I am buying my first air brush system, a Paasche VL Millenium with interchangeable heads for fine, medium heavy applications. What I am having difficulty deciding is whether to use lacquer or water based acrylic paints. I would prefer the acrylic paints because of their low fume level. But I see in a lot of taxidermy videos that lacquer seems to be the paint of choice for most taxidermist. I plan on air brushing fish, turkey heads and finish work for game and bird mounts. I would appreciate if someone could tell me the advantages in using lacquer or acrylics and what brand paints would work the best in this air brush?
Joe P
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Lacquer can be hazardous if your work quarters are confined and not well ventilated. Acrylic has it's quirks too, but is generally safer to handle. The millenium is basically a VL with a slimmer barrel and redesigned finger button.
Either medium will produce great work in the hands of the able. Lacquer based paints give the ability to meld colors and thereby are capable of producing softer edges and some better transparent effects than acrylics, but acrylics offer a wide range of other effects that compensate for that weakness.
Ask a hundred folks and you will get many answers. I personally recommend the water based paints to begin with, since they are safe to handle and don't require a lot of equipment mandated by lacquer fumes in the workplace.......It is your call. I am sure you are going to get a lot more advice from both sides of this issue.
If your just learning and never tried lacquer stay with water base and learn how to use it. I'm a firm believer in water base paints and have very little problems with the paint. Like Bill stated above it's your choice and there is pros and cons for each of the paints. But as for your health use what your mind chooses.
Joe like you I too I'm a beginner. I was having alot of trouble with my water base paints.
But with Franks help I find them real easy to use now. The big trouble that I was having
was not getting a good flow through my tips. Frank suggest that I was not cleaning my tips good
and thinning my paints would help( it did in a big way). I used oil base paint when I was
in school for taxidermy and did not like the way it felt on the lungs. There is a big health
concern with these paints. It is up to you but like Frank said health is everything. Good luck.
Jim
I have always used water based paints (for the same reason I quit smoking). But I have to say, since I started using the new WA colors, I really had problems with consistency in water based paints. Chuck (I believe that is his name?) is really putting out some great paint and colors and they flow well and are consistent.
Dave
Be patient and follow all the above advise.