Airbrushing questions, again...

John Masters · 19 July 2008, 10:29 AM

OK. The gloves are off. When I return to NY from Bosnia I will be finally buying an airbrush. Now...What kind should I get? I don't know diddley about them, but it has to be small and quiet and easy to maintain, i.e. there should be little people inside it oiling and cleaning the damn thing.

Point me in the right direction, No choices. Tell me what to buy.

Thanks,
John

bobs_buckles · 19 July 2008, 12:38 PM

John,
Most people use double action (push down pull back) airbrushes. I prefer to use a single action Badger 200G Gravity feed with fine head. With the correct air pressure and thinness of paint I can spray as thin a line as any double action brush. It all comes down to what you're comfortable with. One mans junk is another mans treasure.
I'm sure the guys on here will be able to point you in the right direction.
Good luck & enjoy!

Bob

jumpinjan · 19 July 2008, 05:53 PM

You want a small airbrush to finish models. I have been using my Thayer & Chandler Airbrush since the 1970s and I still use it for the fine detail. For an air supply, I recommend a CO2 bottle & regulator (you can get these at a beverage dispensor busines or go to a welding supply store and buy one. Thats were I get my gas refill too)

Here are a bunch of them and cheap
THAYER CHANDLER, Catalogs, Art Supplies items on eBay.com

mgtaylor · 19 July 2008, 05:57 PM

Check the Local Nail Shop Owner to see their Commerical Catalog for COmpressors. They have the quiteist. You want a variable output pressure Compressor with a regulating knob to adjust the out put press. Your local tar'get etc in the auto section have great inexpensive compressors with all the do-dads hoses connections built in holding tanks regulator knobs etc. Problem they are loud. I built a suppessor box for mine enclosing it in a plywood box with foam insulation. Quite small compessors are expensive but worth it too.
I agree with Bobby on a built in cup badger double action fine spary.. I have their 100G Bakers Airbrush Works great. Testors big double action one is good too and easy to clean.

Just an opinon.

RAGIII · 19 July 2008, 06:18 PM

I use the kISS method. I have had a variety of airbrushes in my modeling lifetime including gravity feed duel action, I always return to the simplest to clean and maintain. To me the 2 that are best are the Paasche H
single action and the Binks Wren single action A Tip. I have found that the control for MOST camo schemes is acheivable once you get your mixture and pressure right. This comes with practice. Some of the schemes that are more difficult but not impossible are Italian WW1 part 2 smoke ring camo and German Wave Mirror patterns. Quite honestly I haven't run into a WW1 pattern I can't handle with a single action airbrush! Both of the guns I mentioned are relatively inexpensive. IHTH, and I am sure that others will disagree

RAGIII

trackpad · 19 July 2008, 08:12 PM

John,

For me, the Iwata Revolution is an entry-level double action airbrush that is the best in its class, IMHO. You can get one from Dixie Art & Airbrush Supplies Home Page: Airbrush and art supplies for about $65.00.They also have adjustable pressure compressors with water trap available. Easy to use, easy to clean, and very fine lines with properly thinned (2 or 3 parts thinner to 1 part paint) paints. I use Xtracolor for the most part, but I'm not fanatic!

The thing is, everyone has his own "favourite" airbrush/compressor/paint/thinner/pressure combination, depending on all sorts of variables, from what paint is used to how high above sea level you are. If you know modellers in the NY area, ask them about their favourites: they'll know the market, and what works best in The Big Apple.

Good luck with your hunt!

blimp · 20 July 2008, 03:00 AM

- ah , the holy grail ! an airbrush that cleans itself

- let me know if you find one will ya ! - hey , i can dream , can't i ?

he hee .

charlie bucket · 20 July 2008, 05:14 AM

I use a (cheap) Paasche Millenium double-action. I can't vouch for any others since this is the only one I've ever used, but I like it plenty. I should probably upgrade though. Clean-up isn't so bad. One thing that will mitigate it greatly is using acrylic paints (Gunze Sangyo are my favorite) and then blowing a ton of water and isopropyl through it after every spray instead of expensive paint thinner, including blowback spray-cleaning, where you hold your finger over the tip and it blows water/isopropyl back through the paint cup.

It doesn't take an engineering degree to assemble or disassemble for real cleaning, which I have to do fairly regularly, but the first few times you do it you might end up adjusting the little rod inside wrongly or having poor tension on the action against the spring upon reassembly. Time will be the big key to familiarity, but that's true of most things. Just make sure the tip is always needle-point fine though. Don't try and force the rod into the chamber if there is resistance or you will likely get a little bend at the tip of it, which will result in all sorts of bad spraying idiosyncrasies. If you do bend the tip, it can be sort of straightened out with a pair of forceps, but it's best not to have to at all.

Clean up after disassembly involves pipe cleaners, hot water, again isopropyl, and a little patience, but compared to dropping model parts on the floor, inadequate kit fit, biplane wing assembly, and all the other delightful little hazards of modeling, it's very low on the scale of things that will make me send forth a salvo of unholy cuss words.

dglewwe · 20 July 2008, 06:19 AM

my two cents', based on 30+ years with a cheap (i think it was around $15 at the time) single-action badger --no complaints, and performance to match the best double-action models (even in the airbrush-rendering class in college...) ...

-- double-action is an unnecessary complication/expense for a beginner. you may find yourself wanting one down the road, but to start stick with simple.

-- INTERNAL MIX. i repeat: INTERNAL MIX. important bit, that, imho.

-- ease of cleaning = enamel or lacquer paints that allow you to chuck the thing into solvent (even if it's been a year uncleaned) and have it come out squeeky, brand-new clean. (qualifier: i've not used --or am at all familiar with-- the latest acrylics, so could easily be matched in this.)

-- tanks are quiet (and cheap to fill at a local gas station...) --have a good regulator, and a water trap (if it's humid).

bobs_buckles · 20 July 2008, 07:15 AM

Quote:

-- ease of cleaning = enamel or lacquer paints that allow you to chuck the thing into solvent (even if it's been a year uncleaned) and have it come out squeeky, brand-new clean.

dglewwe,
Can you tell me what solvents you use to clean the badger? The ones I've used in the past have destroyed the Teflon washers and needle bearing.

Cheers,
Bob