For those who think Azteks are no good

QUOTE: Originally posted by bestford I don't care what 'brush you use, as long as you paint for love. God bless ALL airbrush artists, because we are very much the under-dogs in the art world, despite using the hardest of tools. Phil.

Chapeau bas, Monsieur
(and I mean it)

One last thing before I start painting a Husky onto an 8oz stainless steel hip-flask.

I got into airbrushing by default. I used to paint leathers so well with a paintbrush, that so many people used to go "WOW!, Did you use an airbrush?". I figured that if people thought I used one, I'd give it a go.

I went out to buy a Paasche Turbo, but sa a guy demonstrating the original AZTEK 3000s & thought it looked fun. I bought the shop demo model. No instructions, video etc. (Unlike todays buyers), & started to play. It took 6 eeks of frustration, spitting, spiders, etc, before I tamed the beast. That was 16 years ago, & I still use AZTEK.

Got to go, so catch ya all in a coupla weeks.

Phil.

thats pretty heavy, Phil. Sorry to hear about the health problems.

So much to say, so little time.

I have a forum on my site www.philbestford.co.uk under the 'discuss' heading, so feel free to add your opinions on the AZTEK. We love to hear pro's & cons, & have a lot of experienced 'brushes on site.

But to level the playing field, bear this in mind when you look at my work. I was diagnosed with a large Meningioma brain tumour when I was 24, three years after buying my AZTEK 3000s. I've had 4 operations over 14 years to try & tame it. The last, EXACTLY 1 year ago today, lasted 23 hours, & I needed 24 pints of blood to survive. My surgeons removed tumour the size of 2 tennis balls stuck together, & I lost an eye during the operation. For 10 of those 14 years, I have demonstrated the AZTEK to thousands of people, & continue to do so. I still have 3 pieces of tumour in my skull, growing as I type, so If I can master an AZTEK, then so can YOU.

I don't care what 'brush you use, as long as you paint for love.

God bless ALL airbrush artists, because we are very much the under-dogs in the art world, despite using the hardest of tools.

Love & best wishes to all, even the knockers.

Phil.

Yo Ho Ho!

There are a few issues to sort here. 1st, the females that I paint come from my imagination, unlike alot of artists who use models, take photo's, then trace, mask or project to get a finished "portrait". My girls aren't meant to be "real".

2nd , my animals are peoples pets, so have to be "real", so thanks to all the compliments.

3rd, I work TOTALLY freehand. I dont pre-draw, mask, trace or project. What airbrushing you see on my site, is totally AZTEK, from start to finish.

4th, 90% of my work is done using FW acrylic inks, on Motorcycles, Cars/Vans, Helmets, (COVERED IN 2PACK) Leather Jackets, Canvas, Paper, etc. ACRYLICS RULE. Especially with the AZTEK. The other 10% is Testors enamel.

TIPS!!!!! Use a mix ratio that takes the medium to that of milk. Set your comp at 30-40psi, & use the trigger to modify airflow. DO NOT USE YOUR FINGER TIP, but cradle the trigger under the 1st knuckle, with the finger tip resting on the body. PERFECTION!.

Cleaning. Soak the needle in the relevent solvent overnite. NEVER shoot over the horizontal. This will allow paint to feedback into the mainbody & kill it.

Happy AZTE-KING,

Phil Bestford. AZTEK UK Agent.

Ok chaps, i'm the artist who ONLY uses AZTEKS.

I've used AZTEKS since '88-89, & started off with the original 3000s dual action brush. I've got to say thanks to Mike for getting me into the forum. No, I don't know him, yet!

I did a Victor Kiam last year, & took over the UK distribution of AZTEKS to the art & design market, with a company called Gluelines Ltd. Such is my devotion to the make.

You wanna know more?
Catch my next post.

Cheers, Phil

QUOTE: Originally posted by Torio No NO Mike, I can't let you say that. It was not a teddybear in the vase, it was a dog.

