Glossary of Airbrush Terms

 

A coating based on urethane chemistry that also includes acrylic chemistry as part of the cross-linked polymer backbone. (See urethane.)

The ability of dry paint to attach to and remain fixed on the surface without blistering, flaking, cracking or being removed by tape. Types of Adhesion related to paint:

A chemical reaction of two materials that bonds the two together.

An interlocking of two materials because of shape, texture, etc. causing the two materials to remain affixed to one another. Commonly called tooth, you scuff a helmet to create tooth for the paint to bit into.

Any additive that is sprayed onto a surface to create adhesion for an immediate subsequent layer of paint or clear. Most adhesion promoters are sprayed onto surfaces that either cannot be sanded or are prone to lifting.

Airbrush Paint

Airbrush Paint is really any paint or ink fine enough to go through an airbrush and be atomized into spray paint by means of compressed air. There are specially made paints for airbrushing such as E-Tac, Creatix, Wicked, Scminke, Com Art, DNA and House of Kolor

Air Cap

The front part of the airbrush that is a protective cap when the airbrush is not in use.

A term used to gauge how often the air in an area, such as a spray booth, is completely renewed.

Airbrush Needle

A (usually) long, thin metal pin/needle with a tapered end that runs through the middle of your airbrush. It is this piece that is fastened by the ‘needle chuck' and in conjunction with the ‘trigger', controls the paint flow from the airbrush.

Atomization

The breaking up of paint into fine particles through the airbrush process. Airbrushing and spray painting "atomizes" the paint.


A highly pigmented color used as a base color under clear. Single stage paints do not require clear coating however Acrylic and Base coat Urethanes (‘One Pac' in certain countries) do require clear coating.

A two-stage paint system for automotive refinishing and kustom painting. The first stage consists of the application of the paint; the second stage is the necessary application of a clearcoat for protection and shine. All basecoat systems need a clearcoat without which they are dull and not U.V. protected.

The paint material that forms the film. So-called because it "binds" the pigment and any additives present into a solid durable film. 

The practice of fading out a color into the existing color in order to minimize any visual difference.

An area beyond an actual repair, but within the panel; used for fading out a refinish color repair work. More commonly used in panel and smash repair work.

Sanding with the paper wrapped around a bloc or other rigid object, in order to achieve a straight, smooth, surface.

A polishing technique used to remove sanding marks or surface imperfections.

A usually soft paste containing fine abrasives in a neutral medium. Used to eliminate fine scratches and polish the topcoat.

Unintentionally exposing a lower layer when sanding, buffing, or polishing.

Carbon fiber

A compound where Carbon fibers re laminated within a resin structure. This is usually done with an epoxy resin and is almost always in a cloth form.

Catalyst

Any chemical used as an additive to catalyze (or stimulate a change) in a paint or clear system. A catalyst triggers a chemical chain reaction and causes the hardening of that paint or system. In automotive paint systems, catalysts usually consist of isocyanates or di-butyl tins that react with urethane resins.

Cubic Feet per Minute. A term used to gauge a volume of air traveling through a given space, or opening.|

Chalking

When a painted surface deteriorates to the point where the structure actually breaks down and leaves dust, or chalk like, deposits on the surface. 

The level of saturation or intensity and richness of a color; desaturated or ‘dirty' colors have less Chroma while saturated or ‘clean'  colors have more Chroma.

Clear coat

The protective urethane finish sprayed onto a completed automotive paint job. Clear coats can either be a) air-dry clears, which combine with reducers and, when sprayed and dry by evaporation of the reducers, or b) catalyzed clears, which require a catalyst and a reducer solvent to harden. All finish clears on automotive vehicles are of the catalyzed variety.

Complementary colours

Are a primary colour that ‘compliments' a secondary colour. The primary that is the ‘compliment' of the secondary is the one that is not used to make the relevant secondary colour. They can be easily found as the colours opposite each other on the color wheel.

