My Vallejo Model Air Thinner Mix

[andreww]

I'll claim credit for this, but I stole it from a YouTube post.  I have just tried this out with very happy (for me) results.  I mix by weight 70% Vallejo flow aid, 25% Vallejo thinner, and 5% Liquatex acrylic drying retarder. I mixed this 50 / 50 with Model Air black.  At 8 PSI I was able to draw pencil lines at apx 0.5 cm distance through a 0.4 mm nozzle.   At 12 PSI, I was able to build what I would use for a German mottle pattern at about 1 cm distance through the same nozzle.  At 15 PSI I was able to get a pattern that I would use as 'general covrage' at about 3 to 5 cm distance through the same nozzle.  I'll be continuing to play with this mix, but of note, played with the spray patterns and air brush for about 15 minutes with no indications of tip dry or change in spray.  The coverage was smooth (when tested on printer paper, so difficult to say how smoothly this would lay out on plastic) and not at all 'grainy'.  I think next I'll be trying this on a sheet of styrene stock or plastic spoons and will post some result photos.  My home humidity level inside was 45%.

[andreww]

Playing some more, I set my compressor at 15 psi, to remove one of the variables to painting. I had my best fine line at 50 paint / 50 thinner mix. I had my best overall coverage at 40 paint / 60 thinner mix. Both were sprayed with a very light trigger. Still, through about 40 minutes of paint, I saw no tip drying.

[dupes]

Interesting. Have you played around with the Model Color line as well? Interested to know how much those would need to be thinned to spray reliably (if they can be).

[Tobi]

Pictures, we need pictures! What's not in pictures did not happen :-)

[andreww]

I've been trying yo get postimg.cc to work, and it finally did. Here was my quick bit of playing around yesterday.

[mrversatile]

Another good thinner for Model Color, and I would assume Model Air, is Mission Models thinner. I use this to spray and brush Vallejo.