The Valley Local

Playing with AI to Create a Backdrop (first tries)

2026-04-19T11:36:00.000-07:00

My back still isn't, um, "back" to 100% so I can't get to the layout. But I can play around with Google Gemini (an AI program) to try and create some more backdrop images to fill in behind the foreground buildings at the north end of Middletown . . .

I started by asking Gemini for "fronts of factory and mill buildings, viewed straight on" and got this image that included 4 images.

I then used the MS snipping tool to crop & save each of these images as a separate image. The one at the top left ("Riverfront Textiles") is fine to use as-is, but the others need to be rotated. So, I started with the image in the lower right ("Pinewood Paper"). Here are the screenshots of exactly what I did . . .

Not fantastic (when I rotated it, I lost a bit of the character of the varied roofline), but pretty darn good for less than 5 minutes' work.

I'll do the same thing with the other images and then see how they look. But HOLY COW! For someone like me that enjoys creating photo backdrops, Google Gemini is an amazing tool!

Just check out this before-and-after . . .

Here's the image I started with:

Point A

And here's what I ended up with:

Point B

Still a bit too "peak autumn" looking for my layout (which is set more in early Autumn), so I'll be doing some PhotoShop work to get it into final form, but from the B&W image to the image above took me no more than 7-10 minutes, if that.

Truly amazing!

I can't even imagine how long it would have taken me to get this result by regular PhotoShopping - even if I had all the skills needed. And this is certainly a long way from "just" colorizing a B&W photo (which I've been doing for over 5 years now - here's my original post on that, and the RMC article).

I actually screenshotted the nine separate instructions I used to get from Point A to Point B. So if anyone's interested in seeing those, let me know in the comments or contact me directly. It really is shockingly easy.

I'm not a huge fan of AI in most other contexts, but for making backdrops for your model railroad? I'm finding it pretty hard to beat. It's definitely a remarkable time to be in the hobby.

So give it a try - and if you do, I hope you'll let us know!

Master Modeler Marty McGuirk - "Modeling Autumn Scenery"

2026-04-18T14:17:00.000-07:00

Arriving just in time for the weekend - and at a perfect time for allowing my back to recover (and missing time on the layout) - is Marty McGuirk's much-anticipated master work on modeling my favorite season - Fall!

I may be a little biased, since I'm honored to be a (minor) contributor, but I think this book is destined to become a classic, right up there with Dave Frary's scenery bible. As you can see from the Table of Contents above, Marty covers everything you'll need to know to get that authentic looking autumn look on your layout.

But even if you model a different season, the book is just a joy to flip through. Self-publishing has come a LONG way in recent years and this book looks as professional - and in some cases even more so - than the best offerings from the more well-known publishing houses. Not only is the text clear and well written, striking that critical balance of conveying lots of information while being easy to read, but the photos printed beautifully as well. I especially appreciate the many tables and charts that echo the best of Frary's "recipe cards" - creating a handy reference source. I don't think I'll be the only one adding lots of Post-Its to flag these bits.

This book really deserves to be in every model railroader's library, if only for the wealth of inspiring photos from a wide variety of modelers and layouts. I'm looking forward to diving into "Modeling Autumn Scenery" and trying out all the cool techniques!

Huge Thanks to Marty for taking the time to distill his many years of experience and share all of his formidable skill with us in this book. Be sure to visit Marty's website at Artisan Rail Media to get your copy - and check out the other cool items he's posting for sale there while you're there!

Throwback Thursday - Miller Street Grade Crossing

2026-04-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

I posted the following as a Wordless Wednesday (WW494) exactly one year ago today . . .

(the story)

I'm ashamed to confess that - yes - I started on the Miller Street grade crossing scene over a year ago. Well, in my on-going effort to catch the Valley Local Blog up to the current state of affairs, here's the latest progress that's occurred over the past few weeks . . .

Foamcore street base added, along with foamcore structure bases, and scenery supports.

"KEY" houses & garage, scratchbuilt by Bill Schneider and mocked up in place.

Scenery base filled in (plaster cloth over cardboard lattice & foam).

"Lister Goop" added to cover add "ground"

Couldn't help but mock up the scene following the prototype photo.

With Bill's indispensable help with the structures, this scene is really coming together nicely! I'm not too happy with Miller Street itself though. I used my "easy tar & dirt road" technique, but it looks far too dark compared to the photo. I'm going to try and lighten it - but still noodling exactly how . . .

