Airbrush Painting

[The Slayer]

Hi Guys,

Sorry if this seems a bit dim [:I] but how do i airbrush bodyshells both ABS and Poly, so far i have a few kits in progress, but i cant spray paint indoors (overspray) and i dont have access to a workshop at all. In fact all i have is a kitchen worktop and a coffee table[]

Anyway, what i need to find out is how do I use polycarb or aycrilic paints - do they have to be thinned down?? if so how? I believe you can use acriylic paint on poly bodies? and the ABS ones also, details are not so much of a problem (coffee table!!)

Also does the spray go everywhere like a spray can??? Sorry again for being dim, but we all have to start somewhere [8)] I dont want to spend on an airbrush only to leave in the cupboard for 10 years...

Thanks

Carolyn

[oz-trash-cowboy]

Painting. Yeah, no drama. Get yourself a cardboard box big enough to fit the body (and supporting rack) you want to paint in, allowing room to manouver it for alternating sides etc. This will cut down on the over-spray. If you want to be really clever, get an old hoover (as the paint will eventually kill it) and make a slot in the rear side of the box and attach the hoover suction head over the slot ( lots of packing tape required). If possible then position the hoover and box so extracted spray particles are ventilated through a window. Depending on the paint, you will normally have to thin it before it will pass through the fine galleries of the airbrush, Use trial and error to get the consistency right and make sure there are no lumps or foreign particles to clog it up. The nature of plastic can make it a tricky material to get paint to adhere to, (on ABS best to use a a plastic primer first). Some paints and plastics can be incompatible, so best test first on some scrap material, rather than melt your shell. You will normally get a better finished result if the painting can be completed in a dry (not humid or raining) and hot ( better solvent release and crystal formation) and calm ( less airborne contaminates) environment. Sounds complicated, but the result will be propotional to the effort. Good luck.

[The Slayer]

Yeah tried that - not with a hoover though!! made a spray booth up and surrounded it with bin liners but, the overspray ended up all over the computer desk in the living room!!! and the washing machine - not good, i might have to take the shells to work (we have loads of deserted rooms) and do it there [V]

Oh well we will see......

Carolyn

[Jozza(2)]

Cans will always spray the body, the room, your arms, your hair, the cat...... []

An airbrush will minimise this, as you hold it a lot closer to the body you're painting, and therefore there is a lot less overspray.

If you don't have access to a workshop (poor thing, I do []) then the worst part is going to be the smell of the solvent, which is nasty. To avoid this, you could try Faskolor paints which are water based and don't smell at all. However, I've tried them, and they are not as easy to use as the solvent based paints. You would need to be using a compressor rather than the tins of air to get success with these.

Regarding the spraybooth, note that if you use a vacuum cleaner to remove the paint overspray particles, it might damage the filters, so it's best to get a cheapo one for this purpose and not use the family Dyson [xx(]

I recommend an airbrush, if you get a reasonable one and practice with it you will find it much more rewarding than cans, and I am using mine more and more now for car bodies, but also other modelling, and also other spraying jobs around the house.

[The Slayer]

Always fancied having Racing Green hair, dont have a cat [xx(] Cant afford a Dyson...... been experimenting outside with spray cans, and Acrylic brush paint.... so far so good (on scrap only) [:I] I will try an airbrush, cant afford a compressor now - TOO MANY MODELS []

Cheers....

quote:Originally posted by Jozza

Cans will always spray the body, the room, your arms, your hair, the cat...... []

An airbrush will minimise this, as you hold it a lot closer to the body you're painting, and therefore there is a lot less overspray.

If you don't have access to a workshop (poor thing, I do []) then the worst part is going to be the smell of the solvent, which is nasty. To avoid this, you could try Faskolor paints which are water based and don't smell at all. However, I've tried them, and they are not as easy to use as the solvent based paints. You would need to be using a compressor rather than the tins of air to get success with these.

Regarding the spraybooth, note that if you use a vacuum cleaner to remove the paint overspray particles, it might damage the filters, so it's best to get a cheapo one for this purpose and not use the family Dyson [xx(]

I recommend an airbrush, if you get a reasonable one and practice with it you will find it much more rewarding than cans, and I am using mine more and more now for car bodies, but also other modelling, and also other spraying jobs around the house.

