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Decanting Tamiya spray paint for airbrushing

RELATED TOPICS: PAINTING | MODELING TOOLS | AIRBRUSHING
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Tamiya has an excellent range of lacquer paints. But they only come in spray cans, which can be hard to control. Using these paints in your airbrush requires you to decant them, and that can be messy.

But look at the button on a Tamiya can and how the nozzle protrudes from the front, 1.

Get some .170" ID vinyl tubing at a hardware store. You’ll find that the tubing fits tightly over the nipple on the nozzle.Next, put a piece of plastic wrap over a paint jar and hold it in place with a rubber band. Poke a hole in the plastic wrap, put the other end of the tubing through the hole, press the button and fill the jar, 2. I’ve been using this process for a year now, and I have yet to spill a drop of paint.

From what I’ve seen, only Tamiya spray cans have this little nipple on the nozzle, so this tubing won’t work with other brands of spray paint.

Important safety tip: Do not seal the jar tightly until it sits for a few hours. The paint has propellant gases in it that need to bleed out and disperse. If you seal the jar too soon, you will have paint under pressure, which can be messy at best and a hazard at worst when you open the jar. My usual practice is to leave the plastic wrap on overnight.


Tip submitted by:
Chip JeanYorktown, Virginia
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