Airbrushes?

Hi Hogan,great to hear you in the market for an airbrush. It is an essential tool whatever /however you get on with it at first . all the guys will give good advice on which is a good one for you,but I have two very important tips for you to make your spraying a success. A steady air supply is essential a good compressor with regulator to change air pressure and maintain it. Next  stir your paint for 6 to 8 minutes by hand .use electric tool to save time. add thinner,a bit at a time so paint drips off stirrer .you look for a quick run then drip,drip,drip....seriously get a great compressor and have lots of fun practising. I use devillbis for very fine work ,badger for coating ....smithbren30@yahoo.co.uk.any probs mate feel free.....

Col, Hogan,

As you have probably noticed you will get as many different opinions as responses from different folks.  IMHO, I would stick to a well known brand nave.  FSM has printed some informative comparison articles of different types / brands.  An airbrush is just another tool and a precision instrument.  Some have more capabilities than others, but I believe a lot has to do with the operator.  I have seen some beautiful work come from the Paasche H as well as the dual action gravity types.  Most complaints I have heard are a result of not proberly cleaning and rough handling.  Keep it clean and don't use it as a hammer and whatever you choose that fits comfortably in your hand and can afford should give you years of good service and do what you want it to.

Regards,

Michael B.  

It's a German company, party membership is irrelevant.

"Papers!"  -said in German accented English-

keilau

Milairjunkie, you overstate the needle/nozzle size by a factor of 10. Shouldn't they be 0.2 and 0.4 mm? Be careful, the Harder & Steenbeck police may be knocking at your door soon.

I think you must have edited that post after quoting it, mine looks fine?

Or is there something wrong with your computer

Or there is some sort of forum virus messing with the decimals

Or I have measured them & that is the size they are

Or (most unlikely) I made a rear end of it

I don't see the police thing happening as I am a fully paid up staunch party member

Milairjunkie

Here is a link to the "tools n tips" forum at ARC (Aircraft Resource Center), you can browse without being a member;

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showforum=12

I have an H&S Infinity 2 in 1, with most of the extras & have to say I am delighted with it. I have heard many people harp on about the unjustified prices of H&S brushes, but I don't agree that the debate is worthy. Yes the H&S stuff is expensive, but it is a top quality range of product in my humble opinion.

Their brushes are exquisitely built & finished, they are easily cleaned & produce good results. The vast majority of the brush can be stripped down without any tools, the rear of the brush doesn't even have to come of to remove the needle. Spares are also very well priced, unlike some other "premium" brands.

I would advise that the 2.0 & 4.0mm needle / nozzle sets are the most useful, the 2.0mm being a decent jack of all trades & the 4.0mm being good for larger coverage. Be aware that the Infinity Solo kit only comes with a 1.5mm needle / nozzle set, & while this is great for very fine detail, it is not so suited for larger work.

As has been said many times here, your best bet is probably an internal mix, dual action, gravity fed brush (also keep in mind that H&S provide siphon bottle conversion fittings for their gravity brushes - again at a reasonable price).

If you fancy an H&S product & can afford it, I wouldn't hesitate - just remember to leave some money spare for a decent compressor!

Milairjunkie, you overstate the needle/nozzle size by a factor of 10. Shouldn't they be 0.2 and 0.4 mm? Be careful, the Harder & Steenbeck police may be knocking at your door soon.

H&S are great i have a Colani

I also use my Iawata Eclipse HP-BCS for almost everything though . i would reccomend this one for you. it does everything you would ever want at a good price., it can make super fine lines just as good as it can paint wide areas. it has a nice smooth trigger and its easy to clean and take apart.

Here is a link to the "tools n tips" forum at ARC (Aircraft Resource Center), you can browse without being a member;

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showforum=12

I have an H&S Infinity 2 in 1, with most of the extras & have to say I am delighted with it. I have heard many people harp on about the unjustified prices of H&S brushes, but I don't agree that the debate is worthy. Yes the H&S stuff is expensive, but it is a top quality range of product in my humble opinion.

Their brushes are exquisitely built & finished, they are easily cleaned & produce good results. The vast majority of the brush can be stripped down without any tools, the rear of the brush doesn't even have to come of to remove the needle. Spares are also very well priced, unlike some other "premium" brands.

I would advise that the 0.2 & 0.4mm needle / nozzle sets are the most useful, the 0.2mm being a decent jack of all trades & the 0.4mm being good for larger coverage. Be aware that the Infinity Solo kit only comes with a 0.15mm needle / nozzle set, & while this is great for very fine detail, it is not so suited for larger work.

