Textile, Leather & Flexible Substrates Guide

Updated September 2023.

This guide covers the application of Createx paints on porous substrates such cotton t-shirt, textiles, fabric and flexible substrates such as leather, latex, flexible foam and other flexible substrates.

For t-shirts, textiles, fabrics including natural and synthetic fabric material, either Createx Airbrush Colors or Wicked Colors are recommended. Createx Airbrush Colors are made with a softer resin (has a lower Tg value) compared to Wicked Colors, giving Createx Airbrush Colors a soft-hand feel on fabrics. However, both Createx Airbrush Colors and Wicked Colors are suitable for washfast, brilliant colors onto fabrics, washable t-shirts, and textiles.

For other flexible substrates, such leather, any Createx paint can be used. Createx Airbrush Colors and Wicked Colors adhere the best used out-of-the-bottle to flexible substrates, however when however, when mixed with 4030 Balancing Clear, all Createx paints, including Createx Illustration Colors and Bloodline, can be applied direct to flexible substrates. For extremely flexible substrates such as latex and flexible foam, mixing Createx paints with both 4030 Balancing Clear and 5092 Flex additive is recommended.

THINNERS, CLEANERS AND MIX ADDITIVES

4008 Restorer
A water-based cleaner used to soak metallic airbrush parts after use. Partially dissolves dried paint making for easy clean- up with soap & water. Dissolves soft-plastics. Keep away from non-PTFE coated O-rings. Use 4008 Restorer as a soak after spraying. Do not use as a rinse to clean colors from airbrush in-between colors while painting. 4008 Restorer is re-usable. Keep 4008 Restorer in a metal can or ceramic cup to soak tips and nozzles for an extended period.
4008 Restorer continues to work even when it’s no longer clear and appears dark in color from previous uses.

4011 Reducer
Thinner for Createx Airbrush Colors, Wicked Colors and all Createx Colors paints. 4011 Reducer can be added to any Createx paint approximately 10% to 30% per volume. Although Createx paints may be sprayed direct from the bottle at higher psi settings, most airbrush artists thin colors with 4011 Reducer to achieve best atomization and flow.
Add 4011 Reducer in small increments of ~ 5% per volume at a time.
Best practice is to only add 4011 Reducer to Createx paints intended for use within 48-hours as 4011 Reducer promotes evaporation of water from the paint mix. However, when bottles are kept capped air-tight and stored away from direct light, such as a cabinet, actual shelf-life of Createx paints thinned with 4011 Reducer will be extended for several weeks.

4030 Balancing Clear
4030 Balancing Clear is a water-based, urethane clear for mixing with any Createx paints. Mixing 4030 Balancing Clear with Createx paints creates an acrylic – urethane resin blend which has improved adhesion and durability (scratch resistance). 4030 Balancing clear is softer (has a lower Tg value) compared to 4050 UVLS Gloss Clear, making 4030 Balancing Clear a better choice for mixing with Createx paints when painting leather, vinyl, flexible foam, and flexible urethane substrates.

Mix 4030 Balancing Clear 10% per volume with Createx paints, then thin as needed with 4011 Reducer, generally 10% - 25% per volume.

5092 Flex Additive
5092 Flex Additive is a very soft acrylic resin used as an additive for mixing with Createx paints to improve flexibility.
5092 appears milky in solution and dries clear. 5092 is low viscosity, however, when it is mixed with Createx paints, the resulting mix will be a higher viscosity (thicker) compared to the Createx paints before adding 5092.

Add 5092 Flex Additive approximately 20% per volume with Createx paints, then thin as needed with 4011 Reducer.
Createx paints mixed with 5092 Flex Additive are often thinned ~ 20% per volume with 4011 Reducer for use with 0.5mm tip-sized airbrushes. Add more 4011 Reducer to the mix for use with smaller airbrush tip-sizes.

THINNERS, CLEANERS AND MIX ADDITIVES contd

5601 Createx Transparent Base
5601 Transparent Base is the colorless, acrylic resin base to Createx Airbrush Colors. 5601 works as extender to colors for increased transparency, as protective inter- coat over colors and as initial coating onto fabric for improved coverage & to minimize fabric-knap from interfering while painting, keeping lines & color-blends crisp.

Before painting a black t-shirt or dark fabric, apply one or two coats of 5601 Transparent Base, then heat-set the colors. The resulting coating allows for colors to cover much quicker without having to soak into the fabric. By applying a base of 5601 Transparent Base onto t-shirts and fabrics before painting, colors cover quicker, faster and look brighter without requiring multiple passes. This is especially helpful when airbrushing light highlights and fine-line detail.

5603 Createx Matte Top-Coat
A water-based, soft acrylic clear that dries matte for application on fabrics, leather, and flexible substrates.

5604 Gloss Top-Coat
A water-based, soft acrylic clear that dries gloss for application on fabrics, leather, and flexible substrates.

5618 Airbrush Cleaner
A mild, water-based cleaner for rinsing colors from the airbrush while painting. 5618 Cleaner rinses the airbrush between color changes while painting. To clean the airbrush of cured paint after painting, soak in 4008 Restorer.

