Thinning Question

[Meth68]

Hi all I Need assistance




I bought some random paint bat Michaels just to mess with old Tshirts to get the hang of the airbrush and start my practice.


It's called Craft smart , acrylic paint. On the back it says
All purpose water based fast drying intermixable paint.


Some said to mix this 1:1? My question is I don't have thinner, could I use only water? I read windex is good but has ammonia so not sure if that's bad?


I'm sitting here all excited for nothing! Lol thanks everyone!

 

[autoart]

the paint you've got most likely already contains Ammonia so a little bit more wont make a lot of diference anyway (you should allways treat paint as toxic) a lot of cleaning products contain it too. I think water will be OK on Tee's as you wont have to worry about adhesion problems...

Cheers Lou.

 

[Meth68]

Thanks for the reply! I ended up using 1:1, the thinning solution I made from about 30% (70%)alcohol & 70% water. Worked well with my green but not so well with my pink. A couple times to paint was coming out so I assume there were chunks in there or still to thick, but the color looked washed out already so I just cleaned it all out. I'll try again tomorrow, I plan on buying better paint this week (just jot locally I guess)

As for cleaning. I used my solution of alcohol and water mix on a qtip to clean out the cup then sprayed water until it was all clean, does that sound good?

I just don't want to do something wrong thinking its fine and continue to do it

 

[Fire Brush]

When it comes to fabric paint (like all paints) you get what you pay for. You might get the paint to lay on the fabric, but it won't be colorfast without the addition of a "fabric medium" or possible heat setting. My favorite source on the planet for all things fabric related (including dye ready clothing) is dharmatrading.com in California. Fantastic product catalog and customer service. You can find them online at the same name. Happy painting!

 

[Paul]

In addition to thinning, it would be a good idea to strain your paint also. Something as simple as cutting a piece of panty hose and placing over the top of the bottle and screwing the lid down over it should help. Another good idea is store the paint bottle up-side down to prevent paint from drying in the top side of the bottle and possible flaking of as you pour your paint. These things along with properly mixing the paint before use should get you by until you get some paint made for airbrushing. Good luck and have fun. P.S. The way your cleaning should be fine.

 

[Meth68]

Thanks for the replies everyone

Fire Brush, thanks for the info, I requested a catalog!

Paul, awesome idea I read about straining as well. I will try out the panty house idea next!

 

[Midnight Magus]

Cheap paint is generally worth what you pay. The pigments aren't ground as fine as airbrush paints, and the binders tend to be thicker. Wicked is a big improvement for sprayability. Any acrylic you use should be reduced with either Wicked W100, or a home brew of alcohol, non-bleach household cleaner, water, and a few drops of glycerine. Some folks skip the household cleaner... I use Fantastik, but if that isn't available I have no idea what is equal to it. The glycerine improves flow, just a few drops per oz will do it. Too much gycerine is bad for drying or even can prevent drying altogether.