How to Thin Your Paints : Starting to Airbrush Part 3 

Just bought my first air brush and binging loads of videos on the subject, and this series is the best I've seen from all the others, thanks for doing the series's.

I got two things from this video. 1. For airbrushing, always thin paints to the consistency of milk. 2. I really want that Banksy Holy Hand Grenade t-shirt.

I only use distilled water imported from Fiji to thin my paint. I also only base my minis in crushed marble from the ruins of ancient Greek temples.

I watch a lot of Airbrush Videos trying to up my game, but you bring up points no one else does in their video. Thank you and keep up the good work.

I watched all 3 of your airbrush videos and learned what I need to start airbrushing. Thanks so much for the information!

This is another awesome video! When i first started airbrushing, i read everything i could about the airbrush itself, and anything i could find really. I sat with that airbrush for hours and hours with very little success lol. Muscle memory set in eventually, and now i just "know" how to operate and troubleshoot my Iwata Eclipse. It will take lots of practice with a fine tool like an airbrush, but it is one hundred percent worth it. Anyone out there who is wanting to start airbrushing........ become close friends with it... get to know it. It will suck at first, and you will hate life, but it will become something you love and cherish in your painting armory.

another great vid. biggest trick to remember imo is the thinner the paint the lower the pressure the thicker the higher. I even thin airbrush ready paints and test on my hand to check for splatter or powdering and ajust as required. The key is practice imo .

This is a big topic when it comes to using an airbrush and I'm glad you mentioned that there's no hard-fast ratio because that's a question I see all the time in the comments section of airbrush painting videos. The consistency of the paint is a factor, so is the size of the airbrush nozzle (the bigger the diameter of the nozzle, the easier it is to run paint through, the smaller the diameter the more difficult it can become) and the psi you have your compressor set at. It really is pretty much a guessing game and you have to play around with different rations for different types and colors of paint. My number 1 suggestion would be to write down what works when you've finally fine tuned that paint to thinner/medium ration; it might not be spot on if you come back to it later or with a different batch of paint, but it at least gives you some benchmark, an idea of where that "Goldilocks zone" might lie so that you have to deal with considerably less tinkering. Also, invest in some airbrush lubricant early on because chances are you're going to need it sooner than you think. Even if you religiously clean your airbrush, its easy to get paint built up in hard to reach areas and nothing sucks more than pulling back the airbrush trigger and not seeing the needle move at all. There are a lot of different brands out there and I don't even know enough about them to offer any good comparisons; I just went with "Regdab" Needle Juice (I believe it's called that) from the Badger Airbrush Co (and yeah, its just "Badger" spelled backwards, bonus points for originality on that one). It works well, but I imagine there are plenty of people who would came the same things about other brands as well. Bonus tip: Vallejo Model Air metal paints also work amazingly well for normal brush work. The aluminum powder (or at least I believe that's what they use) is so finely ground that even with a normal brush they apply so smoothly with only a minimal amount of extra thinner added. While you might not own an airbrush (and I use the word "you" here as a general statement) some airbrush ready paints can still make great additions to your collection of paints.

I’m 36 and I still blow bubbles in my chocolate milk....

I usually mix not-airbrush-ready paint with both Vallejo Airbrush Thinner and Vallejo Flow Improver. The result? The nozzle almost never clogged, the paint consistency is like milk, and the coverage is awesome too! Another note: using distilled water instead of tap water makes a huge difference, almost all the negative effects you have mentioned are gone -- though I mostly use distilled water to clean my airbrush (mix of Vallejo Airbrush Cleaner and distilled water), or to fill my wet palette.

This series is wonderful for me! I wonder if you might consider making an updated one now that have more experience?

I would have loved to see you thin two paints, with different ratio's of thinner, to the milky consistency you are referring to. Thanks for the video!

