Expert: Donna Evans - 12/3/2008

Question
I read from other articles that you should thin out your paint to the consistency of skim milk?, they also have a homemade mixture for water based paints:(Createx)(water,alcohol,glass cleaner,and a few drops of glycerin)
Is this information at all correct?
Also, I have a Iwata hp-c,(brand new) and I can't seem to get a fine line with this paint consistency. Alot of spatter. Could this be the paint is to thinned out, or can I adjust the brush differently? Thanx, Paul

Answer
Paul
Paint should be a consistancy of light cream as opposed to heavy cream.
However,..
There maybe  more  than one reason your paint is making a  splatter and  not  a thin line.
You have  to have the psi lower for thinner paint.Otherwise you get spidery blots.

If it is as thin as skim milk (VERY WATERY)there are inks that are as thin too, so start with a psi of 15 to 20
go up by a couple of pounds till there is no splatter and  paint comes out smoothly.

Createx paint is usually ready to spray out of the bottle,that's  the beauty of it. I use it with a medium needle, 35 psi and  up with this paint as is. I go up  to 60 to 80 psi if I'm painting  fabrics and no more than 40 psi on Autos and such.
You can add some  retarder to the paint so there is less tip dry. ONLY if the paint has been sitting out for several days the  air might have thickened it a bit so be very careful not to
use too much water. A couple of  DROPS is all you should need.
I have no  knowledge of that  concoction you mentioned.

Alcohol and glasscleaner ??? there is  Ammonia in glass cleaner so  both of these are drying agents.  Crazy. Well No matter what  paints you use, there is a fine tuning that  must be  done between the pressure used and the thickness of the paints. Just remember the thinner the paint the lower the pressure,(PSI)
Also,
 be aware how  close you are to the surface you are painting,too close you get spatter,too much pressure,same thing.
Practice doing fine lines and rat tails so they are even and pointed at the ends. No fuzzy lines either they must be sharp.

If your Iwata has a very fine needle it is easy to get a snag on it and  this would cause your paint to spray erratically. Or a speck of dried paint is in the tip or cone of the needle  assembly. This is very common with acrylics as the paint air dries fast.
As you paint You might have to scrape a dried bit off the tip.

While  I am making  fine lines I need to stop after a few strokes and flick off that paint. No kidding !
If  you ever use Auto paints like  House of Color you will see a big difference as there is a much longer wet time and less drying on the needle.

I have had brand new needles that were bad from the start. Check first by dragging the tip over a sensitive part of your skin, does it snag ? then check with a magnifier too.

One more note  here, I find I have to strain acrylic paints after they have been in my bottles as  they get dried bits that land at the bottom of  the jar and once they come up into your needle they will cause splatter. I use my old nylons stretched over a small funnel to strain my paint. You'd be  surprised to see all the tiny bits of dried paint it  catches.
I hope this helps.
Donna