Sell me on an airbrush

It's all about control... And who can take it... ;-)

I'm a double action airbrush user all the way. I have a couple single actions but don't use them.  Cans are convenient and require no cleanup unless you clean the nozzle. But they also create a lot of overspray and put out a lot of paint. With an airbrush and a little practice you can cut the overspray to almost nothing. You can shoot just the amount of paint you want or need pretty much exactly where you want it. Buy or build a little paint booth and you can paint inside. Anytime you want. In a climate controlled environment. In fact, you can get to the point that there is so little overspray that by using the right paints you need nothing more than a way to vent the odor. (Of course this all subject to approval by the rest of the household)

No denying that there is more to learn with an airbrush but, to me at least, that's part of the fun. They do need to be cleaned and maintained. It takes time. Personally, I enjoy that as well. Once you figure it out, it doesn't take a lot of time. Yes, it's more than setting a rattle can to the side but isn't life consuming.

With an airbrush, you can shoot any color you want. You can mix any color you want. Lacquers, enamels, acrylics. Anything you like. It gives you great versatility. And control. lol

It can be aggravating. Discouraging. Infuriating even. But...

Stick with it. Practice. Learn. And...

One day the clouds will part, the sun will shine, the birds will sing and all will be right with the world... ;-)

Tony

Once you go airbrush, you will look down your nose on rattle cans. The preparation and clean up hassles are more than worth it when you learn what you can do. Even with a simple basic single action siphon feed you will find you can do some great things after a little practice. Have fun learning.

I struggled with airbrushes for quite a while, but I have now settled in with an Iwata CR Revolution and I absolutely love it!  I always hated the cleanup of an airbrush, but it's so easy with this airbrush.

My setup is basically this:  I have a little computer hutch in the basement for my modelling.  I use a little 6" desktop fan and an open window to vent the fumes.  I use a standard sheet of paper to put my model on that I'm going to airbrush.  (there is so little overspray that this is all I need).  By the way, I also spray Model Master enamels.  Start spraying.  Usually for only 4 or 5 mins.  Cleanup is a breeze!  I wipe the cup, pour in some thinner, spray that out in one of those Airbrush cleaning pots (no fumes or overspray).  Wipe the cup again with qtip, spray more thinner.  Wipe nozzle, spray one last time with thinner.  Then, take the needle out, wipe it off, done.

It's so easy, and I love the fact that there is so little overspray.  I also use plastic spoons to practice on to make sure I have the right consistancy, distance, etc.  Once I have the spoon looking good, then I'm good to go with the model.

Love my airbrush, would never go back.

 

I agree about control.  An airbrush allows a much thinner coat of paint than a rattle can.  I often weather a model with an airbrush after using a rattle can for primary paint.  I find rattle cans okay for gloss finishes, though many spray can heads put little spots and lint-like threads in paint, and I can control sheen of paint better for flat and eggshell finishes with airbrush.

Airbrush allows semi-transparent coats similar to dry brushing, but with a more uniform appearance.  Airbrushing allows touch up of small areas much more easily than with rattle cans.  Trying to use masking tape to touch up small area usually results in masking lines showing- airbrush can handle blemish areas without masking.  Airbrushes much better for shading a finish.

 

My first airbrush was a plastic, cheapo, Testors, Walmart special...with canned air. That was a big game changer from rattlecans. Finer spray, less paint, any color you could possibly want. I finally got a "real" a/b. I spent less than $100 on an a/b compressor combo from Harbor Freight. With that a/b, I can range the spray pattern from about 1/2" down to about 1/4" (this one has a red handle). I bought another a/b from Harbor Freight for $20...this one has a blue handle and it ranges from almost 1/2" down to about 1/8"....freehanding German mottling in 1/72 is no problem...so long as your paint/thinner mix and pressure are dialed in. Can't do that wih a rattlecan!

For clean up....most often, I wipe out the paint cup, run a pipe cleaner down the spout, and while spraying out what's left in the a/b, I run a q-tip in where the paint cup attaches. Then I'll run a cup of lacquer thinner through it. About every 5th-6th paint session, I'll break it down and really clean things up.

The extra effort is well worth it. Expect to be a little tormented by the thing, in the beginning...but like anything, you'll figure it out and all the things just become "habit" and non issue.

Another positive vote for precision control. While spray cans do have their use, I can't recall the last time I used one but it's been a while. With the cans you press the valve, whatever pressure and paint volume there is goes wherever it's pointed. The only control you have is the distance from the nozzle to the object, and the length of time the valve is pressed.

With an A/B you can regulate the pressure and the paint volume, a much better means of getting paint into tight areas, and layering multiple thin paint coats for appropriate build-up. Same for clear coats, paint volume control is just as important then.

I use single and dual action A/B's, I find they both have their own purpose in my spray booth.

The bulk of my airbrushing is done with a simple Badger 200G, single action gravity feed. Couldn't be easier for use and maintenance, cleaning takes a mere few minutes after use. Dis-assemble the front bits, place in small cup with thinner and clean with small brush, clean the body interior and the needle, wipe on some A/B lube, re-assemble it and it's ready for another day.