I don't mind taking my time (even if it is over a year!) to get it right. Such an iconic scene certainly deserves the attention to detail . . .

Wordless Wednesday #518 - Southbound Entering Wethersfield

2026-04-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

Friday Fun - Recent Content

2026-04-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Making it a fourth day of blog posts in a row . . . Here are a few random fun things for this edition of "Friday Fun"...

Some of you have asked for a trackplan of the layout to help orient you - especially after seeing some of the videos. This (and a lot of other great content, IMO) is also available on the Valley Local Website (ICYMI :^) The plan is included in MRP'26 (see below).

I don't mind mentioning (perhaps again) that the Valley Local got pride of place on the cover of Tony Koester's latest book! That's the 'local northbound at Rocky Hill, photo by Dan Munson. I just got my copy earlier this week, which prompted the pic :^)

Just as cool though is the fact that the layout also got a few pages' coverage right at the start of Chapter Three. SO neat to see it in print!

I also recently got my first-ever feature article on the layout published in this year's edition of Model Railroad Railroad Planning. In it, I provide a comprehensive overview of the project from conception to current status.

Lastly, the 'local - or, more specifically, my latest weathering job on a Rapido 44-tonner, was featured in a recent edition of Rapido News.

I can't tell you how cool - and how humbling - it is for The Valley Local to get all this exposure. The layout certainly has a LONG way to go before it's even at a "level of completeness" - but seeing it in print has really lit a fire in me to keep making progress! So glad you're willing to join me on this journey :^)

Throwback Thursday - The Valley Local YouTube Channel(?!)

2026-04-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

After posting yesterday's video from the Iron City N Scale group, I thought it'd be cool to let y'all know where there's some more Valley Local content . . .

Yes, believe it or not, The Valley Local has a YouTube channel! Heh - I'd forgotten too(!), but here it is at https://www.youtube.com/@TheValleyLocal. Technically, it's my personal YT, but as you'll see it's almost exclusively Valley Local (or at least Valley Local/model RR related) content. Don't mind the Mike Confalone/Allagash/Androscoggin layout visits . . .

And it's a legit topic of a "Throwback Thursday" post since the most recent video is from 5(?!) months ago.

Ugh.

But check it out and see if there's anything you find that fits your fancy. In the meantime, and by way of a little teaser, here's one of my favorites . . . Enjoy! (and - as they say - "be sure to 'Like' and 'Subscribe!")

(Not So Wordless) Wednesday - Layout Update Video

2026-04-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a HUGE THANK YOU to all of you that took the time to leave a comment on my last post. I honestly wasn't fishing for comments/compliments per se, but sincerely wanted to get a sense of how many folks might not be on Facebook and look to this blog as their only source of updates on The Valley Local.

Suffice it to say, you all really encouraged me - so thank you!

Although I'm going into (literally) the busiest 4 months of my work year (legislative session adjourns as of midnight May 6), I'm going to try and get this blog updated to bring y'all up to the current state of affairs. Of course, I won't do it all at once - neither you nor I have the time for that! - but over the coming days/weeks I'll post the highlights of the progress that's occurred over the past months. Suffice it to say, I'm frankly a little embarrassed at how little I posted in 2025. . . Yikes!

But for those of you that wanna jump right to the bottom line and see the layout as it is now (well, as of Feb. 12), thanks to the Iron City Roundhouse Report Podcast you can(!) since they recently hosted The Valley Local as an Iron City Showcase.

So if you can stand hearing me narrate a tour of the layout while barely taking a breath (and just mute me if you'd rather just see the pretty scenes), here's a video that's about as close to you coming to visit as I can muster.

Enjoy!

Tuesday Tip - Decanting Paint

2026-04-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry. This blog has been neglected for FAR too long and I hope to start remedying that with this post. I'll admit, the ease and instant feedback of Facebook has succeeded in grabbing all my attention for The Valley Local, and that's been to the detriment of those of you that don't follow the 'local on FB (click here if you're curious). But how many of you are still here? God bless you if you are, and I'd really like to know. . .

So - if you don't follow on FB, but would like to continue seeing content here, please take a moment and drop an encouraging line in the comments. It'd be really good to know there are folks still tuning in here.

That all said, I do plan to post more content here - if only because I own it and it's not subject to the vagaries of FB. So, here we go!

