Hi Everyone

I hope in the coming weeks to finally purchase my first airbrush.
However I not to sure of which paint to use.
My local hobby shop carries
Humbrol enamel and the Tamiya acrylics and enamels which would you consider the best to use.

I do use Humbrol when figure painting along with oils.

I'm not adverse to changing to another manufacturer if thats the consensus.

TIA/cheers

chris

I'd say go for Humbrol enamel. Airbrushes perfectly and the range is HUGE! I don't use anything else. Tamiya acrylic is the worst paint to try and airbrus. Rubbish finish and dries while spraying clogging the nozzle up. Hope that helps. Stephen

Hmmm I'm afraid I would go for Tamiya Acrylics. If you thin it with Tamiya's own thinner and a few drops of X22 Clear you will find it is the best paint to airbrush. Not as big a range as Humbrol when it comes to color but more then sufficient for most jobs.
Humbrol works well too but you have to thin it with turentine or thinner which smells much more. So if you don't want an angry wife/girlfriend/mother because you stink up the house I suggest you spray outside.
Can't comment on Tamiya Enamel because I have never in my life used it.

Hi Chris

I mix and match enamels and acrylics on most projects. Both have their pros and cons.

I've had no trouble spraying Tamiya acrylics, but I thin them with cellulose (lacquer) thinners which gives them a little more "bite" on plastic and hence more durable.

All the best

Rowan

Tamiya or Gunze acrylics for me every time. Use their own brand thinner, or lacquer thinner as Rowan said. I tend to thin quite heavily, up to 50/50 sometimes, and spray at 15-20psi, and very rarely have any problems.

Cheers, D

For most of my airbrushing I prefer to use Tamiya Acrylics. I have no issues with airbrushing them. I thin them 50/50 with either their X20-A thinner which is alcohol based, or with my current favorite their Yellow cap Lacquer Thinner. As Rowan says it just gives the paint a little better bite, and it breaks down the paint particles better then the X20-A. The big disadvantage is its limited range of specific colors. There are plenty of mixing charts online, so mixing the exact color isn't an issue.

I have started to use Model Master enamels once again, and the love affair once thought long dead, seems to be rekindling. No need to mix colors, thins with Mineral Spirits, and the paint surface is smooth as silk. The drawback is the long drying times, and the smell.

Like Rowan, I use both, and see no reason to have to stick to just one brand or type of paint. Use what's best for the job at hand.

Joel

I don't want to Hijack Chris' thread, but I'm intrigued to know what people seem to be doing different with Tamiya that I'm not. I've used their own brand thinner, demineralysed water, Johnsons Klear and just about anything else that's been recommended and always get the same result. A clogged up airbrush and what paint that did spray has a texture like sand paper. What I find happens is that the alcohol in the paint evaporates out during spraying. I never have this issue with Humbrol acrylic so I can only assume it's to do with whatever Tamiya mixes in.
I use an Aztek double action brush with a regular and fine nozzle.

If it is clogging up your spraying tip the paint isn't thinned enough and don't use water or future . It doesn't break down the paint particles enough giving you that sand paper texture . I spray nothing but Tamiya paints and never had an issue with them . I will use either Tamiya thinner x-20a or lacquer thinner ( hardware store type ) Lacquer thinner works better for it breaks down the paint better which in turn gives better atomization when sprayed leaving a smooth surface . I use a range of different airbrushes but one I use the most is my Eagle Talon . Then again it really doesn't matter on the airbrush if the paint is thinned right .




Terri

I've had the stuff thinned to as much as 70/30 thinner and paint and it still happens. I've heard it said that a lot of people swear by Klear as a thinner? Unless that's for another brand of paint?
When you say lacquer thinner do you mean cellulose thinner? I wouldn't have thought they would mix so never even considered it. I remember my dad used to use it for thinning dope on balsa and tissue models and it being nasty stuff. It stinks worse than any turps or enamel thinner. I've always been a bit hesitant to use it because of that.
I'm willing to give it another go at some point.

@ Stephen
The clogging is a bit of a mystery to me as I have never had that happen to me with Tamiya Acrylics. But I can think of is not using the proper thinner. Even though it says Acrylic it is not really acrylic so you can't thin it with water. It will shift if you do that and spray really badly.
For smooth paint I always mix paint with Tamiya's own thinner between 50/50 and 30/70 (paint/thinner) and some drops of X22 clear. Which smooths things down very well.
What distance do you keep your AB while spraying? because if you hold it too far away the paint will start to dry before it hits the model and that causes the sandpaper like structure

Hi Stephen

Yes - lacquer thinners is cellulose thinners. It is nasty stuff, so ensure plenty of ventilation, but it's fantastic for spraying with compatible paints. Don't even consider it for brush-painting though, because it "eats" plastic.

