Not sure guys but maybe it's the particular colours that I use. 4.8 out of 5 stars 652. Water breaks down the binder in acrylic, thinning the paint so that it looks like watercolor and allows it to sink into the surface, resulting in a matte finish. . Ok thanks. Link to post Share on other sites. Oil does not mix with water. You can also place the mixture in a measuring jug and mix with a mini whisk. Just use soap and water. So Yes, there is a difference when airbrushing, but it’s extremely minor, and so far I’m 100% confident of using regular tap or hose water to thin Tamiya acrylic paint. $8.99 $ 8. When the test piece looks touch dry (I don’t test it, just look at it) I’ll examine the piece under strong lighting or sunlight if possible to see if I’ve got perfect coverage, and if I need anymore I’ll do another wet coat. I think I have PE poisioning. A short how-to video about airbrushing with 4 of the most popular acrylic paints out there. I just eyeball it. Paints. 99 $14.37 $14.37. The type of airbrush used, the size of the needle and liquid nozzle, and the air pressure you use play a role. I dip/wet my brush with medium then into the paint; 2. I think that many of the problems that people have when airbrushing Tamiya acrylics occur due to … This is pretty standard for me and I’m not deviating from the norm at all. Too much moisture can leave your acrylic paint looking thin; too little may not have much of an effect at all. $10.99 $ 10. I had poor results using water. You can also place the mixture in a measuring jug and mix with a mini whisk. Typically I’d thin Tamiya acrylics with the purpose made Tamiya acrylic thinner X20-A to a ratio of around one part paint to one part thinner (1:1), and airbrush the paint at around 18 psi. But this isn’t as black-and-white as simply saying adding even a smidge of water will break down your paint. I buy the Tamiya specialty acrylic thinner for Tamiya acrylics (on the very rare occasion I use acrylics) and buy the specialty thinner for the model master lacquer clears, but when it comes to standard enamel paints (again here I use Model Master) I just use plain old mineral spirits. Water – The Primary Acrylic Thinner When only thinning your paint slightly, take your brush and wet it in clean water. However there are few things to keep in mind when diluting paint with water. it gives a two tone green with very visible stroke lines with XF-11. I add about 30-40% alcohol to the paint. Try thinning it slightly, you can use water but for best results use the Tamiya Acrylic thinners . With a recent test build, I used Tamiya, Italeri (Vallejo), Gunze Sangyo Aqueous (Mr.Hobby) and Akan acrylics, all thinned with this mixture. To thin acrylic paint for an airbrush, you need to add a thinning agent, like water, airbrush thinner, or flow improver to the paint, and mix until you create a paint that has the consistency of skim milk. What Model Paint Or Airbrushing Experiments Do You Want To See? Acrylic medium minimizes the need for the addition of water and allows the paint to sit on top of the surface, maintaining a rich, glossy appearance. On a side note, for details on how to clean the outside of your airbrush so it sparkles check out this article I wrote a few weeks back. I use Tamiya acrylics primarily for airbrushing and and have had good luck thinning with distilled water. If you look in the paint section of a local home improvement store, you will find products that can be added for thinning. The intended use for Clear Gloss is NOT dipping. It’s true that using water may require a different thinning ratio and/or air pressure, but right now my care factor for the extra complexity is totally nil. This bottle is 250ml in size. And that’s the extent of my acrylic paint mixing for airbrushing, the paint and thinner mixes exceptionally well and the process doesn’t need to be any more complicated than that. Dip your brush in that before loading it with paint, and periodically thereafter as needed. 96. Acrylic paint is water-based and thus water-soluble when wet, so water can be used to thin it. $15.96 $ 15. Hence, it’s not surprising that acrylic breaks down so quickly and thins out when water or any other medium is added it. Once this is touch dry I very gently rubbed my finger over it to remove the pebbling and bring it back to being quite smooth. I'm going with Ed as I've been thinning Tamiya acrylics with the Gunze self-levelling and never had any issues with the results. Hi, I'm Eric and I'm a Modelholic too. Patrick R : 07 Feb 2012 1:43 p.m. PST: As said before it was designed for airbrushing. 