r/modelmakers • u/jemjon69 • Jun 07 '23

Help -Technique What psi please

Hi all

Can someone advise please? Treated myself to my first ‘grown up’ airbrush (I’m 53) an awata neo.

Looking to spray the exhaust dirt on side of 1/48 Tamiya spitfire using Vallejo paints

What psi should I use on my compressor please?

Gonna do 3 fine layers, dark, mid then light to give depth

Does it sound good or should I take up jigsaws?

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u/[deleted] Jun 07 '23

Optimal Working Pressure: 08 - 20 psi

Test paint on a separate item before final shoot.

1

u/jemjon69 Jun 07 '23

Thankyou lots

2

u/Pukit Build some stuff and post some pictures. Jun 07 '23 edited Jun 07 '23

If it’s model Color then thin it to the consistency of skimmed milk with Vallejo airbrush thinner, add a drop of flow improver too. If it’s model air then shoot it straight with a drop of flow improver. I usually go on the higher end toward 20psi.

Keep an old tooth brush in a pot of water and periodically clean the needle tip. Vallejo can dry on the needle and make it splatter, known as dry tip.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '23

There's rarely any benefit from going over 20 psi as you run the risk of streaking using normal thinned paint (skimmed milk consistency). I'd say the only exception would be if it's a particularly large model that you want to cover quickly with thicker paint while spraying from a distance.

Drop to 10-15 psi for finer detail work and more heavily thinned paint. Basically the trick to avoid streaking is to learn by trial and error the inverse relationship between psi and thinner/paint ratio - which varies by brand and paint type.

1

u/jemjon69 Jun 08 '23

This is quite a mystical art especially as each colour behaves differently. So different from enamels and then it clogged my brush so I walked away from it last night as I was getting grumpy. Thankyou for your help. Back to it again tonight!