Airbrush Advice

Hi Guys,

Can anyone advise on a good airbrush to buy?

Cant help Im afraid. Had thought of buying one myself but there are so many different types out there.

Ive been using Tamiya rattle cans for when I need a clean masking line on the model. I also found it easier to get these than buying paint pots as i can get them from an irish seller

Im no expert but happy to share my experience as i did some research and reading up before i bought.

2 main types of airbrush which in simplistic terms are "suck" and "gravity" fed.  Former have paint vessel underneath, latter on top.

General consensus seems to be that gravity fed are better.

Next consideration is compressor. Can't remember technical term but you ideally need one with a reservoir which effectively stores compressed air so you get a constant steady stream of air pressure. Without a res you may experience variable pressure - not sure how much of a difference that makes in real life.

I ended up buying a simple gravity fed nail art airbrush with about a 10ml reservoir for about £15 off of fleabay. Works perfectly fine - i cant remember nozzle size im afraid.

The key to using this in my experience is paint consistency. Too thick and the airbrush blocks and you get dotting in the paint to thin and paint doesnt stick and loses shine (plus you need many multiple coats) I tend to buy a rattle can of the correct colour, spray it in to a pot (mind the spash back) and then pour it in to air brush reservoir. The paint consistency seems perfect for airbrushes.

Cleaning after is a bit of a pain but essential to avoid it being rubbish the next time. I use paint thinner to clean through (fill the res with thinner) and just spray against some tissue until its all used. You can get specialist airbrush cleaning fluid but dont know if thats better or if my thinner approach is nor advisable.

Hope thats some help.

Paul

Thanks for the help guys!

Earlier, I was also thinking of buying an airbrush and made some research myself...
below is part of some advices I got from more experienced airbrush users...

and according to what I hear below are the brands users prefer mostly...

- Spray Gun, IWATA
- Compressor, SPARMAX

of course besides these two there are many other good brands you can choose from according to your use and budget.


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AIRBRUSH

I'm using airbrush since 20 years now and I also sold airbrush stuff occupational for a long time.
What I can say: keep your hands off factory-assembled kits, it's rubbish!

Some specs you should pay attention on are:

- gun made of metal with Teflon gaskets (solvent proof)
- double-action
- variable feed system (gravity feed for less colour/detailing; bottom feed for painting a complete diecast body)
- changable needle/nozzle size for different kinds of colour (for automotive metallic paint or clear varnish you need a larger flow rate than for solid hobby paint i.e.). Should be 0,3 - 0,75mm in optimal.

- apart from moisture trap, regulator and air tank there's another very important property of compressor: silence! Only choose a piston compressor, not a membranous! If you choose an oil cooled, you can work as long as you need without having a break for cooling-off (usually after 15-20min. for non-cooled). Don't worry, they are not much more expensive.
- make sure that the maximum pressure is more than double of average operating pressure! For a spraygun with 0,5mm nozzle you need an operating pressure of 1,8-2,3 bar (14,5-29,0 psi). To get this steady even with long opened valve, the compressor should be able to produce ~6 bar/87 psi in maximum.

All in all you should reckon with 200-250USD for a most versatile equipment. Seems a lot on first sight but note it's an investment for years. You will have more fun and success with it than spending less money for crap.
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