# Water as reducer?



## draggin_ballz (Feb 5, 2013)

Quick question. Can you use just plain tap water to reduce createx and autoair water based paints?


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## LmitingOut (Mar 11, 2011)

I think your better off just buying the reducer. its cheap. if not you can make your own if you have all the stuff. 
12oz Distilled water
4oz Denatured Alcohol
4oz Amonia free window cleaner
10 drops Glycerine 
is what some guys use on TU


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

Water based paints can be thinned with water, or a variety of other things. Sometimes it depends on the situation, or your setup. A lot of times I end up &#8220;thinning&#8221; with retarder, or a mixture of retarder and water. But as mentioned, thinner is cheap to buy.


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## ShutUpNFish (Apr 17, 2007)

Do a youtube search or google search on "reducing createx paint" there are several... I use a simple formula using water+future(floor wax)+createx to reduce.....I use it and it comes out nice and smooth.....2 parts createx + 1 part water + 1 part future

I ONLY reduce the basecoat white for my baits....everything else goes straight out of the bottle.


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## draggin_ballz (Feb 5, 2013)

You can spray metalics straight out of the bottle? Or where you just referring to the semi-opaques, transparents, and pearls? I've been using a .5 tip with a Pasche and a new master airbrush and I'm having a heck of a time getting any sort of fine lines or even trying to put spots or strips on. I have tried everything from 20 psi to 50.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

You can spray them right out of the bottle, but that's not to say they don't need thinned or retarted for your set up. 
Is that with the metallics or everything? What&#8217;s happening? Spatter, clogging, ??? Is the tip, needle, etc. all in good shape?


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## draggin_ballz (Feb 5, 2013)

It does both splatter and clogs a little. Mostly though I just can't seem to be able the turn the air down lowenough to draw detailed lines without the paint being pushed all over the lure.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

If it&#8217;s clogging, it probably needs a bit of retarder. Do you have a base coat? I don&#8217;t paint lures much, but I&#8217;ve painted enough plastic to learn that sometimes you need a base coat for the fine lines to &#8220;stick&#8221;. Practice on a piece of paper and see if you have better luck. If you do, you know it&#8217;s not the airbrush.


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## ShutUpNFish (Apr 17, 2007)

I spray everything other than the basecoat white straight from the bottle with no problems at all....Pressure is the key there IMO.

Oh and the brush I use is an Iwata HP CS

As for doing details, theres a fine line between pressure, how far you spray from the surface and what colors you're using for details. Its so hard to explain, but better attained through experimentation. That said, metallics would be tough to do those fine details with...I very rarely if ever do my details with metallics. details are usually done with darker colors which flow nicer....metallics generally are sprayed through netting or used as a base background color on my patterns.

Hope this helps


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## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

Draggin- I am kinda new at this myself, but have found that metallics can be a bit more challenging especially close to the surface detail work. Also, using anything but the createx reducer wasn't as good IMO. What works for me the best with metallics is a minimum of 3 to 1 ratio of paint and reducer. 3 parts being paint. You may find that more reducer is needed if you want to spray at lower pressures. This is water based Auto Air metallics mixed with createx reducer @20 psi or higher, with an Iwata HP CS. 
Open the trigger all the way open and blast paint through it on scrap paper or whatever until it's spraying evenly with no globs or splatter. Then you can do your finesse close up stuff with a very light pull of the trigger. 
You are pushing paint around either because it's too thin for your psi, or you are putting too much paint down in one area or both. Paint should be coming out at the slightest pull or it either needs thinned or your gun needs cleaned.


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## MEISTERICS (May 15, 2006)

I have only used water with regular white and its only for base coating. Reducer is cheap!


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