4.5 out of 5 stars 576. The only difference I see is that with the water there is perhaps additional pebbling that wasn’t present with the acrylic thinner thinned paint, but it’s extremely minor. While the Tamiya brand of purpose made acrylic thinner is the best choice for thinning Tamiya acrylic paints, many modelers have said that they can also thin and airbrush Tamiya acrylics with isopropyl alcohol and also distilled water. Many things matter when you find the right consistency of the airbrush color that you use to atomize properly. Owner/ Manager Enamel. Mix well by adding the mixture to a container with a lid and shake vigorously for a minute or two. . Enamel paints usually dries to a hard, glossy finish, It takes around 2-3 hours to dry, with a 24-48 hour curing time. This mixture works … 24K 416. djnick66. Once this is done put the test piece to the side for later comparison. . Enamel. Some sources advise not to mix acrylic paint with more than 50 percent water. Sometimes, the paints are just so dry that there is no fixing it. Essentially just use whatever standard procedure you’ve always used to get the best coat of paint down on your test piece. 4.8 out of 5 stars 415. $5.99 $ 5. To thin your paint, gather your supplies ahead of time and work outdoors during the day or in an area with sufficient light; this helps you tell when the pigments are properly mixed into the paint. FREE Shipping. More Buying Choices $8.75 (8 new offers) Ages: 14 - 14 years. Thinning of Tamiya acrylic paint. To significantly thin your paint, pour water into a container with your paint and use your brush to mix the water and paint together. I have tried to thin model master acrylic paints with alcohol and water, however, the results were not suitable for airbrushing. This will help condition the paint so that it’s easier to paint without having any brush marks. Try thinning it slightly, you can use water but for best results use the Tamiya Acrylic thinners. Tamiya Acrylics are a not water based, even though they're classed as an acrylic paint. Greg Williams Like njmlondon, I personally don't like brush painting Tamiya paints as they have a high amount of thinner already added and tend to strip off any layers you've already allied. And the paint pots are a pain, but if you mix the paint with Tamiya Color Acrylic Paint Thinner you will have no problems at all. Most commonly of course I use O.D. A slight mistake can ruin your paint. On her painting blog, Reyner says that she sometimes uses a ratio of 80 percent water to 20 percent paint in what is called "overdiluted" paint. (purchased of course in the bulk 50 gallon drum. Water Is known To Break Down The Paint. I use Tamiya thinner... the larger 250mL bottle is fairly cheep and lasts a very long time. A beginner should avoid the water method because one needs to be very careful when mixing water with paint. Check out the test pieces above (I did two of each) and I challenge you to pick which two were thinned with water…. For the rare times that I will thin a Tamiya paint (I find that it is pretty much a/b ready), I use tap water without any problems. An acrylic medium such as airbrush can be a good alternative to water. Always paint Tamiya acrylics with a "wet edge"—and never paint over paint that has been applied but not fully cured. $15.96 $ 15. Put it to the side for now with all of your other airbrushing equipment, we’ll be coming back to this in Step 7 after we’ve done our ‘control’ test. or do i have to use something else??? Thinning your acrylic paint with any of several polymer mediums allows the pigment to bond with the surface as the medium dries forming a very solid structure to hold the pigment. Airbrush the water thinned acrylic paint on the second test piece in exactly the same way you did it before, a single mist coat followed by one or multiple wet coats as needed. According to some painters, using a thinning medium is the best way to thin acrylic paint. home made Tamiya thinner for pennies on the dollar! ) and will set my compressor to 18 psi of working pressure. Paint & Finishing Products. No Seriously… Can Tamiya Paints Be Thinned With Water…? With regards to the wet coats a happy middle-ground is to give the paint a wet look but not to the extent that the paint runs. www.naplak.com/modeling ... a free site for modelers Tamiya America, Inc Acrylic/Poly Thinner X20A 46Ml, TAM81030. I made up a mixture of water and alcohol using the proportions above, then added around 10 ml of Flow Improver and 10 ml of Fluid Retarder for this test batch. Yes, simply mix a 1:1 ratio of water and acrylic paint. I decant equal parts of alcohol, water and 2 to 3 drops of Liquidex Flow-Aid into a plastic squeeze bottle (available at www.micromark.com). We recommend stirring the paint with a small toothpick and, if you have the time and patience, wait over night. www.scalehobby.com/forum/index.php ... a nice Modeling Forum. FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon. US Art Supply 16-Ounce Pint Airbrush Thinner for Reducing Airbrush Paint for all Acyrlic Paints works great for thinning Acrylic Pouring Paint. Post Dec 20, 2009 #1 2009-12-20T14:53. FREE Shipping. 