Is This The Best Method Of Thining Craft Paints For Airbrushing?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 มิ.ย. 2024
- I think I just found the best way to thin Acrylic Craft Paints to use in your airbrush. Is it better than using IPA? Let's find out.
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winshield washer fluid has a wetting agent to it, like fluid for your dishwasher for the rinse cycle. Buy the equate version of it, Liquid Rinse Agent, and add a few drops to distilled water in a pint container and use that to thin it. 1/1 with about 6 drops to a pint of water should do it!
Going to try this myself tomorrow cheers paul👍👍
I’m definitely going to try this, thanks for the research.
Paul, great video, thanks for testing this out and sharing the results!
You are very welcome. Thank you for watching and commenting.
awesome test.... very excited to try it out. thankful!
I'm glad you liked the video. Definitely give it a try. I'm still excited about it myself and can't wait till I can get back to the workbench and paint more items.
Thanks a nice cheap solution for a beginner 👍
I also have used wwf for thinning these paints, the surficant in it helps make the paint flow, works great and no it does NOT tint the color..no trains but build and fly RC aircraft. Your videos are great! Thanks for sharing w us !
Excellant video, thanks for the information
Thank you George. And thanks for watching.
Great tip, especially for the modelers on a budget. A jug of that fluid will last a long time. I will definitely be trying this out soon. Thank you for sharing.
Hey Paul thanks for doing this test. I’m definitely going to try this method ❤
Hey Crooked River. You are very welcome. Definitely give it a try. You're gonna love how easy this method is. Take care and happy railroading...
Great video. I have learnt a lot from your videos.
Thank you very much Peter. I really appreciate it. Take care and happy railroading.....
Thank You for making this. Air brushes have always intimidated me, but this method seems simple and strait forward.
Hey Dream Big. Thank you for the kind words. Definitely don't be scared of an airbrush. It is just another tool in our modeling tool box. Don't get me wrong, there is definitely a learning curve like there is with any new tool or method. Take care and happy railroading.
I am Late to the party on this video, but defiantly try this. I have been using WWF for YEARS as a thinner. First discovered back in the early 2000s on a forum when I designed and scratch built an 8 foot R/C C123 out of foam. One of the first of it's kind way back then. I took pics of the full scale one to my local hardware store and had them color match the paint. Used interior latex paint and thinned with WWF. Colors came out spot on. I have a pic of my model with the full scale one somewhere. So much to my surprise, the blue tint had no effect on the final color at all, even the white/light colors. Not sure how that works, but it works. When I get in to MRR I saw folks were using the cheap craft paint, but never said what they thinned with , so I tried the WWF. Results exactly as described.
That'd awesome. And welcome to yet another hobby that will drain your bank account. LOL. Take care and happy railroading.....
Paul Mahalo for doing this research for us. Having a more experienced artist give results in a controlled environment is a real help to us that are just getting started.
Hey Peter. As always thank you very much for supporting my channel. I love hearing from a long time viewers like you. It really makes me feel like what I am doing has meaning. Thank you again...
I just got me an airbrush and I appreciate your tips you're really informative and I appreciate it
That's awesome Todd that you got your first airbrush. Have fun with it. And remember, it may be frustrating to learn how to use it, but persevere. You will love it....
You can also use 600 grit or higher sand paper on the plastic, then wash really well, then paint to get the paint to stick much better. Great video! Learned A LOT!
Triedit, liked it. I'm a convert. Thankyou.
That's great to hear that it worked out well for you. Thank you for watching and commenting......
Im gonna try the wwf and see how it works ..thanks
I've been airbrushing with craft paints a couple of decades now. When working on fabric or paper, water was always sufficient for thinning. But once I started painting diecast cars, I discovered windshield washer fluid and it was a game changer. I can get much more consistent layers with it. Thanks for this breakdown. Now, if I could just figure out how to do a semi-transparent "candy" finish reliably...🤨
Oh candy. Now we're taking. I just bought a several candies from Createx along with a couple of different colors of metal flakes. I haven't had the opportunity to try any of them yet, but when I do I will be making a video over the process. Can't wait to give them a try.
