Vallejo Paints

[Firesmacker]

Here we go people:

I have heard too many conflicting opinions from the interwebs so I decided to go straight to the experts.

From what I understand, I can thin them with DI water. Or I can thin them with Iso Alcohol. I can thin them with Iso but I can't clean it(my AB) with the same because it will gunk up my AB. I can use Iso for a thinner but not a cleaner.

I can clean my AB with Windex. Oh no, I can't. Wait, I can clean my AB with ammonia but not with Windex that has ammonia...

I have never been this confused in my entire modeling "career".

I have a couple bottles of Vallejo Surface Primer but am very leery of using them. I also have a few other Vallejo Model Colors.


Don't get me wrong, if it all goes to hell, I can break down and clean my AB. I just think it shouldn't be this hard. Especially with a paint that a lot of people use and love.

I'm mostly concerned because I'm sick and tired if using rattle cans for priming, and de-canting is a huge pain so I thought Vallejo primers were the way to go.


Having said all that, I don't mean to be a dick, but I'm not looking for opinions. I'm looking for facts.


Thanks in advance,

Jeff

 

[White_Wolf]

Hey Jeff,

I have been using Vallejo primers for quite some time. They do NOT need diluting (saw that on Mig Jimenez's Painting with acryllics DVD) - they worked a treat. I did notice that I have to clean my AB pretty much straight away after using them because they dry quickly and the AB tends to clog up a bit. I have used Windex to clean the AB straight after using the primers, then gave it a thorough wash with running water - nice and clean

On other Vallejo paints:

- I am using some Model Air paints - I do not dillute them
- Some "normal" ones - I use Vallejo thinner medium
- Some "Panzer Aces" same as above, smaller amount of thinner though required.

I have also used Windex as a thinner for Vallejo, may sound idiotic but it worked really nice (no expert here mind you).


Hope this helps

Laurence

 

[phantom II]

I agree with everything in the above post.

Windex without ammonia is useless as far as I know . That's my cleaning fluid .
I have also used it as a retarder before finding Galeria products ( Hobby Lobby or Michael's ).

Now I use their retarder and their acrylic medium when shooting Model color paints and some water . It need to be very thin.

The Vallejo air is ready to shoot straight from the bottle.

I can also shoot their primmer from the bottle . Bear in mind that their primmer can't be sanded . That can be a problem .

Frankly I prefer to shoot Tamiya and Gunze Acrylic .

Hope that helps . Cheers, Christian B)

 

[chukw]

Concerning the primer, let it dry 24 hours- or shoot a coat of Future over it. Then, it should be hard and sandable. I will test this on the IAR- cheers!

 

[Dusan]

Even if You are using Model Air for fine work (camo), best way is to add few drops of "Vallejo Airbrush Thinner" with red label New Formula. Excellent stuff (I think there is a glycerin as a paint retarder inside that thinner)...Very very rarely when I get a clog up maby during the summer and You can use it to thin the normal model colors for airbrushing I use that same airbrush thinner to clean my airbrush after Vallejo primer. I agree with Chuk, You can sand Vallejo primer after 24h or maby better 48h if you have spare time.

All the best!
Dusan.

 

[White_Wolf]

Yup, 24 hrs allows for sanding if required. When I don't need to sand, I usually give it around 12 hours before painting.

 

[ErnieS]

Agree, especially with allowing plenty of time for the primer to dry before sanding. I also use a home made thinner with no problems, 1/3 98% ISO, 60% water, and a few drops of flow improver. Works well on Vallejo as well as other acrylics.
Ernie

 

[lupanzer]

I use water...only :zen

Luiz

 

[moon puppy]

No expert by any means but...I have never thinned any of it with Alcohol, always gums up. Water, Retarder, Vallejo and even Windex has worked fine. Always use Retarder because the tip of the A/B always gets gunked up.

 

[Paulw]

Do not use iso. it turns your paint into cottage cheese. X20-A does a real good job in thinning and for clean up the best and fastest is the Testors AB cleaner. Yes ammonia works too but remember that it attacks chrome.

 

[ausf]

Save the iso for Tamiya, the Windex for Future or the really good breakdown clean.

I've used the same Iwata HP-BC2 for over 30 years now and Vallejo exclusively for the past six with no problems.

Vallejo's New formula thinner is outstanding. I never really went in for using the brand specific thinners like Tamiya, I always thought them too expensive or unnecessary (a bottle of iso is a buck), but Vallejo's is really good and when you think about it, cheap too. A 200ml bottle will thin about 30 bottles of MA. That's a lot of paint, more than I use in a year even doing 1/16 armor.

Otherwise, plain old distilled water for Vallejo.

Their primers are outstanding and if you use the method in the video that Chuck posted, even better. That guy's method is excellent, it really slows you down and gives a great even base. I blasted a couple of coats of Future on top of the red oxide poly on the JS-2 aluminum barrel where it went into the recoil housing. Not a scratch after multiple testing and believe me, that's unreal, that's a tough place for any paint to survive.

For cleaning, tap water through the cup, then a submerged blast and after the needle is clean a two second shoot with Vallejo's AB cleaner and you're good to go. That's another gem, the old Iwata tends to get a sticky trigger that would require lubing until I started using that cleaner.

 

[Iron Mike]

The Vallejo air brush cleaner is a must have, it really, really works. If you're concerned about ammonia attacking chrome, shoot some plain water thru the brush after cleaning. I keep a jug of distilled water by the bench, it's thinner, cleaner, wash all in one and cheap too.

 

[Firesmacker]

Thanks for all the responses and advice. I should have just asked here in the first place instead of letting my self get sucked down the rat hole that the wild wild internet can be.

 

[Paulw]

Ill be posting some stuff to help out in a bunch of these matters. Just as soon as I can figure out how to post this stuff

I think Ill need some help in attaching PDF files.

 

[moon puppy]

Can't attach PDF files. Email to me Paul and i'll get them on the server where folks can download them. As long as it's not copyright stuff of course..

 

[Paulw]

https://www.modelersalliance.com/documents/paul/

There is quite a bit of info in these links concerning paint,thinners, glues and cements. Please go through them and see if you might be able to use any.

 

[ausf]

Keep in mind Tamiya acrylics are ether based and therefore not true acrylic paint per se. They need to be treated as enamels and respected as such in terms of use and storing. That's why there's restrictions on shipping by air as well as that flap years ago because of labeling for the US market. That's also why iso works to thin.

Acrylics are general considered water based and aren't flammable.

You can make you own paint easily enough, just won't be cheaper or better than whats available.

One of my favorite all purpose modeling materials is Pebeo's Bindex. It's the binder in acrylic paint and the stuff is. in the words of Dan Akroyd, 'Glue, strong Stuff!'. All my PE is held on with it, all my screws are threadlocked with it, all the mud, slime and water effects are made with the stuff.

I could easily take some raw pigment and make my own AB paint (I do with mud splattering, although I don't pass it through the AB, I run it down a screen and blow air from behind) there's just no advantage over spending $2 on a already preassemble, pre mixed offering.