Airbrush 101

[Anonymous]

I am new to using an airbrush. A couple of questions. How much paint to use (I am using water based Polly Scale)? How do you clean your airbrush (mild soap and water)?

[AntonioFP45]

Hello Gaph,

For Cleaning: You can flush out with warm water or alcohol.
Don't forget to clean your tip and needle as this is crucial for reliable operation.
For this use a soft cotton cloth wet with alcohol. 70% alcohol is good, 91% super-good for removing stubborn paint!.

BTW: What brand and type of airbrush do you have? Badger? Wren? Iwata?
Is it Single action? Dual Action?

Re Painting:
Polly Scale paint needs to be thinned down. As for how much paint..........it depends on your technicque and the model. For Polly Scale Kevin Ptylak, owner of Happy Hobo Trains strongly recommends 15% max as Polly Scale gets very watery beyond this and more coats are required for hiding. He's an excellent painter as his work has appeared on the web.

I like the Badger ModeFlex Acrylics. Advantage: No thinning or guessing required. READY TO SPRAY as is. Very good hiding qualities. The down side: Make sure that the caps on the jars are on "snuggly" when storing or the shelf life will be shortened considerably! [:0]

I have ModelFlex and Polly Scale. Both very good paint brands. [;)][8D]

Suggestion: Get several "junker" boxcar or locomotive bodies to practice on.
(At train shows, I've found old Tyco freight cars for under a $1 or even free!).

Hope this helps! [:)][:D][8D][;)][8)]

[Anonymous]

[#ditto]
Pick up a set of cleaning brushes too. http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?MerchantID=RET01229&Action=Catalog&Type=Product&ID=82149

[AntonioFP45]

Gsetter,

Thanks for the link! The right tools make the job so much easier.

One thing: You can also purchase these types of brushes in any automotive paint supply store around the U.S. I've used these for my spray guns and they work well.

Cheers!