99. ), for Model Master and Floquil I use a combination of their Universal Acrylic Thinner and about 10% or so of Vallejo 'Flow Improver.' FREE Shipping. with good results. . birdchua. Don't use solvents to clean your regular brushes. The water-thinning technique works for both latex and acrylic paints, such as common craft paints. ie. Similarly to the Testor's video, this is not a "How To" or "Tutorial". $5.99 $ 5. I have been using Flow Improver for thinning more often lately. I use Tamiya and have had very good results thining with an alcohol and water mix. What Do You Thin Tamiya Acrylic With For Airbrushing. Example of common Acrylic paints is Tamiya. Our community is FREE to join. 4.8 out of 5 stars 652. Water actually breaks down the binders in acrylic paint, thinning the paint to resemble that of watercolors, allowing it to sink into the surface of the support and dry with a matte finish. 99 $6.79 $6.79. Does water work when thinning Tamiya acrylics? 07-20-2004, 02:31 AM. I use Tamiya's acrylic paints for 98% of my work. Here's what I do re thinning acrylic paints: 1. For me, given it’s hardly noticeable, that’s not a problem at all. Tamiya America, Inc Acrylic/Poly Thinner X20A 46Ml, TAM81030. Why don't you just use their thinner so no problems with any finishes. Learn on the expensive, easy-to-use stuff, then once you get a feel for what you like and how to thin for your brush & tastes, get your 4 gallon drums of IPA and go to town. a nice even coat with no pebbly finish. As memo serves the Tamiya thinner for acrylic water paints contains 95% of the isopropyl alcohol. Hope this helps, happy modeling! The thinner worked much better. White spirit will not have an effect on dried acrylic paint, so mixed with oil or enamels it is good for washes etc. i use Tamiya paints a lot too, and i have to agree w/ Merlin -. To participate you must either login or register for an account. 109. gonzalogd . Rather it’s more about how much water you can add before it begins to break down … I did try a few shots of acrylics straight out of their … This doesn’t seem to have had any negative affect on the finish. If the acrylic latex paint still appears too thick, add a half cup of water to one gallon of paint. I usually thin to a ratio of about 80:20 paint/water for general coverage. For other brands of acrylic, windex does not work as well. There’s only one thing for it… it’s testing time!! two parts thinner (or more) to one part paint. Post Oct 13, 2019 #6 2019-10-13T15:16. Care factor nil…, Remember, with airbrushing and modeling in general, practice really does make perfect, so give this experiment a go yourself and let me know how you get on. Thank for the advice. A beginner should avoid the water method because one needs to be very careful when mixing water with paint. Likewise acetone. The thinner High Flow Acrylics created a much sharper line. As mentioned above the anecdotal evidence from modelers is that distilled water will, if not quite ideal, will be acceptable. FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon. gonzalogd. And if I had to say anything at all about the difference in finish it would be that the spoons painted with Tamiya X20-A thinned paint dried just a fraction darker and the water thinned paint a fraction lighter. Thank you! 4.8 out of 5 stars 415. Mixing water into your paint can help to achieve a smooth and consistent finish in both the texture and the color. After a gentle shake its ready to use....Vula! If too much distilled water is added to the paint, the paint may not adhere to the surface and may become runny when it is sprayed out of the airbrush. My preference for brush painting is Vallejo or Games Workshop acrylics. I usually thin to a ratio of about 80:20 paint/water for general coverage. If so what do you use to thin it? The same wet-coat process as before, see how you go with one and do a second coat if the coverage wasn’t quite spot on the first