Hello everyone, I am just about to start my first airbrushing aircraft (1/48 thunderbolt) by Revell, what Im unsure of Is the amount of paint to add to the airbrushing cup. I will be using Enamel paints that have been thinned (1 part paint to 3 parts thinner, is this the right mixing amount?). Basically do I fill the cup or does It vary?

Sean.

That is something that comes with experience my friend.I would not fill the whole cup because unless you are painting the side of a barn you dont need that much .A little goes a long way.as you airbrush more you will figure out the right amount for the right job.Saves you alot of paint to. As far as Enamels go I dont use them much except when detailing small parts.I use mostly acrylics easy cleanup,drys quickly and most of them already come pre mixed for airbrushing.But again every modeler has their own ways of doing things thats just mine.


Build On,
Justin

Sean, I use enamels, and my mixing ratio is generally 60/40, paint to thinner, but it does vary from time to time. You will come to learn just about how much of the cup you need to fill, depending on what you are airbrushing, but - I rarely use even half the cup that comes with my Paasche VL. I highly recommend you practice with your airbrush on an old model, or piece of styrene, even extra sprue you may have. Get a feel for the flow of the paint, and how much you need to cover.

Good luck.

Cheers,
Mike

Thanks a lot guys for your help, I will be using Revell Enamel with Revell thinners, so basically practice, practice, practice...

Thanks again.

Sean.

Sean, The guys are spot on... I'd rarely use a half cup (about 1.5mm) on my Iwata HP-CS for an overall coat on the WHOLE model.

I mix it by guesstamation
I've done it so much I have a feel for it. Usually about like skim milk.

Don't be afraid to run out either. Just put some thinner in the cup and spray a little bit to clear the nozzle and not let it dry in there while you mix the new batch. Make sure you get all the thinner out before you load the cup again.

If the paint comes out coarse (like sandpaper on the model or you get things that look like spider webs too thick.

Too thin will be runny and you'll see the surface of the model underneath like looking through a stained glass window.

Hope that helps

Hellbent