Createx illustration cross-linking

J000seph

Detail Decepticon!
How do different reducers affect the erasing of Createx Illustration Colors?

Ok, the results are in!

IMG_5510.JPG
IMG_5511.JPG

The results were less exciting than I was expecting. Using a soft eraser, aggressive eraser, fiber pencil, and blade, there was barely a noticeable difference between the different reducers.

I excluded 4020 because Createx states on their website, " The soft erasing trait time window is removed as 4020 will aggressively air cure Createx illustration colors."

This experiment was done on Yupo synthetic paper so the blade test is poor. As Dru Blair says, "Yupo can't take the blade like Blair synthetic."

The paint was a mixed bottle of a "buffered" color. All were done with a 50% reduction at 20 psi. The 4030 was done at 10% (as recommended by Createx) reduced 50% with 4012.

The water & 4011 were slightly easier to erase than both the 4012 & the 4030 reduced with 4012. Createx claims that 4012 dries faster & cures with improved film properties. I would agree that soft erasing with the 4012 is more subtle because it doesn't erase as fast or easy as the water & 4011. And subtle is what you are trying to achieve with soft erasing. The 4012 takes more elbow grease to erase & is more forgiving.

I learned a few other comparisons with this test other than how these different reducers erase. The paint reduced with water was much grainier than the rest. Since this test was done on non-porous synthetic paper this was more noticeable and I would think that it would be noticeable on other hard surfaces. The smoothest was the 4012. Results may differ using different reductions and/or psi. The 4030 did flow good but the test wasn't long enough to compare tip dry differences of each. The coverage of the 4030 wasn't as much as the rest even at the recommended 10% (as should be expected). As a result the 4030 was less uniform. Part of that could be user ability.

And just for fun, I did a "homemade" reducer test using the Jason Jones recipe easily found online. It erased about the same as reducing with water and was even more grainy. I mean, bad. Pigment migration. In my opinion, save your money and use tap water. It will come out better. In a pinch I might would use it for Wicked since water cannot be used to reduce Wicked.

This was a quick test and your results may vary. My conclusion is that Createx Illustration is great paint and will do great reduced with water, 4011, 4012 or no reduction at all at the right psi. I honestly don't think I could tell a difference between 4011 & 4012 unless I had them side by side.

Don't take my word for it, I'm just another guy with an airbrush. Try your own tests & post your results. Please feel free to reply with any experience you have using Createx Illustration.
 
Last edited:
How do different reducers affect the erasing of Createx Illustration Colors?

Ok, the results are in!

View attachment 46746
View attachment 46747

The results were less exciting than I was expecting. Using a soft eraser, aggressive eraser, fiber pencil, and blade, there was barely a noticeable difference between the different reducers.

I excluded 4020 because Createx states on their website, " The soft erasing trait time window is removed as 4020 will aggressively air cure Createx illustration colors."

This experiment was done on Yupo synthetic paper so the blade test is poor. As Dru Blair says, "Yupo can't take the blade like Blair synthetic."

The paint was a mixed bottle of a "buffered" color. All were done with a 50% reduction at 20 psi. The 4030 was done at 10% (as recommended by Createx) reduced 50% with 4012.

The water & 4011 were slightly easier to erase than both the 4012 & the 4030 reduced with 4012. Createx claims that 4012 dries faster & cures with improved film properties. I would agree that soft erasing with the 4012 is more subtle because it doesn't erase as fast or easy as the water & 4011. And subtle is what you are trying to achieve with soft erasing. The 4012 takes more elbow grease to erase & is more forgiving.

I learned a few other comparisons with this test other than how these different reducers erase. The paint reduced with water was much grainier than the rest. Since this test was done on non-porous synthetic paper this was more noticeable and I would think that it would be noticeable on other hard surfaces. The smoothest was the 4012. Results may differ using different reductions and/or psi. The 4030 did flow good but the test wasn't long enough to compare tip dry differences of each. The coverage of the 4030 wasn't as much as the rest even at the recommended 10% (as should be expected). As a result the 4030 was less uniform. Part of that could be user ability.

And just for fun, I did a "homemade" reducer test using the Jason Jones recipe easily found online. It erased about the same as reducing with water and was even more grainy. I mean, bad. Pigment migration. In my opinion, save your money and use tap water. It will come out better. In a pinch I might would use it for Wicked since water cannot be used to reduce Wicked.

This was a quick test and your results may vary. My conclusion is that Createx Illustration is great paint and will do great reduced with water, 4011, 4012 or no reduction at all at the right psi. I honestly don't think I could tell a difference between 4011 & 4012 unless I had them side by side.

Don't take my word for it, I'm just another guy with an airbrush. Try your own tests & post your results. Please feel free to reply with any experience you have using Createx Illustration.
Thanks for showing that. I have used water and 5029 the original Illustration reduce. The 5029 sucked, the tip dry became almost immediate even with lowering the psi down to 10. Some days I wander if my Createx Illustration paint was affected in delivery. I know it was a warm spring when I got it and I almost wonder if the heat setting in the back of a UPS truck for that 7 day journey caused adverse affects on the molecular structure of the paint. I.E. coagulation. Causing thicker globs which can't be broken back down. This would explain the clogging inside the nozzle the hearing the straining of air flow and then a sudden spit. Well I will give the 4011 a run soon and if it is a failure the into the garbage it will go.