Cool Colours

Colors that are predominately Blue/Greed in tone. Cool colors are those which trick the eye into receding an object in a painting. Obviously, they are opposite of warm colors.

The small cup fixed on the top of a gravity feed airbrush where you put the paint or ink.

Compressor

A pump or other machine for reducing volume and increasing pressure of gases or air  in order to condense the gases/air. Used ofr many purposes including to drive pneumatically powered machinery, air tools and of course, airbrushing!

The most common of all airbrush techniques; a strike that tapers off to a point from its original thickness.

A sander that has a 'Duel Action'. A round sander, most are air powered, that has a driven shaft carrying a head that spins freely. Also know as a ‘random orbit' sander due to its unpredictable travel.

When two layers become separated from one another. It is usually due to bad surface preparation or not painting within surface ‘windows'.

An airbrushed shadow beneath a graphic that gives the graphic a 3-D or floating illusion. Often used in airbrush lettering.

This refers to the action on an airbrush where you push down for air only (action 1) and pull back for ink/paint (action 2). As opposed to a single action where you get air and ink with a single button.

Enamel

Glass like opaque or semitransparent coating on metallic or other hard surfaces for ornament or as a preservative lining, it is a hard coating with a high flattening agent for a smooth finish

Extender

Added to paint to increase and/or alter the paint by making it cover more, become more transparent.

Fade

An intentional gradation of two colors for an artist effect.

The loss or degradation of color usually due to UV rays deteriorating the pigment within a paint.

The spray pattern unique to a full size spray gun. It is achieved by introducing air, from the side, into the stream of paint to form a fan or oblong pattern.

A surface depression or crater in the wet paint film. Fish eyes are caused by repulsion of the wet paint by a surface contaminant such as dust, oil or silicone. The depression may or may not reveal the surface under the paint.

Any coating, treatment, or effect, used to personalize or identify an object.

The ability of a material to hold a metallic, pearl, or other iridescent effect with a paint film

A compound in which glass fibers are laminated within a resin structure. This is usually done with a polyester resin. The glass fibers can be in the form a woven cloth or a more random arrangement called matt.

A pigment consisting of flat or shaped reflective particles. Usually aluminum, polyester, or mica or metallic; providing special color effects to the final paint job.

Similar to a long board and designed to flex for the even sanding of curved surfaces.

Fluid Nozzle

That part of your airbrush in the front where paint pass' thru; the size of your Fluid Nozzle will determine the type of paint you can spray easily and the coverage you will get.

The gradual transition from one color to another.

Gravity Feed

The type of airbrush with a color cup fixed on the top front end of the airbrush. It gets its name from the principal that gravity pulls the paint/ink into the airbrush.

Hologram Pearl

Often referred to as six- or eight-sided pearls, these are actually very finely ground hologram foils that shift through the color spectrum in up to eight different shades of color. Available only in a liquid form, hologram pearls are quite costly, usually starting at $450 for a sprayable quart. House of Kolor's line is known as Kameleon Kolors.

H.V.L.P (High Volume Low Pressure)

An acronym used to describe a series of automotive spray guns. H.V.L.P spray guns allow for the application of paint at lower air pressure (the LP part of the name) than that of conventional guns by using a greater volume of air (the HV part of the name). This lowers the flight velocity of the droplets and fewer bounce off the object being sprayed. This effect is described as greater ‘transfer efficiency' as it applies a high percentage (about 90%) of paint material to a surface with low levels of overspray, making them more economical and environmentally friendly than older versions. (Older spray guns applied only 30-60% of the paint to the surface; the rest atomized and floated into the air as overspray). All licensed automotive body/paint shops in the U.S. are required by law to use HVLP spray guns. A spray gun's status as HVLP is determined by its volatile organic compound (V.O.C.), which is usually stated as a weight in pounds of non-exempt solvent per gallon of paint.

