Air Brush

[Diver]

I am pondering the purchase of an air brush.  Going online is daunting.  They seem to range in price from $90.00 to many hundreds of dollars.  I want it to be reliable with available replacement parts.  Any suggestions greatly appreciated.  

[kurtvd19]

Diver:

First, what do you plan to paint?  Miniatures or large r/c boats? 

I can help but you first need to describe what you plan to paint and what kind of paints you plan to use (if you have any thoughts on paint at this stage).

There are great airbrushes for fine detail and there are great airbrushes for general painting.  They are not often the same brush.

Do you have an air compressor?

There are a lot of variables that make a choice of a brush difficult.  Answer these questions and I am sure we can set you up.

Kurt

 

[Tim Moore]

Hi Diver. I faced the same situation last year. Wanted to get a good general purpose airbrush for ship models and too much granular information probably more useful for graphic specialists. I ended up getting a Paasche Talon TG-3F, the kit with all three (size 1, 2 and 3) heads. Decision was based on apparent quality, and cost and availability here. The only extra I purchased was their 10’ hose with a water stop. I attach to the pancake compressor I use for my nail guns. I usually use Vallejo model air paint and a drop or two of their airbrush flow improver each time. I don’t plan on using any solvent based paints because I have no interest in a messy cleaning routine. My studio has a slop sink which is perfect for running lots of water through immediately after which is all I do for cleanup most of the time. Results have been very good, really fine finish once you get the hang of it, which isn’t too difficult. There are no doubt many other good options, just wanted to pass on my own hands on experience.  

[PRS]

The Badger Patriot with the fine needle assembly is a good one to have. 

 

It is easy to use and clean and not expensive and for the price it is the best bang for the buck.

 

The .5 needle is a little large but you can buy the detail kit for about 20 dollars.

 

I had an Iwata NEO and it was hard to clean and the replacement needles are really expensive.

 

Here is my setup:

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B002W84GTO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07KHBL8TW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07HXN2V5B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I am really happy with this.

[Roger Pellett]

I use an air brush for general ship model painting.  I’m not into shading striping or other more sophisticated techniques.  I am currently using my second Badger 350 airbrush.  The first one I damaged by over pressurizing and salvaged most of its parts.  It is a simple, rugged, easy to disassemble and clean tool.  The “guts” come in three varieties; coarse, medium, and fine.  It is relatively inexpensive.  It will spray thinned acrylic paints.

 

IMHO a regulated air supply makes an air brush viable, and that requires a small compressor with an air tank and pressure regulator.  Over the years, I have tried all sorts of setups ranging from canned air (completely inadequate) to a homemade shop air system.  I now use a small compressor/ tank combination similar to the pancake air nailer compressor that Tim mentions above.  These are sold for use with air driven carpentry tools so they are compact and portable.  They can often be found on sale for less than $100US.

 

Roger

[Diver]

17 hours ago, kurtvd19 said:

Diver:

First, what do you plan to paint?  Miniatures or large r/c boats? 

I can help but you first need to describe what you plan to paint and what kind of paints you plan to use (if you have any thoughts on paint at this stage).

There are great airbrushes for fine detail and there are great airbrushes for general painting.  They are not often the same brush.

Do you have an air compressor?

There are a lot of variables that make a choice of a brush difficult.  Answer these questions and I am sure we can set you up.

Kurt

 

Good day Kurt.  I am planning on building the Italeri 1/12 scale Fiat 806 Grand Prix car.  I do not think it will be more that 12" long.  I will want tp use water based paints if possible.  I do have a Porter Cable pancake compressor, and an 8 gallon shop compressor.  Your advise appreciated.  Bob

[thibaultron]

Check out this guy's site. He models cars and Gundums, and has videos on all types of modeling paint reviews.

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_66OBQNO8jXkHjlxnnxT-A

[kurtvd19]

Diver:

I am a Badger user.  But anything I say can be applied to any name brand airbrush.  The rip offs sold by Harbor Freight and similar places are to be avoided as the junk they are.