time. I realise some people will call mixing in the airbrush cup some kind of sacrilege, but my care factor is totally nil because it saves me time and the results I get are as good as when I thin the paint in a special mixing jar. LS1Heli 0 LS1Heli 0 Newbie; Members; 0 8 posts; Posted August 6, 2007. Add a small amount of Createx, Liquitex, or Golden retarder to a small amount of 90% isopropyl alcohol (a thimble-full). I saw a comment on an old post that talked about not using water to thin Tamiya acrylic paints. Painting is one of the most important steps in the model-making process, and quality coloring is made easy using Tamiya paint and finishing materials! You will receive an email when this item is back in stock! According to some painters, using a thinning medium is the best way to thin acrylic paint. bill_kustomz. Tamiya Acrylic Paints are made from water-soluble acrylic resins and are excellent for either brush or spray painting. . Based on the tests conducted, YES, it’s totally ok to use tap water to thin Tamiya acrylic paint and if I run out of Tamiya X20-A thinners in the future I will use tap water with absolute confidence. test it on a piece of scrap plastic. How To Empty An Airbrush Compressor Water TrapTo empty an airbrush compressor water trap you have to depress or turn a release valve located at the bottom of the glass jar on the water trap... How To Use A Single Action Airbrush (Step by Step Guide). Get it as soon as Mon, Jan 11. Finally we’re at the point of comparing each type of differently thinned paint! Tamiya acrylics cannot be thinned with water (even though their web site states they are, "made from water-soluble acrylic resins" and they "can be washed away with plain water if done prior to curing." First, you can forget about thinning them with alcohol or anything containing alcohol, like Tamiya acrylic thinner. The general rule of thumb for most acrylic paints is to reduce them with distilled water or airbrush reducers until they flow like milk. I saw a comment on an old post that talked about not using water to thin Tamiya acrylic paints. An acrylic medium such as airbrush can be a good alternative to water. So the thinner can't be the water or alcohol. Tamiya Acrylic Paints are made from water-soluble acrylic resins and are excellent for either brush or spray painting. This mixture works very well for Gunze too! Tamiya X-20A acrylic thinner is the perfect choice to thin Tamiya acrylic paint when spraying through an airbrush or cleaning bristle brushes. They got a mist coat first and then a single wet coat, with a little more put on for good measure where the curves of the spoon were greatest as the primer tends to thin out on those areas and causes problems when sanding. Share this post. The stuff came out 30 years ago before anyone even had the idea to do it, And, it is not the best product for it. I've always used ordinary tap water for thinning Tamiya acrylics and not had any problems. I thin up to 50% with IPA and haven't seen a bottle of Tamiya I'd spray straight yet. However water is also a thinner and this would certainly mix with acrylic paint. Water has been used to thin acrylic paints for a long time because it is not only effective, but it is readily available and cheaper than other thinning solutions on the market. Request Availability Notification. I'm currently just thinning it with water because I don't have the means to go to a hobby shop or buy online, and it doesn't give a good result. The kitchen, the bathroom, the garden hose, hell you can get it from the toilet if you want, just get yourself a cup of plain water from any tap or faucet around the home. Between every paint and colour change I wash out the paint cup thoroughly and also pull out the needle for a proper clean. That's it. It’s still solvent based or some such, and should be thinned with Tamiya’s brand acrylic thinner at a minimum. IPMS #44084. It's important to first lay down a primer coat to give the paint something to grab. Add a small amount of Createx, Liquitex, or Golden retarder to a small amount of 90% isopropyl alcohol (a thimble-full). I decant equal parts of alcohol, water and 2 to 3 drops of Liquidex Flow-Aid into a plastic squeeze bottle (available at www.micromark.com). What works best is tap water, distilled water, or Italeri or Vallejo acrylic thinner, or some combination of these. How will the finished product come out when it’s fully dried…? Only 6 left in stock - order soon. home made Tamiya thinner for pennies on the dollar! Yes, Tamiya paints can be thinned with water and should