Found Collection

I had a Badger 100 double-action/gravity-feed airbrush for quite a
time but haven't used it until recently. I finally bought a cheapo 2
Gal air compressor for 50 buck in local Kragen. (had to retunr it
because of the small reservior and weak power)

 Well, I've been struggling with the RIGHT MIXTURE FORMULA with
Liquitex acrylic paint. I have a bunch of High Viscosity paint tubes
because of my major, which is art. I can't get the right ratio between
the paint and the medium. I use 70% *** and matte medium to thin
the paint and guess what, the current mixture ratio has problem with
airbrush setting. The paint is too thick to pass through when I push
downward, which means more air than paint. I have no problem with
'pulling packward' which means more paint than air.

 Naturally clogging is a big problem. I have to clean the tip
frequently. There are some paints inside the parts that I can never
reach, and I am very reluctant to use lacquer thinner.

 I don't want to thin the paint too much because of an obvious
problem. And I realized that acrylic paint doesn't dry as fast as
expected. In fact it takes a day for the layer of sprayed acrylic
resin to FULLY CURE so that it can be sanded later on. Acrylic paint
dry faster than oil, but it still takes time to 'cure'.

 And I tried to use a el cheapo flat white enamel spray which cost 94
cents in local Wal Mart. well, the spray can has some 'thick'
particles and it sprays unevenly. I have to use an used sand
paper(probably a worn-out 600 grit) to prime the sprayed surface to
even it out. I wonder if this really worth it. The fume and pigment
particel fly around my room...

One option is to wimp out (like I did ;-) and get some Medea ComArt
colors. Spend less time fighting the airbrush and more using it...
Very fluid but good pigment density. IIRC, a problem with thinning the
high visc Liquitex enough to shoot easily is that you end up with a lot
of vehicle and not much pigment.

[snip...snip...]

I've been pretty happy with "Painter's Touch by Rust-Oleum Wet or Dry
Sandable Primer." It looks a little textured on application but cures
very smooth with a fine grain and has good adhesion.

Also, have pity on your cerebrum and get or build a spray booth.
www.briansmodelcars.com/tutorials/tutorial.asp?TutorialID=23&CurPage=1
The Artograph 1520 is a good size for me. YMMV.

--
Rich Webb   Norfolk, VA

 I have a Badger 100LG.

   I used Polly-S airbrush thinner to thin Liquitex paints. It's about $5
for a small bottle, but it's well worth the money. It contains ethanol,
propylene glycol and methyl ether. I mix it in a medicine cup with one of
those Badger, battery powered, rotary, paint stirrers. The high speed
impeller breaks up the thick Liquitex paint and thoroughly mixes it with the
airbrush medium. I use a mix of  40% paint to 60% thinner.

 Lacquer thinner won't hurt the brush because Badger uses a teflon bushing.
Use lacquer thinner to clean out dried up paint.

Hope this is of some help,

PS: I don't use acrylics anymore and now use mostly Mr.Color lacquers and
misc. enamel paints.

-K