By signing up you may also receive reader surveys and occasional special offers. I really don't like the textured finish that thick paints can make but that's just me. Paint retarder might also be useful (already included in the Mr.Color Leveling thinner). airbrushing and thinning is a personel thing ,,, how far from the model are you spraying ,,, what color ,, how thin ,, what pressure ,,what needle,, how far back are you pulling the trigger ..there are so many variables, you can use the guidelines but in the end you will have to learn what works,,, it's been said a million times but practice,,, will reveal the best answer. If anything you would want it to be slightly thicker. I fill the paint cup about 2/3 of the way up. Our community is FREE to join. Rough guidelines of thinning ratio is 2:1-3:1 ( Tamiya Acrylic paint : … Test 3 – 50% Tamiya thinner. Tamiya "yellow cap" lacquer thinner: Works great with X-22 and works, in my experience, pretty much just was well as Mr Color Leveling thinner. The H&S Evolution is a brilliant airbrush. For tamiya acrylics, I put the paint in the airbrush paint cup and then simply eyeball how much thinner I need (usually around 30%). I buy big bags of plastic pipettes and use those to move paint and thinner from their original containers to the airbrush cup or jar. I will obviously have to practice and see what works best for me. For acrylics, I have a little 1oz bottle, with an eye dropper top. For different effects, i.e. Thank you for everyones advice I'm going to buy a little Tamiya Morris Mini 1/24 scale as a practice dummy. I always spray with tamiya acrylic paint and thinner using the ratio 2 parts paint for 1 part thinner. Not sure about X20A, but I assume it's probably similar. You can speed up curing w a blow dryer set to low. Personally, when it comes to choosing whether to thin X-22 with Mr Color Leveling thinner or Tamiya lacquer thinner, I tend to pick whichever bottle is … Rough guidelines of thinning ratio is2:1-3:1 ( Tamiya Acrylic paint : thinner). Tamiya airbrushes very well using both alcohol and Mr Color Levelling thinner but it's lacquer based, generally I stick with isopropyl alcohol. Can I paint with lacquer spray over a model coated with acrylic or enamel paint? For instance, for a general basecoat I thin Tamiya paints (with laquer thinner) at about 30% thinner and 70% paint ratio typically shot through the airbrush at around 20psi. I just ordered some Tamiya acrylics for my next model along with tamiya thinner. anywhere from 3:1 to 1:1 (paint:thinner) depending on the color. Tamiya paints are poor for brush painting, but they airbrush beautifully. Tamiya acrylics are alcohol based. They are closer to fast drying lacquers than other acrylics (e.g. Take a fresh jar of paint, add 0.5 ml of retarder, then add thinner to a glass mold line you can see inside the neck of the jar. To participate you must either login or register for an account. AB-AS-186 Airbrushing Kit With Evolution 2 in 1 Airbrush. if it flows very slow then it's still to thick. I know its noob question but does anyone have any good recommendation for thinning tamiya acrylic paint with X20a Thinner to paint-brush plastic models ? Iso alcohol works as well, and is what Tamiya bottles for use with their acrylic. First off to the forum! I then use an eye dropper to put in enough rubbing alcohol (when I use Tamiya acrylics) to put a layer over the top of the paint. Recently I experimented with Tamiya's Lacquer Thinner, item # 87077. I put about 3-4 drops of liquitex "flow-aid" in it, which you can get at Michael's or an art supply store. I use various paints depending on the shades I need. Your best bet would be to start at 50/50 & see how you get on; Paint too dry or trouble getting good atomization - increase the % of thinners. (base coat) I heard 3 layers are required and it should be less then paint 1 / thinner 1 ratio. Its indeed the "Acrylic X-20A Thinner" not the "Enamel" one. There are different ways to achieve paint coverage when using an airbrush. Based on your photos, it seems like you are getting a reduction in splatter on your 60/40 and 70/30 mixes. Tamiya is a lacquer based acrylic, so it makes sense to use a lacquer thinner. What paint/thinner ratio do you use? I'm using the Paasche H, single action rig that my wife bought me for Christmas a couple years ago. I then stir it with a toothpick to blend it all together. For camouflage painting I reduce the pressure to about 8 to 10 psi, increase the thinning to approximately 1:1, and spray about ½" from the model's surface. Swap tips and techniques, show your latest builds/WIPs, post kit reviews and discuss the latest kits! I thought I would give this combination a try as you will find Tamiya thinner in most model shops and in much larger containers than Xtracrylix thinner. What is the proper thinning ratio for airbrushing? i use Tamiya paints a lot too, and i have to agree w/ Merlin - i gotta thin 'em! I'm looking into airbrushing and purchasing a kit soon. I read another forum after googling my question where someone mentioned that Tamiya paint thinner and Iwata paints don't mix because they get clogged in the nozzle of the brush, or the different chemical compounds, or something to that affect. Here's how I do it. I've had really great results using alcohol as an acrylic thinner for paints from Tamiya, Gunze Sangyo (Aqueous/Mr.Hobby), Vallejo, Italeri, and Akan (don't try this with Testors Acryl, it took some time to clean the resulting goo from