Paul,
"I have a paasche vl but have not used it for decoy painting yet. I read somewhere about adding windex to the paint to thin and it also helps flow better. I never tried so I cannot comment on the benefit of it."
"My questions is: What are your expectations?"
Good thought, Willy
But let me add that I can see why you cringe at some of the advice given on the net ;-)
If you are choosing a particular brand of paint, one of the reasons for doing so beyond it's reputation for quality would be for the info & tech data available on the entire product line. The ability to learn how to use a particular brand of paint is a huge reason for spending a bit more on it. In this respect, the products Willy sells and can advise one on are well worth it.
My question would be: What type of paint have you invested in? If you are “hearing” advice about using a fix like Windex for thinning paints -- a method used by quite a few model-makers - think model railroad , plastic cars & airplanes, etc.- I would imagine it’s coming from folks using cheap craft acrylics rather than artist grade paint. In addition, their work won’t be subject to the conditions your decoys will.
Be aware that manufacturers of artist-grade acrylics (Golden, Traditions, et al.) have formulated their accompanying line of acrylic thinning mediums (and all their mediums for that matter) to insure that you are adding a
compatible acrylic resin into their paint. This results in a mix with better physical characteristics, a mix that specifically maintains its durability, color, and pigment load. It all has to do with how the long-chain polymers in the resin cure and therefore maintain the paint’s ability to “bend” and move without cracking.
When you dilute the compound with something like Windex (or even too much water for that matter) the long chain polymers in
quality paint get broken down, and its strength is reduced. Yea, it will flow smoothly, but so does water. So, no, Windex is absolutely not the same as using acrylic flow mediums formulated by the manufacturer to maintain the quality of their long-chain polymers. Trust me, if there was a cheap, quick fix, the paint companies sure as hell wouldn’t be paying a bunch of chemists to figure out how to get their paints to flow well and still maintain their quality.
Why will you see so many people recommending stuff like Windex to thin paint for airbrushing? Probably because someone once tried it on their model trains and it went through their airbrush OK. They told someone else who told someone else and now they think they have defeated a conspiracy by big business to steal their money for useless mediums - when Windex is just as good and can probably be found under the kitchen sink. Think again.
By the way, I have found that a mix of Windex, a product called Simple Green, and distilled water makes a great solvent for removing dried acrylic paint from surfaces, cleaning brushes, and cleaning out an airbrush ;-)
