Distilled water or 70% Iso. alcohol to dilute acrylic paint - Model Railroader Magazine

When I first tried airbrushing with acrylics, I used alcohol as a thinner, with terrible results:  irregular coverage and constant clogging of the tip, and very difficult to get even a single boxcar painted.  I decided to stick with lacquer-based paints, with which I'd had good results for over 30 years. 

I later tried acrylics again (due to complaints about lacquer odour, even though I use a spray booth vented to the outdoors) but this time took the time to read Testors' suggestions for airbrushing PollyScale.  While they, of course, suggest their own thinner, distilled water was an alternative.  They also recommended a lower pressure that I had seen mentioned on various forums.  These two changes made all the difference, and I was able to paint, in one session, four dozen freight cars without a single incidence of clogging.  While I still prefer lacquer-based paints (clean-up is much easier), acrylics are now well-represented in my paint cupboard.  I solved the odour issue by moving the paint shop to the garage, about 100' behind the house.  This also makes it easier to paint in the middle of the night without complaints about the noise of the compressor.

Wayne