartening to see foam disslove before your eyes when you use some products.

On one ocassion I used Polyscale [?] acrylic then touched up with Tamiya only to see the polyscale start to 'crinkle' and they were both acrylics!

Happy New Year to you.

Ian

Fly GWS - it's so much easier

A.T. · Dec 29, 2006, 01:44 PM

Paints which are to be sprayed through an air brush work should never be thinned with water, especially Tamiya acrylics which are resin based and should be thinned only with Tamiya proprietary acrylic thinner. If Tamiya resin acrylic thinner is not available, isopropyl alcohol may be used but sparingly.

Please refer to the following comprehensive sub sections on my web page

"Airbrush tips and techniques etc"
"Colours & Visibility for models + Paint Charts (see also Covering & Painting below"
"Modelling FAQ - Resin, Photoetch, Scale, Paper, Painting, Fonts, Repair &/or make replacements, Tools etc"
"Paints, Colour Charts, Mix Formulae & Strippers & How to spray F/Glass and ABS plastics - see also Airbrush files above." whioh also includes all the known Paint Strippers for plastic models etc.

regards
Alan T.
Alan's Hobby, Model & RC Web Links
http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~atong/

gws-rc-models.ch · Dec 29, 2006, 01:45 PM

Thanks for all the input....

Winter is here and I need all my windscreen fluid for my car. But I got one liter of 100% isoprophyl alcohol right here in front of me (I usualy kill the moskitos with it).

So just to do nothing wrong: I can use the alcohol when I thin it down to 70% and then mix it 1/1 with the Tamiya paint, right?
Or should I thin the alcohol a little more (60%, 50%)?

Thanks

gws-rc-models.ch · Dec 29, 2006, 01:46 PM

Thanks AT

I will take a look on your page. I sure will find some more good tips there.

alienx · Dec 29, 2006, 01:50 PM

I recently was very happy with my $0.50 cent 2oz bottle of craft store acrylic and windshield fluid. I did about 50/50 to thin it and painted a GWS Corsair. Not a hint of blue tint afterwards (I could tell from the stark white under the wing).

Dennis Everett · Dec 29, 2006, 01:53 PM

I use walmart craft paint , and mix it 50/50 with windex , works great and is way cheaper than the othe stuff , $.77 a bottle..Dennis

DR. JOY · Dec 29, 2006, 04:12 PM

I spray the Tamiya straight at times. If I thin the stuf I use only Isopropyl alcohol. Never have used the Tamiya thinner. Never had a problem. Have been using it for years.

gws-rc-models.ch · Dec 30, 2006, 02:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DR. JOY

I spray the Tamiya straight at times. If I thin the stuf I use only Isopropyl alcohol. Never have used the Tamiya thinner. Never had a problem. Have been using it for years.

How much do I have to thin the isoprophyl alcohol down to? I only have 100%.
Can I use 60% or better 70%?

And by the way: The noozle that came with the brush is a more big one I guess.

kensp · Dec 30, 2006, 03:29 AM

I use 100% alcohol because it dries quicker and this means less time between coats of paint.

A liter of alcohol cost about US$3 here in Australia. The alcohol I use is a mixture of ethyl and methyl alcohol called Metholated Spirits.

Ken

DR. JOY · Dec 30, 2006, 11:18 AM

Kensp is correct. 100% will dry much more rapidly. I thin based on the background color. If I am spraying a dark color over a light color I thin less (maybe 30%). If the contrast between base coat and color coat is less I tend to thin it more to 50%.

Dec 29, 2006, 03:58 AM	#1
gws-rc-models.ch gws-online-dealer Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Winterthur, Switzerland Posts: 591	How much water/color with Tamiya Acrylic in airbrush? Hello there.... I´m new to airbrushing styro models. I bought Tamiya Color Acylic Paint (mini) and wonder which is the best water to color mix ratio with that color. The two tests I made so far weren´t to sucessfull, first with to much water, next with not enough. Anyone with experiances with that color in airbrush?? Thanks alot.....

Dec 29, 2006, 04:08 AM	#2
GPT Registered User Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Sydney,Australia Posts: 1,164	This is what I used on this GWS Spitfire.Tamiya acrylics thinned 50/50 with Tamiya acrylic thinner. Attached Thumbnails 36.3 KB · Views: 63

Dec 29, 2006, 01:50 PM	#10
alienx Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Union County, New Jersey Posts: 990	I recently was very happy with my $0.50 cent 2oz bottle of craft store acrylic and windshield fluid. I did about 50/50 to thin it and painted a GWS Corsair. Not a hint of blue tint afterwards (I could tell from the stark white under the wing). Attached Thumbnails Inexpensive craft store acrylic and winshield fuild at 50/50 more or less. On GWS Corsair slope kit. 23.4 KB · Views: 38 White under navy blue. 79.5 KB · Views: 54

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Question How much water/color (airbrush Tamiya Acrylic)	gws-rc-models.ch	The Builders Workshop	2	Jan 08, 2007 11:59 AM
how much flying time with a 600ma?	DennisRB	Batteries and Chargers	10	Oct 30, 2004 09:06 AM
How much power do Lipo's lose in cold temps???	duganderson	Batteries and Chargers	1	Sep 29, 2003 12:09 AM
how much less drag with a symmetrical fin	sailplaneguy	Modeling Science	3	Aug 05, 2003 12:01 AM
How much water is too much ?	rszanti	GWS (Grand Wing Servo)	5	Jul 27, 2003 09:53 PM

