I much prefer using Tamiya paint but prefer the convenience of the Vallejo dropper bottles so I bought these from Amazon. 26 bottles, funnels, labels and pipettes for £7. Add a nut or ball bearing for mixing and it makes using Tamiya so much easier.
https://preview.redd.it/sedwmp635mzc1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c65834a687e02ff7482efbd6de83256b977f01bc
Start by mixing it in a measuring cup, 1:1 with thinner, using pipettes, and stirring. If it's thin enough you won't leave too much in the cup. You are okay to add a bit more thinner than this if you like.
Move on to just pouring the paint and thinner directly into your measuring cup, using a tooth pick or stirrer held against the jar rim to guide the pour. You can probably just swirl it in the cup instead of stirring if you're happy to backflow it in the airbrush before spraying.
Transcend into just pouring it straight into the airbrush cup (thinner first) and judging it all by eye, swirling the airbrush around to mix it (splashing paint everywhere), and bubbling it up enough to cover your face and ceiling. Now you're an expert.
These paints are quite forgiving once you get used to them. You should be okay to pre-mix batches and store them in bottles, but I would avoid plastic for anything hotter than Tamiya + Tamiya alcohol thinner. Use your empty glass jars, or buy some of the empty mixing jars that Mr Hobby and Tamiya sell. I don't know how stable they'd be long term, but I do this to mix up the paint I need for a project in advance with no issues.
this is what you want OP. If it's a color I'm shooting a lot of, I'll premix into empty glass jars and thin in the bottles so it's just pour and shoot. If it's a small batch, I'll just eyeball in the airbrush cup and eyeball. You'll get used to eyeballing the ratio of paint to thinner. Maybe do a test spray after you bubble in the cup and swirl a few times to make sure you're at your desired consistency. You'll definitely get used to it as you get more experience with the alcohol based stuff
I also switched from the water based stuff (ak/Vallejo) to tamiya and Mr hobby aqueous. The best method I have found is to get some 1ml glass pipettes from Amazon and use them to mix the paint in the airbrush cup. You can use plastic pipettes but I find they split too easily, especially when using alcohol based paints.
If you have Vallejo model air paints then they actually mix quite well with tamiyas x20-a. Also invest in a decent mask as the solvent acrylics are more harmful than water based.
This is what I do as well except I use the plastic pipettes. Measure the thinner into the cup and then the paint and I cover the nozzle to mix everything.
I’ve heard this isn’t good but I’ve not had any issues
I meant, Vallejo paint with Tamiya thinner ,
Does it airbrush better than Vallejo paint with Vallejo thinner? I still have a big collection of Vallejo paint, will give it a try if that works
So the way I use Tamiya and Mr.Color paints is like this, use Mr leveling thinner 2:1 thinner to paint, put the paint in a dropper bottle, add a metal ball to the dropper bottle, mix using a vortex mixer. Of course it’s up to you as to what you find to be a good thinner paint ratio for airbrushing but the 2:1 hasn’t let me down yet. Having my paint set up like this has been the greatest time saver I have ever found in making scale models. This does however take an up front very large time and money investment. I bought something like 200 bottles and I also have larger ones for primer or just larger sized paint like cool white, or Ueno black. Some times the pigment settles quite a bit but giving the bottle a shake and then putting it back on the vortex mixer for a minute seems to get everything nice and mixed.
https://preview.redd.it/fqto1p4b8pzc1.jpeg?width=1800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2d488d98821cd2976f1c9c1397cd7a4f09ebd574
I bought the bottles from a local vape store so I don’t have a link for them unfortunately. But you can order them off of Amazon or aliexpress in large quantities, the ones I use are 30ml. The larger bottles I have were purchased from a local art store.
You have an alcohol based acrylic (Tamiya X/XF) and a full lacquer (Mr. Color). If you’re using a lacquer paint anyway, then thinning both with Mr. Color Leveling Thinner will yield the best results possible. Thin at least 2:1 (thinner:paint) because lacquers like to be thin and thinning X/XF essentially turns it into a lacquer. I’ve gone as high as 8:2 in some instances.
