Problems with airbrush & Window Masks

[JeffEmbracedDC]

Aye, guys. So I did my first paint job the other night and I was having some major issues with my brush.

#1. It wasn't a completely soft spray. It was slightly speckley if you look close.
#2. After about 10 minutes or so of painting I noticed little spider-webbey strings of paint inside of my body.. it literally looked like a spider was in there and was making randomly shaped webbs

I apparently didn't have a good paint/thinner/air pressure set up. I am using Pacta Racing Finish colors and thinner with a Badger single action airbrush. Does anyone know how I might be able to fix these problems?

Also, how do you guys usually mask windows? I am thinking about getting some pinstriping tape from an auto store to do the outline and then fill in the center with whatever (I usually use electrical tape). Do you guys suggest liquid mask at all? I've never used it. Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks!

-J

[hijacker]

Both of your airbrush problems sound like you didn't thin the paint enough. You need to thin the paint usually at least 50/50 for the best results, sometimes more.

Most bodies come with precut window masks now, if your does obviously use those.

If it doesn't, then use masking tape. Don't use electrical tape for masking, it doesn't seal very well and can leave glue residue behind.

I love liquid mask, most people brush it on with a foam paint brush, but I prefer to spray it on using a mini-paintgun (not an airbrush).

Hope this helps.

Chad

[rcpaintfx]

I agree with hijacker, your paint is too thick.
I use pactra paint a lot with a single action Badger 200, works great.
The pin stripe tape used to mask the outside of your windows and then fill the middle with normal auto masking tape, works well, when the shell does not come with pre cut window masks. Make sure you rub the pinstripe tape down really well.

[JeffEmbracedDC]

Great! Thanks, guys. Yeah my paint mixture wasn't 50/50 at all.. it was closer to 80/20. So how do you mix paint so there's the least waste? I buy the small bottles that can screw right on to my brush. The bottles don't come all the way filled so what I did was took a syringe and filled it with thinner, then filled the bottle close to the top with thinner (with some air room so it could be mixed by shaking). Do I have to have a separate bottle for my current paint mix? meaning when I need to paint a color, I should have a fresh bottle, estimate the amount I should use, and mix it separately in a fresh bottle.. and when I switch colors just throw away any extra color I didn't use? That seems kind of wasteful. I am a total n00b when it comes to airbrushing. Basically my dad has had an airbrush that he's never used for the last 20 years and I just decided to use it a few days ago.. and it doesn't even have a manual.. and the pactra paint doesn't have any instructions.. so your tips on thinning will definitely help. So anyway, how do you guys usually manage your paint/bottles? Thanks!

-J

[JeffEmbracedDC]

Alright.. well I bought some good quality 1/4" 3M pinstripe tape at an auto shop today and am trying it out..I can't get the tape to bend for the life of me. It just folds when you try to make a radius no matter what. My 3/4" electrical tape works better for masking radiuses.. so I'm just really confused. Any ideas? any certain tape that I should try? From the amount that the 1/4" folds over, I am pretty sure that 1/8" wouldn't work either. Thanks, guys.

-J

-- Edit --

As far as the residue goes, the tape electrical tape that I used makes an absolutely amazing seal and a razor sharp line, and leaves no residue. It's also slightly strechy so you can bend it to create radiuses. Any masking tape I have tried.. the paint just soaks in to the paper and bleeds.. and believe me, I'm washing the body with degreasing soap and then having a final rinse with distilled water, then drying it with a lint free cloth, so the body's definitely clean and the tape has been high quality, and new with nice clean edges.. so I don't know.. any ideas, guys? thanks again.

-J

[hijacker]

Jeff - in order to thin your paint enough you may have to get a seperate bottle, or as you empty bottles of paint keep them and use those as your mixing bottles. There is no need to throw paint away.

As for the tape question, if the electrical tape works for you then use it. I would be a little careful with using the paint thinner and the electrical tape, I'm not sure if the tape would begin to "melt" from the solvent or not.

[JeffEmbracedDC]

yeah good point.. I'm apparently going to have to experiment.. I just can't get regular tape to bend for me.. any certain tapes I should try? Later.

-J

[hijacker]

To do a really good job at masking the windows try this instead of trying to "bend" the tape...

Use a good masking tape, such as 3M. I exclusively use 3M blue painter's tape if I'm not using liquid mask. You pay more for the tape, but it's worth it. You can find it in the paint section of hardware stores or Home Depot, Lowe's etc.

Mask off the window with the tape covering the whole window and beyond, in other words, you've masked off more than you want to. Next, take a black sharpie marker and draw the line you want to cut, either on the tape itself or in the groove that is the window frame on the outside of the body (you will see the black line through the tape very well if you hold it up to light). Next, using a SHARP razor/exacto knife cut along the line you've drawn, being careful not to cut into the lexan, just the tape. Peel of the extra mask and you have yourself a perfectly masked window.

To prevent the paint from bleeding beneath the edges of the tape, run your fingernail along the edges of the tape to seal it down extra tight. This is called "burnishing" the tape edge and will make bleeds a thing of the past.

Don't spray in heavy coats either, each coat should be a light mist. You may have to spary multiple coats of the same color to make the paint thick enough, this is ok and in fact the way you want to do it.

Good Luck!

Chad

[JeffEmbracedDC]

Hey, thanks again. I've used 3M blue painters tape and it has always bled for me sligltly.. and I ALWAYS make SURE to press down the edges a few times over with a nice clean firm edge.. like with the side of a credit card or something. but anyway.. The pinstriping tape I bought was $10 for a tiny roll.. 3M..anyway it's good quality stuff.. so yes - your sharpie idea I have done before many times, and I can't ever seem to get nice straight lines with the xacto. But, that gives me an idea. I could put the tape on the lexan, trace it with the sharpie, peel it off, stick it on some clean glass, cut it out nice and clean, then peel it off the glass and re-apply to the lexan. That way I could get cleaner cuts because of more area to work with the knife, and I could also use straightedges and round things to cut the corners (like a ball point pen, or whatever, depending on the radius). Also, there wouldn't be any concern of slicing in to the lexan.

But I would like to know what most other people do. Hijacker, do you do the technique you mentioned? tape, trace, and cut on the lexan?

Also, where's a good place to get liquid mask other than the LHS? My LHS is fairly small and doesn't carry any.

I think I am just going to have to pick up an extra body or two from my LHS, get some 3M blue painters tape of a few different widths, try to find some 1/8" pinstriping tape, get some liquid mask, and just experiment.

Also, today I bought a bottle of paint just so I could have a spare bottle for $3. My LHS doesn't carry spare bottles so unfortunately I'm going to end up wasting a bottle of paint just for an extra jar.

Thanks, guys! I'll just experiment and see what I can do.

-J