Just connected to you thanks for sharing great tips
I’ve been using ww fluid for the past year without issue. Previously used distilled water. WW fluid seems to produce better results
👍👍
Washer fluid is cut with Methanol. That is what helps. Differnt than Isopropyl.
I did not know that. Thank you for the information....
Thank you for sharing and the content. Are you recommending Windsheild Washer Fluid with Alcohol (prevent freezing) or without Alcohol (Standard)? Your reply is welcomed.
Southpaw. Definitely the windshield washer fluid with OUT the added alcohol. Thanks for asking. Take care and happy railroading....
does it work as an airbrush cleaner alone as well? something all purpose like that would be a dream
Hey Julia. That is a great question. I never thought to try it as a cleaning agent. Looks like I may have another video to make. But to answer your question directly. I don't know. At least not yet. Thank you for watching and commenting. Take care.
You are amazing the paint you talk about is the paint we get the dolllar store right what about real water based paint you get a hardware store would it be the same way to do theme
Thank you first off. Please tell my wife that I am amazing. Ha. No seriously, thank you. All I want to do is help others and it is nice to hear that I am accomplishing that goal. As far as other paints go. As long as they are water based acrylics you should be fine to use this method to thin then. Always test them on scrap though just in case there's one that just doesn't want to cooperate. Thank you for watching and commenting..... Take care.
Hi Paul, is the windshield washer fluid concentrated? Do you have to dilute it? Or is it already diluted? Thank you
Hey Leo. It is not concentrate. Just plain old windshield washer fluid. I took it straight from the bottle to the paints.
Love your vids. I'm a new sub, and I'm new to airbrushing. As far as using washer fluid, you just use it by itself? nothing added? no ten drops of this or that, like I've seen on other videos? TIA Paul
Hey Lou. Thanks for watching and subscribing. To answer your question. It is straight windshield washer fluid. Just regular blue summer mix. I have seen people add flow inprover and all kinds of stuff. However I'm lazy and anyhow if I were to go to all the trouble of adding more stuff to it, then I would just buy regular paint reducer. LOL. KISS is motto. Keep It Simple Stupid. Ha. Take care...
I usually make my airbrush cleaner from non ammonia Windex or Simple Green, distilled water, isopropyl alcohol and a few drops of water soluble glycerin. For thinner I use isopropyl alcohol, distilled water, a few drops of water soluble glycerin and a flow agent and/or a reducer. Have you read the ingredients of the windshield washer fluid? It usually contains some alcohol so it won't freeze in the winter. Cheers from eastern TN
I guess it depends on which brand you buy. I have a "winter" mix (I live in North Dakota) that I got from Wal-Mart and it contains some Methanol, not IPA. There are three main alcohols ... Methanol, Ethanol, and IPA. Each one has a different chemical makeup. I stay away from IPA in all of my thinners, since I use Vallejo a lot, it reacts badly to IPA. But for craft paint, I use the windshield wiper fluid. I got this tip from watching Barbatos Rex's YT channel, and he's in his fifties and has been airbrush painting since he was a teenager. I do use IPA, simple green, and distilled water in my cleaner solution for my AB. Take care and have a great day. Lastly, it's very important to strain the paint, as Paul said. I use a disposable 190 micron filter (by in the 50 pack for $9 on amazon). I even use the filter when I get ready to spray my Stynylrez primer after the bottle has been opened and has been sitting around for a while.
I used Windex to thin craft paints when painting my Flying Dutchman ship, & the fast drying aspect turned out beautifully for small surfaces about 2 inch x 12 inch area. Which method would you use for larger surface like a 10 inch x 22 inch airplane wing as on a primed paper surface of foam board?
