How I know my air pressure and paint is correct

AndreZA

Air-Valve Autobot!
I ALWAYS use a drop of water and a drop of medium/transparent base in my paint. Then a drop of paint if I want transparent and 2 drops if I want opaque. A quick spray at 2 bar and see how it covers. Too opaque, I use medium. Too transparent I use paint. Try again until I get close.

Then it's time to work on flow. I turn Mac valve shut and pull back trigger till where I want to see paint start spraying. I slowly start to open the Mac valve until it starts spraying. When pressure gets too high for my liking, I start adding water. This does change opacity too, but coverage at low pressure gets better the closer you are to the surface anyway. So I shut valve again and start again. If paint gets too transparent I know I have to settle for more pressure. So I then add a drop of paint again.

So I basically adjust the paint to match the low pressure and only when I've "broken" the paint will I up the pressure.

Back and forth like this and I get it in about 30 seconds of trying.
 
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Good quick summary, thanks Andre. Is that with any particular paint or all the ones you use?
 
Geez, I should not type on the phone late at night. I just made some changes but concept stays the same.
 
Thanks for the info Andre

Im not sure where I read about it, but i remember someone saying water should not be used with CI i understand it is waterbased paint! Interested to see what you think, its so much more thicker than all the paints listed.
 
Thanks for the info Andre

Im not sure where I read about it, but i remember someone saying water should not be used with CI i understand it is waterbased paint! Interested to see what you think, its so much more thicker than all the paints listed.
If I remember it right it was due to the fact that CI does contain solvents even if it is very little and the solvents react to water
 
Thanks for the info Andre

Im not sure where I read about it, but i remember someone saying water should not be used with CI i understand it is waterbased paint! Interested to see what you think, its so much more thicker than all the paints listed.
I will not use water with it but the correct reducer.
 
since I lost part of my sight I stopped using water in my paints ( only Etac EFX for me ) but only the trans. base if I want the paint more transparent or nothing at all if I want opaque paints my compressor is set to the pressure my revolution airbrush needs so about 2.5 bar but other than that I work the same as Andre does . all my brushes have a mac valve except for the revolution I use a second hose with a inline mac valve for that brush
 
Good info, i will try to use the technique myself. Been trying CI over the last week or 2 and only used the reducer that came with it. Still need to fully figure the mixture out but got it good enough to paint my PP.

Lee
 
I ALWAYS use a drop of water and a drop of medium/transparent base in my paint. Then a drop of paint if I want transparent and 2 drops if I want opaque. A quick spray at 2 bar and see how it covers. Too opaque, I use medium. Too transparent I use paint. Try again until I get close.

Then it's time to work on flow. I turn Mac valve shut and pull back trigger till where I want to see paint start spraying. I slowly start to open the Mac valve until it starts spraying. When pressure gets too high for my liking, I start adding water. This does change opacity too, but coverage at low pressure gets better the closer you are to the surface anyway. So I shut valve again and start again. If paint gets too transparent I know I have to settle for more pressure. So I then add a drop of paint again.

So I basically adjust the paint to match the low pressure and only when I've "broken" the paint will I up the pressure.

Back and forth like this and I get it in about 30 seconds of trying.

Thank you a lot for the information! :)
 
I've just read this post lots of good tips in it.

I do have a question though
Trans base is it right it doesn't thin the consistency of the paint just makes it more translucent

Beginner-James
 
Thank you Malky
If i want opaque paint to behave like transparent paint I just add water or water and transparent in equal quantities
Beginner-James
 
you cant really make a opaque paint transparent but yes by adding either water or trans base to it you will need more layers to reach max saturation and it will act more or less like a real transparent but you do need to add a lot transbase to your paint with etac white or black I add about 20 drops trans base to 1 drop off paint and no water at all
 
Thank you Malky
If i want opaque paint to behave like transparent paint I just add water or water and transparent in equal quantities
Beginner-James

Generally you can add the base and/water in any ratios you like, what you happen to be doing will usually determine what ratios you need, there isn't much in the way of rules so as you gain more experience you'll know when thinner, thicker or more transparency is needed.
 
Generally you can add the base and/water in any ratios you like, what you happen to be doing will usually determine what ratios you need, there isn't much in the way of rules so as you gain more experience you'll know when thinner, thicker or more transparency is needed.

I wish you had wrote that a loooooooong time ago @Malky :).... It took a lot of efforts to understand it!! But stii working on it!
 
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