Just picked up 2 Paasche airbrushes and a compressor in an estate sale. My stepfather was a whiz with an airbrush 25 years ago when he reintroduced me to model building. I picked up some F1 Drivers and hand painted them, including sponsor logo patches on the fire suits. Now 20 years after his passing, I'm picking up the hobby to prime and paint tabletop game figures. Starting with Blood Rage. You remind me a great deal of him, and it's like having him back to teach me how to use the tools. So thanks very much.

Love the simple analogies such as milk etc. Thanks a lot for the help.

Just watched your last 2 videos, this one is the best so far. Just because of your tshirt. 1....2....5

High quality work, and great personality too. Thanks for all your help.

Vallejo Airbrush Flow Improver is one of the best additives I have found to use with my air brush paints. And for a point of reference; I use a Badger Krome 0.2 needle and a Iwata Eclipse HP CS. I use both these brushes with Vallejo Model Air and Vallejo Flow Improver with little to no complaints.

Excellent video, Atom! I look forward to your Friday vids! Personally, I find that even a medium to heavy cream consistency works just fine in modern airbrushes.

One of the best videos I've seen about thinning down paint... probably XD

Great videos just watched all three, recently got an airbrush and still practising with it 😄 It would be cool if you did a video about some airbrushing techniques too :)

Thanks for all your videos. Keep up the good work.

Love the Monty python t-shirt.

I am quite jealous of your holy hand grenade of Antioch shirt.

Yet another great video and many thanks for your time. I have just purchased my first airbrush which is a Harder & Steenbeck Airbrush Infinity CR Plus 0,4mm and seeing that you spray so many models, I'm wondering if you use this brush or same size needle as well as a smaller needle and if so have you used Army paints and if so did they dry out in the brush and if so, was it just watering them down more that cured the problem

Non-scientific definitions of "milky" and "globby": - Globby: the paint density is such that if you sink a higly specialized testing tool (toothpick) into it, when you pull it up you notice the paint creating large drops while trying to fall down from the toothpick lower end. Hint: viscosity is too high. -Milky: the paint density is such that if you close the airbrush nozzle while spraying air (and paint) out, you notice a set of bubbles forming up and raising to the top of the pot (Cappuccino method) but as soon as you stop spraying, the structure collapse almost immediately. But slower than pure water would do. Hint: there is some viscosity, but not too exagerated. Love your videos :D !

Love the channel and these air brush videos. Just wondering if you have any experience with the GW/citadel air paints and if they need further thinning or are good straight from the pot.

Aha! King Arthur throwing The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch! 'Tis one of the sacred relics brother Maynard carries!... Noice..

I use for my Tamiya acrylics this mix: 1 part paint and 1,5 or 2 parts thinner and a flow improver/retarder from Valejo 1 part for 5 parts of paint. I didn't have any more paint on tip and the viscosity increased a little, so i am very happy. Of course is perfect if i have every time new paint for best results, i mean a very thin layer of paint so any detail from beneath is very well shown. Airbrush Iwata HP CP 0,2.

Wow, love your shirt! I need to have that shirt too! ♡

Good advice. I have that Banksy Image on my dice but throwing a D6.

Great videos, good quality productions, like your presentation style,

Nebulize. That's the technical term you were looking for.

Love your videos! realy helpful!

i just found out theres a difference between flow improver and thinner. Ive just been using vallejo thin to pre dilute my paint and thin/adjust accordingly when adding it to the airbrush pot but as you mentioned about the tip drying out that always prevented me from painting because i would often have to disassemble my airbrush and clean it because nothing would come out. Im wondering now should i pre dilute my paints with thinner and then use flow improver to thin them further in the airbrush pot and to prevent it from clogging the tip.

You Sir, are a great presenter. "Do I drink it? Do I not drink it? Don't drink it..." - Classic.

