Help airbrush

You're going to get a thousand different opinions on this. Bottom line is find what works for you, but avoid the $20, 60 piece sets from eBay. There's no reason to go top of the line, but also no reason to tie one arm behind your back from the start.

I will be passing primer through my Iwata today. I bought it in 1986, still original nozzle and needle.

Paint is another personal preference, main thing is it needs to be properly thinned in ratio to your air pressure.

I find the most convenient is the Vallejo style of eyedropper bottles. You can find empty eyedroppers cheap, squirt a bit of paint into it, a bit of thinner and mess around until it works, then copy that formula again and again.

Don't forget to search online for printable Hobby Lobby coupons. I bought my AB at 40% off with one, so a high-priced AB turns into a medium-priced one after all.

My  worth. All the info above is great. You have to find what is best for you and it does take a little while to learn the in and outs of the AB and paints that you use. So far, I have learned that my medium priced AB works great for what I use it for. I build and paint models for my own pleasure. Sometimes I take them to contests for the fun of it and to meet other modelers and learn from them. If I win an award, that's great. If I don't, that's great too as I learn a lot each time from other guys at the contest. Over the years, I have found that Vallejo Acrylics Model Air Paints work best in my AB. They are easy to use. Thin with distilled water if necessary and clean up with plain old Windex window cleaner. Almost NO odor either (unless you don't care for the smell of Windex), so no worries about painting in the house and upsetting the wife and kids.

If you go to the Painting & Airbrushing section of these Forums, you will probably get as many different answers as there are guys that use ABs. The members are very knowledgeable and are always ready to help out with any questions/problems that you have. As you learn you will improve your skills with the ABs and paints. It would aso help you to join a local club, if there is one in your area. Hands-on experience helps a lot.

Hope that this helps a little.

Jim  

I like my NEO (Iwata), easy to use and easy cleanup..  Got it at Hobby Lobby with the 40% off.  You can take a pic of the coupon with your phone and they accept that.  Paint is a personal preference, I generally use MM acrylics, along with Tamiya.  Have not tried Valleo yet, but I intend to as HL also handles some of them.

In the airbrush section you will find a link to Don's Airbrush tips.  Worth the read, and I have it as a favorite to refer to.

I use a Paasche VL, which is a siphon-fed, double-action airbrush.  New, the MSRP is $126:

http://www.paascheairbrush.com/products/airbrushes-airbrush-parts-and-accessories/Airbrushes/double-action/VL-SET

I got that set second-hand, for $40.  I look on the price this way:  You're paying for quality, and a good tool that lasts for years pays for itself over time.  Balancing that against my budget, I looked for a used brush.  Someone mentioned HobbyLobby, and they carry Paasche products, so if I were looking for a Paasche airbrush, I might look there and take advantage of their discounts.

However, as someone else mentioned, it's going to be a relatively personal decision, because there are a number of good airbrushes out there, and they each have their adherents.

As far as paint goes, I use mostly Tamiya acrylics, thinned with Tamiya's own proprietary thinner.  You can use lacquer thinner to thin it, too.  I also use Model Master paints, thinned with mineral spirits, and craft store acrylics, thinned with water.  The craft store acrylics were an experiment; they went through the brush well enough, but their pigments are just a tad too coarse for my taste, so the finish was a little rough.

I haven't yet tried Vallejo's line of acrylics for airbrushing, but I have read enough posts online that if I were to use them, I would also use the thinner made for that line.

You'll also need some means of delivering compressed air into the brush.  For that, too, you'll get almost as many suggestions as there are modelers.  For me, I use a Craftsman 1.5 hp compressor with a 3-gallon tank.  I got it because I also use it in my workshop, as well as with the airbrush.  However, it is noisy, so if that is an issue, you'd want to look for a compressor designed to produce little noise, or even to use a gas bottle, and have it filled as you use up the air inside.

Hope that all helps!

Best regards,

Brad

Hi, Tim -

First, I heartily second the recommendation to have a good, long look at "Don Wheeler's Airbrush" website, just type that into the search box. Many airbrush types and manufacturers, plus thorough reviews for each one. Paints, cleaning and maintenance tips as well.

I have been airbrushing for well over fifty years, a few of my AB's are about that age, too. With careful use and good cleaning habits, most AB's can carry on for many years of use.

I have a mixture of high end pricey ones, to very modestly priced basic AB's that do the job perfectly, if matched with the job at hand. Mine are Iwata, Paasche, Badger and Binks. At present my most often used is the Badger 200G, single action, internal mix gravity fed. Super easy and fast to clean. Works perfectly for most of the work I do.

For large area jobs I use the Badger 100LG, another simple and reliable AB, very easy to care for. It's gravity fed, dual action, internal mix. I look for sales at the authorized dealers, like Webaire, Chicago Airbrush, TCP, etc. Reputable and easy to deal with. Many of my Badger AB's had prices from $50-$80, during frequent sales events.

For compressors, a piston type will run cooler, quieter and neighbor friendly. The diaghram types work OK, but are really loud.

Acrylic paints seem the most friendly with regard to smell, etc. I still use enamels and some lacquers, but mostly Tamiya acrylics.

Hey, I wish you good luck with your search, take your time and check around. Once you do go to a good quality AB and get proficient with it, you'll wonder why you didn't do it before. But that proficiency likely won't happen instantly, (it sure didn't with me.) Be patient, loads of fun ahead when you and the AB click together.

Patrick

I have been using the the same Paasche VL (body) for over 30 years now , it was originally given to me by a makeup artist in the movie biz and has served me well , I have run everything from enamel to custom rubber cement paint through it , gone through many needles and tips , used it on everything from 1/144 scale aircraft to 1/1 scale dinosuars , its easy to use , parts are cheap and plentiful .

 I have also used badgers, iwatas , testors , and a couple other brands that fail to come to mind , I always go back to the Paasche, but that is just my personal choice .

here is the VL in 98 spraying custom mixed rubber cement paint,and still going today !

Here is what you can do with one , 1/72 ME 262 old MPM kit , this was done with the same airbrush in the early 90's with Testors Model master enamels (my favorite).