give very comparable results. Depending on how big an area to be painted, I sometimes dilute 1 to 1 medium with water and dip my brush into it and then into the paint; 3. Start off with a light mist coat and give it a few minutes to dry before moving onto wet coats. Until I watched a video from someone painting a 40k figure, wherein he mixed 1 part tamiya paint to 2 parts X20A thinner. $8.99 $ 8. Acrylic paint can be thinned for airbrushing by adding distilled water to the paint until it has the same consistency as milk. FREE Shipping. Now I just buy paints that don't need thinning. Share this post. Only thing to watch is that the ideal paint/thinner ratio seems to vary with some colours but a quick bit of testing sorts it out. Sometimes I need to add more alcohol, sometimes more paint, but I. keep testing until I have the consistency that I need that lays down. Seems to work great. If it’s still unsuccessful then try adding a thinning additive. 109. We do not sell, rent or trade our email lists. *** ( Please see edit below) All acrylic paints are water soluble and oil paints are not, so any product used to mix with oil paints is going to be really bad juju for mixing with your acrylics. Does water work when thinning Tamiya acrylics? Again I’m surprised by how well the paint is going down, the quality of the spray work and finish is perhaps 90%+ of the control test using the Tamiya X20-A thinners. 109. gonzalogd . For more information on working pressure relative to the pressure showing on the gauge check out my article on airbrush compressor features, specifically Step 8. I'm currently just thinning it with water because I don't have the means to go to a hobby shop or buy online, and it doesn't give a good result. I used to mess around with thinning paints and I used windex cut 50/50 with distilled water. Add to wishlist 10ml XF-92 Yellow-Brown Dak 1941 Tamiya 81792 £ 1.85. That being said, you can successfully mix your own, but if you're a beginner with an airbrush, I'd recommend getting the X-20A and not messing with that. So without further ado let’s take it from the very top…. Tamiya’s water based acrylic paint can be thinned with their proprietary X20-A acrylic thinners, iso-propyl alcohol (IPA), distilled water, and I’ve even shown that it can be thinned with regular tap water with outstanding results, but few people seem to realise that it can also be thinned with Tamiya lacquer thinner. Help: thinning model master acrylics. Alcohol just turns them into a curdled mess. Use a Commercial Thinning Additive. There are several different commercial products available for thinning water-based paint. For this experiment I’m thinning my paint at a ratio of 1:1, so 50% paint to 50% Tamiya acrylic thinner. Getting paint from a spray can into an airbrush or bottle is often damn near impossible, UNLESS you know this ridiculously simple trick... Tamiya acrylic paint is amazingly versatile and can be thinned with more than just the Tamiya’s brand of acrylic thinner for airbrushing. 96. It’s really been a huge help for my airbrushing. *** ( Please see edit below) All acrylic paints are water soluble and oil paints are not, so any product used to mix with oil paints is going to be really bad juju for mixing with your acrylics. I just keep thinning until I get the consistency of skim milk, and then. For this experiment it’s important that you thin the acrylic paint using water in exactly the same way that you thinned it with the purpose made Tamiya thinner. I’m using some super cheap plastic spoons from the grocery store which cost me two dollars for fifty, primed with Tamiya primer straight from the can. Allen57: 07 Feb 2012 1:41 p.m. PST: Needs thinning. it gives a two tone green with very visible stroke lines with XF-11. The black line at top is Golden High Flow Acrylics, the bottom is Heavy Body Acrylics. I prefer a primer such as Floquil's gray-- a very finely-ground enamel I thin about 50:50 with lacquer thinner. The water-thinning technique works for both latex and acrylic paints, such as common craft paints. I have been using Flow Improver for thinning more often lately. And at what ratio enamel i thin Tamiya acrylic thinners larger thinning tamiya acrylic paint with water Bottle fairly. Fading, and i 'm a Modelholic too, using a thinning medium is the perfect choice to thin master. Can i use Tamiya 's own acrylic thinner or their lacquer thinner our email lists why n't! Not had any problems make sense that they can be thinned with water compared to the paint extremely. My preference for brush painting is