First Airbrush Help...

Well for what it is worth I have a Badger 155(double action) and a Sears/Craftsman compressor.  The brush is fairly easy to clean and the compressor was pretty cheap on sale.  I assume you are in the US and so I would recommend checking to see if you have a Michael's craft store nearby.  They have 40% coupons that they mail out weekly and occasionally 50% as well.  I got my 155 for ~$70 with a coupon.  The compressor was around $100.  It is smallish, a bit loud, but has a 3 gallon tank so when full it will last me a good while.  Plus it can fill up bike tires and such!

Unless your parents are OK with the noise of a larger compressor like the Sears model, I would avoid it. You don't want to be ticking your parents off with a loud compressor in the house.

usmc1371 wrote:

Unless your parents are OK with the noise of a larger compressor like the Sears model, I would avoid it. You don't want to be ticking your parents off with a loud compressor in the house.

Honestly, it isn't that loud.  I lived in a small apartment when I first got it and with the spare room door shut, it didn't bother my wife too much.  No louder that someone starting up their car outside our window.  It also filled up the  tank in about 30-60 seconds so it wasn't up and running for too long.  If he is going to be in a garage or basement I would say it would be no trouble at all.

Mike

usmc1371 wrote:

Unless your parents are OK with the noise of a larger compressor like the Sears model, I would avoid it. You don't want to be ticking your parents off with a loud compressor in the house.

Parents are even more upset if Axel wants to put the compressor in the garage and punch a few holes through the wall to pipe the air to his room.

Some airbrush vendors sell quiet AB compressor at reasonable cost. BearAir and TCP-Global come to mind. No need to buy the tools compressor unless it is for dual use.

Axel, before giving recommendations we would need some particulars like budget and where you would use the compressor. Noisy compressors are cheaper, but will annoy parents, unless you're in a garage or basement.

Some idea of what sort of models/painting you expect to do, wouldn't hurt either!

Okay, I don't know the exact budget yet, still working with my parents for that.

I'd be using it in my room, I don't think my parents would mind too much, my cousin used to airbrush there when he still lived here. Unfortunatley he took all his airbrush stuff when he left My room is upstairs, doesn't let TOO much noise out of it, so i don't think the compressor needs to be super quiet.

As far as what I'd be painting... Well I make more or less everything. I'm more of a modern armor guy, but I also build a few modern planes, and a few wwii items. But I tend to lean more towards the modern stuff.

Thanks, Axel

Ah, yes. The negotiations for the budget. I not only remember that from my own youth, but still go through that with my wife. The more things change...

Expect to spend a minimum of $225 for both airbrush and compressor and getting approval for $300 for a budget really allows some flexibility in products. Those amounts won't include taxes, but should allow for the shipping.

Try Dixie Art as well. I'm presuming you live in the US.

The D500SR ($119) at a minimum (the one with the regulator/trap included), or the D3000R ($159) if you can swing it. The tank will be a very nice feature as it eliminates pulsation and will help the compressor last longer.

For an airbrush the 105 Patriot (105QSH-A $84) would be a good choice. My personal preference is the 100LG, but I would want it with the Medium head/nozzle and they don't seem to offer that. The Fine is just a bit too fine IMHO. Make sure you get an airhose! And make sure it attaches to the compressor, so don't just order it online without contacting the store to make sure it will all work.

And good luck! As a parent of teens (15 & 18) I know I would rather they ask for an airbrush and compressor than an Xbox or PS3! 

Axel Smith wrote:

Okay, so I'm trying to conince my parents to get me an airbrush and compressor for my 15th birthday, and I was wondering what would be a good choice? I know that the Airbrush isn't as important as the compressor, but I'd be looking for something -easish to clean -relatively cheep -preferably double action -and one that could last a while... And as far as the compressor goes... I'm a complete newbie, so any advice would be nice

First, the airbrush is MORE IMPORTANT than the compressor, but LESS expensive. But both are less important than your skill and practices.

If you are successful in convincing your parents for parting with $300, try Iwata HP-CS with ABD TC-20T compressor.  If you are less successful, the $129 cake decorating kit should serve you well until you can upgrade.

These are just two of the examples. You can do well by going with house brand components from reliable vendors if fund is short. But the airbrush is cheaper, it is easier to upgrade. Put as much initial investment as you can into the compressor because upgrading compressor means throwing away more money. Good luck and let us know how well you do.

I bought a Aztek A470 when I was 14.  Having said that I will say learning on a variable/double action was not easy, and I wrecked quite a few pricey models with the thing.  This led to a lot of frustration.  It was no fault of the airbrush, just a big learning curve that took my brain years to wrap itself around. You want fun from an airbrush, not frustration.

I will say the 470 is pretty easy to clean, its a durable unit that can be dropped and the Aztek sets have a lot of extras in the kits.

Recently I acquired a Badger 200G and a 200NT (Single action Internal Mix), which I think would be easier to learn airbrushing with, are reliable, very easy to clean, and they are easy on the pocketbook.  They are older designs, but have been around for a long time.  You can also get pretty good results with them as well, as I just finished a 1/72 Messerschmitt 110 in North African mottled camouflage.  

As far as compressors, I use a diaphram compressor with a pressure regulator/moisture trap, and it can go 0-40 PSI.  I will not understate the importance of the regulator unit.   The cost of the compressor plus regulator cost me $240 back in 1998 and it's still running strong.  

Hey Axel. I typed out a reply in this thread which might be of help; it meets all your requirements. The Senco PC 1010 is a really versatile and surprisingly quiet tanked compressor with regulator. With that and the Airbrush and you can get the entire thing shipped to your door for under 200, as the Senco is on sale for 110 and the Iwata you can get for 77.