Dec 29, 2006, 04:18 AM	#3
Roger Lombard Confused? Who, me? Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Derbyshire Peak District, UK Posts: 3,713	I use Tamiya acrylics thinned 50/50 with Tesco windscreen de-icer fluid. I guess any deicer fluid that has isopropyl alcohol as an active ingredient would work. The alcohol evaporates off so the paint dries quicker. The big message is lots of thin coats rather than a few thick ones which leads to paint runs and added weight

Dec 29, 2006, 08:25 AM	#4
molders Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: East Yorkshire UK Posts: 303	Or you could do as my mate does on his plastic kits. Thin the Tamiya as required with di-ionised water, as purchased in motor spares shops for topping up batteries. It is clear of impurities. I have to admit that on occasion I have used it direct and undiluted from the jar. BTW. I have found Tamiya Acrylics to be more accurate than Polly or Testors. When I get my film back I will illustrate this with the Bf. 109. I modelled the GWS on a Hasegawa 1/32 scale kit. The difference between the grey [RLM 02] is very marked. I compared both with a colour chip card made from colour chips supplied by the original German paint manufacturer and Tamiya is perfect. The others are too brown. Cheers Ian "Fly GWS - it's much easier"

Dec 29, 2006, 10:38 AM	#5
TopSpin Fear of Flying Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Leesburg, VA Posts: 1,323	Ian, does the paint dry differently when using de-ionized water as opposed to de-icer fluid or alcohol. It seems like the pure water would be the best way to thin paint from the standpoint of maintaining accurate color but the alcohol would dry mych faster. By the way, All de-icer fluid in the states has a blue colourant in it, even denatured alchohol is tinted red depending on which brand you buy. The guy in the local hardware store got pretty up tight when he saw me opening cans of alky to inspect the color. John..

Dec 29, 2006, 01:36 PM	#6
molders Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: East Yorkshire UK Posts: 303	Topspin No, there is no alteration to the colour. If there were then Phil would never use it - he's a perfectionist. I find with GWS and foam models I have to be very careful as to which brands I use. That is why I always test the paint on a spare piece of foam. It is disheartening to see foam disslove before your eyes when you use some products. On one ocassion I used Polyscale [?] acrylic then touched up with Tamiya only to see the polyscale start to 'crinkle' and they were both acrylics! Happy New Year to you. Ian Fly GWS - it's so much easier

Dec 29, 2006, 01:44 PM	#7
A.T. Registered User Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: N.Z. Posts: 1,591	Paints which are to be sprayed through an air brush work should never be thinned with water, especially Tamiya acrylics which are resin based and should be thinned only with Tamiya proprietary acrylic thinner. If Tamiya resin acrylic thinner is not available, isopropyl alcohol may be used but sparingly. Please refer to the following comprehensive sub sections on my web page "Airbrush tips and techniques etc" "Colours & Visibility for models + Paint Charts (see also Covering & Painting below" "Modelling FAQ - Resin, Photoetch, Scale, Paper, Painting, Fonts, Repair &/or make replacements, Tools etc" "Paints, Colour Charts, Mix Formulae & Strippers & How to spray F/Glass and ABS plastics - see also Airbrush files above." whioh also includes all the known Paint Strippers for plastic models etc. regards Alan T. Alan's Hobby, Model & RC Web Links http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~atong/

Dec 29, 2006, 01:45 PM	#8
gws-rc-models.ch gws-online-dealer Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Winterthur, Switzerland Posts: 591	Thanks for all the input.... Winter is here and I need all my windscreen fluid for my car. But I got one liter of 100% isoprophyl alcohol right here in front of me (I usualy kill the moskitos with it). So just to do nothing wrong: I can use the alcohol when I thin it down to 70% and then mix it 1/1 with the Tamiya paint, right? Or should I thin the alcohol a little more (60%, 50%)? Thanks

Dec 29, 2006, 01:46 PM	#9
gws-rc-models.ch gws-online-dealer Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Winterthur, Switzerland Posts: 591	Thanks AT I will take a look on your page. I sure will find some more good tips there.

Dec 29, 2006, 01:53 PM	#11
Dennis Everett Registered User Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Ontario California Posts: 1,341	I use walmart craft paint , and mix it 50/50 with windex , works great and is way cheaper than the othe stuff , $.77 a bottle..Dennis

Dec 29, 2006, 04:12 PM	#12
DR. JOY Ich bin ein der teufel. Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Tosev 3 Posts: 510	I spray the Tamiya straight at times. If I thin the stuf I use only Isopropyl alcohol. Never have used the Tamiya thinner. Never had a problem. Have been using it for years.

Dec 30, 2006, 03:29 AM	#14
kensp Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Location: Darwin Australia Posts: 6,414	I use 100% alcohol because it dries quicker and this means less time between coats of paint. A liter of alcohol cost about US$3 here in Australia. The alcohol I use is a mixture of ethyl and methyl alcohol called Metholated Spirits. Ken

Dec 30, 2006, 11:18 AM	#15
DR. JOY Ich bin ein der teufel. Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Tosev 3 Posts: 510	Kensp is correct. 100% will dry much more rapidly. I thin based on the background color. If I am spraying a dark color over a light color I thin less (maybe 30%). If the contrast between base coat and color coat is less I tend to thin it more to 50%.