Nick's Notes

[Nick]

Situation Update

M41 - Varnished, painted and detailed. Just needs decals and tracks putting on. I want to do anther one!

F-16 - To be varnished and decals on Thursday. Finishing off the paint work and adding the wheels tonight. Going to be an IRIAF bird as I want to save the IIAF markings for an F-18.

Loco - Lot of painting to get done on Thursday. Lots.

Hunter. Might try for a quick build of the Revell kit.

[Nick]

It's Christmas Day and I didn't get any kits but I did get my first airbrush 

GoCheer 40psi Dual Action Airbrush Comes with a plug in compressor, cleaning kit, extra paint cups, different nozzles and other bits. Haven't tried it yet but I will have a go at the weekend.
When I bought some Hataka paint sets (WWII Soviet and WWII German) at the London show I was given a bottle of Acrylic Thinner as a freebie so I can use those for practice. Just need to build me a spray booth first and read up on how to use and clean an airbrush.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gocheer-Multi-Function-Dual-Action-Compressor-Decoration/dp/B0B7B5D68X

[PR19_Kit]

Yeah, the 'clean' bit is the real pain! 

[zenrat]

I clean mine with General Purpose Thinners I buy in 5 litre tins from the car parts store.
It's way cheaper than blowing the paint specific thinners through it.
You'll need tough nitrile gloves though as GP Thinners eats through latex ones in seconds.

[Nick]

Took the airbrush to the club night and one of the guys explained it to me. Still too cold to get out and spray anything yet.

I did well in the Secret Santa kitswap - put in an Airfix Spitfire mk.1a and came out with an Eduard Spitfire Mk.16 Bubbletop 

[The Wooksta!]

Other than Tamiya paints, car screen wash is good enough for thinner for the bulk of acrylic paints.  I've used it for twenty plus years with no issues.

Cleaning.  When I've finished spraying, I'll remove the paint cup, turn the dial up to maximum and dunk the whole airbrush into a tub of hot water (It's got either screen wash or washing up liquid in also) to my right on the bench.  Then spray it underwater for a good minute, then out onto some card to spray out anything still in the brush.  A cotton bud dipped in screen wash goes up the paint cup holder which forces out anything else.  I then fill a spare paint cup with screen wash (and I have one spare specifically for this), affix and spray it through.

This sounds more complex and time consuming than it is, but I've followed this for years and rarely have I had problems.  It's only if I've left it for a while that I run into any niggles.

[Nick]

Other than Tamiya paints, car screen wash is good enough for thinner for the bulk of acrylic paints.  I've used it for twenty plus years with no issues.

Cleaning.  When I've finished spraying, I'll remove the paint cup, turn the dial up to maximum and dunk the whole airbrush into a tub of hot water (It's got either screen wash or washing up liquid in also) to my right on the bench.  Then spray it underwater for a good minute, then out onto some card to spray out anything still in the brush.  A cotton bud dipped in screen wash goes up the paint cup holder which forces out anything else.  I then fill a spare paint cup with screen wash (and I have one spare specifically for this), affix and spray it through.

This sounds more complex and time consuming than it is, but I've followed this for years and rarely have I had problems.  It's only if I've left it for a while that I run into any niggles.

Thanks man, that is really helpful. I need some more screen wash anyway and I'm going shopping tomorrow.

See you at Bolton next week!

[The Wooksta!]

Bring it with you next week and I'll demonstrate what I mean.  As I say, it sounds a lot more complex than it is.

[PR19_Kit]

Presumably you're talking about the 'full strength'  screen wash that you have to dilute when it's in the car, not the namby pamby 'ready to use' stuff that they try to sell as well?

[zenrat]

I put washing up liquid in my screen washer water.

[The Wooksta!]

I don't have a car so whether the screen wash is "full strength" or not is immaterial.  I'm not going to drink it so not likely to look at the ABV percentage.  Having said that, the pink stuff I was using a while back had a nice summer berry smell so could have tasted like fruit cider.

I only dilute it in water for cleaning the airbrush.  Neat, it goes into the paint to thin it or on a cotton bud for cleaning.

[PR19_Kit]

That's all good news Lee, got to be a lot cheaper than all those exotic 'Airbrush cleaning fluids' other operation will try and sell you.

[The Wooksta!]

Think it was Gary who told me about it at some point in 2001, as I remember spraying a Mosquito in Sky the day I went to Ibiza and using screen wash to thin the paint.  A 4 litre tub will cost upwards of £2.50 from Home Bargains.

That Summer Berry one had a nice smell.  Certainly better than the horrible feisty smell you get when spraying Humbrol acrylics.  Xtracrylic has an odd smell that always makes me hungry.

[Gondor]

Presumably you're talking about the 'full strength'  screen wash that you have to dilute when it's in the car, not the namby pamby 'ready to use' stuff that they try to sell as well?

I buy the ready-to-use stuff, but rated at -20 which I hope it never gets to in the UK.

Gondor

[NARSES2]

the pink stuff I was using a while back had a nice summer berry smell so could have tasted like fruit cider.

I find the proliferation of all these "fruit" ciders slightly amusing, after all what's an apple after all    and back in the day anything alcoholic made with pears was Peardrax. Just getting older I suppose