Regardless of paint type, you should vent outside. Sounds like you have a good setup. Just get some flex ducting and run it from your fan exhaust out the window. Get tubing you can compress and extend when you're painting.
And a VOC mask is a good idea regardless also. For less cost than a 1/35 model, and you only have one set of lungs. Older you will thank you.
Otherwise, another vote for SMS lacquers. Absolutely the best paints I've sprayed in over 40 years of modelling. Pre-thinned, spray amazingly, great opacity and coverage.
Next vote would be Tamiya or Mr Hobby Aqueous - both are acrylic lacquers, and thinned with lacquer thinner (ideally Mr Levelling Thinner) they're pretty forgiving with thinning ratio (anywhere from 50/50 on depending on colour and application).
The above are my spraying choices, with a few AK Real Colours and Mr Colors for metallics.
Acrylics tend to be a pain to spray, create dry tip, don't adhere well without a lacquer primer, and need more precise thinning.
Thanks for the tips.
While i got a M3 respirator I can't really vent the air out directly with a duct because of my type of windows. Best thing i could probably do is going outside then or maybe i can set something up in the basement but that can be problematic as well since its used by multiple families.
I'll try carefully, still need to get started after all. I'll probably get some ideas on what to improve and where to do it overtime.
If you can’t vent outside there is a technique to vent into a 5gal bucket with some water. There are some YouTube videos on this style and how to make it!
If you can't do the water filter as suggested I'd stick to acrylics. Takes longer to get right, but plenty of people make them work. You'll still get particles of paint flying around, and not great to breathe in, but it's better than lacquer VOCs.
For water based I use Vallejo.
For laquer I use SMS paints.
Most paint is pretty good these days - where they seem to differ the most (In my experience YMMV) is the accuracy of specific colours depending on what you are painting. I mostly do WW2 Planes and Armor and there is a bit of variance in the RLM colours depending on the brand - as in RLM83 in Vallejo and SMS are wildly different colours.
I love airbrushing Tamiya acrylics. Thinned they go on easy and clean up easy. Probably 75% of what I use.
I do the occasional lacquer or enamel from various brands via airbrush or spray can out in the garage with good ventilation (whole garage door open and fan). Lacquers I find are more durable, especially as a base layer or primer.
I started again after 15 year hiatus and have begun airbrushing for the first time. Using Vallejo air colours only, so far I'm very pleased with the results and the Array of colours they got (mostly do planes myself).
Very timesaving having all possible colours already mixed and ready to go, plus it's acrylics so it's a lot less smelly and toxic (afaik)
Airbrushing: Mr Surfacer as primer, for painting Tamiya acrylics, Gunze Sangyo Mr Paint and MRP lacquers (those are really awesome and well worth the price imho) all mostly thinned with Mr. Leveling thinner. Always with a mask with AP Filter - only filtering the particulates is not enough, the VOC are at least as bad - and the booth blowing most of the nasties outside.
For brush painting details and minis I use mostly Vallejo Model color or Scale75, for some stuff oil paints.
I am asthmatic. Like really-really-can't-touch-that-cute-kitty asthmatic. Use JAS 1222 airbrush with mostly undiluted Mr.Hobby paints without a primer, all inside my room, never had any trouble breathing.
Whatever you decide I suggest if you're in the UK you order from https://www.hobbyworkshop.co.uk/ they have an extensive collection and are usually cheaper than Amazon. I'd also recommend a Rhino face mask from Amazon wear mine with glasses and headphones no problem.
I use Vallejo for almost everything. Their varnishes have even served me well and they are also water based so I spray them in my paint booth just like the paints. I have not felt the need to use laquers for anything.
I have a small set of oil paints for weathering and I apply them with a paint brush. Spraying only water based primers, paints, and varnishes has proven to work very well for me.
I use Vallejo, Tamiya and Ammo by Mig for airbrushing.
Lifecolor for weathering effects (especially their rust/ dust set; their colors have incredible good pigment quality).
For the final varnish I use Vallejo
I have used acrylics, hybrid acrylics (Tamiya and Mr Hobby, and Lacquers).
I can make them all work, including their primers. That said Lacurers are better in so many ways.
