Golden High Flow High Flow Medium

[John V]

Hi All :

I just talked to Greg a customer service rep with Golden Artist Colors. The manufacturer of Golden High Flow paints.
He Told me that High Flow Medium and Airbrush Transparent Extender were the exact same product. And that the name Airbrush Transparent Extender would no longer be used as having two names for the same product was confusing to the customer.

High Flow Medium is used to extending Golden's heaver body paints so that they can be used in an airbrush.

Hope this helps to lesson confusion when looking for specific Golden products

John V

 

[Leakyvalve]

Right, but they still have Airbrush Medium and High Flow Medium. I might have to get a sample of both some day.

 

[Mr.Micron]

Thanks John for sharing what you learned from the Golden Rep.

 

[markjthomson]

Hmmmm... that should simplify things... I wonder if they changed the recipe because I have a really large container of the high flow medium...

 

[John V]

Right, but they still have Airbrush Medium and High Flow Medium. I might have to get a sample of both some day.

Leakyvalve
I understand that the Airbrush Medium is the reducer for the Golden High Flow paints.

The High Flow Medium is the same acrylic paint base used in the High Flow Paints . It has no color pigment added . It is used to reduce the pigment density of the thicker acrylic paints in the Golden Paint Family . This allows the artist to use the thicker body paints in the airbrush. It allows the airbrush artist access to use the full pallet of colors in the Golden Paint family in the airbrush. Also High Flow Medium causes a muting of the color intensity of the paint.


John V

 

[John V]

Hmmmm... that should simplify things... I wonder if they changed the recipe because I have a really large container of the high flow medium...

markjthomson
I t was my understanding that Golden was just eliminating one of two names used in identical products.
John V

 

[markjthomson]

Leakyvalve
I understand that the Airbrush Medium is the reducer for the Golden High Flow paints.

The High Flow Medium is the same acrylic paint base used in the High Flow Paints . It has no color pigment added . It is used to reduce the pigment density of the thicker acrylic paints in the Golden Paint Family . This allows the artist to use the thicker body paints in the airbrush. It allows the airbrush artist access to use the full pallet of colors in the Golden Paint family in the airbrush. Also High Flow Medium causes a muting of the color intensity of the paint.


John V

No, WATER is the reducer according to the tech info Golden provide. Reducer is used for adjusting the viscosity. Adding medium OR transparent does not adjust the viscosity of the paint.

A paint is made up of a carrier, a pigment and a thinner. The "medium" is simply the carrier. It is the paint without the pigment or thinner.

In terms of the original use of the medium with the golden acrylic, yes, the medium was the same carrier as the high flow paints and adding the pigment from the Golden Acrylic made it thin enough for airbrushing.

 

[John V]

No, WATER is the reducer according to the tech info Golden provide. Reducer is used for adjusting the viscosity. Adding medium OR transparent does not adjust the viscosity of the paint.

A paint is made up of a carrier, a pigment and a thinner. The "medium" is simply the carrier. It is the paint without the pigment or thinner.

In terms of the original use of the medium with the golden acrylic, yes, the medium was the same carrier as the high flow paints and adding the pigment from the Golden Acrylic made it thin enough for airbrushing.

@markjthomson
Yes , You are correct water is the primary thinner . However I meant that after a percentage of water is added to the paint. The water begins to adversely affect the paint. Adding High Flow Medium ( New Name for Airbrush Transparent Extender ) will prevent this. See below reference.
Am I wrong ?
John V

• General Thinning Instructions: Thinning is readily accomplished by simply adding water. Adding over 20% water begins to change other properties. Using a blend of Airbrush Transparent Extender and water can thin the paint and maintain the paint’s integrity. Adding only Airbrush Transparent Extender increases transparency and lowering the pigment amount but does not think the High Flow Acrylics.
• Blends with other GOLDEN Products:
  NOTE: HFAs contain retarders which alter the drying times of a mixture; thicker paint layers may remain tacky for long periods of time.
  GOLDEN HFAs are compatible with most GOLDEN Artist Colors" paints and mediums. They can be added to GOLDEN Heavy Body Acrylics or GOLDEN Fluid Acrylics to thin the paint without a loss of pigment or film strength. Extend HFAs with GOLDEN Airbrush Transparent Extender as needed. Adding high levels of water are acceptable when doing color stains on absorbent surfaces but additional layers of acrylic medium applied afterword may be required for long term durability.
• Use as colorant/tint: As with any GOLDEN paint, HFAs may be used to add color to gels, mediums and pastes. They blend readily with thinner mediums, such as GOLDEN Acrylic Glazing Liquid, or GOLDEN Polymer Medium (Gloss).

