Paint Mixing Question?
Irish Rouge
Is it good to use denatured alcohol with Poly-Scale paints to thin it
down?
Somebody told me it makes the paint set better then the Poly-Scale A/B
thinner, does anybody know if this is true if it is it would be allot
cheaper to buy a gallon of the D/A.
One more question please!!
Is an airbrush supposed to leak air if you put it in a cup of water? the
only reason I'm asking is after I get done spraying a couple of coats of
paint I spray the cleaner through then I submerse the front part of the
brush and swirl it around until I'm ready for another coat, but what I
noticed was bubbles trickling to the top, is this normal or is the brush
supposed to be tight where no air is supposed to get out at all.
Thanks for any help!!
"Red"
Greg & Janet LaRocca
You can thin Polly-Scale with rubbing alcohol that you buy in a drug store,
e.g., 70% isopropanol. However, I prefer to use Prestone De-icer, which is
chemically close to the Polly-Scale airbrush thinner. A gallon will run you
$2.00-3.00 or so. I am not sure which if either makes the paint set better,
however. I do not think denatured alcohol will work as well (although it is
better for cleaning the airbrush). By the way, I thin my paint to 50% with
the De-icer, and keep the pressure down to 15 PSI. This gives excellent
results.
I would say, based on my experience with both a Paasche H and VL that your
airbrush should *not* be leaking air when you submerge it, but perhaps you
should tell us what brand it is--someone with experience with that brand can
then give you an authoritative answer.
Greg LaRocca
=^. .^=
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In article <17340-39...@storefull-105.iap.bryant.webtv.net>,
Demetre Argiro
>
> Hi all!!
> Is it good to use denatured alcohol with Poly-Scale paints to thin it
Throw away the distilled water, alcohol and whatever else you may have heard
of and get yourself some Liquitex or Golden brand airbrush medium. Thin the
acrylic paints 30-50% with the airbrush medium and do some experimenting. You
will find a ratio that works best for you. Play around with air pressures
ranging from 15psig to 45psig. Again, you will soon find one with which you
are comfortable.
The airbrush medium does all sorts of wonderous things for your paint that no
other thinner can. Because it is an engineered product specifically designed
for use in airbrushes spraying acrylic paints it does the following: minimizes
venturi drying, retards the cure time of the paint so that it has time to flow
and level, provides lubrication for your brush and strengthens the cured film.
Neither water nor alcohol nor any other thinning medium does any of these and
can actually degrade the finished product.
Don't learn the mistakes of others, learn from them.
You can find airbrush medium in a variety of places ranging from the craft
department at Wal-Mart and K-Mart (not all stores will have it) to retail
outlets such as Binders and Dick Blick. Almost any art supply store will have
either Liquitex or Golden as will general interest craft outlets such as M.J.
Designs and Michael's. I prefer Liquitex and only use Golden as second choice,
but, in truth, it's probably just as good. You know how it is.........anyway,
Let your fingers do the walking in the Yellow Pages.
Once you get the hang of working with acrylics and realize that you are not
limited to PollyScale and ModelFlex a whole new world will open up for you. If
you have a well stocked store in which to shop you can draw from a range of
colors and supplies that can amaze you. That's the place to learn about
airbrushes and painting. What to use, when and how to use it are topics of
great importance to those who make their living behind an airbrush. Ask
questions and try their suggestions. No offence intended to anyone, but the
local hobby shop comes in as a very distant second as a place to learn about
painting or get "the good stuff".
Oh yes, I have to ask. Did you mean to say "Irish Rouge" as in the color red
or "Irish Rogue" as in one who goes against convention, a mischevious person?
S C Sillato
: Irish Rouge wrote:
: >
: > Hi all!!
: > Is it good to use denatured alcohol with Poly-Scale paints to thin it
: > down? . . . . . . . .
: Throw away the distilled water, alcohol and whatever else you may have heard
: of and get yourself some Liquitex or Golden brand airbrush medium. Thin the
: acrylic paints 30-50% with the airbrush medium and do some experimenting. You
: will find a ratio that works best for you. Play around with air pressures
: ranging from 15psig to 45psig. Again, you will soon find one with which you
: are comfortable.
I'd like respectfully disagree here. I have used distilled water,
70%isopropal alcohol, Windshield washer fluid(methyl alcohol and
surfacecants), Polly-S thinner AND Airbrush medium(Liquitex).
THEY ALL WORK with acrylic paints. I never thin more than 30%(unless I'm
doing a "wash" effect), sometimes I thin as low as a few drops of
distilled water. You have to experiment to get the best effect for you.
The real key I THINK is to make sure that the plastic is EXTREMELY CLEAN.
I scrub mine with alcohol(diluted), follow with antibacterial dish
detergent(no skin softeners), tap water rinse AND a distalled water
rinse(we have hard water here.
I've never had a problem with paint application or durability since I
figured out this stuff. One exception of course was when I got hold of a
bad batch of paint from Pollyscale. I was lucky enough to never have a
bad batchn of Accuflex(didn't have a chance to buy that much.
Your mileage may vary.
If you take a look at Jim Six's stuff you see a guy who thins Pollyscale
30 to 50% with Isopropal alcohol shoots one coat, hits it with a hair
dryer then shoots another coat, hits it with the dryer, decals, drys again and
then clear coats with solvent based finishes. Gets get results!!!!
--
Steve Sillato PC, NYC, LV, GBW & ALCo fan
"Baseball was made for kids, grown-ups only screw it up" Bob Lemon
S C Sillato
: If you take a look at Jim Six's stuff you see a guy who thins Pollyscale
: 30 to 50% with Isopropal alcohol shoots one coat, hits it with a hair
: dryer then shoots another coat, hits it with the dryer, decals, drys again and
: then clear coats with solvent based finishes. Gets get results!!!!
That was supposed to say "Gets GREAT results!!!"