Either a mica or foil substrate that acts with the same characteristics of a standard pearl, but casts two colors instead of the standard one (e.g.: blue/green, violet/blue). These pearls are used to create a ‘colour shifting effect' in the colors of the vehicle as you change your viewpoint to the surface.

An inexpensive, fast evaporating solvent, co-solvent or dilutant; often referred to as rubbing alcohol.

A term used to describe the family of transparent colors used in automobile painting and customizing. The original term "Kandy" derives from the "hard candy" look that the old school lacquers gave when layered multiple times. Today's kandies are a concentrated dye that need to be diluted/suspended in intercoat clear and are predominantly urethane-based but still maintain this appearance when sprayed. These highly transparent paints are perfect for color process airbrushing and color layering in murals.

A term coined by House of Kolor to name its line of Kandy Intensifier pigments. These Kandy Koncentrates or KKs are used either to intensify an existing basecoat system or in combination with intercoat clear for airbrushing. They are highly effective for airbrushing because of their very finely ground pigments. 

Anything that is modified from the original factory specs. When using kustom with a "K," the term refers to any art form or vehicle from the hot rod ‘arena'.

Kustom Kulture

Anything having to do with the art form or genre of the Kustom hot rod or Kustom car such as artwork, music, clothing, or actual vehicle kustomizations.

Lacquer

Paint that dries by solvent evaporation, not very common in the USA any more

Latex

A milky fluid of mixed composition found in various plants and trees usually used for masking and effects purposes.  

Lead

A metal commonly used in the manufacture of dyes and pigments. Highly toxic, lead has been eliminated in a large number of automotive spray products.

A long-handled, short- quilled brush used specifically for lettering and touch-ups.

A long-handled, long-quilled lettering brush used for outlining letters and some striping applications.

Occurs when a material expands to a point where the forces of the expansion exceed it's adhesive properties. When this happens the coating will lift from the surface often in a wrinkling pattern and often ends up cracking and fading.

Masking

The process of covering an area which you wish to keep free from paint. Masking tape and paper, liquid masking, transfer paper and frisket, are just a few products used to mask off areas.

Metallic Color

A paint containing small particles of aluminum flake that give the finish an extra shiny/sparkly effect/

Mottling

When metallic, pearl, or other iridescent effect is uneven and not oriented properly it results in a "mottled" effect.


In kustom painting, this term refers to any older method or technique, e.g:- "cool, that's really ol' school" in reference to an effect or technique.

Opaque

The opposite of transparent. Light can not be seen through it and will not allow what's under it to show through.


A finish in paint usually caused by improper application or reduction of the paint. It gets its name due to the dried finish, although shiny, resembles the dimpled look of an orange peel.

Orientation

The act of even distribution of a metallic, pearl, or other iridescent effect within a paint film.

Over Spray

The ‘cloud' of paint caused by the airbrush. It can be ‘Overall overspray' which is the atmospheric spray in your shop or studio. Then there is ‘Artwork overspray' where you might get a bit of paint on part of the artwork you were trying to keep clean. For instance "Damn, I got overspray on the bottom of my artwork".

Pearl

A mica substrate or any other substance used to add color or a metallic sheen to paint. Pearls come in a variety of colors and in dry, liquid, or paste consistencies. For airbrushing, the most popular form is the finely ground dry pearl. Pearls can be added directly to either the paint or the clear coat. Their primary purpose is to create a secondary color cast to a paint job without affecting or diminishing the initial color of the vehicle.

Small particles added to paint to influence such properties as color, corrosion resistance, mechanical strength, etc. Pigments may be colored, semitransparent, black, white, or colorless. They must be incorporated into a paint system by some dispersion process.

Very large molecules built up by the combination of many small molecules through a chemical process called polymerization. Polymers often consist of thousands of atoms, usually in chains or networks of repeating units.

A system of painting metal in which a powdered material is sprayed on the surface and then baked at 350-400 600 degrees. The powder takes on the appearance of paint, but is much stronger. This system is similar to the ceramic glazing process, but powder coating is performed at a lower temperature.

