What Thinning Needs to be Done

Transcript*

Intro

Hello all.

This is David from Loisirs vers le soleil. And how many times do I have to tell you stop putting things in the wrong spot? Not nearly as many times as I and other YouTubers have explained how to aérographe, but I guess that’s why I’m here. So, in today’s video, I’m going to show you how to thin your paint to the perfect consistency for an airbrush.

So, whenever we have customers walk in and ask us questions, the general rule we always tell them is for your paint to look like skim milk. That’s it. Thanks for watching. Well, what if they’re lactose intolerant? Fine. and I’ll just show you. All right. So, I’m going to show you when paint is too thick, when it’s too thin, and when it’s Goldilocks.

Thick Paint Demonstration

So, let’s start off with a demonstration of thick paint. So, you’re brand new to airbrushing. you bought your first airbrush and your first compressor, and you went out and got paint. You bought the first paint you saw without research or asking any questions. Shameful. And you’re so eager to get started, you take that cap off and pour some paint into the airbrush.

And instead of getting a nice smooth even finish, you get this. Nothing but freckles. So, after your growing pains, you head back to your local hobby shop and learn that Vallejo also makes an airbrush ready line. And then you say to yourself, “Stupid, stupid, stupid. I already paid all this money for the whole model color line. Better pay all this money for the model air line, too.”

Too Thin Paint Demonstration

So, you bring it home, but then you start to second guesses yourself because after spending over 45 minutes cleaning unthinned model color out of your airbrush, you don’t want to do that again. So, you think, “It does say it’s prethinned, but I better thin it to be safe.” So, you take your new airbrush paint. Then you take your newly purchased airbrush thinner and add about 50 drops to it. That should work. It didn’t. You just made your own rendition of an exploding Death Star. Now you’re frustrated. You’ve spent hundreds of dollars on paints and all the results it’s gotten you is the airbrush equivalent of chicken scratch. But don’t give up. You were on to something, young cricket.

How to Thin Your Paints

Vallejo model air paints. Although they technically are airbrush ready, they’re still not quite at the consistency that we airbrush uh aficionados. Let me show you. See, I got some in a cup already. See, it does move around, but still kind of slow. Like, for example, I’ll put one drop along the wall. See, it’s very slowly dripping down.

If our paint was truly airbrush ready, that would have hit the bottom by now. So, I’ve got about six drops in that cup already. I’m gonna take my airbrush thinner again, but this time I’m only going to go 50:50. So, six drops of paint means six drops of thinner.

And I’m going to mix that up good. Now, as you see, it uh it moves around there a lot quicker. Not as quick as our uh too thin example, but that should be just right. So, we’re gonna pour that in. And now we’re going to find out if I know what I’m talking about.

Final Results

So, here we have the fruits of my labour. So, if you put in, let’s say, model colour paint straight from the bottle and it looks like that. Or if you take an already thin paint and thin it to smithereens, like uh if you tip the paint around and it’s leaving no transfer at all on the sides, then all you’re going to get is spider webs. And then there’s perfect about a half and half ratio. creates a smooth, even, feathered, a just right airbrush paint.

David’s Conclusion

In conclusion, that is what we mean by skim milk. Now, if you are an absolute beginner at airbrushing, this might take you some practice to really get down. But once you have it, hopefully you will never again ask how it is done. I hope this video found you well.

I hope it helped you out. And if you are ever looking for airbrush paints, guns, compressors, even spray booths, you can find them at Sunward Hobbies in store or online.

Thank you very much for watching this video. Remember to like, comment, subscribe, follow us on our socials, and now I got to go siphon out the Tamiya paints from the Vallejo rack. So until the next one, adios.

About the Author:

David Peckam has built scale models since he was 12, specializing largely on military aircraft. He is a makeup artist and background actor for films and TV. He enjoys watching hockey and of course, movies. He has an excellent knowledge of hobby products and if you have questions concerning scale model airplanes.

*Video by David Peckham
Video Edited by Daniela Castellano
Transcript generated by youtube
Edited by Angelo Castellano