As has been said many times here, your best bet is probably an internal mix, dual action, gravity fed brush (also keep in mind that H&S provide siphon bottle conversion fittings for their gravity brushes - again at a reasonable price).

If you fancy an H&S product & can afford it, I wouldn't hesitate - just remember to leave some money spare for a decent compressor!

Not familiar with ARC.  I would love to read more about H&S, could you post a link?

Killjoy

I really like the look and the engineering of Harder and Steenbeck brushes (duh, German engineers!), but for the price, I can buy a Badger Patriot AND a siphon feed brush, or two Patriots (or 100LGs) one with fine and one with medium needle and head. 

In your opinion, is the performance difference going to be enough that most folks would be able to justify an airbrush that's twice as expensive?

Just curious!

Chris

I use an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS and a Badger Patriot 105fine. They do everything I want to do with airbrush. Can I justify the expenses of a Harder & Steenbeck? No more than I can justify adding another model kit to my stash. I am almost certain that I will spend on a H&S at some point in the near future just to answer the question whether "the performance difference going to be enough that most folks I would be able to justify an airbrush that's twice as expensive" TO ME.

My 2001, over 100K miles VW Passat takes me to work everyday and runs fine. Do I want a BMW 325? Yes, if I can afford it, but I can't. So it is a mood point. But a B&S is within my reach. Please, it is just a hobby, not an necessity.

You can find more discussion on the H&S at the ARC forum in "Tools and Tips".

The 2 in 1 is nice as it gives versatility.  But in truth, I ended up using one needle size for 99 % of the spraying.

I think that people's hands get used to spraying a certain way.  Swapping out needles really changes the way one sprays (for the worst). 

On the other hand, the H&S makes pretty nice brushes.

Hehe!  Mike gets the wooden spoon award once again for stirin' up the pot!  I swear I wasn't trolling!  I have looked (and drooled) over the infinity 2 in 1, and was hoping for some first hand feedback!

Killjoy

In your opinion, is the performance difference going to be enough that most folks would be able to justify an airbrush that's twice as expensive?

Just curious!

Chris

No!

I really like the look and the engineering of Harder and Steenbeck brushes (duh, German engineers!), but for the price, I can buy a Badger Patriot AND a siphon feed brush, or two Patriots (or 100LGs) one with fine and one with medium needle and head. 

In your opinion, is the performance difference going to be enough that most folks would be able to justify an airbrush that's twice as expensive?

Just curious!

Chris

i highly recommend harden and steenbeck airbrushes they r easy to use and very easy to clean check them out here www.chicagoairsupply.com  i have the evolution     good luck

I am curious which harbor freight one you picked up.  Did you get the airbrush compressor too?

Thanks for all the help, I picked one up at Harbor Freight for a few bucks.  I'll screw around with that to see if i like airbrushing.  For somone working on a weekly allounce the price of the ones you were sugesting were a pretty big investment!

If you don't want to break the bank, I'd suggest a Badger. A 200NH would be a good starting point and even if you decide to get a double action, gravity feed later you'll always find a use for it. 

Here's a couple of places where you can check them all out:

Dixie Art Supply    or   Coast Airbrush

Tony

Jayhawk86

DA isn't that tough, else I wouldn't be able to do it!

Like driving a stick...you just have to repeat it until you're smooth at it!

I retired my Pasche H a number of years ago due to it's high maintenance requirements.

I now am very happy with my Badger 155 (and 360).

DA isn't that tough, else I wouldn't be able to do it!

All of the above!

It all depends on your budget, and more importantly, your kid!

You can get a Badger 100LG or 105 Anthem from Dixie Art shipped to a US address for under $75. Great brush. Dual action does require a bit more control, but I own two of them (long story).

You can pick up a 200 detail brush from Badger's Garage Sale with braided air hose, four fast blast adapters, a bottle and some paints (hobby paints, but good for practicing) for $44 + S&H. This is a single action, dial in the spray width and shoot brush. I only own one of those!

Or you can go back to Coast Airbrush and get a Paasche H set with all three heads, a bottle, color cup and braided hose for $46. I don't have one of these, but I do have a Badger 350 clone, with is almost the same style brush. Hardly use it, myself.

The compressor is the part that is going to cost. If you have a garage style compressor, then maybe just use that with another hose to run into the house, and a regulator and moisture trap at the working end. Otherwise expect to pay $120 & up for an air supply. And another $25++ for a respirator.

Personally, I would go with the 105 Patriot as a be all, do all airbrush.

Whatever your decision, seriously consider using an acrylic like Tamiya. Soap and water clean up for hands, Windex with Ammonia for the airbrush. Watch out for the Flat Base, it isn't a paint, but an additive!