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[Jozza(2)]

I bought a fairly simple single-action internal mix Badger airbrush to start with, it's good quality and is doing me well (I think it was about 40 quid). I will probably upgrade to a double-action one soon. My compressor was one from Homebase, with a nail gun, they were selling them half price (50 quid) so I picked one up. It's a bit noisy when it pressurises though, but works a treat, and I've got a nail gun to nail lots of things together (completely pointless tool, but good fun [])

One idea I looked at was to get a CO2 bottle from a builders merchant. You can get an adapter for these for most airbrushes (Badger included). A charged bottle will last for ages, and it's got the advantage of being silent, and provides a better pressure than the little cans.

Overall, you will get a much better finish with the 'brush though, even using the cans of compressed air. And there are some techniques which you can't do at all with a can.....

[The Slayer]

This is most true [] Mind you I DO have a shed of sorts --- maybe i could go down and kill a few hundred spiders and use that (I love the smell of Napalm in the morning)[] cold though [xx(]

How big is a CO2 cylinder then!!!

Carolyn

quote:Originally posted by Jozza

I bought a fairly simple single-action internal mix Badger airbrush to start with, it's good quality and is doing me well (I think it was about 40 quid). I will probably upgrade to a double-action one soon. My compressor was one from Homebase, with a nail gun, they were selling them half price (50 quid) so I picked one up. It's a bit noisy when it pressurises though, but works a treat, and I've got a nail gun to nail lots of things together (completely pointless tool, but good fun [])

One idea I looked at was to get a CO2 bottle from a builders merchant. You can get an adapter for these for most airbrushes (Badger included). A charged bottle will last for ages, and it's got the advantage of being silent, and provides a better pressure than the little cans.

Overall, you will get a much better finish with the 'brush though, even using the cans of compressed air. And there are some techniques which you can't do at all with a can.....

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[SJoerD]

quote:Originally posted by Jozza

Cans will always spray the body, the room, your arms, your hair, the cat...... []

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I sprayed my hands on all of the paint jobs I did, because I am holding the object (lexan body, holding it on the OUTSIDE not touching paint []).

If you wash it off quick enough it will go away. Otherwise, like me, you hands will look all silver... People will ask questions. The results were worth it though!!! [8D]

[Jozza(2)]

I finally ended up buying some of those latex disposable decorators gloves, and held the body using them. It makes it easier to hold the bodies too, which is handy.

Re the co2 cylinders, anything from a little one the size of the gas cylinder for a barbeque up to ones that are about 4 foot tool, like you get in the local hospitals. You basically pay a deposit on the cylinder and then a few quid each time it needs to be refilled, but I think even the smaller bottles last a long time.

[Jozza(2)]

Oh, a warning about holding the body whilst painting.. I did this with a TC body that I painted recently, gripped the outside and blew Tamiya smoke paint on the windows as I like the look. Where my finger and thumb were touching the outside of the body, the paint moved away from them and formed a sort of crater. Looked horrible, I had to strip it off and start again.

I think it must've been caused by either the heat of my hands (it was a cold day) or possibly static electricity?

[DJTheo]

Its the heat, as the rest of the painted areas get very cold, due to paint evaporation. Also try to avoid painting in old days, as the paint doesnt run smoothly.

Cheers

[Jozza(2)]

Thought it might have been. It happened on the second coat, and it was fairly warm where I was painting, but the paint coming out of the can was cold due to decompression, so my thimbs were warmer..

[The Slayer]

I heard that putting the can into warm water helps - and i can verify it does [xx(] makes the stuff fly everywhere - except the model...... Thanks for the advice..... Now where is that Napalm []

Carolyn

[fury_dice(2)]

I'm sure everybody knows this one, but I've had quite good results on lexan by warming the whole body up with a hairdryer before spraying. HTH. David

[The Slayer]

Well I didnt [:I] good tip - trying to scrounge an airbrush of Biggus for a Tyre trade - so may be practicing soon []

quote:Originally posted by fury_dice

I'm sure everybody knows this one, but I've had quite good results on lexan by warming the whole body up with a hairdryer before spraying. HTH. David

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[SJoerD]

quote:Originally posted by Jozza

I finally ended up buying some of those latex disposable decorators gloves, and held the body using them. It makes it easier to hold the bodies too, which is handy.

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Which reminds me from what I learned on my first paint job:

When holding the body with you (bare) left hand, like I do - TAKE OFF YOUR WATCH!

[8)] DOH! [8)]

[Scorchio]

Back to spray booths, personally I always spray in my spare room. I really go to town and vertually cover one end of the room with a double layer of the plastic sheet that my double bed came in and spray into the corner of the room, and theres not a drop anywhere.

When it comes to ovoiding overspray go totally overboard there are no half measures or quick fixes.

Only problem is the dry paint cracking off the polythene but it hoovers up fine.