Acrylic Airbrush Paint???????


N

NP2626

Guest
Why are suppliers making decisions for us on where/how their paint can be used? I don't have an airbrush and after 60 years without one, am not about to buy one! It's been my understanding; however, that to thin Acrylic Paint all that is needed is distilled water; or, some other thinning agent and you have your thinned paint! Obviously the manufacturers figure they can thin their paints, thereby making their paints go farther for the price and us stupid customers will never be any the wiser!

If you are sucked into this situation because you need your paints to be ready without doing any thinking, the world coming at us, is right up your alley!
 
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See the real problem is that you have been around for 60+ years and can actually do things for yourself. Today's kids are into instant gratification and the manufacturers are catering to them. Why should I bother to have to have both brushing acrylic and thinner on hand when all I do is use an airbrush? Just sell me the pre-thinned paint I want!
Let the firestorm begin :cool:
 
Mark, I had been a big fan of Floquil for years and did a lot of custom painting. It did need to be thinned. Now that Floquil is gone, I was at a bit of a loss as to which paint to use when I was custom painting the F units for my North Coast Limited. After a bit of searching, I found that Tru-Color had an excellent selection of railroad colors and they also did not need to be thinned prior to painting.
 
Red Oak & Western said:
See the real problem is that you have been around for 60+ years and can actually do things for yourself. Today's kids are into instant gratification and the manufacturers are catering to them. Why should I bother to have to have both brushing acrylic and thinner on hand when all I do is use an airbrush? Just sell me the pre-thinned paint I want!
Let the firestorm begin :cool:
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This is also in response to Chet's post.

For me the problem is that the paints are no longer being offered un-thinned for brush painting!
 
Mark,

I have used Testors Model Master Acrylic paint for almost all of my painting needs, the majority of which has been hand painting, using a brush. Now, I don't know if it is pre-thinned or not; however, they recommend using thinners (their thinner naturally) to thin it for air brushing. That would suggest to me that it is not pre thinned.

Using it straight from the bottle has given me good coverage using a brush and all of my structures were painted using it, granted the last two or three were sprayed and the paint was thinned as recommended when using the air brush.

With that being said, Tru Color offers what they call "brushable paint", albeit they are a solvent based paint.

I can't disagree with you about the "here and now brigade" not wanting to have the need to do anything more than they have to and expecting everything to be ready for "their needs" right out of the bottle. As has been said many times before, the market is pandering to the wants of that brigade and don't give a damn about the traditionalist; after all, we're a dying breed.
 
I just want to add a comment about the "New Brigade" of model railroaders and hobbyists. A defunct hobby shop that was near by house had several display cases of models and dioramas completed by the shop's younger customers. Never saw any model railroad equipment, but many pieces of military equipment, military dioramas and model aircraft.

The detail of these models was superb!

The model painting was professional and the dioramas rivaled the work of many model railroaders. I remember a battle scene and the weathering of the tanks and artillery was done perfectly.

Times have changed as well product offerings by manufactures, but these young modelers have a lot of talent in their areas of interest and I'm sure that there are some model railroaders hidden that fine group of hobbyists.

I also miss the Floquil line of paints.

Greg
 
Not only do I agree with what everyone has said here...... I am also cheap. I fell into the "airbrush acrylic" trap when I purchased my Passche Double action air brush. I learned quickly... those paints are not necessary and expensive. I did a 180.... here is what I use to shoot the cheap Walmart acrylics through my airbrush with great results:

• 12oz Distilled Water
• 4oz Denatured Alcohol
• 4oz Window Cleaner
• 10 drops of Glycerin

I mix this concoction 20oz at a time and fill up a gallon jug to have on hand. I am sure there are many that are smarter than I that can figure out the measurements to make a gallon at a time instead of mixing and pouring 20 oz. at a time...but I am not that smart.

For brush painting I use 70% alcohol. I had a lumpy experience when experimenting with 91% alcohol. The 71% seems to work better for washes as well as brushing to cover surfaces entirely.

One very important piece of equipment to have is...a small battery operated paint mixer. This little item is wonderful and is especially good for the cheap paints that I use.
​
 
We are drifting away from the intent of this thread. One of the biggest disappointments for me in the past 10 years is the loss of Floquil paints, why Testors got rid of it's best product is very sad and stupid to my way of thinking. I have no problem with companies making thinned paints for airbrush, I just want brushable paints for what I do and once again, one size does not fit all!
 
As I am new to the airbrushing world, I've been using model master acrylic and have found it sprays right out the bottle. Brush painting isn't bad but it does seem a little thin. The Iawata airbrush I bought came with a bottle of their Com Art which appears much thicker. I'm sure if one looks around enough, they can find the paints that meet their needs. Unfortunately, the continued EPA and health restrictions to chemicals is limiting the "good old days" products that meet our needs.
 
ONCE AGAIN, I am only interested in brushable paints. The opening comment in this thread was about the fact that paint manufacturers seem to be thinking everyone in this hobby wants paints already thinned for their air brushes. I have never had an airbrush and don't feel the need for one, after 60 years of building models! I was hoping to hear from others who don't use thinned paints and don't use an airbrush and if they want their paints thinned, know how to thin them themselves! I realize that I can't control this thread and if all you guys who have and use an airbrushes want to dominate this thread, I can't stop you! Doing so, I would consider very rude of you, as it is so simple to start a thread about your likes and dislikes, yourself!

Oh, and yes, I am a Dinosaur and damn proud of it!
 