my airbrush). Read this, it'll be the only thing you need to handbrush Tamiya acrylics. I've kind of developed an eye based on the consistency of the paint on my stirring paddle. Seems like that was just a typo. 1-1 is not a bad start. i am running an Aztek and 20 psi. As a rule, I tend to use the paint thinner produced by the same company that produced the paint being used. It should look about the consistency of milk. F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town! a basecoat of paint after preshading panel lines, I will thin 50:50 in order to give the paint a more translucent effect allowing me to build the layers of paint up a little at a time (shot at around 15-18psi). This is pretty popular guide for painting Tamiya acrylics. With their lacquer thinner, I start at 1.5:1 thinner to paint and thin to taste. Do you add the flow aid straight from the bottle? I typically just eyeball the amount of thinners to put into the decanted paint in the airbrush to get it somewhere within these ratios. At 9:1 you can start doing filters, fading and shading. Vallejo). For brush painting you actually want a thicker texture and probably should not dilute the paint at all. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, Read this, it'll be the only thing you need to handbrush Tamiya acrylics, This is pretty popular guide for painting Tamiya acrylics. Its ok to mix brands. 75-T81040 - TAMIYA X-20A THINNER (250ML) Tamiya X-20A acrylic thinner is the perfect choice to thin Tamiya acrylic paint when spraying throug.. also when starting out ,,, using the manufactures thinner is a big help...trying out alternate methods and products in the midst of learning to airbrush is  not the best advice.you will find what works best for you as you progress. I usually thin my Tamiya paints with 91% iso alcohol but have good results with Tamiya acrylic and lacquer thinners as well as Mr Leveling Thinner. In my experience enamel colors are much better because they dry slower. Even after a good cleaning. These days I eyeball it and mix it in the airbrush cup, largely because I’m impatient and Tamiya paints are amazingly forgiving. I deeply apologise as i wrongly stated thinner i am going to use (and did already bought). Description Tamiya Paint Retarder will make acrylic paint dry slower, enabling a smoother finish whether you airbrush Tamiya Acrylic paint or brush it onto a model. Typically I’d thin Tamiya acrylics with the purpose made Tamiya acrylic thinner X20-A to a ratio of around one part paint to one part thinner (1:1), and airbrush the paint at around 18 psi. Ratio for airbrushing tamiya paints Posted by Anonymous on Friday, November 2, 2007 2:46 PM Alright so Im getting my airbrush workingh again and i will be airbrushing with tamiya paints. hobby boss 1/48 F-105G. If you are painting 1/350 ships I would say just get more suitable paints for hand-brushing or a spray can. 1-1 is not a bad start. Press J to jump to the feed. you want to thin to the consistency of milk. Just to let you know I'm getting the Harder and Sttenbeck Evolution Silverline 2 in 1 airbrush instead of just the Evolution 2 in 1. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the modelmakers community. You also want to add some Tamiya Retarder. Would you recommend it. The subreddit dedicated to the hobby of plastic model kit building and painting. i use Tamiya thinner from the 250 ml bottle. I'm also buying some books which are affiliated with this site on www.amazon.co.uk to try and guide me on my way. It slows the drying time and allows the paint to self level before it dries, eliminating brush strokes. I need to know what the ratio of paint to thinner is when airbrushing as I have asked many different companies, shops etc and they all say different ratios and percentages. It helps to lessen the chance of painting a grainy surface on your model. Does anyone want to share their recipe for thinner to paint ratio for Tamiya gloss paints? What I found to work is to not brush them, but put down a drop (with your brush) and spread it around. It slows the drying time and allows the paint to self level before it dries, eliminating brush strokes. This combination performed in much the same way as Test 1. I would definitely recommend having a spare model for "target practice" and try different ratios of paint and thinner shooting them at different psi. So lets say that I use 30 drops of paint, I will add 15 drops of thinner, plus another 3 drops of thinner. And they strip easily with subsequent layers of paint. I tend to start at 50/50 ratio and often thin further than that. Some things cannot be known- this is one of those. Tamiya acrylics are already very thin, so thinning them further is not a good idea for brushing. i got them to stock it at my LHS. Computer, did we bring batteries?.....Computer? (yes, i am one of the 7 people who are not complaining about the Aztek!) 