We have a number of customers asking whether they can spray our bottle waterborne paints through an airbrush. The answer is yes, but some thinning is required of the paint. 

Note that your mileage may vary. Meaning: temperature, humidity, your gun's nozzle, and viscosity are all at work when airbrush spraying, and some adjustments from our settings may be required. We've successfully replicated our results many times, but that doesn't mean you won't have to do things a little differently. The test results below should be a good starting point, however. 

Airbrush Spraying Primer (waterborne)

The ScratchesHappen waterborne primer bottle that ships with all Preferred and Complete kits is well suited to airbrush spraying. Below are the details of our testing setup. Your settings and coverage may vary depending on altitude, temperature and humidity.

1. Altitude: Salt Lake City: 4550'

2. Temperature: 79 degrees Fahrenheit

3. Humidity: 37%

4. Airbrush Model: Iwata Eclipse HP-CS

5. Pressure: 30psi

6. Reduction: reduce the supplied primer in a 1:1 ratio with distilled water

For primer, we sprayed at a distance of 4-5 inches for a wider spray fan. We applied 2-3 coats, allowing each coat to flash off, which can be sped up by using an indirect fan blowing cool air across the painted surface. The flash time will vary based on your temperature and humidity. Use a test card for this, and give it at least 5-10 minutes to flash, then check it with your finger to see if it is still tacky. The cured primer is easily sanded with 600 or 1000 grit paper promote adhesion before spraying base color. 

Airbrush Spraying Base Color Paint (waterborne)

All ScratchesHappen paint is waterborne, and can be sprayed through an airbrush.

1. Altitude: Salt Lake City: 4550'

2. Temperature: 78 degrees Fahrenheit

3. Humidity: 44%

4. Airbrush Model: Iwata Eclipse HP-CS

5. Pressure: 10psi, but may vary depending on the reduction required for your paint (see #6 below)

6. Reduction: Start by thinning the waterborne paint with distilled water at a ratio of 1:0.25 paint:water. Note that different color paint has different viscosity, because the constituent toners that were used for your color's formula all have different viscosities. Some paints are thicker than others, so you may need to experiment with the reduction ratio. Yellows and reds need less dilution because they are generally thinner to begin with. We have reduced the paint with as little as 5% (20:1) and up to 50% water (1:1). Lower reduction ratios (thicker paint) requires higher PSI to atomize through the airbrush.

For paint, we sprayed in a circular motion, and applied 3-4 coats, depending on the coverage of the color. Allow each coat to flash off. The flash time will vary based on your temperature and humidity. A fan blowing a gentle volume of air across the painted surface will speed the flash time. Use a test card for this, and give it at least 5-10 minutes to flash, then check it with your finger to see if it is still tacky.

Airbrush Spraying Clear Coat (solventborne)

Note that the normal Clear Coat bottle that ships with ScratchesHappen kits is waterborne, and does not spray well from an airbrush. After you order your kit, please submit a request, stating your order number, through customer support at support@scratcheshappen.com and we will substitute the waterborne clear coat with a solventborne alternative. If you've already received your kit with waterborne clear coat, we can exchange it for you.

Here are the settings for our solventborne clear coat spray test:

1. Altitude: Salt Lake City: 4550'

2. Temperature: 78 degrees Fahrenheit

3. Humidity: 42%

4. Airbrush Model: Iwata Eclipse HP-CS

5. Pressure: 20psi, but may vary depending on the reduction required for your paint (see #6 below)

6. Reduction: Start by thinning the solventborne clear coat with Xylene at a ratio of 2:1 Clear Coat:Xylene (a 50% reduction)

7. Spray distance: 6"

Spray each coat as a normal full clear coat, at a thickness so that it flows and is glossy. Wait 10 minutes between coats for the clear to flash. Typically, 3 coats is enough, but you can experiment with 2-4 coats. 

We have found the clear sprays at a 25% reduction with Xylene (3:1 clear coat to Xylene). However, the 2:1 reduction sprayed better. Depending on your temperature and humidity, you may need to experiment with different reduction ratios.