Thining Railmatch enamel colours for use in an airbrush

[McRuss]

Hello,

 

a friend of mine brought me some Railmatch enamel colours on his last visit to the United Kingdom. I wonder How is the thining ratio for the enamel paint to use it with an airbrush.

And what thinner I could use. Because my friend forgot to bought some suitable thinner when he was in Britain. And it is impossible to import the Railmatch thinner to Germany.

So what other sorts of thinner could I use? Humbrol? Revell?

 

yours

 

Markus

[Pete the Elaner]

I have not touched my airbrush for years but I probably will do again soon.

I always used Railmatch's own thinners, so can't comment on compatibility.

Railmatch paint needs very little thinning though. I was taught to use about 75% thinners to 25% paint but this gave very poor coverage. I remembered reading that Railmatch recommended 80% paint to 20% thinners. This seemed way out to me, but it went on really nicely when I tried it.

[tractor_37260]

Hello,

 

a friend of mine brought me some Railmatch enamel colours on his last visit to the United Kingdom. I wonder How is the thining ratio for the enamel paint to use it with an airbrush.

And what thinner I could use. Because my friend forgot to bought some suitable thinner when he was in Britain. And it is impossible to import the Railmatch thinner to Germany.

So what other sorts of thinner could I use? Humbrol? Revell?

 

yours

 

Markus

 

In the past I've found the amount of thinning required for Railmatch enamels depends on the colour being used, some being thicker - more viscous than others. I'd start with 80/20% paint to thinners, and add more if found necessary.

Ideally, Railmatch own thinners should be used with their paint, but any quick drying Enamel thinners could be used - Humbrol / Revell etc.  As a last resort quality general White Spirit could be used, but the spray coatings would be more liable to run if applied to heavy, hence thinners works better as the coats "flash off" much quicker. 

 

Some have used Ronsonal (Petrol) Lighter Fuel with success, to thin enamel paint for airbrushing, but as it's highly flammable, use only with extreme care and good ventilation 

Edited August 11, 2017 by tractor_37260

[NickL2008]

I use Humbrol Enamel Thinners and have good results. I normally start off with a very small amount, and gradually add in more thinners until the paint is thinned to the correct consistency. Its all about trial and error, and as tractor_37260 says, some paints require more thinning than others. If the mixture doesn't spray its too thick, too much, and the paint will run and be very loose. Practice on something first, I used an old Lima Class 50 body until I was happy with the spray

 

NL

[McRuss]

Thank you all for your comments and advice.

These will help me a lot.

 

Markus

[vitalspark]

Tend to use the wooden coffee stirrer test.

 

If it runs off too freely its too thin and if it gathers then drops in blobs too thick.

 

Consistency of milk is about right imo.

 

Airbrushing is a constant trial to me as I never seem able to achieve constant results.

 

Ok for weathering but if spraying a fine colour finish on say a two coach DMU it has to be done in one operation as no matter how careful I note the

 

consistency.. temperature etc you can guarantee a different finish on the two vehicles if carried out 24 hrs apart.

 

I know it shouldn't be the case and I use decent set up with Iwata equipment including compressor but I still find it difficult to achieve consistency and have also

 

experimented with different thinners lighter fuel etc etc. 

 

Dave.

Edited August 12, 2017 by vitalspark

[tractor_37260]

Tend to use the wooden coffee stirrer test.

 

If it runs off too freely its too thin and if it gathers then drops in blobs too thick.

 

Consistency of milk is about right imo.

 

Airbrushing is a constant trial to me as I never seem able to achieve constant results.

 

Ok for weathering but if spraying a fine colour finish on say a two coach DMU it has to be done in one operation as no matter how careful I note the

 

consistency.. temperature etc you can guarantee a different finish on the two vehicles if carried out 24 hrs apart.

 

I know it shouldn't be the case and I use decent set up with Iwata equipment including compressor but I still find it difficult to achieve consistency and have also

 

experimented with different thinners lighter fuel etc etc. 

 

Dave.

 

Yes I can identify with all the above - it's difficult to achieve consistent results, as so many variables can affect the final finish.......but one of the main ones is to get the paint the correct consistency to spray which does help a lot. I find thinning the paint in a small glass jar before adding to the airbrush gives a good visual indication of it's viscosity etc.

Edited August 12, 2017 by tractor_37260

[John Tomlinson]

Yep, I'd also fully endorse what Dave (Vitalspark) has written.

 

For paint preparation I've used a Badger battery powered stirrer for years, cost around £12, and would thoroughly recommend it. Even small lumps of paint will cause havoc with the tiny space in the airbrush nozzle, and I always stir for a ridiculous amount of time to try to overcome this - even then I can still get problems!

 

The whole issue of painting is IMHO a potential nightmare, we can however say that with an airbrush the chances of success for most of us are far higher than with a normal brush. In 4mm, when ones efforts are likely to be sitting next to an RTR factory finish I regard an airbrush finish as essential for any comparable standard to be achieved.

 

John.

 

Edit, sorry you asked about thinners! For enamels I've used various brands plus ordinary White Spirit from a hardware shop. Whilst drying speed vary, there's no real reason to stick to the brand of the paint, so long as the thinner is suitable for enamels.