Same for the dual action models, with the ability to modulate the paint volume instantly by means of trigger pull, I can easily do freehand camo work and get into really tight areas like landing gear bays, cockpits, etc, with just the right amount of paint required.

When I got started years ago, airbrushing didn't go at all well for me for some time. For a while I wondered why anyone would want to put up with such disastrous results. Then I saw the great work of other modeler's, and stubborness made me keep at it. Finally the light came on, after countless dismantling, cleaning and assembling efforts, I came to understand the function and inter-relationship of the parts. Once able to make it function well, laying on the paint came much faster and easier to understand.

Please have a good look at Don Wheelers website, "Don Wheelers Airbrush," you'll find a wealth of valuable info there about types, use, maintenance, etc.

Once you get dialed in with one you like, I'll bet you'll never look back. Be aware though, your first one might well not be your only one. (Mine sure wasn't. (:>) Best of luck with your choice.

Patrick

 

I can only add one benefit to the excellent feedback you have already been given.  An airbrush allows you to blend your own colors.  Sometimes that can be really handy.

Don

If you will not be building many kits or are not very critical of the overall finish than I wouldn't bother with an airbrush. It takes a long time to recover the cash outlay, it is difficult to master, is a pain to clean and has a ton of troubles on the way. It is better also to learn it young. If you can't get it to be second nature it will fight you all the way. I've seen nice spray can stuff anyway.

Thanks for the great replies, everyone. Very informative and helpful. I am glad I asked this question because it brought out some things I wasn't thinking of. For instance, occasional spray can inconsistency was not something I considered, and it made me think back to some times when that was true. In fact, while working on my current model, two body panels were painted with the same color from the same manufacturer from two different cans. And yup, the shade was off from one to the other. I really hadn't considered that the different shade was a fault of the spray can. I initially thought it was my technique(s) that caused it. I now don't think it was. Don, your website is very nice I read a couple of reviews and kudos for the in depth analysis that will be helpful in determining which airbrush is best for a particular person or scenario. I received my Dad's airbrush yesterday and am purchasing a couple of used Badger models for cheap money. This should give me a good starting point to experiment and develop some skills. I am going to get a portable air tank that I can use as an air supply which will be filled with my air compressor. Ok, I am sold on airbrushes. I am looking forward to get back into it and turning out some work that I can be proud of. Thanks for all your help!

You can use your big compressor as I do. Just put a mpisture trap and a pressure regulator both available at Harbor Freight for about $10 each. After my small compressor went kaput years ago, I started using my 10 gallon Campbell Housefeld with a regulator and trap.

The benefits of using an ab have been previously mentioned so you will be amazed once you start using one and will see the difference.

As for owning an ab, glad you are going with Badger. My first ab was a Badger 150 bought in the mid 1970s and I'm still using it. That tells you a lot about quality and durability.Their customer service is also top notch. 

Plasticjunkie, using my compressor is something I will do in the future, for sure. Right now, I have a 240v 60 gallon unit out in my garage (for full scale models!) that I just installed this summer. I need to run an air line to the basement workshop (where I spray paint) and then go from there. I agree this is the way to go.

I've been using an airbrush for years. No comparison to a rattle can. Just bought an Iwata NEO gravity feed last year on Amazon. Best $60 I've ever spent

I have a Badger 200 single action airbrush that I bought around 1980 that is still my go-to AB.  I tried various double action models like Badger's 150, the Aztek, and an Iwata, but I suppose I'm a slow learner and never got the hang of it.  I still have the Iwata, but it is a case of the instrument being more capable than the user.  It is a top feed model with a fixed cup, works very well, and cleans fairly easily compared to the Badger 200, but I still reach for the Badger.

It all comes down to individual tastes and abilities.  Having gone through the brush to rattle can to bogus $8 spatter gun to single and double action airbrushes, my recommendation is to get a basic single action model and compressor first, develop proficiency, then decide how far you want to take it.  A silent compressor, although an expensive investment, is definitely worth it by keeping the peace in the home if you have family - I can attest to that!

I have both a DA and an SA- but then I've been modeling for seventy years so I guess it is time I have good equipment. I have a Badger 200 and a Badger 150.

I still like the ease of use of a SA when I don't need the advantages of DA.  I find the SA just so easy to use.  The DA is capable of a huge bag of tricks though.

Either is okay as a starter.  You can do almost anything with a SA that you can do with a DA, but it is a lot of work getting the flow adjustment just right, and takes more technique to do it.

Only thing I don't like about the newer Badgers is the cheap interface between the bottle adapter and the brush (I am a suction feed fan).  My old 200, which was forty plus years old when it got so feeble it needed to be put to sleep, and the "adapter" permanently installed and threading a bottle on and off was the means of changing bottles.  I have had bottles fall off onto the floor with the new ones.

I find my 150 is about as easy to use as my 200 and much more capable so I have retired my 200. The only other AB I ever use is my Paasche gravity feed for very fine details.