A similar technology to powder coating, but performed at a lower temperature. This is a more practical method because it can be used on plastics, but it has less durability than powder-coating.

A urethane made up of a blend of different resins where the design criteria dictate certain characteristics.

The final step of buffing and can also used alone for minor surface restoration. Generally done on cars with a softer pad, or by hand.

Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co., or more currently referred to as "Pittsburgh Paint & Glass", is one of the largest manufacturers of automotive paints and vehicle window glass.

Primer

A coating applied to a substrate to give corrosion resistance to add adhesion properties and to protect from chemicals. On substrates such as canvas it can be applied to give you a smoother surface which to paint on. It is a foundation used to improve adhesion and to seal your painting surface to make it ready for painting.

P.S.I

Stands for Pounds Per Square Inch. It refers to air pressure setting on your compressor regulator.

Repairing or otherwise duplicating an existing finish.

The act of restoring, or re-manufacturing, an object so it matches its original condition.

A device that positions filter over a users face in order to filter contamination from the ambient air.

Colors which trick the eye into pushing objects to the back or foreground, cool colours do just that, your blue tones

Reducer

Product which lowers the viscosity of paints like enamel, urethane and auto air

Respirator

A mask worn over the nose and mouth to prevent you taking in toxic pigment particles while you work with atomized paint. There are many different kinds of respirators please make sure you are using the correct type for the material you are spraying.

Retarder

A liquid that can be added to paint to slow the drying time.

R.T.S

Material that has had all hardeners, reducers, and any other additive added already is considered to be "Ready To Spray". This is useful in calculating amount needed, or the cost of, any material needed for a project.

Run

If an area of the surface has too much paint applied in too short a time, the paint will run down the surface.

Sag

Like a run, but it is where the bottom of a larger area of paint loses adhesion and literally looks like it has begun to sag.

Scotch-Brite

Spun plastic scouring pad manufactured by 3M and used for scuffing or light sanding duty. Scotch-Brite is available in different grits that vary according to color. Red Scotch-Brite is recommended for prepping a surface and is the coarsest. Green is mid range and grey is the finest.

S.E.M.A.: (Specialty Equipment & Manufacturing Association)

The largest after-market automotive product show in the United States, held annually in Las Vegas in November.

Applied to the surface you intend to air brush and prevents said surface from absorbing paint

Semi Gloss

Usually a clear coat that has neither a fully glossed nor a matte finish. Often referred to as a "satin" finish.

A type of airbrush where the colour cup plugs in or is fixed on the side of the airbrush

Silver Leaf: A pounded aluminum alloy that has many of the same characteristics as gold leaf, without the high cost.

Single Action Air Brush

An airbrush where paint and air are dispersed at the same time. These airbrushes do not have the exacting control of a double action airbrush.

Siphon Feed Airbrush

An airbrush that has jars that plug into the bottom of the airbrush and allow the paint to feed up through the airbrush using suction principles.

Sizing

The glue used to adhere gold or silver leaf to a surface. Though there are a number of water-based sizings, the original solvent-based sizing is still the best for automotive and exterior signage applications.

A liquid that dissolves something, usually resins or other binder components. Commonly an organic liquid. In automotive applications: any type of petroleum-based reducer used specifically for thinning down or cleaning any solvent-based automotive paints or clears. The reducers are usually rated by temperature use or drying speed. The cleaning solvents are normally more caustic or fast evaporating.

The category of repair where only an area of an object is painted.

Also referred to as "applicators", it is a rubber or plastic block used to wipe off wet sanded areas and to apply filler, putty, or vinyl application tapes.

Substrate

The object or material to be painted; may anything from bare metal, plastic, or a new surface, an existing finish or an old finish.

Supplied air system

A device that provides independent airflow to the users face in order to avoid contamination from ambient air.

Sword Striper

A type of short-handled, long-bristled brush used specifically for Pinstriping. The reference to the term "sword" comes mainly from the sword/dagger look of the brush head.