John V

 

[markjthomson]

@markjthomson
Yes , You are correct water is the primary thinner . However I meant that after a percentage of water is added to the paint. The water begins to adversely affect the paint. Adding High Flow Medium ( New Name for Airbrush Transparent Extender ) will prevent this. See below reference.
Am I wrong ?
John V

• General Thinning Instructions: Thinning is readily accomplished by simply adding water. Adding over 20% water begins to change other properties. Using a blend of Airbrush Transparent Extender and water can thin the paint and maintain the paint’s integrity. Adding only Airbrush Transparent Extender increases transparency and lowering the pigment amount but does not think the High Flow Acrylics.
• Blends with other GOLDEN Products:
  NOTE: HFAs contain retarders which alter the drying times of a mixture; thicker paint layers may remain tacky for long periods of time.
  GOLDEN HFAs are compatible with most GOLDEN Artist Colors" paints and mediums. They can be added to GOLDEN Heavy Body Acrylics or GOLDEN Fluid Acrylics to thin the paint without a loss of pigment or film strength. Extend HFAs with GOLDEN Airbrush Transparent Extender as needed. Adding high levels of water are acceptable when doing color stains on absorbent surfaces but additional layers of acrylic medium applied afterword may be required for long term durability.
• Use as colorant/tint: As with any GOLDEN paint, HFAs may be used to add color to gels, mediums and pastes. They blend readily with thinner mediums, such as GOLDEN Acrylic Glazing Liquid, or GOLDEN Polymer Medium (Gloss).

John V

Yes, you are correct. It is understanding what the materials are. Thinners and reducers are frequently confused. A thinner is added during manufacture while a reducer is added by the end user, they both affect the viscosity. The airbrush medium and the trans extender are the base liquid the paint is made out of... so it is neither a thinner nor a reducer and don't affect the viscosity to any noticeable extent.

 

[Leakyvalve]

I would think High Flow medium would be a reducer for Golden Fluid paints.

 

[markjthomson]

I would think High Flow medium would be a reducer for Golden Fluid paints.

Most people would look at it that way but that is the wrong understanding of what the product is, what it does and what it is designed for. Think rather the golden acrylic is the pigment ADDED to the carrier that is the golden high flow medium. Remember a paint is constructed of a carrier (or a base) to hold the pigment, a pigment and a thinner.

 

[Leakyvalve]

Any tips on tip dry problems with golden fluid? I'm testing titanium white and it is tip drying like crazy right now.. even with my stash of chemicals and bases.

 

[markjthomson]

The problem is white... a real issue with ALL whites... anticipate it happening, clean the needle frequently and often.

 

[Kim McCann]

Any tips on tip dry problems with golden fluid? I'm testing titanium white and it is tip drying like crazy right now.. even with my stash of chemicals and bases.

Yes I have a tip for you. Though I primarily use Wicked these days, I use Golden quite a bit, and still have bottles from back when they made airbrush specific paint, before the 'high flow' era. Both golden high flow and the older airbrush colors, like any acrylic based paint, will suffer from tip dry, with white of course being the worst. However, you can really, really improve things with either the golden liquid retarder, a drop of glycerin (if you are on a budget) or as I have recently discovered, using the liquitex flow improver. Seriously, that Liquitex stuff is magic for reducing tip try and improving flow in any acrylic based paint.

Golden has a "wetting agent" in their new line which is their answer to flow improver, but to be honest, it didn't perform any better than my homemade flow improver made with glycerin. The Liquitex flow improver, even though it is from a different manufacturer really helps with golden. Tip dry is next to gone, even with white, and the open time of the paint (for erasing or texture techniques) ups to about 15 minutes instead of less than 5.

The flow improver is diluted 20 parts to 1 with water, and you only need a drop in your cup, so a small bottle will last you virtually forever, and it is pretty cheap.

All acrylic paints will suffer from tip dry over time, but properly polishing your needle, and using a wetting agent or flow improver will really, really help. Using the Liquitex stuff, I have been able to paint indefinitely with golden white without needing to pinch my needle, and up to 40 minutes with Wicked Detail White, which despite amazing sprayability, is a freakin' nightmare for tip dry. Golden works with the liquitex improver, so maybe pick up a bottle.

Also, one other tip... If you are comfortable with it, consider polishing your needle. When I get a new needle, the factory finish is a bit rough, allowing pigment to bind and build up easier. I take mine to a dremmel with a buffing / jewelry polishing tip, a dab of Silvo or other fine polish, and very carefully work the needle until it has a mirror polish. Usually it only takes a minute or so.

If you do this, be very, very, very careful and wear protection as you can damage the needle, or worse, yourself if you lose control and send the needle across the room or kick it back up into your face. Go gentle and slow, and remember to rotate the needle as you buff. You can probably also do it with a paper towel and some polish, but take care not to stab your fingers while doing this. Those needles are sharp and very, very ouchy if they go into your poor thumb. Trust me on this.

After wiping the needle down to remove any polish compound, I usually follow up by using a drop of glycerin on my finger tips, and running the needle thru it, wiping off any excess. The glycerin helps keep the needle free of buildup, but only lasts a little while.

With a properly polished needle, tip dry is a lot less of a problem. It just takes a bit of elbow grease to get there.

Look into the flow improver - it's not the same as thinner. It changes the chemistry of the paint by reducing surface tension, making it significantly less likely to build up on your needle.