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| Raphael Schnepf Workshop |
Air
brushing onto glass is a little different than onto other slightly
absorbent surfaces. As glass cannot absorb the moisture from the
material being sprayed, the medium needs to be allowed evaporate.
This means that each layer of paint must be allowed to dry before the
next layer is applied. If too much liquid is applied to the glass,
it will bead up giving a stippled appearance to the finished result.
There
are some things that can help to give an even application of the
paint or enamels to the glass.
Clean
the glass very well. After thorough cleaning and drying, use some of
the paint to rub the glass. As the paint is a slight abrasive, it
cleans off anything the other cleaning methods could not get off.
Add
a drop of washing up liquid to the mixture of paint and medium
(liquid). This breaks the surface tension of the medium and reduces
the tendency to bead up on the glass.
Use
alcohol part or all of the medium. This reduces the evaporation
time. Also apply in a warm rather than cold place. You can use
a hair dryer on low speed and power to assist the drying.
Apply
in thin even layers, allowing the paint to dry between applications.
Open
the air brush trigger before reaching the edge of the area to be
painted and close it after reaching the other edge. Any overspray
can be cleaned up as in any other painting.
A
slightly larger opening at the nozzle is required on the air brush
than for other paints, but you have to be careful to avoid opening it
so large that you get the spitting of large drops of paint onto your
surface.
Because
you are putting very small particles into the air you need to observe
various precautions. You need to have a dust mask on at all times
you are air brushing. You should do this in a spray booth with
extraction if possible. If not, you need a well-ventilated area and
very good clean up afterwards.
