Airbrushing with Badger paint

[Anonymous]

I've had some problems with Badger paint. I have painted some models using Badger and they turned out fine. Until I tried to spray them with flat finish. It always dries to a "milky appearence". I have tried different ratios of paint to thinner (water)and the result is the same. Any Suggestions?

Jim

[snowey]

I've never tried Badger, but if you mean the Badger ModelFlex, it doesn't need to be thinned for spraying. Maybe that's your problem.

[AntonioFP45]

Some modelers are not aware that the Model Flex acrylic paints from Badger are already thin. Unless you're spraying "weathering washes", Model Flex can be sprayed "as is" from the bottle. The railroad colors look pretty decent and the
Santa Fe red color matches the red on my Athearn Santa Fe FP45 exactly!

The only cautions I've heard about Model Flex paints is to keep the lids on the bottles "snug tight" when not in use as air seeping in will shorten the paint's life span. [;)]

I'm using both Model Flex and Polly Scale paints.
Stay safe and use good ventilation, Amigos!

Cheers! [:D][8D][:p]

[MudHen_462]

Antonio is "dead on" about the air problem.... I always clean the "threads" on
the top of the bottle really good, and then place a small piece of SaranWrap
on top of the bottle (between the bottle top and the lid) and then "cap it" good
and tight. This seems to give me a better seal, and lessens the problem of
having a "stuck" lid. Other than that, ModelFlex is good paint and I have never
had a problem with it turning milky or cloudy.

Hope this helps.
IronGoat

[AntonioFP45]

Great tip, Irongoat.[:)][;)]

Had never considered the additional plastic wrap.

I've noticed that Polyscale seems to be the dominant Acrylic here in Tampa, however, I'm beginning to see more ModelFlex paints on hobby shop shelves.
Personally I like them both.

Other than the Alclad Chorme Metalizer, I'm not going back to solvent based model paints again. The acrylics are proving themselves.

Check out this website: www.badgerairbrush.com click on the Contact Us box. You will see an e-mail link for a catalog. (They may still be free- but I'm not sure). The catalog is impressive in that with the airbrush models offered all of the color chip samples are also shown. There are a lot! There is a military page, Railroad page, Nail Flair, Universal, etc.

Hope this helps!

[ksax73]

Badger Railroad paint as members have already mentioned here does not need thinning. I've had numerous successes using the paint right out the bottle. I would mix paint and let it sit overnight though. I would recommend mixing just before painting for best results.

[mondotrains]

Hi Guys,
I always try to find a cheaper way to do things, probably because I'm retired and need to be careful with my spending. I've found that Ceramcoat Acrylic Paint, available at craft stores, is a great paint to use for airbrushing and costs only 89 cents for TWO ounces. In order to airbru***his paint, you need to use Ceramcoat's acrylic thinner because water doesn't work. I just bought a 2 oz. bottle of the thinner at Joanne's Fabric and Craft Store for $1.00. Thus, you can make FOUR ounces of airbrushable paint for around a $1.89 (The cost of the paint and thinner). That's around half the cost of Badger's paint which is only ONE ounce.

I've used the Ceramcoat paints for over a year and they work great for all my airbrush applications, from spraying complete walls of buildings to just adding a light coat of weathering to my engines and rolling stock.

Another tip I'd like to offer. I use "pill cups"...you know, those little plastic cups that hospitals use to dispense medications. They look like plastic "shot" glasses and hold one ounce. I got 100 of them for $2.00 at a local pharmacy.....2 cents each. The great thing about them is that they have demarcations on the side that indicate fractions of ounces or CC's, making it easy to mix custom colors and keep track of how much of each color you've used. For instance, for a small amount of gray, I simply fill the cup to 1/8 ounce with black, then add enough white to fill to the 1/4 ounce line. Then I add the thinner, in this case, I'd need a quarter ounce (again, for airbrushing Ceramcoat paint, you need to thin the paint 50/50 with thinner).

When I'm ready to take out my airbrush, I usually have several projects to work on. So, I mix up the various colors and thinner in a few pill cups and have them handy. If by the time I get to the last project, the paint needed is a little too think, I simply add a couple more drops of thinner and stir with a toothpick.

Hope this helps.
Mondo

[Anonymous]

Mondo,

Great idea using those pill cups! I'm going to have to test out the craft paint as I''ve always read that the pigment in model paints is finer than regular paint, but if ithe test comes out fine you've saved me a bunch!!

Dave

[AntonioFP45]

Good one MondoTrains!

Thanks!

[mondotrains]

Hey Dave,
If you can't find the Delta Ceramcoat paints and thinner locally, I've bought them on the web at craftcatalog.com. Please note the spelling of catalog.....it's NOT catalogue.

The thinner was a little bit more....$1.69 and the paints were 99 cents. But, not having to run around town, burning gasoline...it's worth the few extra cents and the shipping cost.

Hope this helps.
Mondo

QUOTE: Originally posted by dkelly

Mondo,

Great idea using those pill cups! I'm going to have to test out the craft paint as I''ve always read that the pigment in model paints is finer than regular paint, but if ithe test comes out fine you've saved me a bunch!!

Dave

[Anonymous]

Mondo,

thanks for the tip!! Actually I have a Hobby Lobby and a Michaels a stone's throw from teh house. If they don't have it I"ll give craftcatalogue.com (he he craftcatalog.com) a shot. Thanks again!!
Dave

[PennsyHoosier]

Thanks for a great tip, Mondo. Since my wife wants to go to the generic hobby store tomorrow, I'll go with her this time and see what I can find. Great advice!

[mondotrains]

Hi Dave,
Once you've done your test, please email me with your results because I'd like to know if the hobby paints are really better than the Delta Ceramcoat. I also wanted to mention that Delta Ceramcoat also makes a water-based gloss, as well as flat clear fini***hat can be used to preserve the surface. In fact, one of them creates a water-proof finish.

Thanks,
Mondo

QUOTE: Originally posted by dkelly

Mondo,

thanks for the tip!! Actually I have a Hobby Lobby and a Michaels a stone's throw from teh house. If they don't have it I"ll give craftcatalogue.com (he he craftcatalog.com) a shot. Thanks again!!
Dave