Here are a few recommendations: Buying acrylic paint thinners can get expensive, but what if you can make your own? The paint was rather thick and it kept clogging the airbrush tip. If this happens, just add a little more paint to the mixture to obtain a workable consistency. Acrylic medium is commonly much thinner than acrylic paint by itself. I also like cheap latex flat white as a base paint that can be tinted with the acrylic craft paint. Transfer medium into a container and then add your 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. The homemade recipes are also better than water alone. 8.4. All rights reserved. Although many of the materials used in acrylic painting–paint, brushes, mediums, and a surface–will be familiar to any painter, to approach acrylic in the same way you would oil or watercolor, for example, would inhibit you from exploiting the medium’s full capabilities. Using a Metallic Acrylic Paint for Airbrushing, Caution when thinning Airbrushing Acrylic Paints, Most Popular Acrylic Airbrush Paint Thinners, Ideal for Model Air and Liquid Acrylic Paints, Dilutes without loss of color adhesion, durability or consistency, A premium reducer for thinning water-based pain, Allows for decreased drying and curing times as well as improved flow with less tip-dry, Do it yourself Airbrush Thinner – Recipes. Mixing water into your paint can help to achieve a smooth and consistent finish in both the texture and the color. It can be used stand alone, or incorporated in with one of the following options listed above. Always check the product tech sheets if available. I hope you found this helpful in sorting out how to find just the right consistency the airbrush paint you are using flows best. Createx Wicked Colors W031 Jet Black 16oz. There are, however, a few alternatives available, which depends on what oil-based paint you are using. Can you use the Airbrush Cleaner as a Thinner? So you can see, I do over reduce it according to what the tech sheet says. The acrylic paint is safe as it is water-based. Most often when used in an airbrush, you must over reduce the products beyond what the tech sheets say to get them to flow correctly through an airbrush. Testor Model Master makes an acrylic paint thinner, but I was wondering if there is a less expensive generic thinner that will work. On the other hand, Flow improver is medium used to improve flow of paint and it helps to avoid tip drying. Making your own Airbrush Paint Thinner or Cleaner – Q&A. Use "acrylic" thinner (Tamiya acrylics aren't true acrylics so they aren't thinable with water) like Tamiya X-20A or just IPA or lacquer thinner like Tamiya Lacquer thinner or Mr.Color Levelling Thinner (keep in mind that lacquers will be smelly though). $15.96 $ 15. 8.6. 0.3 mm needle, nozzle size – Transparent Colors thinned with Auto Air Reducer approx 300% or more (3 Reducer : 1 color), 0.2 mm needle, nozzle size – Transparent Colors thinned with Auto Air Reducer approx. The paint is too easily wiped away and once dry, begins to flake off. We recommend the following airbrush acrylic mediums: Solvent-based paints or oil-based paints should use the thinner or reducer that is recommended for your specific paint. You can add an acrylic medium or flow improver, which helps increase the flow and also keeps the tip from drying. 4.5 out of 5 stars 641. It is a product made by Liquitex called Low Viscosity Acrylic Airbrush Medium. Acrylic paint; Acrylic airbrush thinner; Water or alcohol (if you don’t have the thinner) Windex window cleaner if you have any; Tight-lid container to hold the liquids; Cap or small cup for measuring; Small whisk or something to mix with; Airbrush of your choosing; You can choose which combination you’d like to use. The general rule of thumb with most Acrylic Colors is reducing it with distilled water or airbrush reducer until it flows like milk. The amount of reducer that thins the paint will then have to be adjusted. The paint was rather thick and it kept clogging the airbrush tip. Thinning acrylic paint for airbrushing is as simple as blending paint and thinner together, whether it's in a small container with a paintbrush or by shaking the liquids together in a sealed container. 4.8 out of 5 stars 788. [chart showing reduction matrix]. More buying choices £6.01 (3 new offers) Angelus Paint 2-Thin 4 Oz. 