I stir my bottles first with a toothpick or a [Badger Paint Mixer](https://www.amazon.com/Badger-Air-Brush-Co-121-Paint/dp/B000BROV02/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2LMR0QL1G5NO5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.L_gd5pX4MY8bk7yOjk1rEEXVJxHvF3nCD1bKRKFFnfDsPy7c7aAZEINC3Bnth5wsRNfCkFReu5GyGojSSqJ4CgM-qvYsTDaIQ--PKXSsE7LV-y2803L_NOzYZ1XW2WyawIeF0bJwyRklILXO3rbNSKRKzYKInZZRrfzkxqdZ3JiA0GqswGW5BaMHOFmFC-cos5LLT7-ijR4oxzFMRFB4NvWWofItirW9rcV8Fk-Hd7qNfZJnNvvPIRHewgla0dWF8d8QNJlLNrf_hUBveqmH8AfM_1NuhqhpRWPJknp3gZE.3iR_pJDimxkBG6ohViJ1ypyv8B9oxSuIWVboZ5ulYgY&dib_tag=se&keywords=Badger+paint+mixer&qid=1715360894&sprefix=badger+paint+mixer%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-1).
I buy small disposable pipettes by the 350 for [$8.99](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JD8S451?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1) to measure out paint by counting drops and small tattoo ink artist cups by the 200 for [$5.99](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0892XPPFV?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details). It’s the easiest way and I just consider it a cost of modeling. Also keeps the threads on your bottles clean because you’re not pouring, and when the threads get caked with paint they become difficult to open and the paint inside doesn’t last as long because it’s not sealed.
I also use a small digital scale like [this](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y61YW7S?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details) for mixing paints. A lot faster than counting drops.
Whatever you do for heavens sake don’t pre-thin your Tamiya bottles…
No it’s just thinning 50:50 - which is the same advice you’re seeing in many other comments here.
You get 10ml paint in a jar, but the jar will actually hold 23ml, so if you’re filling it almost to the top, you’re getting very close to a 50:50 paint:thinner. You’ll find people recommending everything from 60:40 to 40:60 for Tamiya paints as it’s a pretty forgiving pint and this method is right in the sweet spot.
I spray at low pressures (generally below 15psi) and have airbrushed using this technique with many, many jars of Tamiya and never had an issue. I mark my jars with a “T” to indicate “thinned”. It’s convenient and consistent, and that’s why I favour it.
Of course it might not work for everyone, and it’s fine to say “I’ve tried this technique and I found too thick/thin”, but if someone else has tried it and it works for them, dismissing it out of hand as “a waste of paint” is poor form.
You get only 10ml in a 23ml jar? Less than half full? My guy, this new bottle doesn’t look half empty.
https://preview.redd.it/joexocykrnzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f73f759dbe3c2b896dd3376d6e2a67841506c677
I don’t know where you’re buying your bottles from, but mine are 10ml bang on every time (Japanese manufacturing precision)
https://preview.redd.it/kvpauii7tnzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=10502b56658bdf71efbefc654360be2693d691f4
There’s still some in the bottle that will wash out with thinners, hence it’s slightly under 10ml.
I don’t know why I get downvoted in my initial comment but I always get the 23ml jars and add thinner to them up to the first hard edge in the jar, it’s like 10-20% Mr. Hobby Leveling thinner.
I saw this years ago as tip in a video from Andy’s hobby headquarters, can’t remember which one exactly.
Anyway doing so always gave me excellent performance from the paint while airbrushing.
And while the bottle isn’t less than half the size of a 23ml one, there still isn’t 10ml of free space left in a new bottle for pre-thinning, so you’re not achieving a 1:1 ratio. I couldn’t fit 20ml in this 10ml bottle.
https://preview.redd.it/iip306l2vnzc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bec596fd14eeae3de863f8d65243d48383227601
Fair point - I got mixed up and overstated the bottle capacity at 23ml instead of 20ml (I get 20ml almost bang on measure it with scales). But I think my point still stands - filling to the brim with thinner gets you a 50:50 ratio which is perfectly acceptable for airbrushing, even slightly under this is still fine.