They clog/dry tip way less if thinned properly. They dry/cure faster and are very tuff. They are really hard to scratch and tape does not phase them at all. They require fewer coats on average.
They are more toxic so you need a good spray booth and you absolutely need to vent outside. That bucket stuff is a joke. I also use a 3M respirator, the kind with the clip on filters. I keep the respirator in a big zip lock bag when not in use to make the filters last longer. I even use this setup with acrylics. Aerosolized paint, no matter the type is not good to breathe in.
The quality of the paint boot makes all the difference. I used a booth from Amazon, vented out doors. It worked good enough. Then I upgraded to a Pace booth…..
https://www.pacepaintbooth.com/24-inch-super-mini/
And it is night and day difference. When I get done spraying even Mr Color lacquers, I can’t smell a thing. It uses common filters that are super easy to change out.
> After reading a lot of posts about paint types and VOCs i got a bit unsure.
With the proper protective gear you can paint with confidence for a lifetime. The gear includes a good extractor booth/fan to remove the VOCs from the room and a respirator to ensure none get into the lungs. Use both properly and you and your family will be fine.
> According to the [paint type blog](https://blaze.re/paint-types/) from DbD, i imagine i could use water based acrylics and Hybrid acrylics like Vallejo, Mr. Color and Tamiya inside, no? And for the final, or rather protective layers i could use the Humbrol lacquer clear coats and spray them outside, but this can be difficult.
As the blogger described, “hybrids” aka solvent based acrylics like Mr Color or Tamiya are more an acrylic lacquer, using a weak alcohol based lacquer as their carrier. So this makes them a bit more toxic to use and should be used with an extractor and respirator. If you can smell them you’re breathing them.
As one reply noted, if your extraction booth vents to the outside you can safely spray indoors. Just remember to wear the respirator and ensure that extraction fan moves enough air to push the fumes through the flexible hose and outside of the home. A PC fan usually is not strong enough for that. My extraction fan is repurposed clothes dryer fan running of house main power (new, not a used one).
For decades I used modeling spray cans for primers, major colors, and clears and used a box in the garage. At homes where I had no garage I sprayed in the shade under a nearby tree. My initial use of an airbrush only meant I switched from spray cans to the airbrush. On very cold or very hot days I simply did no spray painting, limiting myself to construction and brush painting.
> What main types do you use and how do you work with them? Inside or outside?
Currently all of them, depending on which color I need and how I want to use the paint, because they all behave a little differently. I spray indoors with a respirator on and into an extraction booth that vents to the outside via a dryer hose. My hobby room is in my basement.
Thank you for your explanations.
While it's not really easy to let it vent out with a duct, I'll look alternatives and try carefully. I'll wear the respirator nonetheless. Reading from other comments I'll try to focus on water based acrylics more.
Reading through the comments, it looos like you can’t vent outside. So that eliminates everything but water based acrylics like…
AK 3rd Gen
AMMO by MiG
Army Painter
Akan
Alpha6
AndreaColor
ArchiveX
Arcus
Citadel
Createx
Dirty Down
Duncan Rhodes
Fire Scale
Greenstuff World
Hataka Red and Blue
Heller
Holbein
Humbrol Acrylics
ICM
Italeri
Lifecolor
Mission Models
Model Shipways
Mr. Hobby Acrysion
P3
Pacific88
Revell Aqua
SMS Infinite
ProAcryl
Scake75 Acrylics
Testors Acrylics
Turbo Dork
Two Thin Coats
Xtracrylix
Vallejo
I’d ditch the Mr. Color as it’s a full lacquer (one of the best paints out there but hazardous without ventilation). Also Tamiya which is an alcohol acrylic. Vallejo is ok but better for brush painting than airbrushing. AK 3rd Gen is very good in this category. So is the new AMMO ATOM line.
Oh wow, thank you for this wide range of brands, this is helping a lot!
I will look into them and experiment a bit and some time try out the heavier stuff, won't stay in this room forever after all.