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. Mix Liquitex Airbrush Medium with your favorite paint colors to achieve the perfect consistency every time! (Head over to this article for a more in-depth look at thinning paint for an airbrush.) Sometimes, the store-bought thinner or water added alone can land up under-binding the paint. This means the paint has become too thin and it cannot hold all the particles together, it breaks down the paint mixture. And you don’t even need special paint: you can use a regular acrylic paint if you first mix it with an airbrush medium to thin it out. 4.5 out of 5 stars 416. Make airbrush thinner all by yourself! 4.5 out of 5 stars 153. Their performance can be further improved by using 4030 Balancing Clear. The products available have a thinner included, or you should be able to find a thinner nearby where the products are sold. Airbrushing requires thinner paints than you would typically use with a paintbrush. We recommend AK-712 Acrylic Thinner for thinning. By the end of the guide, you should be completely informed and prepared to thin out acrylic paint for airbrush, miniatures, spray guns, pouring and more! TIMBERTECH Acrylic Airbrush Paint, Professional 12x10ml Color Set of Acrylic Paint, Quick Drying Water Based, Rich Vivid Colors for Artists, Students, Beginners Buy Now. So essentially the recipes below are for both paint reducer, as well as paint cleaner. The reason for this is, there need to be alternative ingredients which help to increase the fluidity of the paint. There are two kinds of airbrush media: a thinner and a flow improver. Here is a nice video explaining how to reduce Createx airbrush paint. It doesn’t matter if it is an airbrush-ready paint or regular paint thinned out with water. Over-thinning the paint can result in running paint with poor coverage. Don’t let any acrylic paint dry in your airbrush. £11.50 £ 11. When it comes to enamel paint, which has been designed for its durability, it is virtually impossible to remove from your airbrush if left to harden. Using airbrush paint that might be thicker can cause the following problems: How to thin acrylic paint for airbrush? Most if not all the tech sheets put on these products, relate to painting cars and not to applying these products through an airbrush, please keep that in mind when reviewing tech sheets. Vallejo Model Color is much thicker than is Vallejo Model Air and requires diluting to ~10-15% paint. Fabric (or textile) paint. I like Tamiya's acrylic colors. share. Airbrush Paint Thinner. With these the best thing to do is to get to know your local paint jobber REAL well. Airbrush Thinner and Paint Thinner, are they the same? Airbrush medium is almost as thin as water. save. There are two kinds of airbrush media: a thinner and a flow improver. You can help prevent this by including acrylic medium into your paint mixture after the thinner or reducer has been added. Exact ratios are not required. Under-thinning the paint will end up clogging the airbrush or spraying heavy coats. Only 12 left in stock. So, it is safe to say that if you have left enamel paint to harden in your airbrush, the only course of action would be for you to discard it. I've read in different airbrushing forums that there are certain chemicals in Windex that will damage your airbrush. Water As An Acrylic Paint Reducer. I have tried to thin model master acrylic paints with alcohol and water, however, the results were not suitable for airbrushing. The whisk should be available in the home section of stores. Mix ratios may vary per color and Color Series. The manufacturer of the paint should have a datasheet available describing the thinner you will need. 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. Airbrush painting is a super-versatile art and a fun alternative to painting with a brush. Other benefits of using acrylic paints include no odor, no fumes and you can easily use the paint indoors even if the space you are using has poor ventilation. Enamel paint is a substance that has been available for many years, the technology for which has progressed significantly. When it comes to enamel paint, which has been designed for its durability, it is virtually impossible to remove from your airbrush if left to harden. If you don’t follow instructions, it could cause harm to your health and also affect the paint finish. I've had really great results using alcohol as an acrylic thinner for paints from Tamiya, Gunze Sangyo (Aqueous/Mr.Hobby), Vallejo, Italeri, and Akan (don't try this with Testors Acryl, it took some time to clean the resulting goo from my airbrush). There are two choices for thinning acrylic paint: water or acrylic medium. 