YADQ: why thin Acrylics?

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Captain Riker
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YADQ: why thin Acrylics?

Post by Captain Riker »

yet another dumb question:

What is the goal of thinning paints, especially acrylics? I use Tayima almost exclusively and don't thin at all. Am I missing something?
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Post by irishtrek »

Any paint needs to be thinned if you're going to run it through an air brush, and also if you're just using a plain old bristle brush the paint could be a bit too thick for the finish you may want to achieve.
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TER-OR
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Post by TER-OR »

Some acrylics need to be thinned to be properly used. Gaming acrylics, particularly. Also, some paints are a bit thick to airbrush - and some can evaporate over time, I've found that with Tamiya in particular.

Not all use similar thinners, though.
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Captain Riker
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Post by Captain Riker »

Hmm. I've been shooting Tamiya straight, but tried some thinned tonight. I can see the difference. It seems like it doesn't need to be thinned very much.
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Post by Kylwell »

Depends on what pressure you shoot @. I shout between 8 & 12 psi so I thin about 50/50.
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Captain Riker
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Post by Captain Riker »

Usually between 15 and 20.

Are there andy good resource sites or books on the subject that someone could recommend?
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