Hey Raymond. If I'm reading your comment correctly you are using foam board to make your wing. I used to make balsa airplane and cover them in tissue paper. What a pain that was. Anyhow, I think I would use IPA in that instance and just move / paint quickly. I think you would have less of a chance of the paper on the foam board from getting soaked using IPA since it flashes off very quickly. Also just food for thought. A regular airbrush may have too small of a spray pattern to cover the surface of the wing evenly, depending on the size of the wing of course. You may want to look into something like a detail spray gun for larger projects. I bought one years ago at harbor freight and it was pretty cheap. It works alright. Just have to fiddle with it a bit. I hope this helps.
You mentioned a clear top coat, what would you recommend?
Great presentation.
Thank you Chuck. As far as top coats go, I usually use whatever I can find at the store. I prefer Rustoleum brand. But as long as it's made for yournapplication, plastic in my case, it should work. I have purchased some clear coats that are made by Createx. They are made to used with an airbrush. I haven't tried them out yet though. I will most likely create a video talking about them and rattle can top coats sometime in the near future.
@@PaulsRailroad Thanks for your help,I do woodworking as well as plastic modelmaking and I have tried water based poly and it works ok but I have never heard of anyone using that.
Look forward to you doing a video discussing top coats. your strainer suggestion should solve some of my issues.
Thanks again.
Great video and tips, thank you very much!
I'm very interested in your opinion about the little compressor. Does it keep up?
I have a similar one but it lacks a lot of pressure, and can't buy an airmaster (I live abroad and shipping costs scale with weight)
I just reviewed the Ovaga airbrush and portable air compressor. It works great and the best part is that it still works even if you have it plugged in and charging. But even though it's pretty cheap to buy here in the states I know it is ridiculously expensive to buy in Canada and Great Britain. If that's the case for you as well I would suggest just sticking with a decent small shop air compressor.
@@PaulsRailroad Thanks for your answer. Will check your review.
I watched some videos on building a silent compressor with a fridge motor, but it's Plan B for now.
Thanks again!
Hi Paul, great video so thanks for this. I was bought an airbrush for Christmas and as a nice side addition, some Vallejo Air paints. I'm new to airbrushing and am reading on some threads that homemade thinner / cleaner doesnt work with Vallejo.
Do you know if your formulation does?
Thanks
Hey Nigel. Unfortunately I have not tried that with Vallejo paints. My theory is I when I'm using cheap paints that I am going to use a cheap way to thin it, just in case I mess up the mixture and have to start all over. That way I am not wasting good thinner/reducer. However if I am going to use my good paints then I will use good reducer that is made for them.
Thanks Paul I'll bare that in mind. I guess the worst I can do is to make up your mix then try some mixed with the paint and see what it does in a small mixing jar before trying it in my airbrush. If it reacts badly then I guess that's my best indication.
Hi Paul, like your channel. Quick question for you, is the screen cleaner premixed or concentrate. I expect it's premixed but just checking. Thanks from another Paul.
Hi Paul, I think I've just found the answer you gave to a guy from the Netherlands. As we are neighbours, the answer will be the same. I live in England. Many thanks.
When you've thinned out craft paints into the smaller bottles, do you label the thinned bottleand keep them?
I'm just getting started in airbrushing and wonder if i need to order more bottles or if the paint is inexpensive enough that you just toss it and clean the bottle for the next time.
Thanks.
Hey Ken. The paint is so cheap that I just toss what's left over and clean the bottles, unless I am mixing a custom color. Then I will mix enough to keep until at least the project I am working on is finished. Just in case I need to do any touch ups, or I need to create something else for that project with the same custom color. Thanks for asking.
I have some thick tube acrylics in the Liquitex Basics line. I'm wondering if I can airbrush with these if I thin them down to "milk" thickness? Any thoughts you might have would be appreciated.