Edited August 24, 2017 by John Tomlinson

[PoshPaws]

I've found that Tamiya acrylic thinner, which is easily available here in the USA and, I believe, almost anywhere works really well with Railmatch acrylics, 80% paint 20% thinner is about right on average, but like Tractor_37260 said above different colours sometimes benefit from adjusting this.

 

It's easy to import the paint - Gaugemaster among others will happily ship it - but the thinners has an ingredient that puts it on the naughty list,

Edited October 16, 2017 by PoshPaws

[Mick Bonwick]

Hello,

 

a friend of mine brought me some Railmatch enamel colours on his last visit to the United Kingdom. I wonder How is the thining ratio for the enamel paint to use it with an airbrush.

And what thinner I could use. Because my friend forgot to bought some suitable thinner when he was in Britain. And it is impossible to import the Railmatch thinner to Germany.

So what other sorts of thinner could I use? Humbrol? Revell?

 

yours

 

Markus

 

In the UK it is perfectly acceptable to use white spirit to thin all makes of enamel paint for modelling purposes. I am not sure if this fluid is called the same in Germany, though.

 

If you are going to airbrush large areas (such as a coach or a tender locomotive) then you should try to mix enough paint for the whole vehicle in one batch. The consistency should be that of milk, rather than a set percentage of paint versus thinner, and the application of several thin coats will be more likely to produce a good result than one thick coat.

 

Railmatch enamels will be thinned quite successfully with Revell or Humbrol thinners as long as the tin/jar is not an old one with crusty deposits around the lid/cap.

[mabel]

To resurrect this thread as it may be useful to some....

 

 

For paint preparation I've used a Badger battery powered stirrer for years, cost around £12, and would thoroughly recommend it. Even small lumps of paint will cause havoc with the tiny space in the airbrush nozzle, and I always stir for a ridiculous amount of time to try to overcome this - even then I can still get problems!

 

 

I use an ikea coffee stirrer. I don't think ikea sell them anymore, but there are lots of resellers churning them out for .99p on ebay...

 

 

 

 

 

[101]

To resurrect this thread as it may be useful to some....

 

 

I use an ikea coffee stirrer. I don't think ikea sell them anymore, but there are lots of resellers churning them out for .99p on ebay...

 

 

https://youtu.be/BMmMls-GYOI

 

 

Not tried it but this seems like a good idea to me - though I think it might be a good idea to do the shaking in the garage!

[Paul80]

Hi

 

I just use a generic enamel thinner when I spray Railmatch Enamels, but as said any thinner designed for enamels or a quality White Spirit, which might be called Mineral Spirit elsewhere will do. Just look for something that will clean oil based decorating paints, that will work with enamels, even the low odour versions work well.

 

The only thing to watch out for, especially if you are more used to Hornby and Revell enamels, is that Railmatch paints are a lot thinner to start with so don't need much thinner added for airbrush use, if you have a large nozel on your airbrush say 0.5mm they will almost spray with no thinner added.

 

They my favourite enamel to spray with though.

[mabel]

^Hi

 

I just use a generic enamel thinner when I spray Railmatch Enamels, but as said any thinner designed for enamels or a quality White Spirit, which might be called Mineral Spirit elsewhere will do. Just look for something that will clean oil based decorating paints, that will work with enamels, even the low odour versions work well.

 

The only thing to watch out for, especially if you are more used to Hornby and Revell enamels, is that Railmatch paints are a lot thinner to start with so don't need much thinner added for airbrush use, if you have a large nozel on your airbrush say 0.5mm they will almost spray with no thinner added.

 

They my favourite enamel to spray with though.

 

^{A generic enamel thinner is easily bought in bulk too. £15 for 5 litres inc p&p on ebay at mo. Cellulose thinners is similar price. That is a heck of a saving over the grossly overpriced small bottles retailed by the big names, and will last you forever.....almost!}

 

^{Incidentally, the only difference between enamel thinners and celly is that cellulose goes off faster. Depending on temperature of your room, spray booth etc, it can cause dry tip  and therefore start clogging your airbrush.  But can be used with great success once you are used to it. I am still staggered by the number of people who believe urban myth, social media warriors and youtubers about what to thin paint with. Just check with the manufacturer, it is really that simple. I don't understand what possible benefit there is by using lighter fuel (for example), or window cleaner (for acrylics)...}

 

Edited November 15, 2018 by mabel

[ROSSPOP]

Ordinary cheepo white spirit will do for enamels EXCEPT for Railmatch Varnishes you need to use their own brand of thinners.

 

I buy cheep 10ml plastic syringes on ebay and mix according to quantity required for the job in hand so say I draw up 6mils of paint and will mix with 4 to 5 mils of white sprirt to a consistency of milk ( green cap) I very rarely mix 50/50 ratio as it is usually too thin a mix.

 

I save every body`s flat wooden lollie sticks as stirrers as my wrists don`t need batteries

 

Xylene thinners would be my alternative but you must wear a quality protective mask of the right type.

 

Spray at 15 to 20psi.

 

John 

Edited November 15, 2018 by ROSSPOP

[57xx]

To resurrect this thread as it may be useful to some....

 

 

I use an ikea coffee stirrer. I don't think ikea sell them anymore, but there are lots of resellers churning them out for .99p on ebay...

 

aaa.jpg

 

My paint mixer has a slightly bigger battery...

 

 

A releasable cable tie holds the tinlet in the U, never had any problem with one flying out. It does a very thorough job.