Super quick question here, I can't seem to figure it out myself so I figure I will ask here.

When I am thinning my paints (not always but sometimes), I get tiny little bubbles of air in the paint. When I move the paint around on the miniature, it seems to get worse and spread. I tried loading up my paint brush and then blowing on it to get the bubbles out, as well as tapping but that didn't seem to help.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

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“I would rather have a good plan today than a perfect plan two weeks from now.” - General George S. Patton

What paint are you using, brand and color?

I sometimes have this problem with mashed up brushes, but usually adding a bit of water reduces surface tension and breaks the bubbles.

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-SIGNATURR!!!

I use P3, Reaper, Citadel, and sometimes Vallejo.

It doesn't generally happen with the Reaper or Vallejo, but alot more in the Citadel and P3.

I use a wide range of colors, so it would be too much to list.

The weird thing is that it happens only when I water down my paints, which I always do..but it doesn't happen all the time.

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“I would rather have a good plan today than a perfect plan two weeks from now.” - General George S. Patton

What are you using to thin your paints?

...Blue

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If it's tap water I'd say that's the culprit.

Try distilled.

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-SIGNATURR!!!

Reaper Flow Improver and sometimes tap water.

You know, now that I think about it, it must be the tap water. I mainly use the Flow Improver for my washes (I make my own), but when I do use the FI to thin I don't get the problem.

Thanks guys!

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“I would rather have a good plan today than a perfect plan two weeks from now.” - General George S. Patton

Another thought would be if your brushes came into contact with some type of oil. The cogs and gears I'm using on my current bases had oil on them. (they were stripped from an old dishwasher) I had thought I cleaned them enough but apparently I didn't and my brush got an oily residue. Had to throw that one out.

...Blue

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New Video! How I Paint Flames On Miniatures
The rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug.
My Terrain Tutorial: How To Make Cheap Easy Terrain

I remember having this problem when I painted up at my grand parent's house. They have hard water and the mineral content of the water was causing all kinds of problems.

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-SIGNATURR!!!

Hm, I also encounter this from time to time, mostly with lighter colours like whites and yellow. I thin with distilled water and flow improver from W&N. The bubbling ususally doens't harm the paintjobs though, they pop by themselves.

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A friend of mine actually complained about the same problem. At least I figured it was because she was painting on plastic miniatures, but the same issue occurred with the metal ones she purchased. So obviously it wasn't the material that was at fault.

The question of tap water vs. distilled is an interesting one. I'm not entirely sure what she uses, but if she's indeed using tap water, I'll be sure to suggest that she uses a different type. Are there any other types of substances that could perhaps thin out the paint while maintaining consistency?

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