Peak C-5 Opinions needed

Ok, well after getting some teflon tape, assembling it all together (lol a lengthy 5 minute process that was) I sat down and gave the Polar Bear 2000 a spin. All in all, I am extremely satisfied with this product.

It does not run perpetually, rather only turns on to keep the pressure at the requested level. The air supply is steady and uninterrupted, with no pulsing whatsoever. I suppose the two cyliner design is supposed to remedy this issue exact. I sprayed from pressures ranging from 10psi to 40psi, and have no problems to report. Comming from a simple hobby compressor prior to this, the Testor Blue Mini to be exact, this is a whole new dimension of performance. The stability of the air is a quantum leap ahead of what I was using before. Even though I was satisfied with my old compressor to the sense that 'it did the job', had I not tried this one, I would not know what I have been missing. The thing is also incredibly quiet. My fiance noted that just sitting in the next room, studying quietly, she was completely unbothered by it.

I tried my old aztec airbrush with this, and again, a world of difference was seen immediately. I guess I never really understood the importance of a steady, strong air supply.

Thus, for the price, I think this compressor is a fantastic purchase. I only hope that it will serve me as faithfully as the old Testors one has. I would recommend it to anyone looking to purchase a hobby compressor.

I will reserve my impressions for the C-5 until I've had some decent hands-on time with it. I got to airbrush some fine lines, some very small details, and some general coverage patterns. I was immediately struck with the balance of the brush. Again, moving on from my previous Aztec, this is a whole different ballgame. Also having said that, I was immediately able to see that to really get the most out of this brush, I have much practice ahead of me. 

Once again, thanks for all your feedback Bgrigg, you've helped this to be a great experience for me.

Well, you're very welcome and thank you for your kind words but, I can't take all the credit.

It wasn't my pic, I stole that off Bear Air's website from their parts page. Some I learned from other people (MusicCity & MikeV to name just two) posting here on FSM and other websites. The rest is self evident, really. All I did was remember and repeat. Which is a skill of sorts, I guess! It wasn't that long ago that I was given an old compressor and airbrush and had to learn from scratch. If I can do it, anyone can!

Airbrushes are quite simple tools, as I said before. A bit more complex than a reed straw and a mouthful of paint, which is how some prehistoric artists made their cave paintings. 

Anyway, glad that my posts couldl help you out. Knowing you need a test mule is very clever, and shows that you would have figured it out on your own.

Now don't go and get discouraged this weekend! Remember, if you mess up, dip it in Windex and do it over until you're happy.

And most importantly, practice makes perfect.

Wow, again, thank you so much. I've taken my brush apart thanks to your diagram, and thanks to your explanations am looking at my assembled and ready to run compressor

Tomorrow, I will give it all a spin on a test mule, and will give feedback as to my opinions of how it goes. If I have time, I'll look to base-coat one of my models, or get some paint down on that large base that I have. That should give me some feel as to how the brush and compressor handle.

I don't disassmble at all. I rarely ever take the tip and nozzle off, and only pull the needle to wipe it down and lube it, and even that isn't absolutely necessary. Enamel and lacquer users need to be a bit more precise and disassembly is probably a good idea. My style of Badger has a washer that can get crushed and cause problems, and the more you take off the tip, the greater the chance of crushing the washer.

Here is how I clean my airbrushes:

Tools:

Squirt bottle of "dirty" Windex (waste not want not! This is left over from any paint brush cleaning I do).
Squirt bottle of "clean" Windex
Jug of distilled water
Cleaning jug (I use a bleach jug with an "X" cut into the side, about 1 1/2" in diameter. I poke the tip into that and spray the cleaner into it).
Q-tips (the harder the better, the big soft ones are to be avoided as they leave behind fluff)
Cotton Rags or Paper Towels (careful about lint again, cheap brands of towel aren't very good).
Needle Lube (Glycerin)

Procedure:

Wipe out color cup with rag.
Squirt in some dirty Windex and swish around with Q-tip (I reuse these until they are disgusting BTW). Pour out into cleaning jug. Repeat if necessary.
Squirt in clean Windex, and I crank up the pressure to 30-40psi. Spray through the X in the cleaning jug until it sprays clear. Sometimes takes a couple of cups worth of cleaner.
Backflush (hold a rag against the tip CAREFULLY so you don't damage the needle tip) at a low pressure (5-10psi, just enough to move paint around), until I'm sure the tip is clear of paint. Dump that into the jug and put a small amount of Windex in and spray normally.
Pour distilled water into the cup and spray at high pressure again until the cup is empty. Keep spraying air. It helps to dry the insides.
Pull the needle and make sure it's clean and lube the front third (only takes a drop). Careful of the tip, it called a needle for a reason!
Wipe the excess lube into the color cup. This isn't strictly necessary, I started doing it just to use up the excess!

That's my entire put away regimen. If you are just cleaning between colors, then you can eliminate the back flush, the water rinse and the lube.

In all this should take about five minutes, ten if I'm feeling real anal about the job.

Wow, thank you!

Your post is a wealth of advice, and I will take heed.

Only one other stupid question, when you are cleaning it, do you disassemble the whole airbrush, or just partially so?

Zoran,

Here is a link to MusicCity's excellent website, scroll down to the bottom for his essay's on thinning, cleaning and other airbrush and painting related tips and tecniques. This might not be necessary, but he offers good advice and shows that it isn't as black magic as it might seem to people.

If it's any consolation, my Badger 100LG didn't come with instructions. Well, it did, but it was generic and had more to do with airbrushing techniques, and not cleaning and repair.

Airbrushes are very easy tools, really. Here is an exploded parts view for the C-5. It's probably all one needs to reassemble the airbrush:

The wrench will be for loosening/tightening the nozzle, at least it is for my Badger. I use bee's wax on the threads to eliminate any air leaking around the threads.

I do caution using pliers and strength to tighten or loosen any part on an airbrush. It might be metal, but the parts do tend to be delicate. Especially any of the internal hollow parts, and pliers can crush things very quickly (ask me how I know!)!

Compressors are even easier! Use teflon tape (cheap at any hardware store) on any threads that connect regulator to compressor and hose to regulator. Hopefully Bear Air sent all the bits that you need. There should be a female connection on the compressor, or perhaps a male to male fitting already in place. The regulator will screw onto that, and if you look at the pic on the website, you'll see another male tp male connector that screws into the regulator. That is where you will put the hose, with the other end attaching to the airbrush.

Since you use acrylics, you will have a pretty easy time of cleaning. Use Windex (or other ammonia based window cleaner) to wash out the airbrush. Back flush at low pressure by holding a rag over the tip and carefully spraying. The back pressure will flush out any remaining paint into the cup and cause bubbles. I follow up with a good flushing using distilled water (you do NOT want mineral buildup inside the airbrush body!), and pull the needle to ensure that the needle is free of paint, and I wipe down with some lube (you can buy glycerin at the local drug store, enough to last your lifetime) on the front third of the needle. I also wipe glycerin in the color cup. I find it helps that it helps with the cleaning by putting a layer on the metal. It doesn't interfere with the Tamiya paints (acrylic paint retarder is mostly glycerin).

I'm sure you already know most of this stuff, but repeating it certainly does no harm. Give us a shout if you have any more questions. There are plenty of experts on this website!

Take your time, and don't lose patience. You'll do fine!

Well the item arrived, and it looks like a winner. I will have to find some time this weekend to actually put it all together and see how it works.

One of the things that is worrying me is the serious lack of ANY instructions. The airbrush came in a blank box, and came with a small wrench. I really am at a loss here, so if someone can point me in the right direction, I would greatly appreciate it. I want to know how to fully disassemble this thing for cleaning before I even try to use it.

Same story with the air compressor and regulator valve. Absolutely no instructions whatsoever. It came with the compressor, two hoses, and the regulator. On very brief inspection it looks like one of the airhoses can screw into the airbrush, but I have not checked anything else. Not even sure how to attach the regulator to the compressor. 