I don't see why you couldn't airbrush tube acrylics. As long as it is thinned enough to go through the airbrush. Heck I've diluted PVA glue and shot it through an airbrush to cover a large scenery area for static grass before and it worked.
The windshield washer fluid has blue-color added to it...won't that affect the colors you're mixing it with?
Just found this video by accident...liked/subscribed, as I am trying to educate myself regarding using an airbrush for my models. Thank you for the time and effort to create these videos.
B and S. Thank you for subbing and taking the to watch my video and to leave this comment. I recently just used that windshield washer fluid to thin a whole bunch of white paint that I was using as a base coat for a project I am working on, and I don't see any color change at all. The white was still very white. Take care and thanks again.....
@@PaulsRailroad Thank you.
Hi Paul, just subscribed. Great video. Are you using windshield fluid with ammonia? Or does that matter?
No Ammonia. Just plain old blue windshield washer fluid. I'm afraid using product with ammonia in it will eventually degrade the rubber O rings in the airbrush.
@@PaulsRailroad thank you for taking the time to reply. What you said makes great sense.
Greetings, I'm new here. Can you please tell me where you get the strainer from? Thanks. Really appreciate and enjoy everything. Best regards. Dave.
Hey David. Actually there is a link in the description of this video to where you can find the strainers.... Thank you for watching and commenting. I appreciate it very much.
Good, informative video. I’m just starting out, not sure if I should purchase a traditional compressor or start with a rechargeable cordless like you use here. And thoughts or suggestions are appreciated.
Well that's not easy to answer. If I can only have one, then I will go with a silent compressor and a higher end airbrush like the Iwata eclipse hp cs. I have a Fortress quiet air compressor from harbor freight and I like it a lot. It is super quiet for a standard non silent airbrush compressor. And I mean super quiet. And I believe it's well under 200 bucks. A standard air compressor will always give you more flexibility than any rechargeable portable air compressor can. At as of the ones that are available today. But if you have the funds I would also invest in a portable one as well only because of the portability and convenience of having such a small package. It stores easily.
@@PaulsRailroad Thanks for the advice. I sort of came to the same conclusion. I’ll get a traditional compressor with a good airbrush now and see how it goes. I just started watching you and really enjoy the way you present your information. Stay well!
No problem Stephen. If you have any questions once you get your airbrush, feel free to ask. You can find me on Facebook as well and send me a message. Take care...
Hello Paul, Thanks from the Netherlands for the instructive videos, I have a question regarding the windshield washer, here in the Netherlands I can choose from concentrated and ready-made. You then have to mix the concentrated with water yourself in order to get the necessary frost protection, the ready-made has a standard protection of -28 degrees. I can mix the concentrated with distilled water. But what ratio does the windscreen washer you use have?
Thanks for the answer. greetings Jan
Hello Jan. I'm not sure I can be of much help in answering your question. We don't have any concentrated wwf here. What I use is just a standard summer blend we get here in the US.
Ok, thanks.@@PaulsRailroad
I would use the standard, ready made washer fluid.
Paul can you do something with wood I do alot of turning ad mae small crafts like snowman christmas trees gnomes and things and would like to air bursh them. I did mae a wood rose out of wood shavings and air brushed it that was my first time at this and it did't come out bad. But and tips would be more then welcome. Than You Larry
Hey Larry. I do paint wood structure kits for my model railroad. I use a paint brush for that however. I have painted wood ornaments with my airbrush in the past and I always used a wood sealer first so the wood wouldn't absorb the super thinned airbrush paint as deeply as un-sealed wood does. I hope that helps a little.
Paul, do you think that the color was impacted by the blue fluid?
I don't think it was. The greens did not seem to have any blue tint to them. With that being said. I did not make myself a control swatch of paint to test.
On the filter funnel part... coud a reusable keurig coffee pod filter be used?
Well Jeff. That is definitely thinking outside of the box. I don't have a reusable keurig filter to try myself. All I can say is to give it a try. I'm sorry I couldn't give you a better answer. But hey any filter is better than no filter....