I'll start off with something easy, and save a more in-depth layout update for after I know there's anybody here :^)

Decanting Paint

Heh - not really starting off with a huge bang, but I recently discovered that this is very helpful. My ground goop is a mixture of equal parts of floor sanding dust, white glue, and "dirt" brown paint. It's easy enough to scoop dust and pour glue from the bottle, but scooping or pouring the paint out of a gallon can is always messy.

So I finally decided to save an old juice carton to store it. As you can (hopefully) see in the photo above, I've attached a "lip" to the edge of the can and used a homemade funnel (cut the top off of a water bottle) to pour it into to the carton. Before doing so - and just for good measure - I used a mixer in my drill to make sure the paint was well mixed before pouring.

Now, all I have to do is pour the paint from the carton - easy peasy! Just be sure to save the can - or at least the label that shows your custom mix. Once you find a color you like, you'll want to be sure you can get it again!

Wordless Wednesday #517 - Name That Location (and date?)

2026-03-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

John Wallace 1930-2026

2026-02-17T18:23:00.000-08:00

John with NHRR coal scoop in hand, just like when he was a teen-ager firing the Valley Local

I've been dreading posting this ever since I heard the news. My friend John Wallace passed away on February 4th at the ripe old age of 95, but still much too soon for me. Regular readers of The Valley Local know John Wallace as the person almost single-handedly responsible for this entire Valley Line project.

John grew up with his grandparents just a few houses away from the New Haven Railroad's Valley Branch in Wethersfield, CT and as a young man he would often ride in the engine with the crew. Later, as a teenager, he'd often fire the local - and he even brought along his camera.

He shared his memories of railroading along the Valley Line, as well as his many photos, in a two-part series in the NHRHTA's Shoreliner magazine - and it's there where I first "met" him. His descriptions of local operations in the lower Connecticut River valley were vivid and so well illustrated that they became a compelling subject for a model railroad - which I started to build, based on his articles.

I'm not even sure how I first got to meet him in person. It was likely through a mutual friend - Max Miller - who had been attending our Thursday night volunteer group cataloging photos for the NHRHTA. But that meeting started a collaboration that lasted until his recent passing.

Over the next couple of years, our correspondence filled many pages - then many file folders - as I collected more and more research on the line we both loved. Sometimes one of my questions would spark a memory that he hadn't thought of in over seven decades, and sometimes his memory prompted some frustrating changes to the layout I was building. But I was always impressed with how sharp he was and how detailed his recollections were.

Case in point - and some of you know this story since it's a favorite of mine that I've repeated often...

Based on John's articles and our emailing back and forth, I was well along in building an HO scale version of the Valley Line, starting in John's home town of Wethersfield. I was so excited to show him my progress, so one volunteer night I had him come down to the basement to check on my progress. He had a lot of nice things to say about how Wethersfield was progressing, but one thing puzzled him. "What era are you modeling again?" he asked. "Circa 1948, around the time you graduated high school. That's when you took the most photos, after all" I replied.

"Well then, why do you have that long passing siding by the station?"

"Because that's what the Sanborn track map shows, and I figured I'd just replicate the map."

"Ah, but that passing siding was taken out in the late 1930s after passenger service ended."

Suffice it to say, the passing siding was removed in time for his next visit :^)

Although not a modeler himself, he "got" what I was doing and admired my attention to detail - and my wanting to get things "right." He often mentioned visiting my layout was like having a time machine back to his high school days. I can't imagine receiving a higher compliment.

John operating during one of my first operating sessions

And I have to say, one of my proudest moments during this entire project was when I was able to hand John a throttle and he was able to operate the Valley Local, move for move, just as he had described the typical "Day in the Life" in his article - albeit in HO scale and <ahem> just a while after his teenage years.

Another huge highlight of our collaboration was when I was able to have him "visit" the house he grew up in, located (close to) where it was actually located in real life. Which actually leads to another cool story . . .

As I mentioned, John grew up in Wethersfield and graduated from Wethersfield High School in 1948. Although he didn't know him, Dave Messer was just a few years behind him in age. Dave moved to Pennsylvania and later became a pretty prolific model railroader and author. I met him through mutual model railroad friends when he discovered that I was modeling his home town...

Long story short, I had a photo of John's childhood home that he'd taken in the summer of '48 and sent it to Dave to see if he could build a model of it, which he did (and you can see the result in the photo above). But the COOL thing was that John and Dave met in the HO scale version of Wethersfield and discovered - decades after being so close but never having their paths cross - that they had lots of friends in common. John often mentioned how much fun it was reminiscing with Dave until he passed in 2020.