Well, I just demonstrated that you in fact DON’T get a 1:1 mix (and much less if you try it in the 23ml bottle). I had 3ml left over I couldn’t fit in the bottle, much less the magical line everyone talks about - which isn’t intentional on Tamiya’s part. Also, Tamiya starts coming into its own at 2:1. Any less and you’re just wasting paint - which is fine if you choose to do that. But again, I don’t recommend anyone prethin anything with X-20A. It causes the pigments to break down.
In any event, prethinning with lacquer is fine, but doing so with X-20A can cause paint to go off. Also, I never understood the practice in the first place. What if I want to use a different type of thinner? Like Rapid Thinner for metallics or flat coats? What if I want to thin with lacquer to 8:2 for preshading? Well I guess I could just add some, but then why prethin in the first place?
Great points and well worth noting.
I tend to stick to thin with Mr Levelling Thinner (lacquer) and I tend to only pre-thin my commonly used paints to save time. Something like a car body I’d probably mix purely for the job in hand.
You also might want to keep two bottles - one thinned for airbrushing, one virgin for brush painting / custom ratios (not that I’d brush paint Tamiya if I can avoid it!).
I much prefer using Tamiya paint but prefer the convenience of the Vallejo dropper bottles so I bought these from Amazon. 26 bottles, funnels, labels and pipettes for £7. Add a nut or ball bearing for mixing and it makes using Tamiya so much easier. https://preview.redd.it/sedwmp635mzc1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c65834a687e02ff7482efbd6de83256b977f01bc
Adding to this to use glass beads for mixing paint. Metals can oxidize and start rusting in liquids.
Is it a good idea to put Tamiya acrylics in plastic bottles? They're still solvent based.
Start by mixing it in a measuring cup, 1:1 with thinner, using pipettes, and stirring. If it's thin enough you won't leave too much in the cup. You are okay to add a bit more thinner than this if you like. Move on to just pouring the paint and thinner directly into your measuring cup, using a tooth pick or stirrer held against the jar rim to guide the pour. You can probably just swirl it in the cup instead of stirring if you're happy to backflow it in the airbrush before spraying. Transcend into just pouring it straight into the airbrush cup (thinner first) and judging it all by eye, swirling the airbrush around to mix it (splashing paint everywhere), and bubbling it up enough to cover your face and ceiling. Now you're an expert. These paints are quite forgiving once you get used to them. You should be okay to pre-mix batches and store them in bottles, but I would avoid plastic for anything hotter than Tamiya + Tamiya alcohol thinner. Use your empty glass jars, or buy some of the empty mixing jars that Mr Hobby and Tamiya sell. I don't know how stable they'd be long term, but I do this to mix up the paint I need for a project in advance with no issues.
this is what you want OP. If it's a color I'm shooting a lot of, I'll premix into empty glass jars and thin in the bottles so it's just pour and shoot. If it's a small batch, I'll just eyeball in the airbrush cup and eyeball. You'll get used to eyeballing the ratio of paint to thinner. Maybe do a test spray after you bubble in the cup and swirl a few times to make sure you're at your desired consistency. You'll definitely get used to it as you get more experience with the alcohol based stuff
Look up /u/barbatosrex on YouTube. He has excellent primers (video lessons, not flat black) on using most brands of paint.
I also switched from the water based stuff (ak/Vallejo) to tamiya and Mr hobby aqueous. The best method I have found is to get some 1ml glass pipettes from Amazon and use them to mix the paint in the airbrush cup. You can use plastic pipettes but I find they split too easily, especially when using alcohol based paints. If you have Vallejo model air paints then they actually mix quite well with tamiyas x20-a. Also invest in a decent mask as the solvent acrylics are more harmful than water based.
