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Acrylic Paint for Airbrushing

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Don Tanner

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Nov 5, 2001, 12:27:32 PM11/5/01
to
I would like to get a discussion going on what brands of acrylic paint
you use for airbrushing only.

Which brand(s) do you prefer? Any reason for this preference?
What brand(s) would you avoid and why?
Do you use different brands for different types of projects --- eg one
brand for structures and another for locos?
What paint to water ratio(s) do you use?
What air pressure do you normally air brush at?
What type of air brush(es) do you normally use?

Thanks in advance --- I purchased an Aztek double action air brush over
the weekend and will probably use
it with acrylic paint only to make clean up easier.

Don Tanner

James A. Powell

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Nov 5, 2001, 3:59:37 PM11/5/01
to
Don, for weathering, I now almost exclusively use Ceramcoat when
airbrushing. Ceramcoat makes a airbrush thinner. It's hard to find, but
works well. I haven't had any problems with it yet, but I have only been
using it for maybe three months or so. I am somewhat skeptical about using
it to paint locos & rolling stock, but I guess it wont hurt to give it a
try! I does work great for weathering applications.

James A. Powell
Wisacasset, Trevino & Western
www.trevinocircle.com


"Don Tanner" <donta...@cogeco.ca> wrote in message
news:3BE6CD0D...@cogeco.ca...

Dan L. Merkel

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Nov 6, 2001, 2:23:15 PM11/6/01
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James A. Powell wrote:
>
> I am somewhat skeptical about using it to paint locos & rolling stock,
> but I guess it wont hurt to give it a try!


I've used it for rolling sotck for almost a year now and have had no
problems with. it (Ceramcoat). I would like to find that thinner that
you speak of as the paint right out of the bottle needs thinned quite a
bit.

Before decalling, I spray the car with GlossCoet as the finish of the
Ceramcoat paint is dead flat.

I did try one loco with the paint but didn't like it. I'm not ready to
write it off as the paint's problem as I was painting over an existing
paint job on a cast metal engine. How much of that contributed to my
less than satisfactory results, I'm not sure.

Incidentally, to paint an undecorated balck car, or to significantly
lighten a car, I always paint with a medium grey first. That saves a
lot when trying to paint a car white, yellow, orange or any other light
color.

I'd say give it a try...

dlm
--
Dan L. Merkel
bright.net-BRT

===== > > Your Local Link to the Internet in
Findlay and in Hancock County < < =====

Froggy

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Nov 6, 2001, 3:57:49 PM11/6/01
to
On Mon, 05 Nov 2001 17:27:32 GMT, Don Tanner <donta...@cogeco.ca> wrote:

Don, for purposes of this discussion I am going to omit the obvious MRR paints and
discuss alternatives:

>I would like to get a discussion going on what brands of acrylic paint
>you use for airbrushing only.
>
>Which brand(s) do you prefer?

Liquitex and Golden

>Any reason for this preference?

Superior products with proven record of quality, uniformity, reliability and
availability

>What brand(s) would you avoid and why?

Any that I have not previously tested and evaluated

>Do you use different brands for different types of projects --- eg one
>brand for structures and another for locos?

No. As far as I'm concerned paint is paint. Of all the brands I use, any will work
for any purpose. Only the color is important. I've already taken care of any other
considerations with my selection of brands.

>What paint to water ratio(s) do you use?

I never touch water. Fish pee in it. Instead I use a variety of acrylic paint
accessory products made by Liquitex and Golden. This includes the MRR paints as well.
There are reducers, retarders, extenders. flow agents and a variety of other products
that do a great deal more than water.
I clean up with water, alcohol and acetone, but I NEVER mix any of these with my
paints.

>What air pressure do you normally air brush at?

It depends, but my window for acrylics is from 30 to 45 PSIG

>What type of air brush(es) do you normally use?

Paasche model H with a 5 tip. I have others, but the Paasche is my favorite by a
very wide margin. I have an Aztek, but I'm too fond of my H to ever change.

>
>Thanks in advance --- I purchased an Aztek double action air brush over
>the weekend and will probably use
>it with acrylic paint only to make clean up easier.

