Maximum viscosity for 0.5mm needle

[somewhereman]

i will have an acrylic latex paint that has a viscosity of 1000 centipoise (which to my research is the same as latex house paint)

the airbrush i have is an iwata neo with 0.5mm nozzle and i will be looking for coverage with a stencil on a t-shirt
by that i mean a thin coating of the paint on a fabric, full coverage within the stencil

i am having a hard time discovering what the maximum viscosity a 0.5mm airbrush is capable of

is there a decent starting point for dilution and pressure?
will there be a tipping point where too much pressure equals failure of the paint to adhere to the fabric

also, is water the best dilution medium, or has anyone noticed whether windex is inert or affects the properties of paints?

 

[Ronald art]

it is about the pigment size if that paint will go trough a 0.5 airbrush and my guess would be the pigments will not be fine enough as that paint is designed to be used with a roller or a brush or a large spray paint gun I remember I tried to use latex paint in my 0.5 airbrush and no matter how much I reduced it it would not spray trough the airbrush and I used a hairy brush to fill in the background with that paint

 

[markjthomson]

While you may be able to get the paint to a viscosity that it will spray the pigment size may be too large and the paint may not be designed to be reduced to that extent and may separate. If a paint is designed for brush/roller application, it is frequently not suitable for spray application (even with larger units) and is completely useless in airbrushes. There is a reason airbrush paints are made for airbrushes...

"also, is water the best dilution medium, or has anyone noticed whether windex is inert or affects the properties of paints?" Depends entirely on the paint... what does the manufacturer say...? use their guidelines first. Mixing other materials to it can compromise the paint and spraying windex is not recommended... nasty stuff when atomized.

 

[DaveG]

Couple things I am going to add here - the first is the physical properties of the Neo. The Neo holds very tight tolerances around the nozzle, and nozzle cap opening. These dimensions work together to produce a very fine atomized pattern at lower air pressures. The brush does not physically flow enough air volume to try to compensate for poorly reduced paints by simply upping air pressure. To get the best results our of a Neo, you need to work on paint reduction.

Now, there is not set rule for viscosity for any given nozzle size - might as well put the precise measurements out of your head. This is something you will develop a feel for based on brush performance. While you may be in a ballpark, the exact reduction can change form day to day based on atmospheric conditions.

Best way to work out your reduction ratio might be to put a few drops, say 5, of paint in your color cup. Add one drop of reducer or water, and test, Keep adding reducer or water until the brush is happy. Spray the first little bit out of the brush into a rag after adding more reducer or water, to clear the paint channel before assessing any potential change in performance...

 

[somewhereman]

thanks everybody, i appreciate the input

i learned some new ways of thinking about this

there is no pigment, as the pigment is applied into this medium that i would like to airbrush on
so that may or may not help me, as there may be other particles in there larger than pigments anyway

i may be getting some samples of the material in a week and simply run some trials with water on a black tee (the 'natural' color is very light beige)

even though it has been tested already for brush and roller, i promised my friend i would ask the experts about airbrush possibilities

what may end up happening is the results will not be what was intended/hoped for, but something different, yet creative in its own right
either way, it's always fun testing new things

 

[AndreZA]

thanks everybody, i appreciate the input

there is no pigment, as the pigment is applied into this medium that i would like to airbrush on so that may or may not help me, as there may be other particles in there larger than pigments anyway

If there is no pigment in your paint then it is just clear paint you will be spraying.

 

[erwin de pan]

You can also dilute paint with heat.
Place your bottle in hot water for a while.
The disadvantage is that you have to spray it before it has completely cooled.
You may have to add some thinning but it is less than with cold paint.