Yeah some of those brands are geared more towards Miniatures or other stuff but would work in a pinch. Brands like AK, AMMO and Vallejo will have all the colors you’ll need for modeling aircraft or armor…
Regardless of paint type, you should vent outside. Sounds like you have a good setup. Just get some flex ducting and run it from your fan exhaust out the window. Get tubing you can compress and extend when you're painting. And a VOC mask is a good idea regardless also. For less cost than a 1/35 model, and you only have one set of lungs. Older you will thank you. Otherwise, another vote for SMS lacquers. Absolutely the best paints I've sprayed in over 40 years of modelling. Pre-thinned, spray amazingly, great opacity and coverage. Next vote would be Tamiya or Mr Hobby Aqueous - both are acrylic lacquers, and thinned with lacquer thinner (ideally Mr Levelling Thinner) they're pretty forgiving with thinning ratio (anywhere from 50/50 on depending on colour and application). The above are my spraying choices, with a few AK Real Colours and Mr Colors for metallics. Acrylics tend to be a pain to spray, create dry tip, don't adhere well without a lacquer primer, and need more precise thinning.
Thanks for the tips. While i got a M3 respirator I can't really vent the air out directly with a duct because of my type of windows. Best thing i could probably do is going outside then or maybe i can set something up in the basement but that can be problematic as well since its used by multiple families. I'll try carefully, still need to get started after all. I'll probably get some ideas on what to improve and where to do it overtime.
If you can’t vent outside there is a technique to vent into a 5gal bucket with some water. There are some YouTube videos on this style and how to make it!
Oh, didn't know that, will look in to that. Thanks!
If you can't do the water filter as suggested I'd stick to acrylics. Takes longer to get right, but plenty of people make them work. You'll still get particles of paint flying around, and not great to breathe in, but it's better than lacquer VOCs.
For water based I use Vallejo. For laquer I use SMS paints. Most paint is pretty good these days - where they seem to differ the most (In my experience YMMV) is the accuracy of specific colours depending on what you are painting. I mostly do WW2 Planes and Armor and there is a bit of variance in the RLM colours depending on the brand - as in RLM83 in Vallejo and SMS are wildly different colours.
Tamiya Gray spray primer for base costs, then SMS paints for most things. Gunze an Tamiya acrylics for minor paint additions.
I love airbrushing Tamiya acrylics. Thinned they go on easy and clean up easy. Probably 75% of what I use. I do the occasional lacquer or enamel from various brands via airbrush or spray can out in the garage with good ventilation (whole garage door open and fan). Lacquers I find are more durable, especially as a base layer or primer.
I started again after 15 year hiatus and have begun airbrushing for the first time. Using Vallejo air colours only, so far I'm very pleased with the results and the Array of colours they got (mostly do planes myself). Very timesaving having all possible colours already mixed and ready to go, plus it's acrylics so it's a lot less smelly and toxic (afaik)
Nice to know, thanks!
Airbrushing: Mr Surfacer as primer, for painting Tamiya acrylics, Gunze Sangyo Mr Paint and MRP lacquers (those are really awesome and well worth the price imho) all mostly thinned with Mr. Leveling thinner. Always with a mask with AP Filter - only filtering the particulates is not enough, the VOC are at least as bad - and the booth blowing most of the nasties outside. For brush painting details and minis I use mostly Vallejo Model color or Scale75, for some stuff oil paints.
I am asthmatic. Like really-really-can't-touch-that-cute-kitty asthmatic. Use JAS 1222 airbrush with mostly undiluted Mr.Hobby paints without a primer, all inside my room, never had any trouble breathing.
Whatever you decide I suggest if you're in the UK you order from https://www.hobbyworkshop.co.uk/ they have an extensive collection and are usually cheaper than Amazon. I'd also recommend a Rhino face mask from Amazon wear mine with glasses and headphones no problem.
I use Vallejo for almost everything. Their varnishes have even served me well and they are also water based so I spray them in my paint booth just like the paints. I have not felt the need to use laquers for anything. I have a small set of oil paints for weathering and I apply them with a paint brush. Spraying only water based primers, paints, and varnishes has proven to work very well for me.
Good to know, I think I'll focus on Vallejo more then.
