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dwendt1978

Another Airbrush Question

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I'm using a Crescendo 175 with a little airbrush compressor, and after reading all the forums, I'm still running into problems. I'm using Pearlized Createx and out of the bottle it won't spray worth a darn. So I diluted it with water to the consistency of milk and now when I lightly spray the gun it blows the paint away from where I want it. Not sure if the "pearlized" has something to do with it or not. I have in the past used Rustoleum and diluted it with paint thinner, but there's just not as many colors as Createx has. What should I do?

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Guess there can be several problems. You definitely need to prime with a flat white before shooting color. I use diluted Apple Barrel flat white acrylic and dry it with a hair dryer (gently, so you don't push paint around or cause it to crack). Also, if you're blasting paint off the bait, you must be shooting too fast and too close. Back off a ways and shoot some practice paint before you do your baits. You can USUALLY shoot pearlized Createx right out of the bottle but I sometimes dilute it with water if it seems thick. In my experience, neither the Cresendo or the Paasche VL are going to shoot acrylic hobby paints with enough control (at least not with my finger on the trigger!) that you can do details like gill slits, kill spots, etc. But they are good for most painting and shading. I shoot the belly first and work my way up, then use Sharpie pens for details.

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Because the Pearlized colors are in a sense transparent ,you need to use white primer for sure as Bob mentioned, I use a product called XIM bonding primer that was recommended by another lure maker this stuff will bond to almost any surface shy of water, I also do not use water to cut Createx, I use 70% rubbing alcohol straight, the paint dries almost as fast as it hits the surface, Good luck

John

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When you say you dilute it with 70% Alcohol, you mean the Alcohol that says 70% on the bottle right? And at what percent do you mix it? And where can I get that XIM primer, does that go on the bare wood? Sorry for so many questions? When it comes to painting, trial and error could take a year! lol

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To thin hobby acrylics, I squirt paint in the airbrush's siphon pot and shoot in a little water from a spray bottle. Stir with a swizzle stick or one of those plastic stir sticks from a Devcon syringe. If you pull out the stick and the paint tries to form a column up to the stick, it's too thick. One instruction I saw says you want the paint no thicker than milk, which is a good analogy. If you're blending colors, do it in a different container - I like a shot glass. Hobby acrylics not formulated for airbrushing contain larger paint particles so you need to thin them more than Createx to prevent clogs.

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Thanks Bob. I also noticed that my tip, the little cone shaped thing, is one size up from the smallest one the gun came with. I'm thinking of trying one size up and see if that helps with my painting. The one I'm using now, a toothpick can't even go in the end. lol. What's weird is of all the colors, my pearlized read shot like a dream and I never diluted it. But I also just realized you can adjust the flow with that adjustable arm in the gun. Like you said, practice on junk and once I figure it out, it'll be a cake walk.

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