Gear
A single action airbrush needs some pretty thin media to squirt right. Your Paasche with a number 5 tip will handle some thinned enamels... we used industrial lacquers thinned to the consistancy of whole milk or half and half. A number 1 tip will give a finer mist with the right consistancy... thin! Blending flames... or anything for that matter, requires a slow buildup and fine mist. More air pressure is not a good way to pump thick paint through an airbrush.

John... My sisters are like Dewayne's... and good wrastlers. We of the school teacher persuasion aren't sure we can handle much more of your love. But thanks anyhow.

independently, himmelberg

 

Gear Up

You definitely have to thin the paint considerably more than usual. I use my touch up gun for the medium stuff. The one Harbor Freight sells is excellent for the price. About $20 as I recall and atomizes well.

John

I threw a party for deploying soldiers last weekend. My wife's family was in attendance. About a 50-50 DEM to REP mix. Whew! Genuine US fighting men trying in vain to hide from my little sister after they spoke the "W" word in her presence. It was a hoot. No, I'm afraid we can't all just get along until about November 3rd. Only about 10 more days of ugly if we're lucky.

Peter

Did I understand correctly. For blending flames with enamel, best bet is the Paashe #5 tip.

 

Not exactly. A number one tip can give you a finer atomization but cover less area, leaving you open to an unequal distribution of paint. Splotchy blends. I would use a number 5 on flames as you are really covering more than just the flame tips as you go through the progression of color. I would be just as likely to use my old touchup gun for large areas and save the airbrush for areas less than a palm width or so wide.

Either tip will work with enamel. The real issue is delivering the paint evenly. It is more critical in blending as the blended coat that you add is not completely covering, some of the underlying paint shows through as you blend.

It's not hard to do at all. Just technique. A man with your skills can handle it.

best. Peter

 

Happy Birthday! Airbrush - YES!

repeat after me....


FLAMES GOOD. FLAMES GOOD. FLAMES GOOD. And, you might want to also invest in a Mack Sword brush (#00) to outline those flames with an old school pinstripe. Forrest Van Gogh indeed!!!

Leaks

 

A paint brush? I lost my license. My wife can drive one though. We'll have to see if she is tall enough to reach the center of the hood.

Peter,

I hate to be so dense. I'll try to ask my question again regarding tips.

I will paint most of the flames with my touch up gun. The flames will start with the entire front of my hood in yellow. Flame entry points (a foot from the hood front) will transition to tangerine. I will use the airbrush to feather the yellow onto the tangerine. Use which tip?

The tips of the flames will be red or perhaps dark orange-red. Very small area but perhaps fairly dense on the paint. Use which tip?

If all goes well, I may shade the edges of the tangerine with tangerine mixed with just a bit of red, Or maybe red. Only a shade, but we are talking yards of flame to shade now. Use which tip?

I know my mileage may vary. I can always recoat and try again. I need to tape off an old door and practice with a color before I commit.

Last question. My truck base color is red of course. I want to transition a tangerine flame without obscuring it. Is my reddish orange shade into the red a bad idea? I know I can use any color pinstripe I want to correct any obscuration. I just want it to look half decent when I pull the mask.

I'm not against buying another color if the ones I mentioned aren't complete. And I'll shut up and pull the trigger soon. I'm just killing time waiting for the paint store to open up tomorrow. Thanks for your patience. We're way out of my element here. I once painted bathroom walls a nice dark chocolate brown. Thought it would have a rustic appeal. You needed just about a thousand watts of light to shave.

 

Use the number 5 tip. I would experiment with that door if it were a red door. Your red flame tips will almost disappear into your red hood... and that might be a real nice effect. You'll probably have to stripe your flames, by the way. The painted edges will look raw when you remove the masking.

I would paint the entire masked area with the orange color using the touchup gun. If your touchup gun will crank way down and deliver paint without spattering, I'd do the yellow with that. If you have to blend the edges, better use your airbrush. Then finish the tips with your red/orange using the airbrush. Keep it simple and it will come out great.

Have fun, birthday boy. himmelberg