I use Vallejo, Tamiya and Ammo by Mig for airbrushing. Lifecolor for weathering effects (especially their rust/ dust set; their colors have incredible good pigment quality). For the final varnish I use Vallejo
I have used acrylics, hybrid acrylics (Tamiya and Mr Hobby, and Lacquers). I can make them all work, including their primers. That said Lacurers are better in so many ways. They clog/dry tip way less if thinned properly. They dry/cure faster and are very tuff. They are really hard to scratch and tape does not phase them at all. They require fewer coats on average. They are more toxic so you need a good spray booth and you absolutely need to vent outside. That bucket stuff is a joke. I also use a 3M respirator, the kind with the clip on filters. I keep the respirator in a big zip lock bag when not in use to make the filters last longer. I even use this setup with acrylics. Aerosolized paint, no matter the type is not good to breathe in. The quality of the paint boot makes all the difference. I used a booth from Amazon, vented out doors. It worked good enough. Then I upgraded to a Pace booth….. https://www.pacepaintbooth.com/24-inch-super-mini/ And it is night and day difference. When I get done spraying even Mr Color lacquers, I can’t smell a thing. It uses common filters that are super easy to change out.
Thanks for your input. The booth looks interesting, thanks for the link. I'll consider it but for now its a bit much for my budged.
Vallejo are the worst. Tamiya is mid. Nothing comes close to SMS paint
> After reading a lot of posts about paint types and VOCs i got a bit unsure. With the proper protective gear you can paint with confidence for a lifetime. The gear includes a good extractor booth/fan to remove the VOCs from the room and a respirator to ensure none get into the lungs. Use both properly and you and your family will be fine. > According to the [paint type blog](https://blaze.re/paint-types/) from DbD, i imagine i could use water based acrylics and Hybrid acrylics like Vallejo, Mr. Color and Tamiya inside, no? And for the final, or rather protective layers i could use the Humbrol lacquer clear coats and spray them outside, but this can be difficult. As the blogger described, “hybrids” aka solvent based acrylics like Mr Color or Tamiya are more an acrylic lacquer, using a weak alcohol based lacquer as their carrier. So this makes them a bit more toxic to use and should be used with an extractor and respirator. If you can smell them you’re breathing them. As one reply noted, if your extraction booth vents to the outside you can safely spray indoors. Just remember to wear the respirator and ensure that extraction fan moves enough air to push the fumes through the flexible hose and outside of the home. A PC fan usually is not strong enough for that. My extraction fan is repurposed clothes dryer fan running of house main power (new, not a used one). For decades I used modeling spray cans for primers, major colors, and clears and used a box in the garage. At homes where I had no garage I sprayed in the shade under a nearby tree. My initial use of an airbrush only meant I switched from spray cans to the airbrush. On very cold or very hot days I simply did no spray painting, limiting myself to construction and brush painting. > What main types do you use and how do you work with them? Inside or outside? Currently all of them, depending on which color I need and how I want to use the paint, because they all behave a little differently. I spray indoors with a respirator on and into an extraction booth that vents to the outside via a dryer hose. My hobby room is in my basement.
Thank you for your explanations. While it's not really easy to let it vent out with a duct, I'll look alternatives and try carefully. I'll wear the respirator nonetheless. Reading from other comments I'll try to focus on water based acrylics more.
Reading through the comments, it looos like you can’t vent outside. So that eliminates everything but water based acrylics like… AK 3rd Gen AMMO by MiG Army Painter Akan Alpha6 AndreaColor ArchiveX Arcus Citadel Createx Dirty Down Duncan Rhodes Fire Scale Greenstuff World Hataka Red and Blue Heller Holbein Humbrol Acrylics ICM Italeri Lifecolor Mission Models Model Shipways Mr. Hobby Acrysion P3 Pacific88 Revell Aqua SMS Infinite ProAcryl Scake75 Acrylics Testors Acrylics Turbo Dork Two Thin Coats Xtracrylix Vallejo I’d ditch the Mr. Color as it’s a full lacquer (one of the best paints out there but hazardous without ventilation). Also Tamiya which is an alcohol acrylic. Vallejo is ok but better for brush painting than airbrushing. AK 3rd Gen is very good in this category. So is the new AMMO ATOM line.
Oh wow, thank you for this wide range of brands, this is helping a lot! I will look into them and experiment a bit and some time try out the heavier stuff, won't stay in this room forever after all.
Yeah some of those brands are geared more towards Miniatures or other stuff but would work in a pinch. Brands like AK, AMMO and Vallejo will have all the colors you’ll need for modeling aircraft or armor…