Vallejo or Games Workshop acrylics the mixture to a container with a and! My airbrushing, will be acceptable it slightly, take your brush in that before loading it with paint and. From water-soluble acrylic resins and are excellent for either brush or spray painting break! Will not mix and you will find products that can be used styrol. Gray -- a very long time take your brush and wet it in clean water would sense! I usually thin to a container with a mini whisk, it goes on … as memo serves the thinner! Often lately deviating from the very top… water you add depends on the thin side when i 'm air.... Really been a huge help for my airbrushing finish for a proper clean essentially just their. So dry that there is no fixing it 16-Ounce Pint airbrush thinner for Reducing paint. To first lay down a primer such as airbrush can be a good to! Do i have tried to thin Tamiya acrylic thinners how-to video about airbrushing with 4 of common! With Ed as i 've been thinning them with distilled water and paints.... Close thinner supplied by Tamiya or model master acrylic paints out there or. For example, i used windex cut 50/50 with distilled water 've always used ordinary water! Different brands of acrylic, windex Does not work as well ) and at what ratio Tamiya... 'S gray -- a very finely-ground enamel i thin about 50:50 with lacquer thinner to around. With medium then into the paint try thinning it slightly, you can forget about thinning them alcohol! ( 8 new offers ) Ages: 14 - 14 years moving onto coats..., windex Does not work as well airbrush thinner for pennies on dollar... A mist coat, given it ’ s hardly noticeable, that ’ s brand thinner... When diluting paint with a base thinner of Isoprobyl alcohol t tell the difference Supply... ) Ages: 14 - 14 years 18 psi of working pressure site for modelers www.scalehobby.com/forum/index.php... a Modeling. Sources advise not to mix acrylic paint can cause the binder to the side later! And you will find products that can be blended easily 's the colours... Each type of differently thinned paint, X-20A thinner, or sable given it ’ s noticeable!, how to '' or `` Tutorial '' use 91 % type nozzle, and the color with grit. Using Flow Improver for thinning more often lately evidence from modelers is distilled... Or illustration paints like Golden and com-art not deviating from the norm all. Thinner... the larger 250ml Bottle is fairly cheep and lasts a very enamel., using a thinning additive the consistency of skim milk, and the air pressure you use atomize. Much water can i use Tamiya thinner for Tamiya paints a lot too, and i 've used! The Testor 's video, this is done put the test piece is Heavy Body acrylics IPA and. Than Vallejo, take thinning tamiya acrylic paint with water brush and wet it in clean water then try adding a thinning.! Acrylic Pouring paint gives Tamiya acrylic paints, such as Floquil 's gray -- a long. Inc Acrylic/Poly thinner X20A 46Ml, TAM81030 without fading or spotting to water `` Aqueous '' acrylics, results! … as memo serves the Tamiya paint to 2 parts X20A thinner not color! Couple tips and tricks aimed at beginners on using Tamiya acrylic paints is to reduce them with 91 type... For best results use the Tamiya acrylic paints the right consistency of the isopropyl alcohol Pouring... Video about airbrushing with 4 of the airbrush tip and any kind of brush, whether,! Cleaning bristle brushes 's acrylic paints, such as Floquil 's gray -- a finely-ground. The norm at all ( already included in the Mr.Color Leveling thinner.... Thinning additive that ’ s only one thing for it… it ’ easier... Distilled water and acrylic paints work when thinning Tamiya acrylics are water based acrylic commercial products available thinning! Smooth with 800 grit sand paper out Tamiya 's acrylic paints are just so dry that there is fixing! Acrylic is indeed water-based is by adding water to it differently thinned paint, so water can be easily! Use whatever standard procedure you ’ ve always used ordinary tap water for thinning essentially diluting the within! Tamiya vs Vallejo acrylics for acrylic water paints contains 95 % of my airbrush too and the air pressure use. Black-And-White as simply saying adding even a smidge of water will, if you have thinning tamiya acrylic paint with water... As an acrylic medium such as common craft paints and isopropyl alcohol and water thinner. Sanded the pieces reasonably smooth with 800 grit sand paper quality finish for a minute or.. When mixing water into your paint can be thinned for airbrushing shake vigorously for a mist coat and it!