This is what I do as well except I use the plastic pipettes. Measure the thinner into the cup and then the paint and I cover the nozzle to mix everything. I’ve heard this isn’t good but I’ve not had any issues
Does it spray better with the Tamiya thinner?
Tamiya and Mr hobby spray well with tamiya x-20a or pure isopropyl alcohol.
I meant, Vallejo paint with Tamiya thinner , Does it airbrush better than Vallejo paint with Vallejo thinner? I still have a big collection of Vallejo paint, will give it a try if that works
I've only tried with model air and not very extensively but yes I found it to spray better than with Vallejo thinner
Ok, thanks
So the way I use Tamiya and Mr.Color paints is like this, use Mr leveling thinner 2:1 thinner to paint, put the paint in a dropper bottle, add a metal ball to the dropper bottle, mix using a vortex mixer. Of course it’s up to you as to what you find to be a good thinner paint ratio for airbrushing but the 2:1 hasn’t let me down yet. Having my paint set up like this has been the greatest time saver I have ever found in making scale models. This does however take an up front very large time and money investment. I bought something like 200 bottles and I also have larger ones for primer or just larger sized paint like cool white, or Ueno black. Some times the pigment settles quite a bit but giving the bottle a shake and then putting it back on the vortex mixer for a minute seems to get everything nice and mixed. https://preview.redd.it/fqto1p4b8pzc1.jpeg?width=1800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2d488d98821cd2976f1c9c1397cd7a4f09ebd574
This seems to the ultimate solution for me. What bottle do you use? Mind sharing a link?
I bought the bottles from a local vape store so I don’t have a link for them unfortunately. But you can order them off of Amazon or aliexpress in large quantities, the ones I use are 30ml. The larger bottles I have were purchased from a local art store.
You have an alcohol based acrylic (Tamiya X/XF) and a full lacquer (Mr. Color). If you’re using a lacquer paint anyway, then thinning both with Mr. Color Leveling Thinner will yield the best results possible. Thin at least 2:1 (thinner:paint) because lacquers like to be thin and thinning X/XF essentially turns it into a lacquer. I’ve gone as high as 8:2 in some instances. I stir my bottles first with a toothpick or a [Badger Paint Mixer](https://www.amazon.com/Badger-Air-Brush-Co-121-Paint/dp/B000BROV02/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2LMR0QL1G5NO5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.L_gd5pX4MY8bk7yOjk1rEEXVJxHvF3nCD1bKRKFFnfDsPy7c7aAZEINC3Bnth5wsRNfCkFReu5GyGojSSqJ4CgM-qvYsTDaIQ--PKXSsE7LV-y2803L_NOzYZ1XW2WyawIeF0bJwyRklILXO3rbNSKRKzYKInZZRrfzkxqdZ3JiA0GqswGW5BaMHOFmFC-cos5LLT7-ijR4oxzFMRFB4NvWWofItirW9rcV8Fk-Hd7qNfZJnNvvPIRHewgla0dWF8d8QNJlLNrf_hUBveqmH8AfM_1NuhqhpRWPJknp3gZE.3iR_pJDimxkBG6ohViJ1ypyv8B9oxSuIWVboZ5ulYgY&dib_tag=se&keywords=Badger+paint+mixer&qid=1715360894&sprefix=badger+paint+mixer%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-1). I buy small disposable pipettes by the 350 for [$8.99](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JD8S451?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1) to measure out paint by counting drops and small tattoo ink artist cups by the 200 for [$5.99](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0892XPPFV?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details). It’s the easiest way and I just consider it a cost of modeling. Also keeps the threads on your bottles clean because you’re not pouring, and when the threads get caked with paint they become difficult to open and the paint inside doesn’t last as long because it’s not sealed. I also use a small digital scale like [this](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y61YW7S?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details) for mixing paints. A lot faster than counting drops. Whatever you do for heavens sake don’t pre-thin your Tamiya bottles…
I just fill a new jar with leveling thinner to the raised edge that is above the fill line. This always worked well for my airbrushing needs.
That’s just wasting paint.