T-SHIRT APPLICATION

Preparing Fabric for Airbrushing
Createx Airbrush Colors and Wicked Colors may be applied directly to fabric without preparation. Simply stretch the fabric onto a t-shirt board or cardboard backing and start painting. However, for best coverage and to minimize fabric knap from interfering while airbrushing, apply a few coats of 5601 Transparent Base to the fabric and heat-set before applying colors.

T-Shirt Airbrushing
Apply paint in light to medium coats. Createx Airbrush Colors and Wicked Colors can be sprayed direct-from-the-bottle with a large-volume, 0.5mm tip-sized airbrush sprayed at 60+ psi settings for fast, flowing airbrushing with lines that do not separate or break apart. When airbrushing t-shirts at high psi settings, use a 0.5mm tip-sized airbrush that is made for high volume paint flow, such as an Iwata Eclipse HP – BCS.

Heat Setting and Curing
Createx Airbrush Colors and Wicked Colors must each be cured with heat when painting fabrics for washfast colors.
For washfast results on fabric and textiles, allow Createx Airbrush Colors or Wicked Colors to thoroughly dry, then cure with heat. Heat curing can be done by:

Heat-Gun: Apply heat at a low to mid-temperature setting, no more than 300°F. Keep air moving so as not to blister the paint. Warm to the touch works; avoid excessive application of heat as this may create a latex-like film which easily peels.
Shirt-Press: 325°F for 20-25 seconds
Iron: With a protective cloth between iron and paint, set iron to a cotton / high setting and iron over painted area for about 60-90 seconds keeping iron moving so as not to blister paint.

APPLICATION TO FLEXIBLE FOAM, FLEXIBLE URETHANE, LATEX AND MORE

Createx paints can be applied straight from the bottle, however the best coating, that is optimum adhesion and durability (scratch resistance) is achieved by mixing 4030 with Balancing Clear and / or 5092 Flex Additive.

The best practice when airbrushing flexible substrates is to work in light coats, allowing each coat to dry tack-free before applying the next coat. This avoids creating thick, heavy coats which are more prone to cracking and chipping.
Working in light coats, allowing each to dry tack-free prior to applying the next coat of paint, is key to achieving a strong, durable finish that does not crack or chip off of a flexible substrate.

APPLICATION TO FLEXIBLE FOAM, FLEXIBLE URETHANE, LATEX AND MORE contd.

Leather
Mix 4030 Balancing Clear 10% per volume to Createx paint, and thin as needed with 4011 Reducer.
Prepare the leather by cleaning with isopropyl alcohol, then apply Createx paints mixed with 4030 Balancing Clear in light coats, allowing each coat to air dry tack-free before applying the next coat of paint.

Flexible Foams and Flexible Urethane
Createx paints can be applied to flexible substrates direct from the bottle with good adhesion, flexibility and durability.
Mixing 5092 Flex Additive with Createx paints improves flexibility. Depending upon how flexible the substrate is, use of 5092 Flex Additive will be more beneficial the more flexible the substrate is.
The best method to determine whether adding 5092 Flex Additive is required is to make a test. If in doubt, add 5092 Flex Additive approximately 20% per volume with Createx paints, then thin as needed with 4011 Reducer.

For a more durable, and still flexible paint for applying over flexible foams and urethanes, mix both 4030 Balancing Clear and 5092 Flex Additive to Createx paints, then thin as needed with 4011 Reducer.
The following mix works excellent:
Createx paint mixed with 10% 4030 Balancing Clear, 20% 5092 Flex Additive, and thinned 20% 4011 Reducer.

Prepare the substrate by cleaning with isopropyl alcohol, then apply paint in light to medium coats, allowing each coat to air dry tack-free before applying the next coat of paint.

Latex
Createx paints adhere best to latex when mixed with 5092 Flex Additive.
Mix ratios may vary, but the best practice is to mix Createx paints with 5092 Flex Additive 20% per volume.

For a more durable, and still flexible paint for applying direct to latex, try mixing both 5092 Flex Additive and
4030 Balancing Clear to Createx paints for application direct to latex.
The following mix works excellent:
Createx paint mixed with 10% 4030 Balancing Clear, 20% 5092 Flex Additive, and thinned 20% 4011 Reducer.

Prepare the substrate by cleaning with isopropyl alcohol, then apply paint in light to medium coats, allowing each coat to air dry tack-free before applying the next coat of paint.

CLEANING EQUIPMENT

While painting, rinse colors from the airbrush using water, 5618 Airbrush Cleaner or 4011 Reducer.
After airbrushing, soak the airbrush metallic parts (nozzle, needle cap, the needle & cup) in 4008 Restorer followed by washing with a brush, soap and warm water; the cured paint will easily brush off.
4008 Restorer dissolves soft-plastics; keep away from non-PTFE coated O-rings, stencils and more.

SAFETY

Always spray in a well-ventilated area with access to fresh air. A NIOSH / MSHA approved respirator is recommended any time painting. Refer to Safety Data Sheets for complete information, available at www.creatextech.com.

Createx Colors | 14 Airport Park Road | P.O. Box 120 | East Granby, CT 06026 USA | (800) 243-2712 techsupport@createxcolors.com

Visit www.creatextech.com for more information.

Createx Airbrush Colors™, Wicked Colors™, Createx Colors™ are trademarks of ColorCraft Ltd, Inc.