1/700 are small enough that you can get away with it, but Tamiya acrylics are notoriously hard to brush. I’ve not used AK interactive paints so I’m not familiar with their peculiarities. You also want to add some Tamiya Retarder. I use about 20 PSI and it comes out just fine. I would start by not thinning acrylic paints with enamel thinner. Tamiya paints are excellent when it comes to high thinner:paint ratios and being able to spray at a low psi. The reason there is differing opinion is because there are a few factors that need to be considered when thinning - different airbrushes with different needle/nozzle combinations, environmental factors (heat, humidity) & user "style" all have an effect on what the best thinning ratio for each airbrusher is. The reality is that a thinning ratio of Tamiya lacquers of 3:1 will probably be thicker than milk, but this is ok. We’re starting with a low amount of thinners and working up to test what works for your airbrush setup and airbrushing environment. Also, for thinning tamiya acrylics you should use X20a (essentially alcohol) or water. I thin the primer in a 20ml tamiya mixing jar up to the rip so about a 5mm or so gap and bit more detail I use the large tamiya eyedropper to the 4th mark and do this about 4 times full of thinner this idea from Andy hobby headquarters on YouTube on thinning tamiya paints and … you want it thin but not waster thin. Is this correct? I put regular rubbing alcohol in it (70% isoprophyl). This is from Tamiya's website, but can be taken with a pinch of salt as most people will use more thinners; Proper ratio for paint thickness differs according toweather conditions. Do you mean by milk that it is slightly thicker than water and if tilted will loosely stick to its container? This is from Tamiya's website, but can be taken with a pinch of salt as most people will use more thinners; Proper ratio for paint thickness differs according to weather conditions. I thinned the Tamiya NATO green paint in a 1:1 paint / thinner ratio, set the air pressure to about 20 psi, closed my eyes and pressed the button! Continue to add water or thinner a drop at a … And much more! Stir well, use a wide brush and try to not drag the brush over existing paint until the paint has fully cured, about 4 hours. Thank you for signing up! Temperature and humidity will play a role in things. Mr Color Leveling Thinner is best, it contains a retarder in the Thinner but can be a bit hot to underlying layers of paint. (painting plastic ship model if thats somehow relevant). Use "acrylic" thinner (Tamiya acrylics aren't true acrylics so they aren't thinable with water) like Tamiya X-20A or just IPA or lacquer thinner like Tamiya Lacquer thinner or Mr.Color Levelling Thinner (keep in mind that lacquers will be smelly though). The Liqitex flow aid I have says on the bottle to cut it 20-1 with water. What ratio do you usually use. I usually thin at a ratio of 2 parts paint to 1 part thinner, plus 10% thinner just to make sure. On the Bench:   Trumperter Tsesarevich on deck Glencoe USS Oregon. I'm probably not thinning my paint nearly enough. Tamiya acrylic and thinner mix ratio. You'll love it. Tamiya has long offered a wide range of acrylic paints and acrylic thinners. watch it drip along the side. On the Bench: 1/32 Trumpeter P-47 | 1/32 Hasegawa Bf 109G | 1/144 Eduard MiG-21MF x2. I'm going to be using Tamiya paint and thinner. Would you recommend it? I'm using an Iwata Revolution airbrush at 45 psi and hope I can get these paints to airbrush smoothly. For best results Tamiya acrylic paint should be thinned with Tamiya acrylic thinners to a ratio of approximately 1:1, and airbrushed at the lowest possible air pressure setting that gives proper paint atomisation and coverage. most will use water thin for detailed work. Testors Acrylic paints hand paint fairly well but have poor adhesion (there is a big thread going on now on Hyperscale about their overall poor quality). It will really depend on what you're trying to accomplish. Please do not apply a lacquer overcoat, as it could I have found that a 2 parts Tamiya paint to 1 part Tamiya X20A Thinner worked best at about 16-20 psi. Spray at a PSI of 13–18 (18 being what MiG Ammo recommends and on the high end)and thin to a ratio of 6/4 (Paint/Thinner) and see how that does. Use an old, cheap brush to mix the two. My main targets are to airbrush my 2 new F1 cars both 1/12 scale and Tamiya: some will require more thinning then others because the consistency from bottle to bottle won't always be the same. We do not sell, rent or trade our email lists. In this tutorial we take a look airbrushing Tamiya Acrylic PaintsFor early access to all my videos before general release and shootouts in all my videos. I've heard 50/50. When I’m airbrushing decanted Tamiya TS paints I use a ratio of 3:1 or 4:1, paint to thinners mix. The first thing you notice about this paint is that is goes on very much like the enamels I was used to, without the smell! In between steps of one of my projects i decided id make a video to show the alternative i found to using the tamiya paint thinner. It's far cheaper than brand name acrylic thinners. Add 2-3 drops of water or thinner to the paint. Be very careful not to put too much pressure on the brush as it could strip the underlying layers. Thin them with cheap everyday isopropyl alcohol that can be bought for peanuts. Put a few drops of paint into the cup. Take a fresh jar of paint, add 0.5 ml of retarder, then add thinner to a glass mold line you can see inside the neck of the jar. I stir it up with a toothpick and then paint at around 18psi. Proper ratio for paint thickness differs according to weather conditions. View our, Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials. $40+ shipping. If I am doing detail work, I go with a 1 to 1 ratio and about 12 psi. I'm getting the Steenbeck AB-AS-186 Airbrushing Kit With Evolution 2 in 1 Airbrush. Don't use enamel thinner with acrylic paints, I can't imagine that will end well. wings and fuselage cut from sprue. It can be used up to a 1:10 ratio with Tamiya Acrylic Paints.