Hi All,

Here is my current problem. I live in Boise and we now hit high 90-100s

Last year I started to change most of my paints over to acrylics. I have Model Masters, Vallejo, Tamiya, and even some older Warbirds. My airbrush booth is in the garage and it gets quite hot and the hotter it gets I experience paint drying in the airbrush tip.
I use various thinners (and yes even the ones recommended for the specific paints) I also use Liquitex Slow dry and medium as well most of the times in the summer.
I still experience paint dry in AB.

Does anyone have any recommendations that might help?

Thank you

Jeff D

BTW: I Various Badger and Iwata Airbrushes.

I wouldn't enjoy working in a garage in that heat.Any possibility of installing a split system a/c unit,or even a window unit ?

in our summer I airush in some hot, nasty temps. I get dry tip, quite often. And the more little bursts I spray while attempting color modulation, the quicker I get dry tip.

I work with artist acrylics, not those expensive, name brands. I have used Tamiya paints in the past but gave them up. I know they contain isopropyl alcohol. I know their thinner is also rich in isopropyl alcohol. That stuff is made for quicker drying.

For my acrylics I use a thinner and flow enhancer of 50/50 water and windex in a small bottle with a few drops of glycerine added. Glycerine, or glycerol, breaks the surface tension of water. I've read that a tiny amount of dish washing liquid soap will work as well.

Back in the 80's I was low on cash and thinned some Tamiya acrylics with water and used a Badger airbrush to paint a Panther tank. It didn't look any different.

When I'm airbrushing, and have to set down the brush, I put the tip of the airbrush into a plastic coke bottle cap filled with my flow enhancer. When ready to paint again, I blow into the cone to chase the excess flow enhancer out. Then I do a quick test spray on scrap paper.

Still, occasionally I have to unscrew the spray cone and pinch off a little paint from the needle with a tissue.

I use an Iwata airbrush exclusively nowadays. If you're the experimenting kind, I'd start with your least used color and a bit of water on something from your spare parts box.

Good luck,

Gaz

Hey Gary how's it going?

Thanks for the reply.
I check and my wife has some liquid vegetable glycerin that I liberated. (who knows what it is used for any way)

I usually put my airbrush in the rubber opening of my cleaning jar. I think I will try and devise something like that which is sealed and will have the brush tip in water.
Like you described.
I will do some testing like you said. I have a lot of colors I hardly use. Got them at a great deal when a hobby shop closed down recently.

I have tried many of the things mentioned. Windex, Dish soap and they work ok. But like you, it is not a real problem when I do large coverage. It is only an issue really went I do small spurts for camo and such or a lot of stopping and starting. I have now change my style for all base coats and large coverage to not taking my finger off the trigger and extending past the plastic then come back on and off. This works good for those type of painting.

Jeff D

Anthony,
Or is it Antonio? Ciao come' sta?
I am originally from northern New Jersey (The Caldwell's)
Yes 1st & 2nd generation Italian/American.
The only reason things stay moist out there is the 90-90s 90+ degrees and 90+ Humidity. I can honestly say I do not miss it at all.

Boise gets HOT but the humidity is 10-30 percent. Dry Desert basin.
I do have some large fans in the garage and a filtering system for my wood working, but no air conditioner.

Regards

Jeff D

Hey Jeff,
Going good. I'm glad you had some glycerine in the house. Just an idea if you have some around, thin your acrylics with Future if you're in the mood to experiment. I use it in my artist tube acrylics to make the acrylic paint stronger. It's no good for using in a wash, because once it dries its fighting the devil to get it off.



Gaz

Yeah Gary,
I do have future. I use it as my gloss coat before decaling, so I have plenty of it. I will give that a try, thanks.

BTW do you prefer Gaz over Gary?

Jeff D

Jeff,
It doesn't reallymatter. It's just easier on my ipad to type gaz then gary. Color me lazy!

Cheers!

Gaz

I've used both retarder medium and airbrush flow enhancer from Vallajo. Sometimes they work great, other times not so much. Still have not figured out why. Like Gary, I have also found that it helps to remove the nozzle guard and clean off the needle tip fairly regularly.

Thanks Mark. I do to but only sometimes. Even when I do it feels like it dries in the opening and clogs inside.
But lots of good ideas to tray

Thanks