You are correct my friend. Thanks for clearing that up.
I found the picture here and it is by Paul Corfield:
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/20-Nov-2003/26325-Toy_Dog_In_A_Vase.jpg

Mike

No NO Mike, I can't let you say that. It was not a teddybear in the vase, it was a dog.
As for Azteks, I had one of the first releases, and a 470 and a Contempo. I think that they were very good airbrushes while they were scarce and expensive (they were retouching airbrushes at first, I heard that Aztek was a division of Kodak) and the quality became cheap when it became hugely mass produced for us bunch of never-happy-with-nothing-modelers. The problem may be not so much in the design than in construction quality. And maybe I'm alone of my kind, but I still think that every Paasche airbrush I touched was a piece of crap, though there are lots of guys who seem to appreciate them. What I mean is: why are Azteks alone the subject of so many topics to say that they are so bad ?
P.S. Notwithstanding my former declaration on Paasches, I just bought one on ebay to test it, maybe I'll change my mind

Tho,
the brush is working great, I just need to get the muscle memory and the feel for the brush. I seem to either not be getting enough paint, air or both, and then when I make a small adjustment in the button it opens wide open. Not a good thing when you are an inch away trying to do a fine line. Like I said, I just need some more experience with it I think.

QUOTE: Here's a master detailer who exlusively uses an Aztek: http://hsgalleries.com/fw190d932cw_1.htm http://hsgalleries.com/fw190d9black1cw_1.htm http://hsgalleries.com/bf109g6black14cw_1.htm

Hmm, interesting. This exactly is my point. I don't quite understand people claiming aztecs to be crap and unusable. Perhaps they really are not the best out there, but that should not be the point of this debate. Clearly, there are amateurs and pros alike who find Aztec to be perfectly suited to our modelling needs.
As for you troubled acrylics guys, I guess I've been either lucky or have been doing something right. The paint does tend to clog up, but again, clean the tip after each use, and it should work with acrylics just fine. I've shot Tamiya, Gunze, and MM Acryl with no problems.

I have been through two Aztec airbrushes. They did produce good results, and I assume most airbrushes would. However, they both clogged up, and they both become inoperable. Now, it might be argued that the fault was mine, for not cleaning them properly, or, for using acrylics. Saying that, I did follow the instructions, and used loads of Badger airbrush cleaner.

In the end I bought an Iwata, which retails for more than 4x as much. I've never had any problems, and I know it can be stripped down if gets clogged, unlike the Aztec. Maybe I could have stuck with the Aztec range, but at the end of the day, you use what you feel comfortable with. Personally, I love the ease of cleaning of the Iwata (and the nice feel, but that's a different issue), and so, I will remain with it, even though I know with more better cleaning ability, I could have used the Aztec.

Interesting question (or hypothesis as the case may be) I wonder if after a few more months practice with my 155, if I tried an Aztec would it work ok? The Aztek was my first double action..

Honestly though it was the cleaning, or lack of knowledge of thorough cleaning I see here, that got in my way... I soaked the heads, wiped them out etc... but it still came down to spatter... maybe a better question would be, knowing what I know now about the Aztek, not only the bad things, but how to clean it etc... would it perform better. I have seen all the magnificent pics etc... so I know it can be done...

Mike,

Thanks for the site. I would tend to agree that his animal paintings are absolutely great. But in my mind, the difference isn't in the medium but in how the artist sees his subject. My brother-in-law likes to dabble in his spare time making charcoal drawings. His animal and automotive drawings are great but for some reason his drawings of humans look, well, stilted. It's just him and he excepts that and still enjoys his hobby.

As far as the arguments about how good the Aztec is or isn't, I can't help but occasionally get the feeling that somebody has purchased one and didn't get a prize winning finish first thing out of the box or figured out that it was going to take extra work and practice to make it work for them and didn't like it at all. I sometimes wonder what someone's paint jobs would look like if they took the time and energy to master the Aztec to where they are getting consistantly good finishes and then up graded to a better airbrush. In most cases, we'll never know

QUOTE: Originally posted by armydogdoc I have been using an Aztec for a couple of years now. As long as I am painting enamels it works just fine for me. I recently bought a Badger Anthem airbrush and have been using that now. Maybe its just the learning curve with the new airbrush, but at this point in the game I am missing my trusty old Aztec. I agree with above posts regarding the Aztecs inability to paint acrylics. I guess I just learned something, I always just cussed the paint. I will retry it with the new brush now and see if my results are better.