Tint

An individual pigment from a family of pigments used on a mixing machine to produce a color match to the vehicle to be painted. Sometimes called tinting base or base system.

Tinter

Can be used to change another color or to add color to a clear base

Tip

The small cone like nozzle on the front of the airbrush that the needle seats into.

Toner

Also referred to as ‘tinter' it is a  reference to a base pigment system. 

Touch-up Gun

Any small spray gun used to spray small areas, graphics, or door jambs in a vehicle. They are usually characterized by their small size and equally small spray pattern.

Two Pac

From the Latin meaning "two Part" and refers to primers, paints and clear coats that require two parts to be mixed before spraying. When the two separate components are fully reacted they will form a third, new, compound. Two component materials tend to be non-reversible making them more stable choices for surfacers, clears, and products requiring substantial durability

Two-Stage

Any automotive paint system that requires a second stage of clear-coating to seal and gloss the finish.

Transparent

The opposite of opaque. It allows light to pass through objects and underneath can be seen through it.

Trigger

The part of your airbrush where you place your finger to control air flow and the amount of paint you are applying. In a double action airbrush, you push the trigger down for air and back for ink.

Urethane

A type of paint or polymer that results from the reaction of an isocyanate catalyst with a hydroxl containing component. Urethanes are known for their durability and resistance.

UV Stabilizers

Chemicals added to paint to absorb the ultraviolet radiation present in sunlight. Ultraviolet radiation decomposes the polymer molecules in paint film and thus UV stabilizers are used to prolong paint life.

Viscosity

This refers to how thick a paint is. Physics of a fluid and the resistance to flow

V.O.C. (Volatile Organic Compounds)

The amount of material released into the atmosphere during paint spraying or product manufacturing. The V.O.C. regulation relates directly to the level of chemicals toxicity and its ability to diffuse or break down in the atmosphere within a given amount of time. 

Warm Colours

The colours on the colour spectrum that are usually referred to as "warm" are Yellow, Orange and Red and goes without saying, the opposite of Cool colors.

Water Based Paint

Paint which is generally made with acrylic or latex with water as a main ingredient. In these paints the pigment is suspended in water, the water evaporates as the paint dries.

Water Based

Any paint or clear that is primarily water or uses water as a reducing element in its chemical make-up.

Waterborne

A type of paint that uses water as its primary carrier rather than typical solvents. This is not a water based system, merely a carrier for a solvent-based format of manufacturing paint.

Wet Sand

A technique involving the sanding of a surface while it is being flushed with water. This is helpful in keeping the sanding paper clean of sanding residue while the water also acts as a sanding lubricant. This is especially helpful when using the finer grits of paper above 320-400. This permits the smoothing of surface before painting as well as defects before subsequent coats are applied.

Wet on wet

The term used to describe a material's ability to be applied directly onto a fresh, partially cured, material. One can identify a wet on wet material by the presence of a ‘recoat window' that dictates the time in which the subsequent coating must be applied.

Wet Edge

The leading edge as one applies by spray is the wet edge. Maintaining a wet edge will assure subsequent passes will flow into the wet film.

A type of short-handled, long-bristled brush used specifically for Pinstriping. The name "sword" comes mainly from the sword/dagger look of the brush head.

Solvent

Liquid that dissolves a resin, usually that part of a paint that evaporates as the paint dries.

Stencils

Usualy freehand, airbrush stencils are commonly made from a solvent proof mylar. Commercial varieties are available in a variety of general and generic shapes to assist any artwork as well as many series of pre-set designs like skulls, tikis and the like. You can also make your own stencils out of paper, car or even old X-Ray sheets. 

Surface Prep

To prepare the surface to be painted and to accept the paint you are about to apply.

Thinner

Solvent added to a lacquer to reduce its viscosity to a sprayable consistency. (See solvent/reducer.)The object or material to be painted. It may be bare metal, plastic, or an existing finish or an old finish.