If you ever want to get a Paasche model H they are available here in Atlanta for
US $38.00. at Dick Blick Art Supply


Regards........Froggy

Demetre (a frog too far) Argiro
Gulf Central Railway, a proud member of the JRAG.
argi...@mindspring.com

Don Tanner

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Nov 7, 2001, 11:56:54 AM11/7/01
to
Thanks very much for an interesting and thoughful reply. A few comments and questions below:

Froggy wrote:

On Mon, 05 Nov 2001 17:27:32 GMT, Don Tanner <donta...@cogeco.ca> wrote:

Don, for purposes of this discussion I am going to omit the obvious MRR paints and
discuss alternatives:

>I would like to get a discussion going on what brands of acrylic paint
>you use for airbrushing only.
>
>Which brand(s) do you prefer?
Liquitex and Golden

I'm familiar with Liquitex because I use it for colouring rocks, but Golden is new to me. Is it available in major craft stores the same as Liquitex is?

 

>Any reason for this preference?
Superior products with proven record of quality, uniformity, reliability and
availability

>What brand(s) would you avoid and why?
Any that I have not previously tested and evaluated


Have you tested/evaluated the common MRR acrylic paints and, if so, what is about Liquitex/Golden that makes them superior in your view?

 

>Do you use different brands for different types of projects --- eg one
>brand for structures and another for locos?
No. As far as I'm concerned paint is paint. Of all the brands I use, any will work
for any purpose. Only the color is important. I've already taken care of any other
considerations with my selection of brands.

>What paint to water ratio(s) do you use?
I never touch water. Fish pee in it.  Instead I use a variety of acrylic paint
accessory products made by Liquitex and Golden. This includes the MRR paints as well.
There are reducers, retarders, extenders. flow agents and a variety of other products
that do a great deal more than water.
I clean up with water, alcohol and acetone, but I NEVER mix any of these with my
paints.


Fish aren't the ONLY ones that pee in it <G>! I just use distilled water --- its cheap, readily available and has all the fish pee, etc removed. That being said, I'm interested to know more about these products of Liquitex/Golden that you obviously use on an ongoing basis. What do you use each of these products for (stupid question perhaps, but as you can no doubt tell, I'm not particularly knowledgeable about any of them).

Do you mix the paint with these products to predetermined ratios or you just know from experience what mix consistency you require for good results?

Where do you typically buy acetone? I know that nail polish remover is basically just acetone, but there must be a more cost effective way of purchasing it.

 

>What air pressure do you normally air brush at?
It depends, but my window for acrylics is from 30 to 45 PSIG


Interesting --- quite a bit higher than what is normally recommended for the common MRR paints such as Polly Scale, Scalecoat, etc.

 

>What type of air brush(es) do you normally use?
Paasche model H with a 5 tip.  I have others, but the Paasche is my favorite by a
very wide margin.  I have an Aztek, but I'm too fond of my H to ever change.


So the Aztek just sits on a shelf?

 

>
>Thanks in advance --- I purchased an Aztek double action air brush over
>the weekend and will probably use
>it with acrylic paint only to make clean up easier.

If you ever want to get a Paasche model H they are available here in Atlanta for
US $38.00. at Dick Blick Art Supply


Great price --- no one up here in the Toronto area could come close to it!

Christian

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Nov 7, 2001, 3:55:42 PM11/7/01
to

I'm familiar with Liquitex because I use it for colouring rocks, but Golden
is new to me. Is it available in major craft stores the same as Liquitex is?


Yes, also art stores and art mail order.
http://www.goldenpaints.com/

>Where do you typically buy acetone? I know that nail polish remover is
basically just acetone, but there must be a more cost effective way of
purchasing it.


Hardware store, home centre, paint store. By the gallon.

>What air pressure do you normally air brush at?
It depends, but my window for acrylics is from 30 to 45 PSIG

>Interesting --- quite a bit higher than what is normally recommended for
the common MRR paints such as Polly Scale, Scalecoat, etc.


About 30lb is commonly recomended for modeler's acrylics.

>If you ever want to get a Paasche model H they are available here in
Atlanta for
US $38.00. at Dick Blick Art Supply

>Great price --- no one up here in the Toronto area could come close to it!


I would try an art store. Model Railroad stores seem to be high priced on
artist's supplies. There is mail order no matter where you live. Here is
one for $29.95 US.
http://www.dixieart.com/Dixie_Art_Supplies_Airbrush_Main_Page.html


CTucker
NY

nigel.ford2

unread,
Nov 8, 2001, 6:37:47 PM11/8/01
to
Acetone can be purchased in chemist/drug stores.
nail polish remover tends to have other ingredients added.


andy h

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Nov 16, 2001, 6:21:40 PM11/16/01
to James A. Powell
Hi James,Hi all,

James ,Ceramcoat sounds like it was for ceramics or something.Will it hand
brush okay?
I'm using some brand of cermic acrylic paint that dries with a lovely matt
finish. Do you find it in art,hobby or hardware stores?