I have hundreds more memories I could share - from our shared love of cycling, to the fact that he was into flight simulators well into his 90s (he had been a pilot at one time), to his ending up in the hospital for trying to bunny hop a curb with his bike - when he was in his 80s(!). Our friendship ended up going well beyond the Valley Line project, but it was our shared love of the line that got us started - and I ended up with the great privilege of knowing and being friends with a truly remarkable man.

Rest well, my friend, knowing you will be sorely missed by all who had the honor of knowing you.

<><><><><><><><><>

I touched on only a few of the amazing things John did - the ones I knew most about. But his obit includes a lot more and gives you an even fuller picture of his amazing life.

Wordless Wednesday #516 - Name That Location (and date :^)

2026-01-21T07:45:00.000-08:00

MR's Guide to Modeling Branchlines

2026-01-15T13:11:00.000-08:00

Book review starts at 2:54 and Valley Local content can be seen at 3:21!

Cody’s Office | January 2026

Cody starts off the New Year right in episode 285 — filled with new products, expert tips, and answers to numerous modeling questions!

Wordless Wednesday #515 - Today's Trains.com Store email! (Valley Local is in MRP'26, as well as on the cover of Tony Koester's latest book!)

2026-01-14T08:56:00.000-08:00

From Appalachian coal routes to weedy Midwestern agricultural trackage, branch lines offer endless opportunities for realistic, engaging model railroads. In Guide to Modeling Branch Lines, Tony Koester shows how these smaller operations can offer just as much realism, variety, and creative potential as any main line.

Inside, you’ll find:

LEARN MORE

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Get to know the Trains.com family! Explore all the best in modeling, railroading and more...

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This message was sent to dl109er@yahoo.com.

405 Cherry Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402

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Going to Cocoa Beach!

2025-12-30T19:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, The Valley Local is going to the Cocoa Beach RPM (aka "Prototype Rails") next week! It'll be my first time attending this meet, and not only that, but I'll also be giving a presentation at 1p on Friday Jan. 9 and 8:30p Saturday Jan. 10 (same presentation - two showings).

Modeling the Valley Local: New Haven Layout in HO
The New Haven Railroad was ripe with contrasts - from having a busy 4-track, electrified mainline, to maintaining a dense web of branchlines. We'll focus on the New Haven's Valley Line which illustrates some of that contrast. It includes a slice of the busy Shore Line between NYC and Boston but focuses on the interplay between no less than four local freights that provided "retail railroading" in the lower Connecticut River Valley. From a 71 train per day racetrack to a weedy branchline, The Valley Local provides a sampling of all the New Haven had to offer and this presentation will show how I fit it all in.

Hope to see some of you there!

Merry Christmas from the Valley Local!!

2025-12-25T00:30:00.000-08:00

Wordless Wednesday #514 - Happy Christmas Eve!

2025-12-24T08:28:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics from my Christmas layout to put you in the holiday mood. Hope you enjoy them and hope, even more, that you and yours are having a wonderful holiday season!!

Wordless Wednesday #513 - So this happened. . . (or will happen, literally on my 57th birthday...)

2025-12-03T00:30:00.000-08:00

Throwback Thursday - On Giving Thanks and Making Trees

2025-11-27T00:30:00.000-08:00

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

You've likely heard - and perhaps even participated - in the debate of whether model railroading is art. But have you ever thought of it as worship or contemplation?

After being sick the past couple of weeks, I woke up recently feeling much better and noticed the beautiful sunrise from my back deck. The mood was enhanced by some nice seasonal music playing in the background (do yourself a favor and check out this song in particular). I couldn't help but try and capture it in the photograph above and the scene reminded me of the poem by Joyce Kilmer - " . . . only God can make a tree."

I think any time we engage in any creative endeavor, whether it be music, painting, dance, sculpture, or any of the arts - any time we create something for the purity of it itself - we are affirming our innate humanness and participating with God in Creation. While we can never be God, I believe our creative endeavors are reflections of the Imago Dei in our lives.

In this respect, our attempts at creating miniature worlds are echoes of our true identity as humans. We are born creators and while our attempts can never be any more than a mere reflections of the real world, I believe that the process of creating that world can itself be a contemplative exercise, affirming our humanity and providing an oasis in the midst of troubling times.

Is it any wonder, then, that a creative hobby can be so calming and restorative? And I think doing it can sometimes be an act of thanksgiving, thanking our Creator for the privilege of being able to participate in creation, in even a small way.

