Vallejo Model Color paint question

[dkev]

I just picked up a set of these, and every where I've read said just to mix with distilled water for airbrushing. However the owner of the hobby store where I bought these said he has gotten best results with this paint by mixing it with Windex w/ ammonia. I know there seems to be some debate on what works best with this paint but I wanted to get some opinions here.

 

[MrNatural]

Get yourself a bottle of the Vallejo Airbrush Thinner. It you want the best results its always best to stick with the brand specific thinners. Vallejo is no exception. You'll save yourself a lot of head aches

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

This is the stuff you want:

http://www.elmcityhobbies.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=55_56_62&products_id=2838

 

[dkev]

From everything I've read we have; distilled water, a 50/50 mix of Windex and Future, and Liquitex Airbrush Medium. I'll have to do some experimenting. Guess that's part of the fun.

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

Yes, those are all concoctions that can be used, but why not use the product that company makes that is specifically designed to work with their paint.

Works the same every time, no need to mix something else up. Thins both the Model Air and their Model Color, really is all you need.

Problem with using stuff like distilled water, is that while it will thin the paint, it also weakens the covalent bond of the paint to the subject you are painting...same with windex (the ammonia in it actually breaks up the paint rather than thinning it).

Future...yes, it will work, as it is just basically an acrylic clear medium.

The Vallejo thinner is designed to work with the paint, thinning it, but also aids in helping bond the paint to the subject, and has some retarder in it already to keep your paint from drying too quickly in the airbrush, or on the way to the model.

 

[dkev]

1:1 water mix works flawless. Not a single clog at about 15psi.

 

[Chris S]

Yip ...gotta agree ,simple good old water works fine ,I find if using their thinners I still need to wash the AB out with water as it tends to 'Gum' up a bit .

Chris.

 

[sunsanvil]

Its worth noting that the "new" Vallejo air brush thinner is a radical departure from the old one. In fact there is some debate as to whether it was correct to call the original (the one which is milky white in the bottle) a thinner in the traditional sense: its actually a very very thin acrylic suspension (similar to medium but without the resins).

The new formula is a classic alcohol/glycol-ether based product which is completely different to work with.

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

The new formula is a classic alcohol/glycol-ether based product which is completely different to work with.

Not alcohol based, at least not in the traditional sense like rubbing alcohol that you would use with other acrylics to thin them, and will of course gel/curdle Vallejo Paint.

The main ingredient (other than water) is 2-Butoxyethanol

It is a colorless liquid with a sweet, ether-like odour. It is a butyl ether of ethylene glycol.

 

[sunsanvil]

Bottom line: I like it!

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

Oh, it's awesome. Completely takes the guess work out of thinning the Vallejo Model Color paints. With the old thinner, some colors could be 1 to 1, while others could be as much as 5 to 1 thinner to paint....was no real standard ratio.

This new stuff...2 to 1, pretty much every color, and you are golden. Few of the heavier pigmented colors maybe go 3 to 1....but still...much easier to thin them with the new thinner, than the old thinner.

 

[Daf57]

Interesting - I just got a new bottle and noticed the "New Formula" - haven't tried it yet but will this afternoon. Thanks for the heads up on that.

I've also had good luck using Liquitex airbrush medium with the Model Color.

 

[sunsanvil]

If you are accustomed to the old "thinner", which made a somewhat heavy mix (almost impossible to get runs with), just be aware that the new one makes for a more "liquidy" mix (for lack of a better word). You get a finer drop size but be sure to use fine passes with the gun.

I even add a few drops of it to the otherwise ready to use ModelAir to stretch out the color (lets me build up the shades more gradually and it seems to all but eliminate tip-dry).