Col. Hogan

I've been brush painting since i started modeling and I think I want to try my hand at airbrushing, is there an ok one out there that can take the abuse of a kid using it and won't break the bank?

It depends on what you expect to do with it.

Do you just want something to lay down a nice coat of paint?  Then a simple external mix brush like a Paasche H or Badger 350 would do fine.  And you'd never have to buy another brush.

Do you want a little more control and the ability to do fairly fine lines with a minimum of practice?  Then an internal mix single action brush like the Badger 200NH would do fine.   And you'd never have to buy another brush.

Do you want to be able to change the width of spray on the fly, and are you willing to put some time in learning to use it?  And, would you like the ability to attach a bottle to the brush?  Then a double action brush like the Badger Anthem would do fine.  And you'd never have to buy another brush.

Do you want to do really fine lines and details?  And, is a 1/3 ounce cup big enough?  Then a double action gravity fed brush like the Badger Patriot would do fine.

All the airbrushes I mentioned are easy to clean and care for and all have their fans.

As was mentioned, don't forget that the airbrush is only half the equation.  You also need a regulated dry air source, and it could cost more than the brush.

HTH

Don

I would have to disagree with Mike, but just a little.  I find double action airbrushes difficult to use.  Might just be my dexterity.  I've been fustrutated time and time again.

I prefer a good single action airbrush.  I've been using the Badger 200.  It has excellent spray ability, cleans easy and is simple to use.

If you have never used an airbrush before, I would really recommend the Badger 200.  If you decide to get a double action later, the Badger 200 will still have plenty of uses.

-Jesse

Milairjunkie

MikeV:

Nobody needs to start off with one airbrush and "upgrade" later. That is a pile of BS.

Get a good, double-action gravity-feed airbrush and learn to use it and you will not need to ever "upgrade" again.

 

That's my take on it as well!

I would add that you should you should get a recognised & reliable brand that has easily available & reasonably prices spares. The availability & price of replacement needles is usually a good indicator on spares availability / price.

Also, dont blow 99% of your budget on the brush & try to find a compressor as an afterthought,  you will find that one comparative to your airbrush will most likley cost more than the airbrush itself!

Dito. I agree with Mike and Milairjunkie. But I will say internal instead of external mix, single or double action. A Badger 200 comes to mind. It is an internal mix, single action. See Don Wheeler's review. Can be had in either siphon or gravity feed. And it is in the $60-70 range.

I started airbrushing with a Paasche H 20 some years ago. It did most everything that I want so I stayed with it for 20 years without thinking of an upgrade. However, the cleaning of the AB was a drag that kept me from using it often to build up on skill. I finally upgraded to an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS in 2008 and wished that I could have done that a long time ago. I understand that some modelers use the H or a Badger 350 and do not complain about the clean up like I did.

Unfortunately, no matter which AB you get, teaching a young child to clean it after use will be an uphill battle.

MikeV

Nobody needs to start off with one airbrush and "upgrade" later. That is a pile of BS.

Get a good, double-action gravity-feed airbrush and learn to use it and you will not need to ever "upgrade" again.

 

That's my take on it as well!

I would add that you should you should get a recognised & reliable brand that has easily available & reasonably prices spares. The availability & price of replacement needles is usually a good indicator on spares availability / price.

Also, dont blow 99% of your budget on the brush & try to find a compressor as an afterthought,  you will find that one comparative to your airbrush will most likley cost more than the airbrush itself!

Ditto on the clean up part!  A good gravity feed brush like a Badger 100LG, which is all metal (tough), will waste less paint, and cleans easily without separate bottles.  Plus you can get one for under 100 dollars.  It will do fine detail pretty well, as well as decent coverage for broader sprays and it has a crown cap that does a good job of protecting the needle from bumps.

Good luck!

Chris

Looking back, I remembered that the most difficult thing about airbrushing as a kid was cleaning up.  The spraying part was easy after about 3-4 spraying sessions.  

Personally, I wouldn't start with a low budget brush.  Those are notoriously difficult to clean.  You literally have to get out a tool set.  And Lord help you if you lose one of their micro tools.

I'd recommend a brush in the $75-150 range from any of the big manufacturers.  Badger, Iwata, Pasche.  But I'd stay away from the "entry level" brushes unless one wants to spend more time taking the brush apart than the spraying itself.

Unless of course you want to.

Need and want aren't always the same!

Nobody needs to start off with one airbrush and "upgrade" later. That is a pile of BS.

Get a good, double-action gravity-feed airbrush and learn to use it and you will not need to ever "upgrade" again.

I know a lot of people who would agree  with the above, but I might also recommend the Badger 155. It's dual action and I found it very easy to learn with.