Schmincke Aero Medium - is it like transparent base?

M

Melbee

Guest
Hi Folks,
I have a bottle of Aero Medium which I was wondering if I can use like a transparent base?

On the bottle it just says its a "thinning agent to increase adhesive power" for Schmincke Aero Colors but it looks milky like a Transparent base and not clear and thin like Reducer. It also says "Contains: pure acrylate dispersion" what ever that means :)

If it's like transparent base I could use it as a prep layer on my T shirts which will hold the nap down after ironing or as a mid coat layer in paintings to protect what is underneath.

If its a thinning agent like Golden Airbrush Medium (also milky colour) is to Golden Fluid paints then it won't do that job.

Cheers Mel
 
Hi Folks,
I have a bottle of Aero Medium which I was wondering if I can use like a transparent base?

On the bottle it just says its a "thinning agent to increase adhesive power" for Schmincke Aero Colors but it looks milky like a Transparent base and not clear and thin like Reducer. It also says "Contains: pure acrylate dispersion" what ever that means :)

If it's like transparent base I could use it as a prep layer on my T shirts which will hold the nap down after ironing or as a mid coat layer in paintings to protect what is underneath.

If its a thinning agent like Golden Airbrush Medium (also milky colour) is to Golden Fluid paints then it won't do that job.

Cheers Mel

You can use it as thinning agent/transparent medium mixing it with your paint, but Schminke also make a medium for painting on fabric which you also mix with your paint.

you can find it here Use - Schmincke - Feinste Künstlerfarben

All acrylic varnishes, lacquers and mediums have a milky appearance but they all dry colorless, they also all contain acrylate, that's what makes the acrylic, it just means acrylic rather than vinyl resin based as in emulsions.
 
Thanks for the info Madbrush but I think I wasn't clear with my question.

From what I understand, transparent base is acrylic paint with no paint pigment in it, therefore it is colourless paint. So I would like to know if Aero Medium is a transparent base or not? I'm not looking for a fabric paint medium or anything.

The reason I ask is because I watched a video where a guy prepared his T shirt BEFORE painting with Wicked Transparent Base. I just want to know if I could use Aero Medium as a Transparent Base or not :)

Cheers Mel
 
Thanks for the info Madbrush but I think I wasn't clear with my question.

From what I understand, transparent base is acrylic paint with no paint pigment in it, therefore it is colourless paint. So I would like to know if Aero Medium is a transparent base or not? I'm not looking for a fabric paint medium or anything.

The reason I ask is because I watched a video where a guy prepared his T shirt BEFORE painting with Wicked Transparent Base. I just want to know if I could use Aero Medium as a Transparent Base or not :)

Cheers Mel

In that case YES, lol
 
I'm still worried about using it because I don't ever remember reading about heat setting Schmincke Aero Color paints. The Textile Medium you showed me Madbrush does say heat set but they don't say much about Aero Medium at all.

I have Trident Transparent Base which like Wicked definitely should be heat set, so maybe I should play safe and use that.

I have been using Golden Fluids with Golden Airbrush Medium and I was trying to buy Golden GAC 900 today which does this job but none of the art shops I went to stock it. Hence me looking for an alternative with what I already have in house which is Schmincke Aero Medium and Trident Transparent Base :)
 
Mel, the Schminke aero tex, stuff I mentioned is ideal for your shirts, for harder surfaces they also make "aero grund" which is also clear, but if you are unsure, just don't use any of them.

I personally use Golden transparent medium which can also be used as a base, but I also heat set everything I do as I go, it's all about personal taste and level of patience, an attribute with which unfortunately was not blessed, and that's why heat set or the proper term i would use is "force dry", I just don't want to wait hours or days too continue, lol

Since I started using the golden medium I have had little or no problem with tip dry and I seem to get atomisation and flow.

I buy most of my stuff here; Airbrush brengt leven in je make-up, tattoo, auto of helm , I live close enough to call in personally, but you can order online and even phone them for advice.

