New guy

[Paul Bylin]

i have yet to spray anything through my airbrush that I got for Christmas. I’m sure the question I have has been asked about a zillion times.....but....is the paint for airbrushes special? I know (think) is acrylic paint, but can “any” acrylic paint be sprayed through it?
I’m a 69 year old disabled Vietnam vet and I do woodturning and woodworking. I’d like to expand my skills by using an airbrush to enhance some of my work.

Thanks for allowing a numb skull, like myself, into this forum to ask some dumb questions. But you know what they say....

Thanks,

Pauley

 

[SiRoxx]

i have yet to spray anything through my airbrush that I got for Christmas. I’m sure the question I have has been asked about a zillion times.....but....is the paint for airbrushes special? I know (think) is acrylic paint, but can “any” acrylic paint be sprayed through it?
I’m a 69 year old disabled Vietnam vet and I do woodturning and woodworking. I’d like to expand my skills by using an airbrush to enhance some of my work.

Thanks for allowing a numb skull, like myself, into this forum to ask some dumb questions. But you know what they say....

Thanks,

Pauley

Welcome from the U.K. Pauley. Nice to have you aboard. There are no dumb questions when it comes to airbrushing. The short answer is yes, there are paints designed with airbrushing in mind. In theory, non specific paints can also be used, but trust me, it can be hard enough to get airbrush paint to behave Haha, so it’s best to stick with that. Some common Brands are Createx Wicked / AutoAir / Illustration, Comart and Etac. Have a look round the internet and there’ll be a lot of reading to be done on those brands.
Main question is what do you want to paint on? Most of those brands I’ve mentioned are “multi surface” paints. But if someone wanted to paint a car I’d advise AutoAir over Etac for example.


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[Paul Bylin]

Welcome from the U.K. Pauley. Nice to have you aboard. There are no dumb questions when it comes to airbrushing. The short answer is yes, there are paints designed with airbrushing in mind. In theory, non specific paints can also be used, but trust me, it can be hard enough to get airbrush paint to behave Haha, so it’s best to stick with that. Some common Brands are Createx Wicked / AutoAir / Illustration, Comart and Etac. Have a look round the internet and there’ll be a lot of reading to be done on those brands.
Main question is what do you want to paint on? Most of those brands I’ve mentioned are “multi surface” paints. But if someone wanted to paint a car I’d advise AutoAir over Etac for example.


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Well, I’m wanting to paint designs on wood. Different species, such as maple, mahogany, walnut, etc...I guess I won’t be using just any paint, I’ll get paint that’s made for airbrushing...

Thanks for the welcome...

 

[SiRoxx]

Well, I’m wanting to paint designs on wood. Different species, such as maple, mahogany, walnut, etc...I guess I won’t be using just any paint, I’ll get paint that’s made for airbrushing...

Thanks for the welcome...

I know Createx Wicked paint is designed to adhere to pretty much anything, but it’s not the most user friendly for beginners. I would guess if the wood was sealed with a clear base coat then a lot of the different manufacturers paint could be used. Some of the more experienced guys will be along soon enough to welcome you and chime in with some suggestions.
In the mean time our illustrious leader Airbrush Tutor has a great YouTube channel with some great videos for some beginner exercises. I always recommend having a watch of those while preparing to get started.
There’s a great section on the forum called “Beginner’s Questions” if you need anything clarified.


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[Robbyrockett2]

Com art or aztek r probably good for what you want to do.

Assuming you don't need some crazy level of detail .35 or .5 brushes are likely good for your application.

Those nozzles aren't nearly as sensitive to use.

Basically you can spray whatever you like if it's thinned enough.

I'd recommend getting some kind of AB paint that's ready to spray at low pressure like com art or badger, or aztek..... Then you know how it's supposed to act.
Aztek would be a great way to go for what you want to do. Sprays like a dream but is a tough multisurface paint.

That gives you a good baseline to play around with acrylics or whatever else you'd like.

 

[jord001]

Welcome to the forum.

Lee

 

[Franc Kaiser]

Welcome to the forum from China! As already mentioned by others (and more knowledgeable members than me), better buy acrylics that is designed for airbrushing, otherwise the paint is not thin enough and may clog your airbrush. The paint should have the viscosity of milk... or, of water, with a few color pigment added. Normal acrylics does not do the trick, you would need to thin it a lot - you can do that if you want, but again, you may end up spending more time cleaning and fixing the brush than getting some painting done.

 

[Squishy]

Welcome aboard from the UK! The pigment in airbrush paint is ground finer making it easier to use, though will still require reducing depending on size of nozzle, and air pressure required. While "normal" paints can be reduced, the size of pigment will typically be too large and cause blockages.

 

[Stevemopolis]

i have yet to spray anything through my airbrush that I got for Christmas. I’m sure the question I have has been asked about a zillion times.....but....is the paint for airbrushes special? I know (think) is acrylic paint, but can “any” acrylic paint be sprayed through it?
I’m a 69 year old disabled Vietnam vet and I do woodturning and woodworking. I’d like to expand my skills by using an airbrush to enhance some of my work.

Thanks for allowing a numb skull, like myself, into this forum to ask some dumb questions. But you know what they say....

Thanks,

Pauley

I'm also a n00b and an avid. longtime woodworker/woodturner. So far I have only sprayed a bit of paint during a 2-day class I took in early December on Airbrushing for Woodturners. Looking forward to learning more about painting on wood with transparent dyes, inks and acrylics to enhance the natural figure in the wood.