I have never airbrushed. And i want to airbrush some laser cut buildings. Can any one tell me how to thin the paint to use in the airbrush? I"m going to use all purpose water based acrylic paints since i have lots of that kind. What should i use to reduce the paint? And what mixture should i use? thanks for any info
Acrylic paints generally don’t require thinning to be airbrushed. If you need to thin the paint, you can add a little water, since acrylics are water-based.
BTW you’ll probably want to seal in the wood (assuming you’re talking about laser-cut wood buildings?) before spraying. Otherwise the paint can warp the wood.
Definitely seal your wood. I use an acrylic based wood sealer from Liquitex (this can be applied with a brush and sanded smooth).
Thin your acrylics if they are thicker than 2% milk – just a little thicker than water. Water can be used, or commercial acrylic thinner. I personally use 35% rubbing alcohol (IOW, the 70% stuff you buy in the store, diluted 50% with distilled water).
What about Earth Colors Liquid Pigment from woodland scenic? Or what kind of paint i can use with out sealing the wood?
You can use almost any solvent based paint without worrying about the wood warping. Just be sure to spray in a very well ventilated area. I built a laser cut barn, that I painted with acrylics. I just used rattle can primer to prime AND seal the wood.
Maybe a false economy, here. Any water based paint (and WS Earth Colors are definitely water based) may warp the wood. More importantly, though, no matter what you choose, unless you completely cover the wood, even humidity in the air may warp it over time.
Sealing is a very easy step / process, which might add a grand total of an hour to the time needed to complete a project, depending on how much sanding you need to do. The acrylic stuff I use can be painted after about 30 minutes.
I think you’d be best served by accepting the need for sealing rather than looking for a way to avoid doing it.