Hi All,

Bought my first airbrush this week and I already used it today for the first time. What is the best paint to thinner ratio/percent? I tried 2:1 (thinner:paint) ratio and I get some bubble build up on my kit. Im using Gunze Sangyo Mr. Color lacquer and Mr. Color thinner (Anyone who's using Mr. Color, need advice with this paint brand).

Thanks.

Joseph,

There are many variables for thinning paint for airbrushing. As a rule you want it to be like milk. I use old Tamiya paint bottles for mixing and when the mixed paint coats the sides and slides down slowly it is about at the ratio where I use it. Really, the best way is to practice. I see that you are in the Philippines, you will find that you will have a different paint/thinner ratio than I here in the NW U.S. Temp and humidity have an effect on what ratios are best. Hope this helps!

-Derek

It is also dependent on your air pressure. I thin my paint much more than most and spray at very low pressure, sometimes less than 0.5bar (I think that it's about 14.5 psi to 1bar, so around 7psi or less) most spray at something like 15-25 psi, I believe. The ambiant temperature and humidity also have an effect as do many other viriables, as Derek also says. There really is no choice but to experiment but be warned that, what works well for a particular paint/thinner mix one day, may not work as well on a different day. The trick is knowing whether to add more paint, more thinner, more or less pressure etc, etc.
It may sound daunting but in reality you will quickly get to know what works, just test spray before committing to the model.
This is why I always say "never blame the airbrush"

Mal