@@PaulsRailroad I just thought it might make for an interesting tid bit on a video. :) They have a lot of fine mesh (larger surface area), so it'd be filtering well, and maybe quicker for the same mesh size. You just have to get one that has the mesh on the bottom too, most just have the mesh on the sides.
Did you model those cars or did you get the stl files somewhere?
Hey brother. I designed these myself. I actually sell the files on Cults 3D. Just look up paulsrailroad if you want to check them out. Nice to hear from you. Take care.....
Glycern-Windex and Distilled water. Great combo thinner
Paul, do you think that blue tint would show through with white or pearl white
Hey TB. I honestly don't know. The lightest color I used was that light green. I did not see any discoloration with it, but it may have been so minor that I did not notice it. Hey you know, give it a try on something to test it. Worse case if it you don't like the results then you have windshield washer fluid for your car. 😁 Take care.
I thin acrylic paints with windshield washer and have done so with white. The blue color windshield washer does not show in the white paint at all. That test was with using a brush painting on wood clapboard.@@PaulsRailroad
Im working on wood flowers , some have curled edges if they get real wet and take awhile do dry they will unfurl... Did this mixture dry quickly for you on the plastic ??
I know i can layer it on lightly,dry and hit it again if need be ..but im also not looking for complete coverage so i do want to be careful there ..
Check out my video using IPA to thin your paints. IPA dries acrylic paints super fast and I use it for when I'm in a hurry and need my paint coats to dry fast. With that being said, be careful because it can cause acrylic craft paints to dry in your airbrush if left too long and it ends up coagulating the paints when it sits too long, so you need to work fairly fast and clean your airbrush immediately after painting.
@@PaulsRailroad thanks for the tips
I'd really like to know where you can buy those little glass bottles ?
Their old testors model paint bottles. I'm sure you can find them on Amazon. I don't know where you live, but I also see them sold at Hobby Lobby in the model paint area.
Gotta love cheap for a better result...👍
Is the windshield wiper fluid you used the regular one or the winter one that has Methonol? Some Windshield Wiper fluids contain no methonol, some do, some contain some organic agents. Can you tell us exactly what brand you used?
Just plain old summer blue. Do not use winter blend.
I am sure glad that Sunmer verses Winter blend question was asked...... all have on hand is Winter Blend.
Has anyone here tried winter blend? Thats all I can find in stores right now (January).
In 4 oz bottle
1/2 oz distilled water
1/2 oz. Windshield washer fluid
The rest alcohol
Add 10 drops of glycine
50 :50 mix of this and any craft paint to milk 🥛
glycine costs more than the paint here in California
@@magicpixelz4237 so
the only thing i see wrong with using windshield washer fluid is that you should not use anything with acetone in it can ruin an airbrush but great idea
what brand of wwf are you using?
Hey Seth. Unfortunately I tore the label off before I made the video so I don't know exactly what brand it is. It is just regular blue wwf and not a winter blend. I bought it at Walmart. I hope that helps...
Does it matter which color fluid you use?
Definitely. You need the blue summer blend. Don't use the winter blend that has all the additional additives.
What do you think about adding a drop of flow improver? or do you think its not needed. Thanks for a great video!
Hey ct810. It definitely doesn't hurt to add flow improver. I've never used it only because these are cheap paints that I am using and I didn't want to add more expense into the mixture. I've never needed it. Thanks for watching and asking a great question. Take care...
That windshield washer fluid for summer season or all year washer fluid??😉
Sure is.
@@PaulsRailroad all year fluid
I don't know what you want to call it. It n is definitely not the winter blend. Just standard old blue windshield washer fluid. It just said windshield washer fluid on the bottle. Sorry if thats not much help. Oh I'm in ohio and I bought it at Walmart. Maybe that will help a little. 😁
@@PaulsRailroad Ok thanks, i try both, we have 2 kinds here in Denmark, both are blue so you got to read the label to get the right one, haha.😄😂
Denmark. That's awesome..... Hope you find one that works for ya. I just tried to find a windshield washer fluid that didn't seem to have a lot of extra additives in it.