24 Color Acrylic Airbrush Paint Set & Accessories Kit with Airbrush Cleaning Pot & Holder, Air Hose, Quick-Connect and Mixing Cups $79.96 Master Airbrush Gravity Dual-Action Kit Set Air Compressor Testors Aztek Paint It's very reliable stuff. To thin white paint, you can simply use water or rubbing alcohol. Solvent based paints are a hard one to discuss as there are so many different systems out there on the market. It's a matter of "try and try again" when finding the right consistency of acrylic paint for your airbrush. Instead of a thinner with binder, distilled water can also be used as a dilution medium for airbrush acrylic paints. Tamiya acrylic paint is amazingly versatile and can be thinned with more than just the Tamiya’s brand of acrylic thinner for airbrushing. I've used Tamiya's own thinner, as well as 70% and 90% isopropyl alcohol to cut it for spraying, and had good results. I have tried to thin model master acrylic paints with alcohol and water, however, the results were not suitable for airbrushing. Make sure it is distilled water, as tap water contains impurities and can cause a problem with the paint. Use a 1:1 ratio and mix your rubbing alcohol and paint, then spray with the airbrush. You can purchase a variety of colors from Opaque to Candy, Pearl and Transparent. Unlike the other paint thinning solutions that are being applied more commonly with a brush, you can also use paint thinner in an airbrush application. The Opaque paints are slightly thicker because it needs to provide more of a solid color. I have been using Createx reducer to thin my acrylics but recently bought a spray bottle of Windex to give it a shot. US Art Supply 16-Ounce Pint Airbrush Thinner for Reducing Airbrush Paint for all Acyrlic Paints works great for thinning Acrylic Pouring Paint. How to thin tamiya acrylic paint for airbrushing 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. If you don’t thin the paint, you might be sitting around more than painting, trying to figure out why it isn’t working properly. All the Createx Illustration Colors, Auto Air Colors and Wicked Colors can be reduced by using 4012 high performance reducer. Using an acrylic painting medium like an airbrush medium might be a better solution. Given the fact that acrylics are water based, It would only make sense to be using water to thin the paints. Water: The Primary Acrylic Paint Thinner. Types of Resin – All About the Different Types of Epoxy Resin, Best Spray Paint Primer – Perfect Primer Spray Paint for Your Project, CREATEX COLORS 4012 High Performance Reducer, 8oz. However, It lacks the added ingredients that make the paint more workable with an airbrush. This might entail a bit of experimentation. They are ready to use, no dilution required as they are finely ground, they easily spray through the smallest orifices available for airbrushes. 4.8 out of 5 stars 124. The final ingredient is Acrylic Fluid Retarder which slows down the drying time of acrylics and keeps your paint in fluid form when it hits the model and doesn't dry at the airbrush … The dry time of the paint is also helped along by the added ingredients, which won’t happen if you only use water. 96. $25.00 $ 25. To acquire the results, you want with your acrylic paint, it would be best to buy the thinner form the company you bought the paint from. For average airbrush work I found a dilution of 60% paint:40% Thinner/PolyMix gave great results (see Khaki below). How to thin paint for airbrush will depend on the metallic flake size. Most of the paint manufacturers create their paint thinners, which work perfectly with their specific brand of paint. I shot Model Master Acrylics for years with great results. Beware of using a solvent based product in your airbrush that requires adding a catalyst. by SprayGunner. And be sure not to over reduce the paint, creating a binder poor situation. 90. Using Windex as acrylic paint thinner? When using these products, make sure to wear an airbrush mask and work in a well-ventilated space. T he question of whether or not you can use enamel paint in an airbrush is often raised, particularly as enamel paints are known for being durable and for having a glossy finish. Airbrushing acrylic paints can be used for many purposes because it comes in opaque as well as transparent options. Adding a little more thinner/reducer can quickly fix this situation. Your guide into and through the world of airbrushes and compressors and how to use them. Copyright 2021 by Airbrush Guru. The product label usually states airbrush paint, but this doesn’t mean you can use the paint straight away on a project. Airbrush acrylic medium can work great for thinning your airbrush paint. The consistency of acrylic medium is usually thinner than the acrylic paint and won’t cause the paint to breakdown. The airbrush thinner is to help thin out your airbrush acrylic paint, while paint extenders made by paint manufacturers only make the paint more transparent and