Hope this is in the right topic and all that, so I use a harder and steenbeck evolution 2024 which I do anyway and it’s not that bad, it’s nice and comfy and it treats me right when I treat it right, but recently I’ve been working on spraying much softer and smaller things, like soft camo, doing highlights and shades, and my airbrush keeps leaving these specks of paint, I spray at around 5-15 psi, i try to thin the paints as much as I can but I often find myself either spraying paint that’s too thick and leaves these specks or spraying paint that’s too thin and it spider webs, it’s not on really, any suggestions?
How do you get to Carnegie Hall? “Practice, practice, practice!”…
Sorry, couldn’t resist! Spraying camo and thin lines is an art - you need the paint thin enough, and the pressure low enough, and the distance just right. I’ve been doing it for years and years, and still struggle at times to get it right. Spider webs means too thin paint and too much pressure, and too close. Do you rely on dialing pressure on the gauge, or have you fitted a MAC valve? (The in-line kind with a thumb screw that cuts off air flow.) I find it best to mix the paint, set the needle limiter to “just enough to let paint out”, then slowly close the MAC valve until there’s just a whisper and the paint flow is what I want. Needless to say, these sessions start on a “paint mule” to get the settings right before spraying on my latest build! And I find no two sessions use exactly the same settings on needle limit and airflow. (Kinda like flying a helicopter - the cyclic doesn’t have a fixed setting, you just have to get a feel for it each time.) Bear in mind you need to wipe off excess droplets from the tip more frequently when doing low pressure and runny paint, to avoid splatter!
If you want to create subtle effects with a very fine line, you’ll probably need to adjust the balance slightly to increase the air pressure and open the paint cone very slowly. This balance is crucial, and you must be prepared to touch up the same area several times. Start by trying just the thinner on a surface of the same type, then add a little colour (to achieve a sharper demarcation, you’ll need to go over both colours several times). I also use the ‘sound’ of the airbrush to help me gauge whether I’m maintaining the balance between air and paint that I consider correct.
Thank you mister digger, I’m going to try this new approach soon, adjusting the air and whatnot until my paint stream is thin and all that, sometimes my airbrush sputters because of dried paint buildup which it does anyway, how do you clean the tip of your needle mid session to keep it clean and all that, X me back
I keep some kitchen towel handy, and wet it with the correct thinner for the paint (Tamiya acrylics in my case so X-20A thinner) - then every so often I wipe the tip of the brush with it to remove any excess paint gather there.
Thank you! Next time I do my airbrushing which I do anyway I will be sure to use some thinner and paper towel to clean the airbrush, hopefully the needle will be okay and all that.