Lol nice hair
This is the route for me! 91% IPA is pricy!
What about the tint? If you use white paint?
I have tested it with white paint and it does not tint the paint at all.
Cheers, I will definitely try it
Ciao. Ma il liquido lavavetri è con ammoniaca? Grazie
No it uses alcohol not ammonia.
@@PaulsRailroad Risposta veloce e precisa. Grazie infinite. Ma il liquido lavavetri con ammoniaca + acqua distillata va bene per la pulizia?
I wouldn't use anything with ammonia in it. Could degrade the seals in your airbrush.
I use a few drops of jet dry dishwasher rinse aid and a few drops of vegetable glycerin in distilled water. Works amazing...
Isntthere alcohol inthe windshield washer?
I'm pretty sure there is a small amount to help keep it from freezing.
I can never get the consistency right.
Wish there was a tool that when you mixed your paint it has a sifting trapdoor that would light with green or red led 😜, I know... crazy... we don't have A.I. paint consistency checker for Airbrush paint mixing 😂
Wouldn't that be nice. Heck. I've been doing this for years and I still get it wrong sometimes.
You never seem to be using a paint booth, which makes me wonder if I should bother with getting (or building) one. (???)
If you have the money, get one. Or build one. I do want one. I just keep spending my money on other things. I don't know if you've noticed in any of my videos. I do have a fairly powerful double fan that I have mounted in front of my ity bitsy basement window. It does ok. And when I'm not recording I wear a full double canister respirator. You want to at least get one of those. And a dust masks wont work for painting.
@@PaulsRailroad Thank you, Paint Booth planned abandonment aborted :))
WHY DO I GET A TONNE OF FISH EYES?? (I reduced with tap water)
And that my friend is why I do not use tap water. You can mitigate that somewhat by not reducing the paint quite as much, making sure to mix the heck out of it, then you will have to play around with your air pressure.
Seems like the solution is to not be cheap and use quality materials made for the task instead of sending pigs to the salon. You get much better results. Its less toxic too.
Won't it tint whatever you mix it with blue?
Actually it does not. I've used it with white paint and it remained just as white as what was still in the paint bottle.
@@PaulsRailroad okay, cool. I just bought one of those badger mixers so I'll give it a try. Thanks Paul
Let me know how that mixer works out. I've got one saved in my wish list on Amazon.
@@PaulsRailroad I will. It was $16.50 I bought those strainers you recommended too. I'm building a wooden model ship and I'm hoping to paint some figurines with the Ovaga airbrush. Do you still like it? Thanks
Yes I do like it a lot, but here's a kick in the pants. Ovaga just sent me their new model that is upgraded with items that I suggested they do and, well it is freaking amazing. I will be doing a review of it soon. But the one you have works just as good. They just replaced the curved trigger backer with one that is attached to the needle barrel assembly amd they included a braided hose instead of the rubbery like one. Take care...
Yeah but it is...... blue. Doesn't it interfere with the colors?
Not in the least bit. I used it to thin some white paint and did not have any blue tint to it all....
Stop being stingy, buy proper gear!!! 👎👎👎
Hey Big and Tall. Trust me I have proper gear. And I do believe that everyone should eventually buy proper gear, but many people who don't know if they even want to airbrush don't want to invest tons of money into the hobby. Also there are many folks out there that simply can't afford the best, so I an here to help those folks get the best results for the least amount of out of expense. Thanks for warning and commenting. I appreciate it...
That's right on Paul, I for one love your economical ideas .. it's just a hobby not a business for me. And damned if I don't already have a ton of hobbies and all that goes along with it.
Loved you in Independence Day .Haha,just kidding.
Thank you. How do you think I can afford this hobby. LOL