White and reducer

Exodus

Double Actioner
So i'm practicing with old wicked white and it does ok but does thicken up after a bit, so i put in wicked reducer 0100 but i put in too much

approx what is the paint to reducer ratio ???

also i'm at 20psi
 
There’s no real set ratio for paint unfortunately. It depends a lot on what works for you. I always seem to reduce a lot more than the manufacturer states, but it works for me.
Nozzle size has a big impact too. A .35 Eclipse won’t require as much reducer as a .23 Micron for example.
But we may be able to give you a ballpark to try. What brush / nozzle size are you working with?
 
Ok cool.
Try to keep things as simple as possible. Try reducing 1 paint : 1 reducer. Give that a test spray and see how it’s behaving. If you can’t get a smooth, consistent line try it at 1:2 and repeat.
There are a couple of videos from one of our members here that explain air pressure and reduction very well. I’ll find them and send the links.
 
So i'm practicing with old wicked white and it does ok but does thicken up after a bit, so i put in wicked reducer 0100 but i put in too much

approx what is the paint to reducer ratio ???

also i'm at 20psi

As @SiRoxx mentioned, there is no blanket magic setting for reduction ratio and air pressure that will work flawlessly for everyone. There are a lot of factors that contribute to how a given reduction ratio and air pressure will perform for each individual artist. Finding what works best for you will require some experimentation.

I pretty much use Createx products exclusively and I have a wide range of their paint, including very old original paint formulations, as well as the newest formulations. I am generally in the range of 25 to 35 psi with an airbrush comparable to what you are using. My paint reduction is generally somewhere in the range of 2:1 or 1:1 (the first number is the volume of paint, the second is the reducer). That information should get you in the ballpark, but you'll still need to play around and find what works for you.

I've experienced what you described using the newest Createx paint formulations, particularly with Wicked Opaque White, Illustration Opaque White and 4011 Reducer. So, I don't believe the age of your paint and reducer are contributing to the issue.

I often keep reduced paint in small plastic 1- or 2-ounce containers with lids for those projects that require more than a day to finish. When I return the following day, the reduced white paint has almost always thickened up to a point that I need to add more reducer. It is completely normal for reducer to evaporate over time. I don't know why that tends to happen more rapidly with Createx white paint. I've had good success adding a small amount of reducer to the mix the following day. After about two days, that success drops off based on my experience. Emulsification between the pigment, binder and reducer seems to break down after that two-day time frame. The paint performs like it was way over reduced at that point. It doesn't cover well, and it will spider out easily. Adding more white paint to the mix doesn't seem to help either.

So, when it comes to Createx white paint specifically, I generally mix very small amounts, or only what I need (which is good practice anyway) and get rid of it after about 48 hours. If I need more at that point, I'll mix up a fresh batch.
 
A

I pretty much use Createx products exclusively and I have a wide range of their paint, including very old original paint formulations, as well as the newest formulations. I am generally in the range of 25 to 35 psi with an airbrush comparable to what you are using. My paint reduction is generally somewhere in the range of 2:1 or 1:1 (the first number is the volume of paint, the second is the reducer). That information should get you in the ballpark, but you'll still need to play around and find what works for you.

I've experienced what you described using the newest Createx paint formulations, particularly with Wicked Opaque White, Illustration Opaque White and 4011 Reducer. So, I don't believe the age of your paint and reducer are contributing to the issue.

A ballpark % is what i was looking for

more i mess around with my stuff the more i start to remember ,. not sure if this is still the same but 10 years ago any white paint was prone to bad tip dry and clumping up in the AB ,but it still does rather well all things considered
 
not sure if this is still the same but 10 years ago any white paint was prone to bad tip dry and clumping up in the AB ,but it still does rather well all things considered

It's still true. Any white paint, regardless of brand, whether solvent-based or water-based, is generally problematic in the airbrush world.
 
It's still true. Any white paint, regardless of brand, whether solvent-based or water-based, is generally problematic in the airbrush world.


Hey Trevor,
Can old or just plain thick white ( or other color ) Createx paint be cut with 4030 or 4050 for instance, to kinda revive the fluidity of the binders, mixed well and then thinned out with say 4011 ? Would that make it more usable and / or flow better ? Thanks for all the great info videos and help you give.
 
Hey Trevor,
Can old or just plain thick white ( or other color ) Createx paint be cut with 4030 or 4050 for instance, to kinda revive the fluidity of the binders, mixed well and then thinned out with say 4011 ? Would that make it more usable and / or flow better ? Thanks for all the great info videos and help you give.

It depends. If you have a newer bottle of opaque white, it already has 4050 in the mix from the factory. Adding more will likely add to the viscosity rather than reduce it. If it's an old bottle, or a color that doesn't include 4050 (I suspect eventually most of their products will, but they don't as of now), there's nothing wrong with adding a little 4050 to the mix (I wouldn't recommend adding more than 20 to 30 percent per volume). 4050 can improve flow and adhesion. However, adding too much binder can also have a negative effect on adhesion. So, be aware of that.

Under normal circumstances, if a bottle is far enough gone that I can't get it to spray after adding 4011 Reducer, it's time to just replace that bottle.
 
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