How to strain small quanities of paint

[Tim H]

I am wanting to strain some paint. it will be from a small bottle to the air brush bottle. Anyone know the best way. I am trying to paint a hood and it keeps getting contaminates in the finish. I am using an old ( circa 1980s) Paasche H model. 

Thanks for the help

 

Tim

[Ace-Garageguy]

Over the years, I've found several small, very-fine nylon strainers in cooking departments. Nylon strainers can be cleaned and re-used indefinitely.

Another good small strainer in a pinch can be made with nylon-stocking material. Just make a small strainer-frame from some kind of stiff wire, make a pocket in the center sorta as above, and strain away. 

Edited November 19, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

[yh70]

if paint hasn't been thinned yet u will need to do this before u can spray in your airbrush..once its thinned use a paint strainer u can get at a lumber yard or hardware store..panty hose works great also..then just add to your air brush bottle..

[BigTallDad]

There are also filters that go inside garden hose fittings...get 'em at Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.

http://www.jackssmallengines.com/jacks-parts-lookup/part/generac/b2384gs?gclid=cnvekvrhtdacfynehgodxlujuw

They are nice and small and might fit inside the rim of a paint bottle.

[Warren D]

Badger makes a filter that slips over the pick up tube before it goes in the bottle.  I've got an old H brush as well, had it since the mid-70's and have used these filters for years.  After a few years you'll need to get a new one as they can get clogged as they age, but at about $7 each, it's worth it.

[Art Anderson]

I find this interesting, as in all my years of thinning paints and airbrushing, I've almost never had a problem with "contaminates" in the paint itself, and that includes both rattle can paint decanted into my airbrush jar, as well as bottled paints poured into my color jar and then thinned for airbrushing.  As such, I have NEVER felt any need to "strain" any paint I have ever used.

What paint finish contamination I've seen over more than 50 yrs of airbrushing models has been airborne, in the ambient, surrounding air, and I suspect that is what you may well be experiencing.

Art

[Warren D]

I've been shooting Polly S since 1976 and have found the strainer to be necessary.  As they say, YMMV!

[Snake45]

I find this interesting, as in all my years of thinning paints and airbrushing, I've almost never had a problem with "contaminates" in the paint itself, and that includes both rattle can paint decanted into my airbrush jar, as well as bottled paints poured into my color jar and then thinned for airbrushing.  As such, I have NEVER felt any need to "strain" any paint I have ever used.

What paint finish contamination I've seen over more than 50 yrs of airbrushing models has been airborne, in the ambient, surrounding air, and I suspect that is what you may well be experiencing.

Art

One more source of contaminants is chunks of old paint in the airbrush itself. When I see these, I know it's time to tear the thing down to its last piece and give it a good bath.

Only other time I've tried to strain "paint" was in my experiments to thin and airbrush Rub N Buff. No matter what solvent I used, or how much I stirred, shook, or whatever, I'd still have chunks in the stuff. I tried several different things to strain it, up to coffee filters, but never achieved satisfactory results. I'm going to return to this someday and find a solution!

[Art Anderson]

One more source of contaminants is chunks of old paint in the airbrush itself. When I see these, I know it's time to tear the thing down to its last piece and give it a good bath.

Only other time I've tried to strain "paint" was in my experiments to thin and airbrush Rub N Buff. No matter what solvent I used, or how much I stirred, shook, or whatever, I'd still have chunks in the stuff. I tried several different things to strain it, up to coffee filters, but never achieved satisfactory results. I'm going to return to this someday and find a solution!

That's because Rub N Buff is a wax, with very fine metal powder mixed in with .  As for dirt etc. in your airbrush--disassembly and THOROUGH cleaning takes care of that.  It is quite possible to get bits of solidified enamel from an older bottle of Testors enamel, given that paint's characteristics.  However, with lacquers--remember that virtually every lacquer out there can be re-liquified quickly with fresh lacquer thinner.

Art

[peteski]

I've been shooting Polly S since 1976 and have found the strainer to be necessary.  As they say, YMMV!

Polly S is a water-based acrylic enamel. In time it will form a crust around the inside of the bottle neck. Pieces of that semi-hard paint will often chip off and fall into the liquid paint. Unlike lacquer paints which when hardened will eventually redissolve when placed in liquid lacquer solution, hardened enamel will never redissolve in liquid enamel. Those crusty bits are the stuff which contaminates liquid enamels.

[Snake45]

That's because Rub N Buff is a wax, with very fine metal powder mixed in with .  

Art

I have an online friend in Model Airplane World who's been thinning and airbrushing Rub N Buff for decades with very good results. I need to get a detailed "recipe" from him.

My own experiments have been semi-encouraging. 95%+ of the finish I get is very nice, it's just the lumps and chunks that are the problem.

[peteski]

I have an online friend in Model Airplane World who's been thinning and airbrushing Rub N Buff for decades with very good results.

Does it rub off the model when handled?

[Snake45]

Does it rub off the model when handled?

I think it'll stand up to gentle handling. I've got a couple model airplanes I did in Rub N Buff in the '70s (not airbrushed) that still look good.