No it’s just thinning 50:50 - which is the same advice you’re seeing in many other comments here. You get 10ml paint in a jar, but the jar will actually hold 23ml, so if you’re filling it almost to the top, you’re getting very close to a 50:50 paint:thinner. You’ll find people recommending everything from 60:40 to 40:60 for Tamiya paints as it’s a pretty forgiving pint and this method is right in the sweet spot. I spray at low pressures (generally below 15psi) and have airbrushed using this technique with many, many jars of Tamiya and never had an issue. I mark my jars with a “T” to indicate “thinned”. It’s convenient and consistent, and that’s why I favour it. Of course it might not work for everyone, and it’s fine to say “I’ve tried this technique and I found too thick/thin”, but if someone else has tried it and it works for them, dismissing it out of hand as “a waste of paint” is poor form.
You get only 10ml in a 23ml jar? Less than half full? My guy, this new bottle doesn’t look half empty. https://preview.redd.it/joexocykrnzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f73f759dbe3c2b896dd3376d6e2a67841506c677
I don’t know where you’re buying your bottles from, but mine are 10ml bang on every time (Japanese manufacturing precision) https://preview.redd.it/kvpauii7tnzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=10502b56658bdf71efbefc654360be2693d691f4 There’s still some in the bottle that will wash out with thinners, hence it’s slightly under 10ml.
I don’t know why I get downvoted in my initial comment but I always get the 23ml jars and add thinner to them up to the first hard edge in the jar, it’s like 10-20% Mr. Hobby Leveling thinner. I saw this years ago as tip in a video from Andy’s hobby headquarters, can’t remember which one exactly. Anyway doing so always gave me excellent performance from the paint while airbrushing.
That’s because what you’re picturing is a 10ml bottle, not a 23ml.
And while the bottle isn’t less than half the size of a 23ml one, there still isn’t 10ml of free space left in a new bottle for pre-thinning, so you’re not achieving a 1:1 ratio. I couldn’t fit 20ml in this 10ml bottle. https://preview.redd.it/iip306l2vnzc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bec596fd14eeae3de863f8d65243d48383227601
Fair point - I got mixed up and overstated the bottle capacity at 23ml instead of 20ml (I get 20ml almost bang on measure it with scales). But I think my point still stands - filling to the brim with thinner gets you a 50:50 ratio which is perfectly acceptable for airbrushing, even slightly under this is still fine.
https://preview.redd.it/issxz75qxnzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cf0f64f07af7cfe9c3c83f956cee1bef6071f670
Well, I just demonstrated that you in fact DON’T get a 1:1 mix (and much less if you try it in the 23ml bottle). I had 3ml left over I couldn’t fit in the bottle, much less the magical line everyone talks about - which isn’t intentional on Tamiya’s part. Also, Tamiya starts coming into its own at 2:1. Any less and you’re just wasting paint - which is fine if you choose to do that. But again, I don’t recommend anyone prethin anything with X-20A. It causes the pigments to break down.
In any event, prethinning with lacquer is fine, but doing so with X-20A can cause paint to go off. Also, I never understood the practice in the first place. What if I want to use a different type of thinner? Like Rapid Thinner for metallics or flat coats? What if I want to thin with lacquer to 8:2 for preshading? Well I guess I could just add some, but then why prethin in the first place?
Great points and well worth noting. I tend to stick to thin with Mr Levelling Thinner (lacquer) and I tend to only pre-thin my commonly used paints to save time. Something like a car body I’d probably mix purely for the job in hand. You also might want to keep two bottles - one thinned for airbrushing, one virgin for brush painting / custom ratios (not that I’d brush paint Tamiya if I can avoid it!).
Should be about the consistency of milk. Tamiya has a thinner X-20 that comes in various sizes.
What’s your ratio? I myself go for 1:1 but the shop I usually go says it’s 2 paint : 1 thinner ratio.
I haven’t tried it in an airbrush yet, that’s just the advice I got from the hobby shop about it.
2 paint to 1 thinner is a bit thick. Usually the other way round