Airbrushing with Admiralty paints

[Charter33]

Hi,

I'm a novice with the airbrush but am hoping to use one to apply the matt black paint to the cannons of my Caldercraft Victory. Has anyone had experience of spraying with Admiralty paints? I'm guessing that it will need to be thinned down - any suggestions as to the right mix? 20% water? 50/50?

Any advice gratefully received.

 

Cheers,

 

Graham

[pompey2]

Hi Graham

 

I have recently done just that (see confed log)

I used Admiralty Dull Black, I thinned it with water, probably about 50/50 but thinned it to a water-like consistency whilst retaining some degree of colour.

I then sprayed many coats, many coats! about 20 in all.

If you do very light coats, which is a must to avoid runs then they dry in less than an hour, at least enough to do a further coat.

 

But as I mentioned in my log I am leaning towards a brush rather than an air brush in future.

The multiple tinned coats works pretty well when brushing and using the gun is a lot of extra faff.

 

Best of luck

 

Nick

[Charter33]

Thanks' for the info Nick. You're right - using the airbrush can be a lot of messing about. I'll act on your advice and try hand painting first.

I'm enjoying your Confederacy log - keep up the great work!

 

Cheers,

 

Graham

[hornet]

I use Admiralty paints a lot too. I agree with the 50:50 mix that Nick suggests. However, like Nick, I have come to the conclusion that for some jobs, brushing is quicker and easier. Admiralty paints provide very good coverage and finish. I have completed one Caldercraft model, The HMS SUPPLY which I painted with Admiralty Dull (metal) Black because the guns were Britannia metal. However my current build, HMAV Bounty has brass cannons.   I use Birchwood Casey (available on eBay) and get a nice burnished finish. If your Victory is supplied with brass cannons, I'd suggest blackening as you get a much better finish and it is much quicker. 

[Charter33]

Thanks' Hornet - found it on ebay as you suggested and an order has been placed. I'll have a go and see how it comes out.

 

Cheers,

 

Graham

[hornet]

Great Graham. 

 

A couple of tips when using Birchwood Casey. Make sure your cannon are free of any contaminates such as grease ( from your fingers) by soaking them in white vinegar then drying with a tissue ( without touching them with your fingers) Don't soak them in the Birchwood Casey for too long - about 30 seconds. Remove, wipe with a tissue ( some of the blackening will come off) and resoak. Continue doing this until the cannon is sufficiently blackened. I have found that submersing the cannon for too long results in the blackening not working evenly. Some folk dilute the Birchwood Casey, but I don't. I also pour it back into the bottle to reuse. Not sure if everybody else uses it in this way, but I have done a bit of experimenting over the last couple of years and this method works best for me. One bottle lasts a long time. 

 

Hope this helps you,

cheers

Steve. 

 

[Charter33]

Thanks' for the additional tips, Steve. The white vinegar is already in the workshop, the Birchwood Casey 'Brass Black' due for delivery early next week, as are the brass wire brushes for the Dremel which I hope will remove any traces of C.A. adhesive from the pivot rods (?) and the breach rings.

 

Cheers,

 

Graham

[tlevine]

Birchwood Casey, like most blackening liquids works best diluted.  I typically use a 1:3 BC:water solution that I keep in a separate container (aka pill bottle).  I reuse this but never contaminate the original bottle.  Cleaning is the most important part.  Many modelers use a heated Sparex solution.  I typically start with soap and water, followed by a good soak in 90% isopropanol.  Finally, for something large like a cannon, I apply a coat of clear matte finish to protect the blackening.  Be careful with those wire brushes.  Unlike painting, which fills in tiny imperfections, blackening will potentially highlight those wire brush marks.  There are liquid CA adhesive removers but either soaking in acetone or iso. should take care of it.

[Charter33]

Thank you for your input on this topic, Toni. The brushes I ordered are brass ones, so as not to contaminate the brass cannons, and were waiting for me at work this morning, together with the blacking solution. A quick trial with the brush shows that it actually refines and polishes the surface. I'll see if I can source the chemicals and do a trial shortly.

 

Cheers,

 

Graham

[Charter33]

When I started this topic the other day I had no idea that it would end up going in this direction. Proof once more of the value of this forum when it comes to sharing ideas and techniques.

Thank you to all those who have contributed to and followed the discussion.

 

With the resources now in place I managed to find time do a trial run :-

- before and after ....

 

After brushing and de-greasing, two 30 second immersions in the Birchwood Casey 'Brass Black', with a rinse and dry in between, I ended up with the finish shown above. This was followed by a coat of matt lacquer. I am delighted with the result to put it mildly!

 

Cheers,

 

Graham.

 

[hornet]

Great result Graham, certainly a lot better than you would have got with flat black paint.  

 

cheers

Steve 

[Charter33]

Thank you , Steve, for pointing me in the right direction!

 

Cheers,

 

Graham