Tamiya acrylic is odd stuff (Gunze Sangyo too) - in that it's a kind of "hybrid", somewhere between traditional enamels and acrylics, so cellulose thinners works beautifully with it.

Tamiya's own brand thinners is basically isopropyl alcohol (plus some "magic ingredient" to warrant the bumped up price ) - but the stuff from the chemists, or cellulose thinners from Halfords etc. works a treat.

I prefer cellulose thinners because it gives a more robust finish - but either way you should find Tamiya sprays nicely.

(There were horror stories in the early days about "crazy-paving" paint cracking - and, indeed, I suffered them (enough to put me off for years!) - but these days... it's good stuff. Just not the widest, or most accurate range though.)

All the best

Rowan

Well I can only tell you what happens when I use their own thinner. The alcohol evaporates out during spraying leaving globules of messy paint stuck to the nozzle. That's the only way I can describe what was happening. And I've heavily thinned it, its not not like I'm spraying straight out the jar. I only use it for brush painting cockpits, wheel wells and other small bits when faster drying times are needed. I do use them, I'm not against Tamiya. Just that I know the limits of their use for me. Admittedly I haven't airbrushed the stuff for years, only enamel. Its what I trust and with low odour thinners and white spirit, bad smells are less of an issue these days. I'm willing to put my bad experience down to a beginners mistakes, but its also why I cannot recommend them to a first timer with an airbrush. Enamels have sprayed perfectly first time and every time for me.
I spray about a minimum of 6 or so inches away from the surface. Any closer to that and I get that 'spider splat' effect.

I'm prepared to have another go with them just as soon as my airbrush turns up. Its been AWOL for a couple of years now. At present I'm stuck with basic Badger spray gun that's only good for large areas. I'll eat humble pie if they work.

Hi Stephen

If I have a bias, it's towards enamels, because I just know where I am with them. After spraying them since the 70s I can predict the results - I can mess around to my heart's content and still be within my "comfort zone".

All I'd say is, try Tamiya acrylic with cellulose thinners - it will work. You still might go back to enamels, but that's down to choice.

All the best

Rowan

Since we are on the subject of Humbrol or Tamiya. Does anyone have any feedback on what to use to thin/clean Humbrol Acrylic paints? I have a few bottles/tins of them and don't use them much because I can't find anything that works to thin them. I have tried lacquer, alcohol, paint thinner, even Tamiya and testers 'thinners'. The stuff does not thin but clumps. Only thing that seems to work is Humbrol's own acrylic thinner. However finding that stuff here in the US is harder then finding Big Foot or Nessie and if you do find any, expect to shell out some $$$ for it.
I await for the great wisdom...

Cheers

I've had luck with thinning Humbrol acrylics with demineralised water. You will need a primer underneath as it tends pull together like a melted T-1000 and form puddles on bare plastic. It even brush paints very well over a primer. Only down side is that it is not very durable and can chip easily.

Rowan, cheers for the advice. And everyone else for that matter. I'll give it a bash with cellulose and see how I get on.

Yep done the water (of all kinds) still clumps up a little. Yes I did experience the puddleing even with using Tamiya's fine primer rattle can. Cleaning with water was a pain, still clumped up inside the AB. What is this stuff made of. It's evil I tell ya, evil.....

.5 Cheers

It does need a lot of thinning and even then I did get some gunking from time to time. I use a primer by plastikote that has a slightly rougher finish to Tamiya, so it might be adhering better to that than it would with Tamiya's. Never tried it with their primer to find out.
Admittedly Humbrol acrylic is not the best of paints but occasionally useful if I need something painting quick. I've only ever sprayed it with my spray gun which is quick and easy to clean. It might be harder to clean out on other types.
Have you tried warm water with some dish washing liquid? I found that helped a lot.

Well, did not mean to hijack Chris's post but if you want my vote stay with enamel. Acrylics are a chemical mess with thinners, retarders and flow enhancers. But you don't have all them toxic fumes. I am not sure what the availability is like down there in middle earth by I say if you go acrylic - Tamiya for the win.

Cheers all the way