not thinner. You should be able to easily look this up on the internet. Unlike water, the thinning medium will not affect the binding properties of the paint and it will form a stable paint layer. Tap water has to many impurities in it. Because of this, there are some hazards involved. Our acrylic Thinner/Reducer acts as two different products. report. It sprays smoother from the airbrush at about 10-15% lower air pressure, and doesn’t spatter at all like the X20-A thinned paint did at the same pressure. With the acrylics, I am more interested in brush painting than airbrush. Yes, the Vallejo airbrush cleaner is a good option as a cleaner and a thinner. The airbrush medium contains acrylic polymer in order to guarantee that there is sufficient acrylic present to properly link and form a strong paint film. Acrylic paints tend to be the thinnest of the three, which is great for keeping details but poor for durability. Airbrush painting is a super-versatile art and a fun alternative to painting with a brush. 99. For thinning acrylic craft paint for airbrushing, you can use rubbing alcohol or try some Windex. U.S. Art Supply 54 Color Ultimate Acrylic Airbrush, Leather & Shoe Paint Set with Cleaner, Thinner, 50-Plastic Mixing Cups, 50-Wooden Mix Sticks and a Color Mixing Wheel 4.5 out of 5 … Airbrush thinner is a commercial product that you … Createx Colors 5803-00 2 oz Opaque Airbrush Paint Set, 2 Ounce, Multicolor, 12 Fl Oz Buy Now . The cheaper craft acrylic paints usually consist of a small flake, which makes it more effective. GOLDEN High Flow colors are formulated from a safe and archival 100% water-based acrylic emulsion, incorporating only the most light fast pigments available. Water – The Primary Acrylic Thinner Water is perhaps one of the most effective and pocket-friendly thinning mediums that you will ever come across. Understand that you are working with chemicals when it comes to solvents. The airbrush acrylic medium is perfect to help thin out your acrylic paint and can be used alone, or it can be added along with the ingredients mentioned above. I use it as mentioned above: about five parts Ceramcoat paint, four parts of this thinner and one part water. However, it’s recommended that you use an appropriate acrylic thinner for the best result. The airbrush acrylic product packages have instructions for you to follow and this should provide the results you are looking for. 3.9 out of 5 stars 571. On the other hand, Flow improver is medium used to improve flow of paint and it helps to avoid tip drying. Avoid doing this with any airbrush. Not just the typical thinner, our specially formulated product is ideal for creating the perfect paint consistency for brush and for preparing your paints to use with airbrush. Acrylic paints are easy to handle as it is water-based, meaning that it can be thinned with water and clean up with water. £2.03 delivery. Right? Using water to thin acrylic paint can be done, but is preferred using distilled water. Acrylic paint can be thinned for airbrushing by adding distilled water to the paint until it has the same consistency as milk. I will add more to this page as time allows please book mark this page and come back often. The reasoning as to why utilizing thinner as a cleaning agent in relation to water-based acrylic airbrush paints isn’t the best idea. Golden Open Thinner (the art company Golden has created an acrylic thinner that can not only thin your paint, but also slow down the drying time of your acrylics) US Art Supply AirBrush Thinner (even if you don’t work with airbrushes, airbrush thinners are really great at thinning acrylic paint without compromising the paint coverage or color. Thus, further color accents and details can be added very quickly. For best results tamiya acrylic paint should be thinned with tamiya acrylic thinners to a ratio of approximately 1 1 and airbrushed at the lowest possible air pressure setting that gives … It sprays smoother from the airbrush at about 10-15% lower air pressure, and doesn’t spatter at all like the X20-A thinned paint did at the same pressure. Experience has taught us that any paint that has been left to harden in your airbrush will prove to be difficult to clean. The color extenders, made by paint manufacturers, do not thin the paint but make it transparent. It can be easily thinned with our specific acrylic thinner or water if necessary. And…if you don’t understand the thrill of rainbow colored snot yet-don’t worry, you will-I mean-I’ll do my best to steer you clear of that too…really, I will. Remember to shake the paint bottle now and again, as the pigments tend to settle to the bottom. Acrylic polymer dries