Wicked Paint Properties

[dmshanks]

I started working with Com-Art Colours paint last week while getting familiar with my new airbrushes. I figured out that I can use Badger Flow Improver, about 1 drop to 5 drops paint. It helps with tip dry and the paint flows well down to 7 psi at least. Some fine lines at 7 psi are possible. Tip dry does occur of course and the tip needs to be cleaned every couple minutes. Clean up is pretty easy. It appears all the paint is removed from the nozzle with just a flush using Badger airbrush cleaner ( I have a lot of Badger cleaner, so I'm using it until it's all gone).
I wanted to try some other paint and purchased the Wicked primary color set. It is definitely different. I tried one drop Createx 4012 reducer to 10 drops paint and the paint wouldn't flow well at all out the Iwata's .35 nozzle. I went from 7psi to 17 psi and it was a little better. I continued to add reducer until I got the Wicked black to flow well, even at 7 psi, which was about 6 drops reducer to 10 drops paint. I could get some pretty fine lines, but not like with the Com-Art paint.
I learned that turning up the psi to 17 psi lays down paint more quickly, is more tricky to do finer detail stuff, but sprays out tinier atomized droplets. When lightly painting larger areas, the better atomization of the paint is awesome. This to me is nicer looking than the larger droplets created using 7 psi.
For sure, the Wicked lays down thicker, faster, like there's more pigment, but maybe it's just not as reduced as the Com-Art. It doesn't puddle as easily as the Com-Art. I can build up the paint pretty heavily and it doesn't get that wet, overly built up "puddle" look like Com-Art.
The Wicked seemed to take more time to clean out of my airbrush. Com-Art is super easy in this respect.
I'm just beginning so all this is experimentation. I'm not painting anything yet, just practicing basic technique.
Any ideas on how best to reduce the Wicked and what pressures to use with a .35 nozzle? Is Wicked more tenacious generally during cleanup then Com-Art paints? What would be the advantage of Wicked over other paints? I know it's a multipurpose paint that can be used on metal and plastics and is used a lot for automotive painting. I stayed up too late tonight. I didn't want to end my airbrush session on a negative, so I kept working with the Wicked until I could actually get it to work, mostly. What fun!! Now I pay for it tomorrow

 

[ilzeairbrushing]

Don't worry, crawling to be at 1h00 in the morning after I had to pull myself away from the AB is an everynight occurance in my life.... to such and extend that I send hubby for takeout because I just don't have time for cooking etc etc and all the chores a woman have when she gets home.

I only used wicked till now and base paints with thinners... I am using a .20 AB and paint between 10 and 25 psi, reduce 1 paint to 4 or 2/4 for brightness. I do think that is why none of my work looks realistic... but more faded... Will definitely try the .35 at 17psi with 10/6 ratio, just to see the quality of the paint, but I know the flow will be to thick for the .20 AB tip.

Thank you for sharing your experiment I learnt something here...

 

[AndreZA]

7psi is extremely low for Wicked. I sometimes play around there with E'tac and then it needs to be good weather and mix must be right. The Createx products works well around the 20+psi mark. Tip dry will always be an issue, you can not get away from that, only delay it.

 

[Jurien72]

I generally run Wicked at least a 1:1 ratio, and that's pretty thick for most people's standards. You can generally thin the heck out of Wicked. I'd say anything over 1:1 is going to give you problems, or at least very erratic performance. Oh and I have completely proven that straight Wicked thru a .15 needle simply will not go! Rather, it will go alright... out the top of the cup!

 

[SiRoxx]

It looks like you’ve answered a lot of your own questions Dm. That’s great, starting with 1 drop of 4012 and adding until you get the mix right for you is the best way to learn the paint. I can’t compare wicked to comart as I’ve only used Wicked. But I would say that 7psi with Wicked through an Eclipse is pretty low. It’s possible, but takes a fair bit of skill, that I don’t possess yet . Around 20 PSI should be good. Finer lines are possible with your setup and they will come with some practice. But you’re definitely on the right track.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Souldog Airbrush]

Wicked paints... what to say , they are wicked thick thats for sure but they cover extremely good
Your psi is way to low thats the entire problem , but because wickeds are so thick they are a pain to work with in every aspect.

I only use Wickeds to give stuff a basecoat like a guitar orsome (50% reducer , 50% wickeds) or more reducer.
And i only use wickeds in a airbrush with a needle size higher then 0.2.

little Tip:
if your mixing your paints try to watch how quickly the paints drips of your mix tool (wood stick or whatever) , if it's dripping like water it's good to go.(u can also count the speed of the dripping to remember the right dose to use)

If i spray detail stuff i use more "forgiving paints" like etac , inks or com-art will do.