Normally if I'm unsure of anything, I just do a little test piece to see how it behaves and if i like the result then I'll continue.
 
Hi Madbrush,
Yes, Harolds, lucky you living close by. I bought my Eclipse from them and other stuff, the Iwata airbrush prices were brilliant but now they've shot up this year. So they have Golden Airbrush Transparent Extender and Golden GAC 900, good to know, thanks.

To be honest Madbrush I'm just sick of having to order more and more stuff. I don't have much money, I spent every last penny buying my airbrush equipment and I can't afford to keep buying stuff just to try it out (hence asking on the forum). The whole reason I bought Golden Fluid (not Golden Airbrush) paints and Golden Airbrush Medium is because I can buy it at my LOCAL art shops. Golden Fluid paints come in a great range of colours, are very good for fabrics, I can buy one pot at a time, as I need it, for around 6 euros and not have to pay 7 euros postage and wait. To be honest, if I could pop into Harolds like you can, I wouldn't buy Golden Fluids at all but I don't have that luxury :(

Months ago I spent 19 euros on a bottle of Aero Medium but I don't like the Schmincke paints so I don't use it which is why I was hoping I could use it as a transparent base coat for the T shirts. I will do a test with it on a bit of T shirt material, heat set, then paint, heat set and then wash it to see how it stands up. I'll do it for the Trident Transparent base with the Golden paints as well as Trident paints and I'll post up my results. It might help someone, somewhere :) Ha Ha Ha!

I'm off to do some testing.
Cheers Mel
 
OK, for anyone who's interested, here's my first test results.

Treated 4 bits of the same white T shirt material, 2 with Trident Transparent Base and 2 with Schmincke Aero Medium and heat set them, face up, with an iron under a piece of cooking grease proof paper. About 2 mins heat setting on each.

Both the Trident pieces turned a bit brown so be careful when heat setting Trident Trans. Base, maybe better to do it from the reverse side.
Trident T.B. felt a little stiffer after heat setting, Aero Med. felt softer to the touch.
The Aero Med. was fine after heat setting.

Painted each pair of treated material with both Golden Fluid/Airbrush Medium and Trident paints.

Both seemed to cover fairly well, Trident maybe a little better straight from the bottle or with a tiny bit of reducer.
Over reduced Trident bled under the masking tape, Golden only very slightly.

Not much to choose between the two but for me Golden Fluid paint is slightly ahead. Trident Trans. Base gives a stiffer base coat to work on which I like better but I will have to be careful when ironing not to brown/burn when heat setting.

Next tests are to heat set the painted pieces and then put them in to wash on short cycle at 20 degrees.

I'll let you know :)
 
Well done Melbee, my only concern with the Trident base becoming stiff is that it might crack after a few washes, the Schminke stuff mentioned is more elastic and is designed to move with the fabric.

Anything I heat I normally do with a heat although it can be done with a simple hairdryer.

I haven't used the Golden medium on a t-shirt yet since I still have the Schminke stuff, but when it runs out I will give it a go.
 
Oh the Trident Transparent Base treated material wasn't that stiff Madbrush, just a bit stiffer compared to the Aero Medium.

I've just washed the pieces on a 30 minute wash at 30 degrees (can't do 20 degrees) 800 cycle spin.
Surprisingly they all look very good after washing, the paint has stood up very well and all the material feels nice and soft.
I'm going to let them dry then give them some rough treatment and wash and dry them a few more times to see how they hold up further.

Here's what I found out about the Golden paints and Mediums.

The Golden Transparent Extender, that you have, is for Golden Airbrush paints which are thin ready for the airbrush. The Trans. Extender will thin the colour (like Trans. Base) without loosing viscosity, help flow and reduce tip dry and is meant to give a firmer film to the Airbrush paint for masking purposes on hard surfaces. They are not meant for T shirt painting, more for illustrations etc.