into a … Airbrush Paint Cup Liquitex Drops ... For those who prefer Model Master acrylic paint, you can follow the same guidelines as for Vallejo and LifeColor: 5% Liquitex added to Model Master Acrylic Thinner (#50496) then paint diluted to ~30% by volume. You can add couple of drops of flow improver in the airbrush and it will improve flow. ***To improving atomization when using an airbrush, Auto Air Reducer may be used to thin paints. A lot of things come into play when finding just the right consistency of the airbrush paint you are using to atomize correctly. Make sure to check these sheets out before using. Get it as soon as Wed, Feb 10. Airbrush thinner is for thinning paints while paint extenders that the paint companies make, more often than not, do not make the color thinner but do make it more transparent. You can find many recipes online including solvent-based ones, but here are a few recipes that are ideally suited to water-based airbrush thinners. The amount of reduction also depends on the size of the nozzle in your airbrush; 0.5 mm nozzle will spray much thicker paint than a 0.2 given the correct air pressure is being used. U.S. Art Supply - Airbrush Cleaner - (16-Ounce Pint) Fast Acting for Airbrush Paint, Make Up, Tanning, … You will have an immediate smooth and thinned paint. Although, you will most probably have to use a higher PSI to get a proper spray pattern. What happens if you do not thin your Airbrush Paint? 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. This is cheaper, and it is easy to do. This method of thinning acrylic craft paint for airbrushing is very effective and affordable, as it only costs about 77 cents a bottle. I'm sorry for the mis-information. By solvent based I’m referring to the automotive paints we use for airbrushing murals, flames, graphics on bikes, cars, trucks, etc. They are typically made with dyes and binding agents. 50. The adding of these color finish products can affect the paint viscosity. Bottles of 12 Primary Opaque Colors Kit Contains Lemon, Scarlet red, Lime, Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Umber, Titanium White, Khaki, Orange, Purple, Mars Black, Neutral gray, Middle Green. Very High quality thinner. I prefer the acrylic craft paints from the dollar stores for most things related to scenery. When buying an acrylic paint, simply look for paint that is specifically made for airbrushing. You should then have no problems when using the paint, provided you follow the instructions when using the thinner and paint. 24 Color 1oz Super Starter Airbrush Acrylic Paint Set Cleaner Thinner ColorWheel 8.1 View Product 8.1 8: Createx 8 Colors 2oz Iridescent Airbrush Paint Kit - Hobby, Craft, Art TIMBERTECH Acrylic Airbrush Paint, Professional 12x10ml Color Set of Acrylic Paint, Quick Drying Water Based, Rich Vivid Colors for Artists, Students, Beginners. We always have new articles for beginners and advanced artists. It is not that it needed more thinner, the paint just turned into a rather gummy and lumpy mix. Regular tap water commonly has a lot of impurities in it that will mess with the paint… Airbrush Acrylic Medium. Consider the type of airbrush you're using, its needle, the air pressure and the nozzle size when you're mixing your acrylic paint. Below is some information I have put together for several different products, I hope you find it helpful. Their pigment is very fine, the paint is very heavily pigmented and the colors have been spot on from one batch to the next, in my experience. However, this isn’t always the case. Well, from the outside looking in, it would seem water would be just fine to use for thinning acrylics. This is a clear base medium than can increase durability and spray performance and works as a adhesion promoter. 4.8 out of 5 stars 10. But, as a general rule, when evaluating a new paint I use the brands thinner. It is not that it needed more thinner, the paint just turned into a rather gummy and lumpy mix. All acrylic paint have outstanding airbrush flow characteristics. You will find a 0.5 mm liquid nozzle sprays thicker than that of a 0.2 mm nozzle, providing the air pressure is correct. The products you use should have datasheets available. The tech sheet calls for two parts paint one part reducer for spray gun applications on most House of Kolor products. Golden Open Thinner (the art company Golden has created an acrylic thinner that can not only thin your paint, but also slow down the drying time of your acrylics) US Art Supply AirBrush Thinner (even if you don’t work with airbrushes, airbrush thinners are really great at thinning acrylic paint without compromising the paint coverage or color.