Thanks for the breakdown on your test.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for showing that. I have used water and 5029 the original Illustration reduce. The 5029 sucked, the tip dry became almost immediate even with lowering the psi down to 10. Some days I wander if my Createx Illustration paint was affected in delivery. I know it was a warm spring when I got it and I almost wonder if the heat setting in the back of a UPS truck for that 7 day journey caused adverse affects on the molecular structure of the paint. I.E. coagulation. Causing thicker globs which can't be broken back down. This would explain the clogging inside the nozzle the hearing the straining of air flow and then a sudden spit. Well I will give the 4011 a run soon and if it is a failure the into the garbage it will go.

Thanks for the breakdown on your test.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Give the 4011 a chance. At Dru Blair's school we used Illustration straight from the bottle (no reducer) at 22 psi.

The 5029 was called a reducer but it's not a reducer in the sense that it doesn't change the viscosity of the paint. It's transparent base. Same as paint minus the pigment. The 4011 will thin the paint & help fight tip dry.
 
I had a lot of troubles with Illustration reduced with water. It spray's fine but after a while (talking 15-30 minutes here not hours) it seems to react with the water creating gooy/gummy blotches in the paint which clogged the nozzle of my brush regulary. After I started using the reducer this problem was solved for me.

Just thought I'd mention it in case others also encountered this :p
 
On a side note, I really just wanted to know if 4030 made Illustration Colors difficult to erase.

The answer is, "No". 4030 erases just fine. :)

No one I asked seemed to be able to answer that question for me. Createx replied to my email politely and referred me to their technical data page but I couldn't find anything about 4030 affecting cross-linking time or erasing.
 
I'd be curious how 4030 non-reduced would do. Say 50/50 mix. Seems once you break down the base with the reducers, they become much more erasable.
 
I'd be curious how 4030 non-reduced would do. Say 50/50 mix. Seems once you break down the base with the reducers, they become much more erasable.

IMG_5516.JPG

The 4030 (no reducer) at 50/50 mix was much thicker to spray than the reduced paint and would have sprayed better at a slightly higher psi than the 20 psi I used for this test.

The result was that the paint was fragile & erases too easy. Even easier than using water to reduce. If I were to guess, I would think that this ratio to paint lacks the needed binders the paint contains for its thicker viscosity. Maybe that's why Createx only recommends adding 10%.
 
The 4030 (no reducer) at 50/50 mix was much thicker to spray than the reduced paint and would have sprayed better at a slightly higher psi than the 20 psi I used for this test.

The result was that the paint was fragile & erases too easy. Even easier than using water to reduce. If I were to guess, I would think that this ratio to paint lacks the needed binders the paint contains for its thicker viscosity. Maybe that's why Createx only recommends adding 10%.

Thanks for that test. It's certainly shows some interesting properties since the info. from Createx and others is that the 4030 is a hard protective coating, additive. I know the guys at Coast have been using much more than 10% now. I got the feeling from the feedback people were giving was that it created a much more robust and "tougher" paint film.

I will have some in my possession in the next week or so, and I'll do some tests as well.

Can't say I'm not a bit disappointed and surprised with your results.
 
Thanks for that test. It's certainly shows some interesting properties since the info. from Createx and others is that the 4030 is a hard protective coating, additive. I know the guys at Coast have been using much more than 10% now. I got the feeling from the feedback people were giving was that it created a much more robust and "tougher" paint film.

I will have some in my possession in the next week or so, and I'll do some tests as well.

Can't say I'm not a bit disappointed and surprised with your results.

In all fairness, my test was moments after it dried. I'm sure 4030 hardens more with enough time to cure. 4030 has a long list of uses. I got it after seeing a live feed demonstration Coast Airbrush did on Facebook.

And it did great at the recommended 10%
 
I had a lot of troubles with Illustration reduced with water. It spray's fine but after a while (talking 15-30 minutes here not hours) it seems to react with the water creating gooy/gummy blotches in the paint which clogged the nozzle of my brush regulary. After I started using the reducer this problem was solved for me.

Just thought I'd mention it in case others also encountered this :p
Yes that is exactly what I had issues with . When I used the Illustration reducer (not trans base) it caused instant tip dry. That's why I was thinking of using 4011 even though it was developed for Auto Air.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Yes that is exactly what I had issues with . When I used the Illustration reducer (not trans base) it caused instant tip dry. That's why I was thinking of using 4011 even though it was developed for Auto Air.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Found this:

Thank you for contacting Createx Colors. We currently offer (3) reducers. 4020 Automotive Reducer is professional grade automotive reducer designed for automotive applications and is not the best choice for your project where you would like to utilize the “soft erasing technique”. 4012 High Performance Reducer and 4011 Reducer are both suitable for your purposes, meaning the soft erase window will be available for about 48 hrs. after which the colors will dry to a hard, durable coating. 5091 Createx Illustration Colors Reducer was discontinued as we found our other reducers performed better and still allowed for the soft erase feature with the Createx Illustration Colors. It should be noted similarly to how Dru Blair uses the Createx Illustration Colors, they may be used in with small airbrush-tip sizes straight from the bottle without any reduction at all.

http://www.airbrushforum.org/threads/reducers-some-info-for-you-all.14602/

Thanks @IPT


 
Back
Top