Question about decaning Tamiya spray cans

robrex · Post by **robrex** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 1:42 am

I also get the webbing effect if I don't thin the paint. It might have someting to do with the climate both Captain Mark and myself live in? Sunny Queensland, Australia.

I thin about 1:2 and the finish is perfect!

AJP01 · Post by **AJP01** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 9:42 pm

Rob and CaptainMark - Ever encounter any problems from using 1 part paint to 2 parts thinner? What would you recommend for PSI / pressure / distance, etc.? I would imagine that it would be a low pressure for that thinness of paint - which may be why you guys are getting great finish quality.

Cheers,
AJP

tifosi37 · Post by **tifosi37** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 11:44 am

I use decanted Tamiya paints on all my models. Pesonal experience; I alwasy wait for the paint to stop bubbling. You can speed up the process by sticking a straw or toothpic into the bottle and watch the bubbles rise! And belive me they will. If I don't wait for it to gas out and try to airbrush it,It comes out of the airbrush spittin' and farting something horrible. I always thin it just a tad. The paint will thicken up just a little when gassed out. You just have to play with it and whatever works best for you go with it.
I think everyone has their own way of doing things when it comes to painting. With any laquer climate plays a huge factor.

CaptainMark · Post by **CaptainMark** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 4:45 am

AJP: I've never had any problems as such with 1:2 ratio. Admittedly though, my skill seems to be more taking an average paint job and polishing it up into something very nice, rather that putting a quality paint job down that doesn't require much polishing.

I normally shoot it at about 35-40psi, but I have a suspicion that's too much for what I'm doing. I suppose about 5-6 inches away is normal for my spraying.
I think I might experiment this weekend with a psi of about 25, and say 3-4 inches from the job.

That's exactly what you'll have to do, as everyone mentions... experiment.
Soon enough you'll be doing great work.

lotus49 · Post by **lotus49** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 9:28 am

I find that the paint is ice cold after decanting, so what I do is put the glass bottle that I have decanted into a plastic tub of hot water (not boiling!). Make sure there is lots of rom in the bottle for the fizzing that will follow!

This gets the gas out quickly, and has the added benefit of causing the paint to "flow" when you spray it (assuming you do it as soon as the gassing-out is done).

As far as adding thinners is concerned, I've noticed that a certain amount of evaporation takes place while gassing out. Put a piece of tape at the top leve of the paint before, and check the difference in volume after gassing out (or the next day, as the case may be). I usually add thinners to compensate - no rule here, just what feels right, and certainly not more than 1:1.

The result is a beautiful and smooth finish.