Boltgun Metal in a spray gun?Need some advice

[Mr. Furious]

Hey all,

I have a bunch of boltgun metal paint and a bunch of Grey Knights that need painted. I will be priming them black and then using the spray gun to base them with the boltgun. I have a few questions:

1. Is there anything I need to keep in mind when using metalic paints in the GW spray gun?

2. What should I use to thin the paint? Water, Windex, a little of both?

3. What consistency/viscosity am I looking for once the paint is thinned? I've used a single action airbrush in the past but this will be my first time using the GW spray gun.

Thanks in advance for the help!

[Meph]

Well, the GW gun does offer a little bit more leeway as the nozzle is quite wide but best is to use the runny consistency as you would with a regular airbrush.
I might recommend to use demineralized water as opposed to regular water. Y'know, the cheap kind used also for ironing. It has a slightly lower surface tension as regular water and the lack of stuff like calcium will be better for the airbrush. You can add a bit of Windex as that will also diminish the surface tension as well as shorten the drying time.
Keep in mind though that when you intend to spray a lot of mini's in one go, not too add too much as the paint will dry out in the nozzle and make the spray irregular.
Thinned metallics also need 3-4 light coats to fully cover without pooling the paint.

Good luck, mate!

[Mr. Furious]

Thanks for the tips!

[Deadlift]

Just to throw an alternative at you :), The Army Painters silver colored primer is great for Grey Knights.

[Mr. Furious]

Just to throw an alternative at you :), The Army Painters silver colored primer is great for Grey Knights.

I've considered that but I tried a few models as a test run with the Pure Red color primer and had a really tough time making it work for me. Is the silver less thick and less prone to marshmallowing than the colored primer?

[Cpt Codpiece]

tamiya does a 'gun metal silver' spray its really nice, smooth and covers great.

[Deadlift]

I've considered that but I tried a few models as a test run with the Pure Red color primer and had a really tough time making it work for me. Is the silver less thick and less prone to marshmallowing than the colored primer?

Like all primer cans the Army painter primers I have found don't like to be used on colder days and can be a bit thick going on. However out of all of the colours I have tried, the silver certainly seems to be the best. I use the quick burst method of spraying 1-2 seconds each time and have had great results with my GK. :) I always base mine black 1st as well. Good luck which ever way you go matey :)

[Agatheron]

GW Paint can be thinned well for spraying with regular rubbing alcohol. I tend to use Tamiya X20A thinner in my airbrush with GW paints, which is a denatured (90%+) alcohol. Whichever you use, make sure the mix is about the same consistency as milk, and you're good to go.

The challenge with spraying metallics is that you need to clean your spray gun especially well after using it. Also use rubbing alcohol to clean it as well, but make sure you get every bit of the glitter out of the tool before putting it away. You don't want a later non-metallic coat to suddenly have glitter in it.

GW paints, both old and new, airbrush/spray really well. I even daresay that after having tried a number of different paints, GW metallics work very well through an airbrush or spray gun.

[Brass Scorpion]

Cheaper and easier solution: metallic spray paint from Krylon. I bought Krylon Stainless Steel and Chrome spray for my Necrons, then painted Citadel paints and washes right over it. It's clean, neat, smooth and way cheaper for spraying a lot of models.

[ElDuchen]

I haven't used boltgun per se, but I have been spraying a lot of Dwarf Bronze for my Minotaurs, using both the gw spraygun and a beginner airbrush that I picked up. I find that the GW gun works quite well for coverage and I use water as a thinner at the recommended rate on the spray canister. The paint comes out a little thicker, but the coverage is good. Like others have said, you have to keep your nozzle clean or the paint will clog up and distort your pattern.

[templarboy]

Cheaper and easier solution: metallic spray paint from Krylon. I bought Krylon Stainless Steel and Chrome spray for my Necrons, then painted Citadel paints and washes right over it. It's clean, neat, smooth and way cheaper for spraying a lot of models.This. The Brilliant gold looks boss on my Sang Guard.