I've spent the past couple of Sunday afternoons dipping my toe in the deep end of this pool, trying my best to make some trees . . .

I started with armatures from Scenic Express, separating them into separate "trees" and spray painting them a medium gray color. When I was young, I always colored trees brown - but, turns out, they're often mostly shades of gray.

While the instructions recommend soaking the armatures in matte medium, I'm following the path many others have taken and am using hairspray (the cheapest, firmest hold you can get) to affix the "leaves" (various colors of flocking) to the armatures. I heavily spray the armature, then sprinkle the flocking over an old pie pan, which I then use to pour the excess flocking back into the container it came from.

It's a slow process - it took me an entire afternoon to do the trees you see above - but hopefully I'll get faster with practice.

But the results are definitely worth the time.

That's another thing I'm learning as I do more scenery on the layout: the time it takes often results in a better product, and the process itself can put you in a better, calmer, more contemplative frame of mind.

This Thanksgiving season, I hope you'll have a little extra time to spend working on your layouts - or doing whatever hobby you're in the mood for. And if you do, I hope you'll reflect on how blessed we are that, no matter what our level of skill or ability, we're able to create something that can bring us joy and maybe even a little peace.

From our home to yours, we wish you, your families and friends, a blessed Thanksgiving and holiday season.

(While this post was first published Thanksgiving, 2022 I think it fitting to repost in keeping with the spirit of the season, and to remind me to keep things in their proper perspective, being truly grateful for all my many blessings despite all that's going on in the world around us. I hope it helps you too during these difficult times.)

Throwback Thursday - Ghosts of Railroads Past

2025-10-30T00:30:00.000-07:00

(In the "spirit" of the season, and because it's All Hallows' Eve Eve ;^) I hereby repost this from last October. I think you'll agree it's especially fitting this time of year...)

A big part of my motivation for recreating the Valley Line is to keep alive the memory of the men & women who were responsible for getting the stuff of life delivered to you, each and every day. From coal for winter heat to a bicycle to ride in the summer, for over 100 years in this country the stuff of life was delivered almost exclusively by rail. And sometimes, if you're lucky, your historical research will unearth a ghost or two.

Given that it’s Halloween-time, here's a question for you:

Do you believe in ghosts?

The answer for me depends on what kind of ghosts you mean. I don't believe in the creepy un-dead or goulish wanderings of departed souls. But I do believe in the ghosts of the past - the hauntings of a place by the memories of the people who were there. Who were they? What were their dreams and plans? Were they anything like us? While dead people don't actually haunt us, the spirits and memories of the past can - and often do. Especially if you're paying close attention.

During this time of year especially, if you keep your eyes open and know where to look, you can see some of these ghosts of the past materializing. You have only to slow down, pay attention, and keep your eyes peeled.

This is a bridge on the old line between Middletown and Berlin, CT. The railroad was abandoned and torn up years ago, and the trees have long since reclaimed much of the right-of-way. But this bridge remains - a monument to the memory not only of the railroad, but to the spirit of the men who built it.

If during your travels you stop at a spot like this and imagine, even for a few minutes, how those men lived, what their hopes were and whether they ever achieved them, you might see some ghosts.

And if you're especially quiet, you may even hear in the sound of the leaves floating by on the breeze a whisper of thanks from those men for not letting them be forgotten.

Wordless Wednesday #512 - Ghost Train

2025-10-29T00:30:00.000-07:00

Rapido 44-tonner Sound Comparison

2025-10-28T03:08:00.000-07:00

I recently uploaded this sound comparison between 1st and 2nd run Rapido 44-tonners… Spoiler Alert: Now just as good as Scale Sound Systems’ drop-in replacement (but SSS’ cab filler speaker is still by far the best given its gargantuan size, if you’re willing to sacrifice the 44t’s gorgeous interior).

Wordless Wednesday #511

2025-10-22T02:43:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday #510 - Current Project...

2025-10-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

Airbrushing 101

2025-10-09T00:30:00.000-07:00

If there's one bit of advice I would give to a new model railroader, I think right near the top of the list would be "Learn to use an airbrush." It's one of those skills that, once you've acquired it, you can't imagine how you ever did without it. It's undoubtedly one of the best modeling tools to have in your arsenal.