Mark,

Why are suppliers making decisions for us on where/how their paint can be used?
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They're not and to say that there are no un-thinned acrylic paints for modelling available is simply not true.

There are many brands of acrylic paint that can be purchased that are un-thinned. Go to any walmart, hobby lobby, dick blick or other art supply store and you will find them.

Traditional Plastic Model Acrylic paint such as Testors, Tamiya etc maybe being pre-thinned, but no one ever said you had to use traditional plastic model specific paint.
 
Tony, I was talking about the stuff being advertised for model railroads! Believe me since Floquil was dropped, I have used many different brands of paint, including probably all of the ones you have used. I could list all the paints that are now being offered as a thinned paint and maybe I will.

The jist of what I am talking about is the question: WHY is the simple process of thinning Acrylic paints being done by the manufacturers and why do they think we all use air brushes?
 
I’ve only found two brands of paint that don’t brush well...Tamiya Acrylics and Vallejo Model-air. Tamiya has been around for at least 20 years so it’s not particularly a new product but Model-Air is a pretty new product relatively speaking. All that being said it seems to me that there are many more acrylic paints that are brushable right out of the bottle than there are air-brushable right out of the bottle. As for companies shutting down product lines...yeah I was pretty mad about Testors shutting down production of the Floquil line and I think it was a bad business decision...but undoubtedly they disagreed.
 
...The jist of what I am talking about is the question: WHY is the simple process of thinning Acrylic paints being done by the manufacturers and why do they think we all use air brushes?...
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Simple answer to that is most likely: because most people who do model seriously and do paint use air brushes; therefore, they (the manufacturers) are playing to and providing for the majority. The "majority", now a days, wants everything ready to go straight from the bottle.

I maybe wrong here; however, I would suggest that most people who use airbrushes also use, or prefer, acrylic paints due to the ease of the cleanup. As such, it is mainly acrylics that are being pre thinned for those people.

I'd also suggest that those who still hand paint possibly use enamel paints that haven't been thinned, other than those enamels specifically made for airbrushing.

Despite all of the above, and as mentioned in my first post, I use Testors Model Master straight from the bottle for everything I have, and will hand, paint with good results.

So, the majority of people seriously engaged with models most likely use and airbrush and most likely use acrylics. Like it or not, if what I think is right then it makes sense for companies to produce acrylics specifically made for airbrushing.
 
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Here's what maybe the root of the disappearance of many paint products we once used as long time model railroaders.

It was government regulations and the banning of the manufacture of many paints products containing thinning chemicals which contained aromatic solvents or other solvents, like those with low flash points and being very volatile. Look at the automotive repair industry and their shift to using acrylic paints to paint auto bodies in place of the once popular enamels and lacquers.

This is in part to new rules pertaining to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) which includes a variety of chemicals, that may have short or long term adverse health effects. The amount of VOC's varied between products found in products from waxes to paints.

Remember the strong smell of fresh paint we used to encounter after painting the interior walls of our homes? Gone, thanks to new paint formulas. Also, do you recall the distinctive order of Floquil products and the requirement to use them in a well ventilated area? There was a reason for the product's cautionary labels.

It wasn't Testor's decision to discontinue their Floquil line of paints. It was forced by government regulations and the need to eliminate or reduce the use of VOC's to improve air quality and reduce adverse health problems of products containing VOCs.

Greg
 
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Tamiya offers both its glossy and flat acrylic model paint in a formula designed for brush painting --82 colors in all. It must be thinned for airbrushing.

Acrylicos Vallejo sells model paints for both brush painting and airbrushing.

So the situation is not entirely bleak!

- Jeff
 
NP2626 said:
ONCE AGAIN, I am only interested in brushable paints. The opening comment in this thread was about the fact that paint manufacturers seem to be thinking everyone in this hobby wants paints already thinned for their air brushes. I have never had an airbrush and don't feel the need for one, after 60 years of building models! I was hoping to hear from others who don't use thinned paints and don't use an airbrush and if they want their paints thinned, know how to thin them themselves! I realize that I can't control this thread and if all you guys who have and use an airbrushes want to dominate this thread, I can't stop you! Doing so, I would consider very rude of you, as it is so simple to start a thread about your likes and dislikes, yourself!

Oh, and yes, I am a Dinosaur and damn proud of it!
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Roger, got it. Stay away from your threads.
 
I am being perceived as being grumpy and I guess I am. So I need to apologize for this. Yesterday, I posted the start of this thread as I received an order where I had screwed up and bought 3 bottles of Microlux Paint for Airbrushing. Totally my own fault, I didn't notice that the display when purchasing stated Airbrush. The fact is that this is not the first time I have done this; so, I've been caught before not being as observant as I need to be now-a-days. The world is becoming a very confusing place day by day and quite honestly as I get older I can see this happening to me more and more! Obviously, others don't see a problem with there being two types of acrylic paint where I don't see a need for the manufacture thinning it's paints, as thinning is such a simple process!
 
Genetk44 said:
Apparently the paint manufacturers choose to disagree with you.
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So, what else is new? I doubt they disagree with me as I doubt they pay me any attention what-so-ever!

I'm going to back away from this thread. It was a bad idea from the start. My opinion that I don't need; or, want an airbrush is an unpopular opinion with the majority. Therefore my need for thinned paints doesn't exist and while I find the offering of thinned paints to be confusing, I will have to be more careful in the future to not order thinned acrylic paints and I am going to try to sell the thinned paints I mistakenly purchased from Micro-Mark, on Ebay.

From my perspective this thread has faded to the background!
 
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