I just want to know when you airbrush a boxcar or loco do you start with the top or sides first and do you lay the model on it’s side to paint the sides so there no runs or just hold it up rite?i have had a few problems with runs. thanks rambo1…
You should not have any runs with an airbrush, if you do, then you are hosing it on a little to heavy. There are many good published articles about weathering that will help you more then I can and strongly suggest reading them. Start with very light weathering because you can always add more later.
Jon
I have one of those kitchen “lazy susans” that I use for painting. I set a small block of wood that fits inside the model to raise it up so I can get the lower surfaces. I paint the vertical surfaces first; the sides and ends, turning it as I go. I just turn the lazy susan; I don’t have to worry about touching the model. Then, I paint the roof. If you’re getting runs it’s usually because one of two things:
- You’re spraying from too close, and/or applying the paint too heavily. I spray from about 12" from the model.
- If your paint is mixed thin, it’s better to apply your paint in successive coats, rather than one heavy coat. I mix my paint to the consistency of milk.
I paint only with acrylics (water bases) and I thin my paint with alcohol. IMO It flows better than paint thinned with water, and it dries quicker. You want your paint almost dry when it hits your model, this helps prevent runs.
Use several light coats to prevent runs. You can use a hair dryer to help the drying process between coats
ratled
If the roof is a different color than the sides, then I’ll do the roof first. I find it easier to mask the roof after painting and then do the sides. And if I haven’t masked the roof perfectly and there is some over spray from the side painting, well then I can use the “it’s prototypical to have some over spray” excuse.
If you are asking how the model is oriented during the spraying operation, I try to hold the airbrush horizontal. That means that I would hold the model with the roof vertical to spray it. When spraying the sides, I would hold the car in its normal orientation so the side is perpendicular to the airbrush. They make holders to hold the car this way if you happen to be painting a boxcar. Other cars require more inventive means to secure them.
Then, if painting a car with vertical ribs, I paint from top to bottom parallel to the ribs. Other cars I move the airbrush from side to side. You alway want to try to have the airbrush nozzle perpendicular to whatever it is you are painting. Always start the airbrush before hitting the model with paint, and always stop the airbrush after you reach the end of each pass. If you start and stop while aiming at the model, you’re likely to end up with pooling, spatter, and probably other non-desireable results.
You can make a perfectly good holder for airbrushing by taking an old-fashioned wire coat hanger and untwisting it, then bending it into a “Y” shape with the opposite ends crossing over each other. You can either hold this by hand or rest it on a work surface.
great advice thanks to all .rambo1…