Airbrush help

Imagehunter

New Member

• Feb 8, 2015

• #1

I have never even held an airbrush before but it is time to learn. I am wondering if these would be suitable to learn with or would I be throwing my limited savings away? The only details I have on the compressor are 2 gallon tank, electric, oilless and 0-100 p.s.i.

 

astroboy

Master Member

• Feb 8, 2015

• #2

Let me know how you like the airbrush.

I'm personally not a fan of oil less air compressors. They tend to be loud and disposable. The only brand I would buy is rolair. Look into them.

The other thing you should get is an airbrush cleaner. I'm not sure what they're actually called but it's like a jar that you spray your airbrush in when you are cleaning it. It helps keep the fumes down

 

astroboy

Master Member

• Feb 8, 2015

• #3

BTW, cleaning your airbrush is the most important thing to do. Right from the start, learn how to do it

 

Jimmer

Well-Known Member

• Feb 8, 2015

• #4

Like you, I've never held an airbrush but I've been researching them (lots of good youtube tutorials are out there) and trying to decide if I'm gonna take the plunge and, if so, trying to decide between single/double action airbrush. Let us know how it goes.

Also, like astroboy stated, clean it well and after every use. All those tutorials I mentioned stress how quickly not cleaning will ruin an airbrush.

 

astroboy

Master Member

• Feb 8, 2015

• #5

I don't know if this is bad for it or not, but I actually have a little glass jar where I soak certain parts in varsol all the time. I take it apart after every use

 

Amish Trooper

Sr Member

• Feb 8, 2015

• #6

http://www.airbrushguru.com/choosing-the-right-airbrush.html

 

retiredadguy

Active Member

RPF PREMIUM MEMBER

• Feb 8, 2015

• #7

Having spent almost 30 years as a commercial illustrator / graphic designer / art director I am partial to double action Iawata's, and a compressed air tank.

If you use a compressor you need an H2O trap between the air out and your brush. It sucks when your compressor spits h2o on your work. Like that never happens.

If your just planing on model work I would recommend a single action Paschae (sp?) or Badger as they are both relatively inexpencive and do the job.

What ever brand remember, it's the paint constancy and the operator that determine what kind of results you get. Practice on an old model first.

Have fun and do not get discouraged.

Best regards,

oh and definitely check out Amish troopers above post.

Might save you a LOT of grief.

 

Imagehunter

New Member

• Feb 8, 2015

• #8

The airbrush is locked down. (I will be watching tutorials on cleaning and care) I will let you know how it works. I have tons of acrylic paints so that's what I'll be using. If you can recommend which tutorials are best I'll head straight to them. As for the compressor the seller claims it's about as loud as a vacuum cleaner. I don't see a water trap on it, thanks for that heads up retiredaguy I'll get one of those. Can I just add one on? Something like or this? Let me know if you think it's worth "pulling the trigger" on the compressor he wants $45 for it.

 

Last edited: Feb 8, 2015

astroboy

Master Member

• Feb 8, 2015

• #9

Amish Trooper said:

http://www.airbrushguru.com/choosing-the-right-airbrush.html

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That's great!

I have a duel action but after reading that, I see the appeal of a single action.

Especially since I only ever use the airbrush for base coating and taped off areas.

 

dilfaza01

New Member

• May 18, 2017

• #10

You can read this guide I wrote them according to my experience, I tried to give value to my visitor: makeupher: http://makeupher.com/

 

TazMan2000

Master Member

• May 19, 2017

• #11

Choosing (and mixing) paint is an important step too. Even if you have the most expensive hardware, if you choose (or mix) the wrong paint (or amounts) you will have poor work.

For starters I would recommend the Vallejo "Air" brand of paints. Pre-thinned for airbrush work and it comes in a very large amount of colours. The only downside of this paint is that its adhesion isn't the greatest, so scratches or wear marks appear if they are handled too much. But its a great paint to start off with. Professionals use it too. With other paints you probably will have to thin them down for airbrush work. With Vallejo "Air" you will get used to the consistency needed, so you can spray Tamiya, Testors, and whatever other brand that is out there later, if you choose.

If you've painted with a brush, you will automatically see the difference in quality with an airbrush.

TazMan2000

 

J

JHY

Well-Known Member

• May 23, 2017

• #12

I second TazMan's recommendation of Vallejo Air. Thinning a little with Vallejo Air thinner seems to improve adhesion (more binders in the thinner, I think), but don't overthin. The Vallejo primers are good too. I tend to protect the finish with their acrylic varnishes which airbrush well, but usually need an higher air pressure than the colours.

 

ggriffaw

Sr Member

• May 23, 2017

• #13

JHY said:

I second TazMan's recommendation of Vallejo Air. Thinning a little with Vallejo Air thinner seems to improve adhesion (more binders in the thinner, I think), but don't overthin. The Vallejo primers are good too. I tend to protect the finish with their acrylic varnishes which airbrush well, but usually need an higher air pressure than the colours.

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How do you determine if you are using the right amount of air pressure?

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk

 

jake88

Sr Member

• May 23, 2017

• #14

Dont use cheap paint. It will ruin the experience. I like Vallejo paints thinned with a little future. And clean that thing thoroughly every time you paint. Your gonna love it!

 

J

JHY

Well-Known Member

• May 24, 2017

• #15

ggriffaw said:

How do you determine if you are using the right amount of air pressure?

Manufacturers of airbrushes and paints usually make recommendations, Vallejo say 20/25 psi for the air range. However, much depends on variable factors such as the airbrush itself, the distance of the work from the airbrush, how fine a line you're attempting, the surface you're spraying onto etc (Sorry!that doesn't sound helpful!) The only reliable guide is to test spray, starting at the recommended pressure and adjusting it until you get the results you want; it's a fine balance because you don't want the paint particles to land as a dusting and conversely, you don't want pools or runs by blasting too much paint onto the model.

Usually, don't try to get coverage in a single coat, keep the air brush moving and build up the coverage with multiple light passes. There are lots of online videos, but actually practising on old models, plastic cups etc will help you progress. Enjoy yourself !

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