Is it better to spray continuously or single strokes?

I tend to get better results with single strokes. As Mr Miyagi would say side to side, then up and down.

If you are having difficulty I would advise starting with single passes, putting air & paint on before actually passing the subject, then moving your pass onto & over the subject -  this will get rid of any paint that may have accumulated on the head, preventing any splatter getting on the subject. Paint & air off at the end of the pass, so on & so forth.

Once you get this mastered, you can then move onto doing more continuous work. When you come to the end of a pass while spraying continuously, pass right over the subject & do your "turn" off subject, this will help avoid getting too much paint down & stop running.

I only tend to spray continuously on large & simple (flat) areas as you have to be careful when areas such as wing roots are involved as they are easy to flood with paint. Another issue to watch for when spraying continuously, is paint collecting on the needle guard - the drip of collected paint will inevitably be splattered right onto the middle of your work.....

Can you spray without the "crown"? Is it there solely for needle protection?

Yes, the cap is there for protection of the needle tip & can be removed to help prevent paint gathering. just be careful when doing close-up work & putting your airbrush into it's stand.

Quite a few manufacturers make replacement "crown" type needle caps that greatly reduce paint build up while still offering needle protection.

Yes, it can. The tank should catch the majority of moisture, but having a moisture trap will catch any that passes, as well as letting you see if it is passing.

You should always keep the brush moving.  You can either go beyond the edge of the model each stroke, or release the air or paint before you stop movement.  Otherwise, the areas where you stop will get very heavy buildup.  Even when reversing direction you can get this buildup.  You can go back and forth, but release air or paint as you do the reverse in direction.  How slowly you move will depend on how you have set the needle on an SA brush, or how far you depress paint flow on a DA.  If flow rate is low enough, you can get away with reversing direction with paint flow on, but I still try to avoid that.

Resident Eric

Can moisture cause a spattering too? When i drain the tank, i've never seen a drop of water. But I'm adding a trap from now on.

I mostly use a single stroke method.  Moisture can cause a splattering.  So can inaccurate trigger technique or a dry tip.  My air supply looks like this: Smart Jet --> moisture trap --> tank --> moisture trap --> airbrushes.  I always get water when draining the 1st moisture trap and the tank.  It's odd that you don't see water when draining the tank.

Condensation occurs when compressed air expands.  I don't know why you don't see water coming from the drain.

This might be an odd question, but I am not quite clear on what these "replacement crown needle caps look like that greatly reduce paint build up. Are they different than the normal needle caps supplied that seem to offer protection of the needle?

Regular needle caps (H&S, Iwata);

"Crown" caps;

Compared to the solid caps, the crown caps prevent or reduce the formation of a bubble of low-pressure air around  the tip (which would tend to spread the spray pattern), in theory, giving a tighter pattern.  

Thanks for the pictures-that really helps.

-Charles , The Woodlands, TX

When I took the crown cap off, the paint won't even come out. Not really sure why. But after some experiment of my own, I find spray continuously work better for me. I just have to spray a very light 1st coat and let it dry for a few minutes. This kind of reduces the chances of over spraying.