easiest airbrush colors for airbrush newbie

Hmmmmm... Scalecoat II (Mineral Spirits to thin), Tru Color (Acetone to thin), because they are brass, you could even use Scalcoat(Laquer thinner I think to thin cant remember).

I personally would not try airbrushing any type of acrylic, BUT many others feel differently.  

Concerning the "regular" Scalecoat, I believe it is best to use Scalecoat's own brand of thinner for thinning the paint for spraying, however lacquer thinner can be used for cleaning up everything.

How about Model Flex:

http://www.modelflexpaint.com/Paint.html

I recently painted a passenger car using Model Flex straight out of the bottle and it covered extremely well.  DON'T use an old (more than a year old?) previously opened bottle of it though.  First attempt was with a bottle I've had for probably 3-4 years and it puddled up on the model, I had to strip it off and use a new bottle.

It's made by Badger and the paint bottles fit their airbrushes, not sure if they'll fit directly on the airbrush you have so you may have to pour the paint into a bottle that fits your brush.

Here is a link to a very good thread on air brush and related equipment necessary to operate an air brush.  Click on the underlined phrase to link.  

Two types of paint, solvent base and acrylic/water base, both with specific related materials for application and clean up. 

Badger Model flex mentioned is Acrylic.

Weaver's Scalecoat paints are solvent based.

We did a recent thread on Testor's Polyscale (Model Masters) acrylic paints that are currently available in Railroad Colors a few months ago.  Available from Walther's page 18, 19 Testors supplies.     1/2 oz. bottles. Limited colors.

Polyscale was the brand name for the Floquil acrylic/water base paints.    That line was discontinued by Testors over the summer.    All Floquil solvent or water base is no longer made by Testors.    They may have similar paints in other brands they make.

Perhaps a bit of practice might be in order 1st? 

The darker colors tend to be the easier to achieve good coverage,

In addition to the advice from Mike, several other considerations and suggestions.

If you haven't sprayed the color before, and/or on the surface (plastic, brass, etc.) before, shoot some test pieces.

How will you hold the piece while you are painting it?  Some pieces can be held in the hand and sprayed while others may require some clamp or device to hold the piece.  I've used aerosol cans with the caps on them to rest aluminum passenger cars for drying.  I hold the car in the hand for painting and wear cheap disposable gloves.

Coat hangers are also useful in holding a piece while painting and can be suspended from a pole, hook, etc. to dry.

As a general rule, I always use a solvent based paint; and, therefore, I always wear cheap disposable gloves to reduce the likelihood that my skin will be exposed to the solvents which can be absorbed through direct contact with skin.

Good luck with your project. 

"I finally acquired a pasche airbrush and small compressor to paint the brass pilots on my ATSF Alco PAs. This will be my first airbrush attempt and I want a factory finish. What paint is readily available in the big city what proper thinner is also readily available????"

   If you want to match the paint on your locos it would be best to find out what kind is on there and then try to find the same thing. Whatever you use don't expect to get a factory quality finish without some practice with your airbrush and specific paint. If you know the manufacturer and model number of the loco maybe some of the custom paint guys can tell you what kind of paint it has? Otherwise you'll need to do some test shots of likely colors till you find a good match. The paint matching is a lot easier if you plan to weather the model BTW because dust and grime cover up a lot of errors :> .....DaveB

It appears the paint readily available to me is Scalecoat 1 for the brass. Plus the Scalecoat 1 thinner.

I will practice before shooting the pilots.

Should I dry the coats with heat or how long should I wait between coats?

Ron, after 20 minutes of oven time, you're probably okay:

http://www.weavermodels.com/page12.html

"It appears the paint readily available to me is Scalecoat 1 for the brass. Plus the Scalecoat 1 thinner.

 I will practice before shooting the pilots.

 Should I dry the coats with heat or how long should I wait between coats?"

   You should be able to get coverage with one coat. Your test will show you if it is possible. If you are just painting the pilots on an already assembled model you should not need heat, if you want to heat it a bit with a heat lamp that should be ok, but don't put a complete loco in the oven :>  I'd just mask the loco around the pilot then spray lightly till the pilot is nicely covered then pull the tape off and let the loco sit in warm place out of any dust flows for a few days.....DaveB

Dave it is my brass pilots for my alcos as posted in 3 rail. They will be painted prior to mounting.

"Dave it is my brass pilots for my alcos as posted in 3 rail. They will be painted prior to mounting."

  Wow, those came out great. I'm sure you'll figure out the airbrush and get them nicely painted. I really enjoy seeing folks do some serious modeling....DaveB

I posted this thread May 2013, last year.  Please be careful with all materials used as part of Model Railroading.  Mike CT

Safety meeting for the day. I had posted this a few years ago, part of an airbrush thread.   The material used for painting, and paint removal, need safety precautions.  All would have an associated MSDS.  Material Safety Data Sheet. Surprisingly Water clean-up acrylic paints, cleaners, and thinners can be issues.  I eventually purchased an organic cartridge respirator.  Eye protection is also a good thing.  Noted that I usually felt better at the end of the day.
This was added as part of the safety discussion.

quote:

Originally posted by OntarioRailFan: I've got a good paint booth vented directly outside. I also use ONLY water based paint.  Though I have not used a respirator.  Is this something I should add before I start my next round of painting????