Really good. presentation ...TU .. I' m wondering .. paint+alcohol + glycerin + demineralized water to thin don't know the amounts but get that milk consistency . Your opinion matters .TY

Been watching all your videos and just getting into airbrushing. Bought everything you recommended but still unsure what the difference is between the Vallejo thinner and the medium. Why do you need the medium? I intend to try this with all my citadel paint. Can anyone provide some insight into what the medium does to help the mixture over the thinner and just the paint? Thanks!

I just started using an airbrush so I am an absolute beginner. I bought the citadel air colors that state that you can use the paint unthinned from the pot. But their consistency is way thicker than milk. Do I even have to thin down specific airbrush colors? I tried but I think the result is bad. I don't know if this is because I thinned them to much or an other user error (spray to close or something like that).

Hi Uncle Atom: What is the difference between Airbrush 'Thinner' -&- Airbrush 'Medium'? Are they basically the same thing -or- do they fulfill slightly different roles in making an Acrylic Paint perform better when being sprayed through an Airbrush (?) Can you get on with just one or the other? (IWC Which one would be the better choice to use?) Thanks=O)~

Your best video yet! Very thorough overview of airbrush paint technique. I have heard that people use WINDEX as a thinner as well. Have you used it and does it work?

Thank you, this video was flowy

Another thing you can do is if you find a rattle can color you like, you can decant it into an airbrush bottle let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes and then spray.

Very useful...thanks for the video

I'm building a balsa wood plane which I will fly with U control. I've covered the wings and am ready to apply Clear Dope to the whole air craft. So I bought an air brush to do that with. No detail necessary just a number of coats and sanding with 800 grit to smooth. Next comes the colors which are stripes and the whole plane will be painted pure white first. I have a thinner for the colored and clear. Based on what the videos state I just need to thin the dope to the proper consistency. Is that correct?

This is great stuff !

Nice vidz!!! ..Keep up the good work! :)

With the flow aid...do you dilute it like the directions on the bottle suggest?

I assume a good exercise would be to pour some actual milk into a mixing bottle, and water in another, then spend some time swishing them both around. That way, you can get a feel for the milk's consistency and how it subtly differs from water.

Viscosity is a liquid's resistance to flow. For example, honey is viscous and water is not. I hope that helps.

Hi! Thanks for the incredible tips! You made seen so simple it's like I'm talking to a friend. Lol Here in Brazil pre-made solventes or diluents from valejjo or other brands are hard to find. I've bought a generic thinner and two kinds of solvents turpentine based. I'm kind lost not so much about the proportions but what product use. Also I should use the same diluting mix for prime and normal acrilic paints? Thanks again P. S: I'm using Army Paint for base and shades and a local brand of primer (it's really thick by the way)

Please can you help me ? What is the thinning ratio for Valllejo model colors when I want use them for airbrush? Thank you.

invaluable info thanks..

Antidry: Glycerol. Thinner: 2-propan-ol (isopropanol/IPA) and water. Also, tap water should be perfectly fine. Source: Chemist

Hi I got my enamel paint to a milky consistenc using enamel thinner, but while painting it separated causing my AB to clog. Any tips on this? Thank you

I need to know where to buy the bottles he's talking about at around 6.31! Help me please

Thanks, I am just starting and these are so helpful! I bought some Liquitex Airbrush Medium thinking it was the same as Thinner, anyone know if I use it the same way? It looks more like Skim Milk than clear water.

Maybe a question which has already been aswered, but what is the proces when changing colors? Do you just blow out the paint until its entirely gone or do you have to clean the cup whenever you change colors? And how do you clean it?

I use acrylic paint. What kind of thinner could I use . I use a gravity fed paint gun.

"Will I drink that, BY THE WAY DONT DRINK THAT" Aaawwwww but milkkk XD

stupid question could someone use a genera hardware store paint thinner ? I've purchased some to help fix mistakes for a different style of artwork and because I have 4litres I was wondering if it could be multi purposed

Hi iv been model painting for a few years but only by brush n i have a couple of questions if its ok as iv been tempted in geting an airbrush to save time / maybe money Can you use rattlecan paints as paint in these airbrushes as sometimes i find some are a little thicker depending if theyve been sat on a shelf / waste a lot in overspray How much paint do you use for say basecoat per use / how many models you have covered Please if you could advise on any info relating to these id be very grateful Thank you

Good stuff! Thanks! Perhaps you could provide a visual example of some paint you have thinned and what you used to do so. Thanks!

