which is a good airbrush?

CStateRamFan,

Read my post here entitled, "Needle diameter and fine lines? A lesson in airbrush design" as it will explain how a single tip/needle combo such as the Anthem, 360 and Omni series work because of the double taper of the needle.
http://www.finescale.com/fsm/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17062

Also, the photos that Music City is talking about are on the last two pages of my homepage and there you can see what the Omni's, Anthem, 360, and Vega's can do.
http://home.comcast.net/~airbrush4you/wsb/html/view.cgi-photos.html-.html

Mike

thanks, I will start looking tonight.

QUOTE: One more question. The omni airbrush says only 1 tip-needle combo to cover all ranges. how does that work? Can you go from a fine spray to heavy with out changing tips or am I reading this wrong.

Nope you aren't reading it wrong, that's they way they work. I am not a good person to use for comparison because I can't paint worth a hoot. I saw some images MikeV did a couple of months ago that showed the Omni at minimum and maximum blow. If I remember right, the fine line was about 1/32" and the widest was a bit over 2".

avoid aztek. just get badger, t&c, or iwata or paasche

wow cool site, thanks for letting me know.

One more question. The omni airbrush says only 1 tip-needle combo to cover all ranges. how does that work? Can you go from a fine spray to heavy with out changing tips or am I reading this wrong.

Thanks.

The Omni series ranges from $60 (Omni 3000) to $87 (Omni 6000) at Dixie Art Supplies. They also carry Paasche, Iwata, and the rest of the Badger line. The link to their airbrush page is: http://www.dixieart.com/Dixie_Art_Supplies_Airbrush_Main_Page.html

Thanks, I'll look for those. How do they range as in cost? I am sure it is like everything else, you get what you pay for.

Several of the models from Badger, Paashe, Iwata and others will do what you want. Not questioning your abilities, but the ability of an airbrush to produce fine lines is a product of the tool and the user. My airbrushes are certainly capable of doing better work than I am.

You might look into changing the needle or nozzle on your current airbrush. Some (most? many?) of them have interchangeable nozzles or needles that affect the width of the line. I was having a similar problem with one of mine and found out that it had the "Medium" tip on it. Went to a "Fine" tip and it made a world of difference.

I'm a Badger user and fan and I like my Omni. One needle, one nozzle and I can get broad coverage or fine lines with it.