Making Opaque Paint Transparent By Adding Medium

[Baz O]

Hi guy, its me...again.

Been having an issue when adding airbrush medium to opaque paint.

I've sprayed the lure with white base coat, and then sprayed opaque yellow on the bottom half of the lateral line. I wanted to add a semi transparent green onto the top half of the hard bait but didn't have any transparent paint so I added some medium to forest green and mixed them in my airbrush cup.

When I sprayed the bait, the green was "watery". All I wanted was to make the color transparent.

Please have a look at the photos I have included. Maybe someone can help me out with this one.

 

[gliders]

 

Best thing to do is buy transparent green, the pigments ate different. ...glider 

[mark poulson]

A little of that medium goes a long way.   Too much, and you get paint that has no film strength.

I use water with a drop of dish washing liquid in a spray bottle to clean my air brush cup, and pour the liquid back into the paint bottle, since it's usually too thick, anyway.  When I get to the bottom of the bottle, the paint to water ratio is too even, and I get that effect.

Try using the AutoAire 4011 reducer.  It is supposed to keep the film strength while it thins the paint.  It works for me.

[RayburnGuy]

To make a paint more transparent, and not loose film strength, you will have to use a transparent base. This is essentially paint with no colorant in it. All a reducer will do is change the viscosity of the paint. (make it thinner)

Ben

[Baz O]

Hi RayburnGuy, my thoughts exactly but I read that this particular medium has the same description as a transparent base (paint with no pigment). But when I shake the medium bottle up and open it, I find bubbles (like a dishwashing liquid produces).

I have tried many times to mix the medium and paint but was immediately disappointed when I sprayed it on. Have 3 ruined lures already.

 

Mark Poulson, thank you. I don't have any reducer as the com-art paints come already reduced in the bottle. Maybe I just might get one just to be safe.

 

 

Edited April 16, 2017 by Baz O
typo

[Baz O]

Hi guys, I just went through some literature online and found out I was mistaken about the comart medium. It is a reducer and not a transparent base.

[mark poulson]

6 hours ago, Baz O said:

Hi guys, I just went through some literature online and found out I was mistaken about the comart medium. It is a reducer and not a transparent base.

Ben's right.  If the paint is already reduced, adding more reducer is a mistake.

I find the Createx transparent base works well to restore my paint film if I've used too much reducer, or if I've added too much water back into my paint bottle.

[MonteSS]

Try a pearl white base over the clear blank. You will get a ghost transparent base and transparent colors look good over it. 

[Baz O]

Thanks guys.

[hazmail]

Baz--I think you may be starting at the wrong end of the process ??

Get the required amount your medium (I'm assuming it's water based) and add DISTILLED water until your medium is close to thickness you want for spraying, then add green pigment (or paint ) and mix in until you get the color you like--you may need to test this at stages, simply take samples and dry them (with a heat gun) to get the color intensity you want--thin again to desired  viscosity for your brush and spray away.

It's the same with any medium for C/Colors, add the color to the medium, NOT the medium to the color, this makes the colors

semi opaque or ''clear''.

Pete