Thin Any Acrylic Paint for Airbrush

Dude thank you so much for this video. At 43 and both of the kids out of the house, I have picked up building models again after 25 years! Having to buy most of the supplies and paint got expensive quick. I was wondering if I could use some of the craft paints for base coats and large surface areas, so I am so thankful I came across your video. Also thanks for being transparent and not editing your video, show your flaws and all. Those are things we can all learn from. SUBSCRIBED!! Keep up the good work

Thank you for this video!! The visual example with the coffee stir stick and the side of the cups was exactly what I needed! I'm wasted hrs with a inconsistent airbrush painting

Been watching videos all day trying to understand how to thin craft paints and this was easily the most helpful one yet!

Just used this process this morning to thin down some blue-grey craft paint to spray through my airbrush and it worked so well! Thank you so much!

Oh man this was fantastic as I’ve always had a huge guessing game when it comes to this. Also loving that printed stand for your airbrush

Just what I was looking for as I’m about to paint a mural on my garage door. Excellent detail with a great pace of process and procedures. And agree with showing failures… excellent teaching moments.

That drip test looks really quite useful. I need to try that!

Oh this is wonderful to know. I don’t do a lot of painting, but knowing what I would need to know should I dive down the air brushing path it's good to have experienced advice. Thanks for another great video! Bonus points for matching the paint to your desktop!

Been using the craft paint for a very long time on models. Actually did a large Necron army in the stuff years ago. The metallic colors work amazingly well. I still have my small expensive paints and use them as well. But that craft paint is hard to beat when it comes to just going down to the craft store and picking through a vast collection of color options.

I just got an airbrush and this video seems more straight foreward than all the others ive seen.. ill give it a shot and let you know what I experienced!! great video!

I have been painting model trains with craft acrylics with beautiful finishes. I put isopropyl alcohol into the paint cup first then ad the craft acrylics AFTER the alcohol so it doesn't glob up in the bottom of the cup and plug up my airbrush. It is pretty easy to do. Multiple light coats work well; don't try to cover the model with 1 coat. The tiny detail is preserved this way. I find 25 lbs pressure works well and I like a single action airbrush best because it is EASY to clean. I have not found a double action airbrush to be any better in painting models. It is very important to have a good primer or painted surface because craft acrylics don't adhere to plastic or metal well alone. I use 123 Zinser Bullseye and dilute it also with alcohol. I mix the paint and alcohol or primer with a small model paintbrush, rinsing it in a water. Alcohol dries quicker than water and a blow dryer speeds drying up if needed. Sometimes it is just better to let the model lay and air dry if you're having trouble. Metallic paints work better with water and congeal often with alcohol and plug the airbrush. I find the airbrush needs to be taken apart and cleaned about every 3rd paint batch or you start getting small bits of paint on the model that looks like dust but is paint that has acumulated in the airbrush. I use pipe cleaners, pieces of wire in varying sizes, and weed trimmer line to clean the airbrush nozzles. Weed trimmer line works well to clean the spout of the paintcup. These tips work well with "real" paint also like Rustoleum Ultra semigloss black for my locos. I have sprayed water based polyurethane also using alcohol for thinner. The finish looks like a commercial model paint job. With time, the primer and paint bond stronger and stronger to the model. A cleaning product at Dollar Tree called Awesome will clean the airbrush, paint cup and other parts. It strips paint off a model train like lottie's eye. It has eliminated my need for MEK and can be used on plastic. Great deal for $1.25

Sir, you are a great teacher. Extremely thorough without being boring.

That is absolutely the best way to test vecosity of cheap Achrylic paints for Airbrushing. Great Tutorials! Thank You!

Great advice! I'm trying to learn how to use an brush for my model building, and the thinning section helped greatly! Thanks very much!

I had been wanting to know how to thin craft paints for airbrushing and you answered all of my questions. Thanks for sharing this information.

I used your method to thin some Walmart acrylic paints and your drip method worked perfectly. I thinned it with ammonia free windex.

Fantastic video, reassuring , easy to follow and encouraging. Thank you.

Thank you that was a really useful video - if like me you've only painted with a brush for years, getting used to using an airbrush takes a while and can be a bit frustrating at times. Thanks for leaving in the footaget of the blockage, a good reminder to clean at the end of each session.

This is thorough, amazing, and iconic. Thank you so, SO MUCH!