All in all it is a much more serious package than what I have been using thus far. I only hope that the results will also be as such.

Any info/advice would be greatly appreciated. Also, what pressure should I typically be spraying at? I use Tamiya acrylics exclusively.

zokissima wrote:

Where is this said data/feedback on the similar products?

TC-196 by Bexley and TC-2000 by MikeS70.

TC-2000 by Teonguyen.

DA400 by Keilau.

You can find more comments by searching for the brand and model number of the compressor.

I already got a UPS shipping notification from BearAir, so if all goes well, it should be in my hands before the close of the week. I will try on the weekend to give it a spin and see how it goes. Will definitely provide feedback after that. According to the Bear Air site, it is actually called the Polar Bear 2000.

Where is this said data/feedback on the similar products?

zokissima wrote:

Also, bgrigg, I took your advice and went for the 2000 model compressor. It was only a marginal (hehe, I can excuse anything to myself) difference in price, so I figured I may as well go for the better option, than be disappointed. I use a pulse-type compressor now, and even though it has served generally well, it is time for an upgrade.

Please, let us know how well the BearAir 2000 works for you. We have a few feedbacks on the similar design and similarly priced Passche DA400, Sparmax TC-2000 and TCPGlobal 196 (w/ tank). Your input will be the first data on the BearAir twin cylinder.

I believe that code is only good for US shoppers, but thanks anyways

Also, bgrigg, I took your advice and went for the 2000 model compressor. It was only a marginal (hehe, I can excuse anything to myself) difference in price, so I figured I may as well go for the better option, than be disappointed. I use a pulse-type compressor now, and even though it has served generally well, it is time for an upgrade.

Hey, thanks again for the input. Yeah, I looked around locally, and this is just by far the best price I can find. I calculated that even with a brokerage fee I'll still save a hefty amount.

Yeah, we certainly do get shafted up here, and it is a bit of a PITA, but what can you do when you don't have a choice? The brokerage fee is what really kills me. I've shipped from US many times, albeit mostly using private sellers and such. Typically I'll have them mark the item as a gift, to avoid these ridiculous fees.

The 1000/C-5 deal is also good (and a whole lot cheaper! ). I find that those small compressors tend to 'pulse' and if you can afford it the 2000 with the twin piston design eliminates that issue.

I doubt you will find as good a deal in Canada, and the duty/shipping upcharge will still save over what you will find in your local market. The airbrush example I provided still saved me some money over buying locally, but not by as much as I expected. IIRC it ended up being a savings of about $20, which is still significant.

Military Hobbies offer a similar compressor for $220 Cdn + S&H (though they are "local" to you), but don't offer a gravity fed only airbrush (??). The best airbrush they sell (Badger 360) is another $200. Wowza! Do we get pillaged much in Canada??

Udisco sells the Badger Velocity for $120 Cdn + S&H, but the best compressor deal they have is a Badger 180-12 with no regulator at $225 Cdn.

Bearair can't advise what the duty will be, only the shipping cost. I still think you will be better off buying the combo kit, I just wanted to give you a heads up on the "actual" price, as opposed to the indicated price. Again, this is not a condemnation of Bearair, who does everything right.

Hey thanks for the input, especially about shipping.

I was actually looking at the 1000 air compressor, and it seems like a good price for the two. Honestly, even with shipping and whatnot, I don't know an alternative here that would come comparably priced...

Everything I've read about Peak says that they're a fine airbrush, and the combo at Bearair (Polar Bear 2000, right?) is a pretty good deal.

My only comment is about shipping to Canada. I've bought off Bearair, and while their customer service is top notch, they ship to Canada via UPS and you WILL be charged duty on the purchase. I bought a $50 airbrush and ended up paying another $35 in duty. OUCH!

I don't know if the duty is a percentage of the purchase price. If it is, then double OUCH as that's a stupidly high percentage! This is not Bearair's fault, but our own government. Free trade, indeed!