Thinning Vallejo paints for airbrushing

[Wasshead]

I've got a bunch of Vallejo paints that I want to shoot through my airbrush. ( the non airbrush formulated kind) Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to properly thin these paints so they brush on evenly?

Thanks!!

 

[Joe Hudson]

Hey Dave,

I airbrush them on alot and all I do is add about 2 good drops of paint and 3 to 3 1/2 drops of distilled water. I have not had any problems doing it this way.

Joe

 

[Automata]

Same here, just distilled water. They are pretty nice for airbrushing.

Barry

 

[Wasshead]

Thanks for your help!!

Dave Wasserboehr

 

[poetwarrior]

Hi Dave,

I have pretty good results from using a mix of distilled water and alcohol. I picked that tip up from the old HM Forum days from an article that Doug Cohen did and it works great for thinning Vallejo paints for both airbrushing and manual brushing.

Good luck!

Dave

 

[PJ Deluhery]

I agree with the above - mix two parts distilled water to one part paint. I use alcohol if paints are older or if you need fast drying, as it emulsifies them so they dry almost on contact.

Happy Painting!

 

[poetwarrior]

The mix that Doug Cohen recommended consists of 75% water (I use distilled) to 25% isopropyl alcohol. But don't use any thing higher than 75% concentrated isopropyl alcohol. Once I used 95% isopropyl and it dried out the paint too fast and clogged up my airbrush even with the 75% water mix. I have also found that some Vallejo colors dry to a dead matte with this alcohol/water mix and the alcohol additive makes airbrush clean-up a lot easier. Others may have had better luck than me, but I have also found that using just water to thin Vallejos makes the paint kind of "goopie" (how's that for a technical term) and creates a glossy finish with some colors when brushed manually. I guess it's all a matter of experimenting and finding out what works best for you.

Regards

 

[Brad S]

Dave,

I also use distilled water, but I still have a small problem with it drying to fast on the tip. My needle is pretty small though. A .2mm on a iwata hp-B airbrush. So I also add a drop or so of Jo Sonja flow medium/airbrush medium. Then it airbrushes great. I may be the only one that has a slight problem, and that would be normal for my case. Good Luck.

Brad Spelts

 

[Wasshead]

I appreciate all your help!

Dave Wasserboehr