Golden Airbrush Medium, that I have, is specially made for thinning thicker Golden paints, especially Golden Fluid paints that are too thick to be sprayed directly from an airbrush. So it thins the paint but keeps binding properties, helps flow and tip dry but it's not like Trans. Base and can't be used on it's own, it's more like a Reducer. Golden Fluids with Airbrush Medium is great for airbrushing fabrics and does not need heat setting if left for 4 days to cure and has very good laundering properties.

The Golden GAC 900 medium is especially for fabric painting, is like a Trans. Base but gives the paint a softer film (not good for masking on a hard surface). It can be mixed with the paint for hairy brush painting onto fabric or sprayed on as a base layer before spray painting and as a protective layer after painting. You could use this instead of Trans. Extender with Golden Airbrush paints if you want to use them for T shirts but the results will not be as good as Golden Fluids and Airbrush Medium. GAC 900 needs to be heat set for the best laundering.

I don't need Golden GAC 900 but I was hoping to buy it from my LOCAL art shop to use as a transparent base layer on a T shirt that would hold down the nap of the material after pressing with an iron. I don't even know if I like it, if it works or any blooming thing about it except what is written on their website. Sadly none of my LOCAL art shops stock it which is why I'm testing out this other stuff.

I only know all this stuff because I read it on the Golden Website and to be honest it really does my head in!! I'm getting older and my brain just aint what it used to be :)
Cheers Mel
 
Just to let you know,

Golden GAC 900 gives off low levels of Formaldehyde when heat setting so you need to have good ventilation.
I found that out from some small print on the Golden website. Anyway I will not be using it now I know that.

I will try the Golden Transparent Extender that you told me about Madbrush. It turns out I can/should use it with the Golden Fluid paint system because it holds up the integrity of the paint which too much Airbrush Medium will not. Golden suggest a mix of both Trans. Extender and Airbrush Medium if more thinning is required. And it's like a Transparent Base so I can try it as a Base coat on my T shirts as well. So it's a win, possible win for the Transparent Extender and a No, No for the GAC 900.
Cheers Mel :)
 
Just to let you know,

Golden GAC 900 gives off low levels of Formaldehyde when heat setting so you need to have good ventilation.
I found that out from some small print on the Golden website. Anyway I will not be using it now I know that.

I will try the Golden Transparent Extender that you told me about Madbrush. It turns out I can/should use it with the Golden Fluid paint system because it holds up the integrity of the paint which too much Airbrush Medium will not. Golden suggest a mix of both Trans. Extender and Airbrush Medium if more thinning is required. And it's like a Transparent Base so I can try it as a Base coat on my T shirts as well. So it's a win, possible win for the Transparent Extender and a No, No for the GAC 900.
Cheers Mel :)

LOL, When bought the stuff I was looking for a way to make my own transparent paint, like yourself I have to watch the pennies so I couldn't afford to buy opaques and trans, I looked at the wicked base first, but it was expensive and they told me in the shop it does not mix well with Schminke without immediate particle separation, but the Golden base does, and I got 250ml bottle for the same price as 100ml wicked, which is wicked, lol.

When I used the mix for the first time, I noticed I had almost no tip dry, but also that I had more control over my airbrush, subsequently were my fits of rage also reduced, so as well as an essential aid to my airbrushing it saves me money on "anger management classes", lol
 
Ha Ha Ha, it's a miracle worker!! :) Good to know it works with Schmincke too, as it might breath new life into the ones I've got.

I've roughed up and re-washed the test pieces, they are now drying and look like they are all holding up ok.
I'll check them out later when they are dried and ironed.
Cheers Mel
 
i just use a big bottle of water to reduce my schmincke...
Granted that i overreduce at like 1-10 to 1-15 paint to reducer lol, little to dry on the tip :).
 
i just use a big bottle of water to reduce my schmincke...
Granted that i overreduce at like 1-10 to 1-15 paint to reducer lol, little to dry on the tip :).