For the first almost 30(!) years in the hobby, I feared the airbrush. But, thanks to my friend Ralph Renzetti, I've overcome my fear by using his foolproof tools and techniques. On his recommendation, I've also devoured Boomer Diorama's airbrushing how-to videos. Ralph cribbed heavily off of Boomer in developing these easy techniques to get you consistently good results.

In this quick (I promise!) post, I'll cover the 4 main things you need to know to start airbrushing successfully today!

Airbrush
Paint
Technique
Cleanup

Airbrush - Badger Patriot 105

At first glance, a double-action, internal mix airbrush may seem like an odd recommendation for a beginner, but trust me, once you get used to it, the control you get from a double-action can't be beat.

Most importantly, a double-action allows you to blow just air without paint, and gradually add paint to the airstream. This is critical to minimizing - if not eliminating - tip dry, which will cause your paint to come out splotchy. Blowing air before and after paint will keep the airbrush from clogging and will keep it cleaner during painting. I'll get into the proper technique below.

Paint - Tamiya Acrylics (X and XF)

Tamiya acrylic paint, thinned 50:50 with 91% isopropyl alcohol, shot at 12-15psi with a double-action airbrush will result in just about foolproof results. Tamiya acrylic is very forgiving and can be thinned with a variety of thinners, from Tamiya's own brand of thinner, to water, to lacquer, to IPA. I prefer the IPA since it's easily available and produces consistent results. It also "cleans" the airbrush while you paint.

Trigger Technique - Down & Back/Forward & Up

Press down the trigger to shoot air;
Keeping the trigger pressed down, pull back on the trigger to shoot paint;
When done painting, push trigger forward to shoot straight air again (clearing the nozzle);
Lift up on the trigger to stop the airflow.

This basic technique will just ensure that you have airflow before and after paintflow (as well as during, of course). Keeping that airflow before and after paint will keep the airbrush from clogging and keep paint from drying at & clogging the tip (the dreaded "tip dry"). Tamiya acrylic paint, thinned as recommended and shot at 12-15 psi, works especially well with this technique.

Painting Technique - Start Paint Before the Model/Stop Paint After the Model

Hold the tip of the airbrush about 3-5" away from the model, off of one end. Start shooting air, moving toward the surface of the model, pulling back on the trigger to apply paint before you reach the beginning of the model. Move steadily as you apply paint across the surface of the model, and as you move past the end of the model, push the trigger forward to stop the paint flow, then lift up on the trigger to stop the airflow.

You should see the paint apply wet and then "dry" almost right away. Overlap your passes to get complete, even coverage.

This basic airbrush painting technique will admittedly take the most practice to master, but using the airbrush/paint/triggering combo I outline above will give you LOTS of leeway and room for error. Practice really is the key. Get some old newspapers, hang them up on a wall, and practice, Practice, PRACTICE.

Trust me, you WILL get the hang of it pretty quickly!

Cleanup

Dump remaining paint from color cup & wipe out cup.
Fill cup halfway with isopropyl alcohol (IPA - I use 70% for cleaner, to save my 91%).
Swish with an old, soft paintbrush, cleaning the inside of the cup.
Dump cup.
Repeat steps 2-4.
Fill cup halfway with IPA.
"Backwash" by stopping the tip with a paper towel/cloth and shooting IPA. The IPA won't come out of the tip, but will cause air to "backwash" back into the cup. You'll see it bubbling.
Spray out contents of cup - preferably into a cleaning station.
Repeat steps 7-8.
Wipe out cup.
Remove needle, wipe clean with a paper towel wet with IPA.
Add lube to needle (Badger "Regdab" needle juice or equivalent lube).
Replace needle.

To change between colors, I either just spray clean IPA until the airbrush sprays clean, or - to be extra careful - I do an abbreviated version of the above (same steps, but no repeating steps).

Final Thoughts

That's really all there is to it!

Definitely experiment - Start by familiarizing yourself with the airbrush, just shooting water and grooving the trigger technique.
Experiment with different thinning ratios - you almost can't go wrong with Tamiya acrylics thinned with IPA. For example, I use a 1:9 ratio of paint to IPA for my fades.
Experiment with different air pressures too.

That all said, I have to admit that I haven't varied much at all from the above. It works for me and I get good, consistent results. Try it yourself and I bet you get great results too!

As always, be sure to let me know how you do - and if you have any questions I can try to answer - in the comments below!

Wordless Wednesday #509 - Did You Ever See A Mountain Blush?

2025-10-08T00:30:00.000-07:00