Andrew.

Trainman

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Nov 16, 2001, 7:26:53 PM11/16/01
to
I brush ceramcoat all the time, on plastics it works BETTER than Poly-S (the
only other acrylic I've tried).

The finish is totally flat, if you want a matte finish youll need an
additive (which MAY be available from Delta, the manufacturer of Ceramcoat,)
or a matte overspray.

Don


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http://www.geocities.com/don_dellmann
moderator: WisMode...@yahoogroups.com
and: MRP...@yahoogroups.com
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andy h <and...@uq.net.au> wrote in message
news:3BF59F84...@uq.net.au...

Dan L. Merkel

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Nov 20, 2001, 2:57:45 PM11/20/01
to
andy h wrote:
>
> Hi James,Hi all,
>
> James ,Ceramcoat sounds like it was for ceramics or something.Will it hand
> brush okay?
> I'm using some brand of cermic acrylic paint that dries with a lovely matt
> finish. Do you find it in art,hobby or hardware stores?
>
> Andrew.


Only problem I've ever really had with Ceramcoat is thinning it
properly. it is about the consistency of Elmers Glue when it comes out
of the bottle. It needs to be thinned, especially for airbrushing.

Mark Mathu

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Nov 21, 2001, 2:57:18 AM11/21/01
to
andy h wrote...

> James ,Ceramcoat sounds like it was for ceramics or something.Will it hand
> brush okay?
> I'm using some brand of cermic acrylic paint that dries with a lovely matt
> finish. Do you find it in art,hobby or hardware stores?


Department or craft stores, such as Wal-Mart or Michaels.

http://www.walmart.com/
http://www.michaels.com/


Dan L. Merkel

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Nov 21, 2001, 11:35:48 AM11/21/01
to
Dan L. Merkel wrote:
>
> Only problem I've ever really had with Ceramcoat is thinning it
> properly. it is about the consistency of Elmers Glue when it comes
> out of the bottle. It needs to be thinned, especially for
> airbrushing.
>
> dlm

UPDATE: I sprayed some Ceramcoat last night and thinned it with about a
1:1 mixture of LiquidtTex Airbrush Medium. I was pleased sith the
results. It minimized the spattering which I've experienced on occasion
and it gave me a nice, smooth finish.

Two things that I did notice... one, it seemed to lengthen the drying
time and it also seemed to change the finish from a dead flat finish to
more of a matte finish. How you feel about those two things are
probably matters of personal preference.

Rich Strebendt

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Nov 23, 2001, 9:42:27 PM11/23/01
to
Mark Mathu wrote:

The WalMart and, perhaps, the Michaels, do not carry the entire line of
Ceramcoat colors and other products. I have been quite happy ordering from the
entire line of products and a number of other products that have been useful,
from the Craft Catalog: http://www.craftcatalog.com/ They can also be reached
by snailmail at PO Box 1069, Reynoldsburg Ohio 43068. Their order number is
1-800-777-1442. They have a 190 page catalog of craft items and tools that they
send out with an order. Most of the catalog is not of interest to model
railroaders, but they have some interesting paint brushes (such as liner
brushes) and other tools that have turned out to be useful.

[Disclaimer} I have been a customer of Craft Catalog and been quite pleased
with their service and products. I have no other relationship to this company.

--

Richard Strebendt restr...@earthlink.net


Trainman

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Nov 24, 2001, 8:15:38 AM11/24/01
to
I checked at Menard's last night, they didn't have the thinner. They did
have matte or gloss clear varnish to go over Ceramcoat though, and some of
the new metallics.

PING to Mark Mathau. Check "Artist & Display Supply" on 90th. & Burleigh.
If they don't have it, it ain't made.

Don

Rich Strebendt <restr...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3BFF091E...@earthlink.net...

Kennedy

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Nov 24, 2001, 9:52:19 PM11/24/01
to
"Dan L. Merkel" <brt...@bright.net> wrote:

> Two things that I did notice... one, it seemed to lengthen the drying
> time and it also seemed to change the finish from a dead flat finish to
> more of a matte finish. How you feel about those two things are
> probably matters of personal preference.

I don't see this as a problem, as you'd have to gloss it to apply decals
anyway, then do the flat thing all over again. But, if you were spraying
buildings or something, the matte finish isn't as good for drybrushing as
total flat, I think.

Kennedy

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