The problem with just using water Rick is that the paint will loose it's binding ability and integrity. Transparent Base is a clear paint with all the properties of paint and so thinning with it doesn't cause any problems. I use Golden Fluid paints and Golden Airbrush Medium to thin it for the airbrush however I've just learned that if I put in too much Airbrush Medium the paint will also loose it's integrity but if I mix in Transparent Extender as well it won't. For example instead of 1 part Paint to 2 parts Airbrush Medium, I should use 1 paint: 1 Airbrush Medium and 1: Transparent Extender.

Generally waterbased paints can take about 15 to 20% dilution with water before they start to loose paint properties but if you use the Transparent Base that goes with that make of paint, you can usually dilute to any amount and keep the paint properties. The most important of these are that the paint sticks to the surface it is sprayed onto and the colour doesn't fade over time or in sun light.
Please correct me if I'm wrong on any of this folks :)
Cheers Mel
 
Here are the results of my fabric painting test. I washed the test pieces 3 times on a 30 minute 30 degree 800 spin cycle, with washing liquid.

I used Schmincke Areo Medium and Trident Transparent Base as a base coat on the material, ironed it to flatten the nap, before painting.

I painted with Golden Fluid paint/Airbrush Medium and Trident paint.

1st: Trident Transparent Base with the Golden Fluid/Airbrush Medium paint. (Golden Fluid paint was the best and held it's colour)
2nd: Schmincke Aero Medium with Golden Fluid/Airbrush Medium paint. (slight fading compared to above)
3rd: Trident Transparent Base with Trident paint. (don't reduce the Trident paint, for the best result spray straight from the bottle and increase psi if needed)
Last: Schmincke Aero Medium with Trident paint. (faded the most, I wouldn't use it)

Trident Trans. Base is slightly visable on a black T shirt, I found I needed to go over some parts to cover it up with black paint.

I will be buying Golden Airbrush Transparent Extender (when money permits) and hope it will give me the perfect base coat (for T shirts) to go with my Golden Fluid paint system. But in the mean time I can use the Trident Trans Base.
Hope this information is helpful to some folks,
Cheers Mel
 
Madbrush, Just got a big bottle of Golden Airbrush Transparent Extender from Harolds. I've done a couple of T shirt material test pieces and it seems to do the job nicely as a base coat to hold down the nap. Only weird thing was it seemed to take ages to dry so I left them over night and when I ironed the pieces to heat set them they gave off a strange white mist. Spookey! I haven't washed the pieces yet.

I also haven't added the Trans Extender to the paint yet but from the slow time it took to dry on the material I expect it will slow down the paint drying process which could be a good thing. No need for Retarder :)
cheers Mel
 
Madbrush, Just got a big bottle of Golden Airbrush Transparent Extender from Harolds. I've done a couple of T shirt material test pieces and it seems to do the job nicely as a base coat to hold down the nap. Only weird thing was it seemed to take ages to dry so I left them over night and when I ironed the pieces to heat set them they gave off a strange white mist. Spookey! I haven't washed the pieces yet.

I also haven't added the Trans Extender to the paint yet but from the slow time it took to dry on the material I expect it will slow down the paint drying process which could be a good thing. No need for Retarder :)
cheers Mel

The fact that it slows down the drying is the reason there is almost no tip dry, and that's why I like it, less picking means quicker trouble free work.

When I want it to dry for following layers I just go over it with a hairdryer, the resins contained in it are different from normal acrylic paints due to them having no pigment, man made substances are used to give it substance, this is where the white mist is coming from, you could try ironing it with silicone paper between it and the iron, that's the backing paper you find on self adhesive stickers, obviously the silicone side should be on the material.
 
Less tip dry sounds fab and it will make my Golden Fluid paint system work very well indeed and I can buy the paint at my local art shops which is a big advantage in my eyes. Thanks for putting me onto the Trans. Extender Madbrush. At the moment I only use Golden paints for T shirts but I'm going to trying it out on my illustrations as well. The only problem I have with Golden Fluids is that the paints are not all matt and the Trans. Extender is also gloss. but I can counter that with a matt varnish layer.

Madbrush, you've used it for a while with your paints, do you notice the gloss from the Trans. Extender when you add it to your paints?
 
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