The secret to handbrushing Tamiya acrylics is...

Ian

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Aug 29, 2012
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910
...Mr. Leveling Thinner!

A 50/50 mix ratio of this stuff with any Tamiya color makes it a DREAM to work with.

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I've never tried that. Ian, any problems with the first layer peeling up or bubbling or anything?
 
No, it was super smooth. I was shocked at how well it laid down, given the history I've had with hand brushing their acrylic paint. The stuff dries almost instantly!
 
Mr. Level thinner is a lacquer thinner, and Tamiya Acrylics are not.....an acrylic in the strictest sense of the word.

Tamiya paints are actually an acrylic lacquer, which explains why you can clean them up with water, when they are wet, and why lacquer thinner works so well to thin them for both hand brushing and airbrushing.

Tamiya's own lacquer thinner works very well with them as also.
 
I've got a bottle of the leveling thinner, I'll have to try it out soon. Who knows, maybe I wont have to replace all my Tamiya bottles with Vallejo Model Color after all...
 
I've tried Tamiya's lacquer thinner, but it still dries so quickly. The leveling thinner seems to fix this issue.
 
I settled on using Tamiya's own acrylic thinner, with their acrylics, and have gotten the best results of any thinner I'd tested to date.
 
the Baron said:
I settled on using Tamiya's own acrylic thinner, with their acrylics, and have gotten the best results of any thinner I'd tested to date.

Using manufacturers thinners for their paints is always my first choice, especially when airbrushing or trying out a new paint.
Maybe then I'll try something else but I find it's good to have a baseline on how the paints behave, even if there is a bit more of a cost involved, but it rather spend a few bucks as opposed to gumming up an airbrush or worse, ruining the paint on a kit.

It is interesting however where the mr color thinners popup, don't think I've actually read of people using them with mr colour paints :)
 
WebbyNZ said:
Using manufacturers thinners for their paints is always my first choice, especially when airbrushing or trying out a new paint...

I suffer from an illness that we call around here "being Dutchy". It's an all-powerful urge to save a buck, and it takes its name from our Pennsylvania dutch neighbors, who are reputed to be frugal to a fault. Or as the Germans say (translated), "He turns every penny over", meaning, in his hand, before he gives it up.

When I got back into modeling, my Dutchy senses were piqued by reading tips from modelers about using cheaper products than brand-name products, or other substitutes. One such substitute that works very well is Future, in place of more expensive, brand-name acrylic gloss coats. But using isopropyl as a thinner for any acrylics turned out not to work as well for me.

I'm at peace now, with my Dutchy senses, because I've learned not to let them pull me pell-mell into every purchase, though, I do still try to save a buck.
 
I literally was about to search for this topic, and here it was in the feed. Awesome! I've had the problem of it not lying down well at all and drying fast with no thinner, so just to be clear about the Tamiya thinner (x-20A): does the drying fast create more or less the same problems as using no thinner, or does it lay down well, but just dries faster than you would like?

Again, thanks for the tip!
 
fettered said:
I literally was about to search for this topic, and here it was in the feed. Awesome! I've had the problem of it not lying down well at all and drying fast with no thinner, so just to be clear about the Tamiya thinner (x-20A): does the drying fast create more or less the same problems as using no thinner, or does it lay down well, but just dries faster than you would like?

Again, thanks for the tip!

Hi, fettered,

I find that the drying time is not an issue; that is, the paint dries at the same rate, I found, when I apply it with or without the thinner. The real issue is that without thinning it, it wouldn't cure properly, but would tend to clump and to lift off, when I would apply another coat or another color. I have definitely gotten consistently better results, since I learned to thin the paint and to use Tamiya's acrylic thinner.
 
Helpful hint.
I've always dreaded brush painting with Tamiya for anything bigger than what my brush could cover in about 2-3 strokes.
I'll have to find a small bottle at the LHS and give it a try.
 
Since I last posted, I have also tried thinning Tamiya acrylics with lacquer thinner. I've read that some have used it to thin Tamiya acrylics for airbrushing, with good results. I used the same processes as I do with Tamiya's own thinner. I put a couple of drops of lacquer thinner in a well in my palette, and then dipped my brush in the paint, then into the thinner, and applied the paint; I mixed a couple of drops of lacquer thinner in a well, and then added a couple drops of paint, stirring with a toothpick till it was consistent, and then applied it to the piece; and I've also dipped the brush in the thinner, and then into the paint, and then applied it. In each case, I got a nice, flat coat, no clumps, pretty much as I do with Tamiya's own thinner. So, if you don't have Tamiya's thinner but you have lacquer thinner, you could try that, too.
 
Cool. Good to know. I meant to try the very same thing but it slipped my mind. Thanks.
 
I am one of those who has used lacquer thinner to run Tamiya paint through an airbrush. the only downside is the paint dries faster and you can get paint buildup on the tip of the airbrush
 

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