YES From my shelf, what is written on the bottles.

Badger Modelflex acrylic paint  Non-toxic. Keep out of the reach of children. If ingested do not induce vomiting. Call a physician immediately.

Testors ModelMaster (Polyscale) acrylic model RR paint Non-toxic. Contains Isobutanol and DPNB. Causes eye irritation. Avoid eye contact.  First Aid: For eye contact flush immediately with plenty of water. Not intended for use by children

Testors ModelMaster (Polyscale) acrylic thinner  No caution listed.

Testors ModelMaster (Polyscale) acrylic cleaner  May irritate eyes Do not get in eyes. Do not take internally. Close container after each use. Keep out of reach of children.  First aid treatment : Contains gylcol ethers. If swallowed call a physician or poison control center immediately.  In case of eye contact, flush with plenty of water.

Weaver Scalecoat I Paint Danger Flammable Harmful or fatal if swallowed vapor harmful Read additional caution on back of label. Contains Zylene, Benzene, Butanone Oxime, and Petroleum Distillates that may be harmful if misused. Read caution on individual containers carefully. Harmful or fatal if swallowed. If swallowed do not induce vomiting. Call Physician immediately. Vapor harmful, May be harmful by breathing vapor. Use proper ventilation. When using, do not eat, drink, or smoke. Wash hands immediately after use. Avoid skin contact.  Keep container tightly closed when not in use. Do not use on interior surfaces. For use on model train cars and hobby related models only. FIRST AID: In case of eye contact thoroughly flush with water for 15 minutes and get medical attention.  For skin contact wash thoroughly with soap and water. In case of respiratory difficulty, provide fresh air and call physician. Call 1 800 424 9300 for more health information FLAMABLE: Keep away from heat, sparks, and open flame. WARNING This product contains chemicals known to the State of Californina to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN.  (Ya, that's all on that one ounce bottle of paint).

Testors Floquil Railroad Colors For Emergency Health Information call 1 800 962 1253. Contains petroleum distillates. Vapor Harmful Keep away from heat, sparks and open flame. Causes eye and skin irritation. To avoid breathing vapors and spray mist, open windows and doors to ensure fresh air entry during application and drying. If you experience eye watering, headaches, or dizziness, increase fresh air or wear respiratory protection. Close container after each use. Avoid contact with eyes and skin. USE WITH ADEQUATE VENTILATION. WARNING this product contains chemicals know to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. FIRST AID: If swallowed. Do not induce vomiting. Call physician immediately. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN.

Testors Floquil air brush thinner CONTENTS AND FUMES MAY CATCH FIRE. CONTENTS HARMFUL. MAY IRRITATE EYES AND SKIN. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN.  Vapors may ignite explosively. vapors harmful. May affect the brain and nervous system. causing dizziness, headache, or nausea. Causes eye, skin, nose, and throat irritation. Keep away from heat and flame. Avoid eye contact. Avoid breathing vapors and spray mist. Use only in well-ventilated area. Wash thoroughly after handling. Intentional misuse by deliberate concentrating and inhaling the contents may be harmful or fatal. FIRST AID: Contains petroleum distillates and n-propoxypropanol. In case of eye contact, flush with plenty of water for 15 minutes. If swallowed call physician or Poison Control Center immediately. If inhaled, seek fresh air. If on skin, rinse well with water. There are a lot of other chemicals on the shelf. All with some kind of a caution. IMO At the bare minimum even using acrylic, water clean up, paints adequate ventilation should be provided. This was part of a larger discussion at the time that moved toward full face protection, (eyes), and a filtering system that pulls or inhibits breathing any of the chemicals present.  There has also been several threads on model spray paint booths. Spray Booth currently on the 2 Rail Forum.    Mike

Respirator from a local auto parts or body shop paint supply.  Note that the two cartridges are designed to be replaced periodically.  $30 to $50 maybe ????

For spraying with a airbrush you are kidding?

 Again From my shelf, what is written on the paint bottles.  There are other materials on the shelves:  adhesives, lubricants, penetrating oil, and solids like hydrocal, plaster of paris, and joint compound.  All have MSDS detail.   Then there are all those rattle can spray bombs with more precautions. 

Mike CT 

@"For spraying with a airbrush you are kidding?"

He is not kidding. If you are going to be converting paint to a fine mist you need to protect yourself (and others).

A spray booth, solvent resistant gloves, and a paint mask are the bare essentials.

I received the scalecoat 1 paint and thinner today. Do I thin it 50/50 and what pressure do I set the compressor for 15lbs????

Additionally, the central compressor and airbrush kit I bought as a package doesn't have the proper connector hose for compressor to airbrush. Really ****es me off.

Thanks,

Ron

Today I airbrushed the pilot. Seemed to come out OK. Will post pictures later tonight.

Ron, hope it went well.  FWIW, Scalecoat's website has pretty detailed instructions on spraying their paint, including a recommended starting point for thinning paint and air pressure.  There is also a recommendation for the finish coat of clear.

http://www.weavermodels.com/page12.html

Color is OK I think.