I love the GW air range Also, I'm pretty sure airbrush thinner is basically just paint without the pigment

What you are trying to do is make the paint more fluid. You can do this with defloculant . I am trying sodium silicate ( Water glass ) make up a batch with distilled water at a mix of 10% sodium silicate to 1 of water I.e. 100ml water and 10 ml sodium silicate. Put this in a bottle with a drip top. Add one drop at a time until you get the milk consistency.

Hooray for more airbrush videos! (I love your shirt, btw...)

i don't know, maybe someone has already mentioned it but what makes "milk consistency"? I mean where I'm from we have milk in lots of varieties depending on the percentage of fat and it all makes it look different. even different brands have milk that looks and tastes different without mentioning different countries and climates. what defines it? i know this might sound silly but to a beginner this kinda reminds of getting a recipe for some specific soup and it says "add salt and spices according to taste".

Greawt share- I am sure it took some time to acquire this knowledge and capability...

Good vid thanks for posting i took some ideas from that cheers

Love the holy hand grenade shirt

also adjust your air pressure, 20 psi more or less.. I will take some citadel and add thinner small amounts depends on the amount of spraying needed.

This is going to seem weird, but you wouldn’t happen to have a tutorial for that necromancer at the end of the video, would you? It’s rad.

can you use oil canvas paint thinned down ????

What psi should you spray at? I plan on airbrushing 1/4 scale statues

Can I use watered-down vinegar to clean an airbrush?

Get used to cleaning your airbrush because it doesn't matter how much thinner you use or how much cleaner or flow aid you're gonna need to clean the nozzle sooner or later. Don't think expensive airbrushes require less attention either because they still clog up and the parts are stupidly expensive.

the ceo of badger has a video on you tube. and he suggest only water to thin and a few drops of flow improver. also your paint should be the consistancy of 2% milk. haha

I use a mix of matte medium, drying retarder, Flow aid and distilled water to thin my coat d'arms paint.

Love the shirt!

Have you thought about teaching an art class? I would definitely sign up!

I have seen many .... so many of your videos and am very pleased with them, you do a really good job. but now I can not control my curiosity no more ... why do you as an American have a Danish letter "æ" on your right wrist ? ;-)

Can u use any thinner or does it have to be airbrush thinner?

Thanks for the video, and "Ni !"

if you delute your paint it will be less pigment , it dont matter if its a thinner or water 5:53

Loving that T-shirt

Is flowimprover the same as airbrush medium?

You are wearing a truly holy t-shirt

Haha every time he said “that’s not an actual term” after saying a made up word made me laugh, but thanks this video was very helpful for a beginner like me 👍

My experience with acrylic paints (not airbrushing with them though) is that they seem to dry way *Quicker* if you dilute them with water, so woudn't try that method myself

1,2,5! Best shirt ever

Your descriptions are extraordinary well given and useful to me! Thanks a lot!

Its not only about the viscosity but also the pigments

I want to use my airbrush to paint porcelain and vinyl dolls with acrylic paints, i also bought airbrush reducer & extender base.

Can I use milk to make it milky consistency?

I just add milk to my paints it's great apart from my smelly mini's...

My favorite is strawberry flow-aid.

The smell of the vallejo airbrush thinner I have reminds me of window cleaner.

Haha thanks! I get the "I'm not gonna say how many drops" because there is never a reliable way to measure it.

What kind of milk are you referring to? 3.5%? 1%? Almond? Lol

Dude your shirt is both a banksy reference and a knights of the holy grail referance all in one

Link to Parts 1 and 2?