E'tac is a lifesaver because it has almost no tip dry , flows like heaven and cleaning is fun, but E'tac is a gouche tho and not water resistant

I prefer the Holbein Inks at the moment , those inks are so damn pure its unbelievable ( by pure i mean the colors are very strong and rich)
A little more tippytoe dry with the Inks in comparision with E'tac but proper reduced they kick the entire Createx line out of my studio.

ps. paints are a personal thing in the end i think , i tried almost every line of airbrush paints and iam still searching for the perfect combo that fits my workflow , so sell your house , wife and kids and buy all the airbrush paints (starter tip 101)

-Souldog Airbrush

 

[Mr.Micron]

Okay folks each brand of paint is different just like not all airbrush are the same.
Learning a paint system is not done in a day or a week it is done over time.
Reduction suggestion is as follows. 1 drop of paint at 35PSI see how it sprays and flow, Then add 1 drop or reducer mix and spray until you find what you think is how the paint should react to the way and level you paint.
To me com-art is way to thin to begin with and through a .35 I would never add anything to it. Com-art = Iwata Media so it will work in every Iwata airbrush. When you buy a new Micron that is the paint they use to test it at the factory.
Wicked is designed to paint everything from T-Shirts (which you want a thicker paint and high PSI) to metal,glass, canvas or what ever. So you will have to learn reduction . TIP DRY is part of the game go grab some HOK White and reduce it as directed and guess what you will have tip dry. when you have a Paint being forced by air over an object the paint will start to dry that is just a part of the game.
So what have we learned today . Paint selection is much like airbrush selection it is a personnel preference. While many on here love E'tac I had nothing but headaches with it.
Right now I mainly use Wicked and Golden High flow for anything that is not automotive for automotive I use mainly HOK or PPG once in a while I will use SEM depends on the project and what someone is willing to pay for paint.
As far as psi on a .35 Yes I have ran mine down to 2 or 3 psi but not for fine detail for an effect. If you want to paint at that low of psi by a micron LOL

 

[jord001]

Hey DM, below 10psi is low unless the paint is as thin as dirty water. I use my micron with etac efx at about 20psi. Start off with 4 drops of reducer to 1 drop of wicked, psi around 20-24 or 1.5 bar. From there you can experiment for yourself and you will get your own perfect mix depending on your airbrush and weather. Everyone will be different and even if you have the same airbrushes, a mix that works for one may not work for the person standing next to you. ComArt is really thin so it flows well in most airbrushes. Every brand of paint will be different, thankfully most of us here have tried them and have some idea of a start mix to get people going. Try that mix and let us know how you get on.

Lee

 

[GeeDonV]

I cant see how i can shoot wicked at it best below 10psi, letting the paint sit about 10-15 minutes after reduced before spraying should always works for me, got a pack of ice cream spoon to stir the paint as giving a good stir is must imo and the spoon can be reused by simply wipe it clean right after each dip to not let any dried paint stick on.

Sent from Knockoff i-Fone [emoji14]

 

[Ricky Spanish]

Hello DM
Everyone has already answered your questions concerning paint and psi.
So all I can add to this discussion is a tip on removing tip dry. A good remedy is using a old (or new) #3 flat brush dipped in your choice of cleaner. Then carefully brush off any paint on your needle. Give your AB a blast of just straight air to remove any remaining cleaner left on the tip. Now you're good to go
I find using a brush reduces the chances of damaging your needle and its reusable.
Hope this helps

 

[dmshanks]

What a wonderful response to newbee troubles. Thank you all so much. I’ve reread the posts multiple times already and it all makes sense. Once I’ve established what it is I plan on doing with my airbrush beyond weathering model railroad objects, I can narrow down the paint brand and type. I like the idea of illustration painting but not everyone has that artistic gift, although I’ve surprised myself in the past with my ability to create an aesthetic piece of work. Is E’tac available in the USA?

 

[Mr.Micron]

What a wonderful response to newbee troubles. Thank you all so much. I’ve reread the posts multiple times already and it all makes sense. Once I’ve established what it is I plan on doing with my airbrush beyond weathering model railroad objects, I can narrow down the paint brand and type. I like the idea of illustration painting but not everyone has that artistic gift, although I’ve surprised myself in the past with my ability to create an aesthetic piece of work. Is E’tac available in the USA?

Yes http://www.usairbrush.com/

 

[JackEb]

although everyone has chipped in with the advise you need, i would like to explain a little about the createx brand that people seem to forget/dont know.

Their paints are designed to have reducers added. Making the paint truely ready to spray straight out of the bottle would reduce their shelf life considerably. With so many different climates around the world it would be almost impossible to create a product that would work for everyone all the time. I notice here in Australia that there are times my reductions will change throughout the year.

Even the Illustration series, which i love, will spray straight from the bottle sometimes, but other times i'll need to add a drop or two of reducer just to hit the sweet spot.

Etac and Com-art are great products while you are learning, a lot less tip dry, a lot less brain straining trying to get reductions right and they help you gain much needed confidence while learning. I have the full range of Etac Efx and its great for artwork that will never see sunlight, but its also not great on every surface either.

Wicked / Wicked Detail are great all rounders but there is a learning curve with any paint system.

 

[dmshanks]

Good comments Jack. I plan on keeping my Wicked Primary Colors set and practicing with it, using more reducer to get better flow. I also just ordered a primary set of E’tac EFX (takes 1st place for the most expensive paint I’ve purchased thus far) to experiment with. Hopefully that will arrive the first part of next week. Tonight I’m going to attempt to commit art by drawing something from a step-by-step with my Wicked Colors and see what kind of damage I can do . I also have a basic set of Golden paint I can work with. Golden seems to be more glossy than the other paints I’ve tested. Maybe I’m laying it down too wet?