Airbrush advice

Route 62,

Thank you for your comprehensive reply. I really appreciate it a lot. Great info.

Hi Greg,

Depending on what you use the AB for with the fan attachment the .5 fan may be overkill.  GREX had a booth at the IPMS 2016 convention and had a tritium setup with the .3 and .5 fan.  I was able to try both and found the .5 to throw more paint then I would need.  

I primarily work in 1/48 scale aircraft.  With the .3 fan I can work within my booth and the booth can keep up.  with the .5 I am not sure my booth would be able to clear the air fast enough.

If you work in bigger scales or other subjects and use your AB for things other then models then you may have a use for the .5 fan.  The only time I switch my Grex from .2 to .3 needle is only when I use the fan attachment.  I find the .2 needle works for everything else.

When I use the fan setup I thin the paint usually 70/30 thinner to paint.  I spray about 3-4 inches away from the model and the fan will spray about a 2-4 inch wide pattern.

I have sprayed eveything through the grex with and without fan attachment.  Oils, enamels, acrylics, laquers, nail polish, food coloring, future and alclad.  It has handled all with great results.  it is all about getting the thinner/paint ratio right.  

Side note on the grex, you can break it completely down for cleaning but I find I only need to do this every 10 times of use.  between complete cleans, I break down about half of it to clean it.  

Its funny you mention that. I had looked at some grex airbrushes, but they were a little out of my reach at the moment. They look like really nice airbrushes, and I'd like to have one eventually. The setup you described sounds ideal for about anything anyone could need.

route62

If you don't mind considering going in a bit of a different direction, consider a grex tritium.

I have a tritium with a .2 and .3 needle setup with fan spray attachment and small med and large paint cup.

This setup ran about $260 but I am able to use this AB as a fine detail airbrush all the way up to a mini spray gun with the fan attachment.

Since I can change cup sizes I can go from spraying a few drops of paint all the way to 3oz of paint.  

The atomization is like fine vapor mist.  When the paint is thinned right I get great wet coats that are thin but keep a wet edge.  I can get the lines down to pencil thin with the .2 needle.  Not as fine as say an iwata micon but close.

 

I think my next a/b will be this one but with the .5 stock needle and a fan-pattern extra. How is the .3mm working out for you with the fan pattern? Oil-based or enamels?

I'd be looking at the .7 but my compressor can't handle it and I can't have that much overspray anyway until I get a proper exhaust setup.

Not meaning to hijack your thread, here, Matt. But I think it's all pertinent to you OP. I hope.

If you don't mind considering going in a bit of a different direction, consider a grex tritium.

I have a tritium with a .2 and .3 needle setup with fan spray attachment and small med and large paint cup.

This setup ran about $260 but I am able to use this AB as a fine detail airbrush all the way up to a mini spray gun with the fan attachment.

Since I can change cup sizes I can go from spraying a few drops of paint all the way to 3oz of paint.  

The atomization is like fine vapor mist.  When the paint is thinned right I get great wet coats that are thin but keep a wet edge.  I can get the lines down to pencil thin with the .2 needle.  Not as fine as say an iwata micon but close.

The 105 is basically the evolution of the 100. The 100 is a little heavier. Mostly because of the handle, it doesn't have cut outs. The internal parts are different. The needles are a lot shorter in the 100. The 105 uses drop in nozzles/tips while the 100 uses screw in. There is a little washer on the back end of the head/nozzle on the 100 that can sometimes cause problems. Don't lose it. Might want to keep a spare. You need a wrench to remove the head on a 100. The air caps on a 100 have little "fingers" to protect the needle and it's a little harder to clean the needle if you're having tip dry issues. You can't pick it with your fingernails. The 100 series uses straight taper needles while the 105 uses double taper. You can tell the difference sometimes when you're painting. Not saying one is better than the other, just a little different. I like both. I have an LG and an SG. The 105 is a little easier to tear down, no tools, and the drop in tip/nozzle is self centering by design. There's also the Omni series. Very similar to the 105. Badger bought Thayer Chandler and I believe that's where the design for the Anthem, 360 and Patriot series came from. Again, there are differences but very similar.

Thank you for the suggestion. I wasn't familiar with the 100lg until you mentioned it. Ive been looking at it since then. I actually found one priced lower than a patriot at retail. Im all for it if it can be my  basic workhorse. I've got my krome if I ever need to do any fine detail.

Matt B

I think I'm going to grab one then. I've watched several reviews of the patriot on youtube and read Don's review of it on his site. It's pretty economical too in comparison to alot of other airbrushes. I appreciate the feedback.

 

Hi, Matt - I use both the 105 Patriot and the 100LG. Just my impression, the 100LG seems a bit more useable to me, the 105 just doesn't have quite the same spray pattern. For the LG I have the large, medium and fine needle/nozzle combinations, the all around perfect AB to suit my needs, if I only had one AB.

You can read about the 100LG on Don's website, a very comprehensive article.

I suggest the LG, because I believe I bought it at a Chicago Airbrush holiday sale, for about $50.00. Dad's Day is coming up, check with Chicago, TCP and Webaire for sales. The optional needles/nozzles are quite inexpensive, compared with some other brands.

The large head size is great for single color, full coverage, or primer coats. The medium is virtually the only other I use, it can do really fine lines. I rarely need to use the fine set. Again, not to criticize the Patriot, I simply have grown to prefer the 100LG after considerable use with both.

Good luck with your search.

Patrick

I think I'm going to grab one then. I've watched several reviews of the patriot on youtube and read Don's review of it on his site. It's pretty economical too in comparison to alot of other airbrushes. I appreciate the feedback.

No reflection on your skills but the Patriot may be a good choice. You could use up to three different needle and tip sizes with it if wanted. Medium, fine and ultra fine. It's a great airbrush.