Using Tamiya Acrylics with a Brush?

[Hiryu02]

So I am starting work on a new kit that only needs a bit of paint, minor detail work really. I don't have a compressor yet for my AB so I was considering doing a bit of brush painting with some Tamiya acrylics I have.

I'm not experienced with acryls, I used mostly enamels in the past.

Do I have to significantly thin these acryls if I am brushing them on? I have the tamiya thinner if need be.

What ratio should I use to get a smooth finish without strokes showing too badly?


Also, when performing a wash to bring out small details, does the surface in question need to have a clearcoat already? or do I just go ahead and slap some future on after applying the wash?

Thanks for your time and advice.

[USSARCADIA]

In my experience Tamiya acrylics do not brush on very easy. They rend to clump up and dry out quickly. I usually just AB these, or brush only if its a small area and can be done with a dab or one stroke of the brush. You might try brushing it on some scrap styrene or sprue to get the feel of it.

[Kylwell]

I've used Tamiya's to detail paint items with a brush. The glossy paints are much smoother and will self level quite well. Always brush out from a painted area. Haven't had much luck with the flats unless it's a relatively small area.

[Maschinen Krueger]

Tamiya acrylics need to be thinned properly to brush paint. However, if you use their thinner or rubbing alcohol it can lift the previous coat if it is not set. Also, do not go back over an area after you have applied the paint until it has dried throughly. Brushing Tamiya paint over just applied Tamiya paint will result in a globby mess.I used a mixture of 50/50 distilled water and rubbing alcohol and achieved good results even painting gloss white. Ugh, but never again. It took me 5 coats of thin paint to get good coverage over the course of several days. I also wet sanded with 2000 grit sandpaper to knock back any brush strokes. I will never brush paint a whole model after that experience again.

I'll have to disagree with the previous comment, I find brush painting the Flat paints easier than brush painting their gloss paints.

[Kylwell]

Hmm, I'll have to try the thinning trick. Never thinned for brush paint, just a/b.

[Hiryu02]

I'm not doing a whole model, just a few small areas of color on the "hems" of the model so to speak.

ok, so that's a 50/50 thinner/paint ratio, I'll be trying that.

Heh, it almost sounds like I'll be better off getting a compressor than attempting to brush this on.

In any case, I did ok brushing enamels on before, I guess it's time to break out some leftover parts and do some experimentation.

[Triarius]

I seem to be one of the few people who does this without difficulty—probably because I'm a former paint technologist.

Tamiya acrylics tend to skin over rapidly because they are an alcohol solvent system. They are not truly compatible with aqueous solvent (water). While deionized or distilled water can be used as a cosolvent, using too much can result in adhesion problems, as well as difficulties with the character of the finish.

You can thin, and apply multiple multiple coats, or…

Clean the surface. That means nearly surgically clean. I use flat gray Tamiya as a primer, the adhesion is that good—on a clean surface.

Decant a small amount of paint.

Put a small amount of 90% isopropyl alcohol in a small container. (Thimble-sized)

Dip the tip of the brush (a good quality flat) in the alcohol.

Load the brush with paint. You want as much paint as the brush will hold without dripping.

Paint with a wet edge. Lay the paint on, don't try to spread it very much, and don't try to fix an error. Tamiya self levels very well, and when it has fully cured, anything that hasn't already fixed itself can be redone. Stop painting before you think you have to do so. This is the most critical part. People generally try to spread paint as much as possible, and most common paints are formulated to allow this. Tamiya is not. Stop applying paint before you think you have to reload the brush.

Before you reload the brush, touch the tip to the isopropyl alcohol, then load the brush with paint. Doing this keeps the amount of thinner at a minimum, resulting in better hide, better leveling, and better adhesion.

Allow the paint to cure before recoating. Curing is not drying. Paint goes through several stages before it starts to cure. It is applied wet. Then it becomes tacky, then tack-free, then dry—and finally it starts to cure. Tamiya requires at least twenty-four hours at STP to cure, longer under cold or humid conditions. Force curing can reduce this time to a few hours.

If recoating a gloss, the second coat should go on immediately once the first coat is cured. This is because many Tamiya gloss paints contain a gloss enhancer that will migrate to the paint surface shortly after curing is complete—and interfere with the bond of a second coat. This means that if you force cure a gloss, extra care is needed not to force cure too long. It is generally best to allow Tamiya gloss to cure at STP, and recoat at just under twenty-four hours or so.[/i]

[Hiryu02]

Thanks for the tips Triarius. What about Gunze acrylics? Do they behave differently? Do you have any suggestions for working with those?

umm..STP....? S?TemperatureP?

Sorry, thanks again for the breakdown on the paints and I look forward to more of your tips, should you like to share them.

[tonyG2]

Its worth looking at Hannants own brand Xtracolour acylics as they are authentic FS and BS etc coded. THey brush reasonably well when thinned with alcohol and also OK with water.

Also try Games Workshop paints. As with many of the Tamiya range there are not many tghat are authentic shades (outside of the GW universe) but they thin well with water and brush easily.

[Triarius]

STP: Standard Temperature and Pressure—sea level at 70°F, essentially. Normal inside conditions for a pleasant day in a temperate climate.

I don't use Gunze, but I understand that the behave similarly, and are compositionally similar to, Tamiya.

[Hiryu02]

Ok, thanks for the info on Gunze. I asked about them since their bottles state "aqueous" specifically.

Thanks again for all the info, you guys have been very helpful so far.

[TER-OR]

Gunze and Tamiya paints may be mixed without issue. They behave the same. The only difference I've found is the Tamiya flat paints have a lot more flattening agent than Gunze.

You may also want to look at how gamers paint. While these paints are thinner than game paints, the same flow-agents and drying retarders will help quite a bit.
http://www.reapermini.com/TheCraft/15

Liquitex makes products called Flo-Aid and Slo-Dri. These are very valuable in eliminating brush strokes. The article above has been VERY useful to me over the past couple years.

AV http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/
http://www.ttfxmedia.com/vallejo/cgi-bi ... lcolor&p3=

These guys make military colors and all sorts of goodies. Their paints are made for hand-brushing (except the airbrush-ready line). It's important to thin correctly, and they have some good guides.

[Hiryu02]

Very informative article, TER-OR, thanks very much for the link.