 

If you want a simple to use airbrush that will give a good finish with the lowest learning curve the Badger 350 is my recommendation.  I got the equivalent model in 1960 and used it exclusively for many years and still use it occasionally.  I reach for it when I have larger areas to cover and that 12" Fiat with one main color is well withing the 350's capability.  It is an single action, external mix, suction type brush.  Being external mix means the finish will not be the finest finish one can get from an airbrush but it will be at least as good as a rattle can finish.  An internal mix airbrush will always produce a better finish than an external mix brush - name brands compared.  But I have had several models painted with a 350 win gold awards  as have some close friends.  $44.40 brush/bottles only.

The next step up in a single action brush would be a Badger 200.  This is a single action, external mix, suction feed brush.  There are several 200's but the NH will do the job with the standard needle and all.  $56 price - brush/bottles only.

The next step up is a double action brush.  The Badger 360-1 is called the Universal because it is both a suction feed and a gravity feed brush all in one.  The front end rotates - thus the 360 - so a bottle can be lugged into the cup from the bottom.  For finer jobs rotate the color cup to face upwards and paint can be put into the color cup and fed via gravity.  This is especially nice when doing small parts or doing several color changes for detail parts.  I hate having to use a jar and all the tubes and caps that need cleaning when plugging in a color jar to paint several small parts that the gravity feed feature would have allowed me to just drop in 4-5 drops and still have plenty left.

 

There is a bigger learning curve to use a double action brush than a single action brush.  Single action = push down for paint.  Air and paint flow is adjusted separately off the model - - push down for air and then either open or shut down the nozzle to release more or less air and paint.  And then paint.   A double action brush = push down on the trigger to release air and then pull back on the trigger to release paint. 

 

Attached is a booklet that explains the terms I have used as well as additional information concerning airbrushes and airbrushing.  I hope this helped.  Any more questions just ask.

Kurt

 

Badger - UltimateAirbrush101.pdf

[Diver]

Thanks Kurt and everyone else.  I am looking forward to purchasing and using an air brush.  I will probably try painting some one use water bottles just to get use to process.  I am very interested in trying the different types of paints and will listen to all suggestions on what is best for a very detailed plastic model.  Bob

[Canute]

I think you'll find you want to use the .5 mm needle for acrylics. They have larger paint particles than solvents, but you and your family will appreciate the lack of odors from spraying the solvent based paint. Kurt's booklet is excellent, as are the videos Ron T bookmarked for you. All I can add is practice with whatever brush you purchase.

[thibaultron]

 

[kurtvd19]

Ken is absolutely not an artist which he readily admits.  But he has a practical, down to Earth way of explaining how airbrushes work and how to use them.  He is without question the most approachable and helpful ambassador of airbrushing.  This video is absolutely worth the time it takes to watch.  If you want to learn the basics this one is hard to beat.  I recommend it to everybody who asks me how to get started.

 

Thanks for mentioning this video Ron.

[thibaultron]

Your welcome.

[clifforddward]

Kurt's comments about airbrushes in general is spot on.  I am confident his preferred Badger lineup works well.  

 

To be avoided at all costs is any discount "no name" offering...they will fail for certain in a short time with no hope to repair.

 

I myself started using Paasche airbrushes back in 1975....important to me has been ongoing availability of parts...I have both single action Pasche "H" airbrushes as well as double action "V" and "VL" Paasche airbrushes.  They are my main roster of daily users although the newer Paasche "Talon" has a lot going for it.

 

There are more precise and more expensive airbrushes, but for my use I have found the Paasche line to be solid performers and rugged over time.

 

While I now own nearly a dozen Paasche airbrushes, one of my favorite "go to" units is the first one I bought...it is somewhat like the proverbial axe that has had three new heads and four new handles over the years...but the basic body and works of the airbrush is still the same.

 

When using newer acrylic paints like Vallejo my airbrush of choice has become the newer Paasche Talon...it seems to handle the thicker acrylic paints easier.

 

I know air source is a whole different discussion, and I don't want to derail this thread, but for what it's worth I use a Co2 tank....one refill lasts me several months, and with the humidity here in North Carolina I prefer to work with the Co2 as propellant so I don't have any of the typical problems associated with humidity.  Others will find air compressors work well for them, but I started with a Co2 tank and have  had zero problems...beside, since it is silent I can airbrush late into the night without disturbing the Mrs.