What's it doing for ya? I settled in to my 155 finally and maybe I've been through what you are getting... I came from Aztek as well, but for me I loved this brush the minute I depressed the trigger... There were a few things I had to relearn though... (ok more than a few)

I got a 175 straight from the Aztek and it did ok for me, but the 155 beat it hands down. I have learned since then though, when spraying overall coverage with Vallejo Acrylics, the 175 is the brush for that... for some reason the 155 doesn't seem to get much of a width to it's pattern with vallejo paint.

Wayne

I have no trouble with my Aztek either. Perhaps it is because as a younger draftsman, I used technical pens on a drafting board and the Aztek is similar to those. We, as cadets were trained how to take care of our technical pens.

A lot of my cleaning routine of my airbrush comes from that training.

cheers

Mike

I must be one a the few that does not have any major trouble with the Aztek, Ive been using them for quite a few years now and do not have the problems every body else has.

Only once did I have a spitting problem and that was due to the nozzle not being fitted correctly,my fault. Since the introduction of the Acrylic nozzles I have not had to replace a nozzle due to clogging when using acrylic paint, I put this down to developing cleaning techniques suitable for this style of airbrush for both the use of enamels or acrylic paints. I rarely have to pull a nozzle apart or replace it.

I will admit that at the start it did take time for me to adjust to this style of airbrush succesfully and had to replace nozzles. I guess persistance does pay off in the end.

I have been using an Aztec for a couple of years now. As long as I am painting enamels it works just fine for me. I recently bought a Badger Anthem airbrush and have been using that now. Maybe its just the learning curve with the new airbrush, but at this point in the game I am missing my trusty old Aztec. I agree with above posts regarding the Aztecs inability to paint acrylics. I guess I just learned something, I always just cussed the paint. I will retry it with the new brush now and see if my results are better.

Here's a master detailer who exlusively uses an Aztek:
http://hsgalleries.com/fw190d932cw_1.htm
http://hsgalleries.com/fw190d9black1cw_1.htm
http://hsgalleries.com/bf109g6black14cw_1.htm

I've been using an Aztec & have just ordered a Badger 100LG, so I'll be interested how it goes. As other have suggested above, it's the cleaning that lets down the Aztec. The nozzles are >$20 a piece in Oz & although I strip & clean mine after every use I still have trouble. The other problem is the 'spitting' which seems common. It is controlled to some extent by sorting out pressure/needle/thinning but the Aztec's are very prone to this problem.

I think the whole problem lies in the fact that the Aztec tips were designed to be disposable. They were not meant to be cleaned (at least well). But at $8-10 a pop, who's throwing these things out? No thanks. My trusty Badger has never done me wrong. (At least for long)

QUOTE: Originally posted by Hatewall Mike, I think when I clicked your link my expectations were to see God.

You can't see God as he is invisible.

I know what you mean though. There is an illustrator that uses the Aztek sometimes also and I posted an illustration on this forum a while back of a teddy bear in a glass vase that he painted. It was incredible.

Mike

Mike,

When I originally posted, I was a little short. I should have posted that the animals are very nice and well beyond my level of skill. I think wildlife is his niche. I think when I clicked your link my expectations were to see God.

I used an Aztek when they first came out. I had to be very disciplined and strain everything, and run thinner through it frequently. It seemed like once those little tip assemblies plugged up, they were toast.

I stand Corrected Then Zok. I did read your post but I reacted to how you chose your wording, not your opinion. anyways lets move on.

Scott, Amen to that!

QUOTE: Tuesday I go to this forum for the first time to find this debate on whether or not I just made a bad choice with the 470. YOU GUYS ARE FREAKING ME OUT MAN!!! (actually I''m learning a lot from both sides. Thanks.)

The O-N-L-Y person that has to be content with your purchase is you. What anyone else says about the Aztek is completely immaterial if you are content with the way it works. There are people who get absolutely fantastic results with the Azteks and there are others that think they are junk. This is going to be the case with anything in which there is more than one brand. Treat your airbrush well, keep it clean, and as long as you are happy with it that's all that matters.

woodbeck3, please try to read the posts entirely, try to UNDERSTAND them, then defend anyone you feel warrants it.

My question of MM was not an attack on his opinion, but was a question to elaborate. From his explanation, I understood him saying that the materials we paint ON have an effect on which AB spits out the paint, as J-Hulk correctly recognized, and this is something which did not make sense to me, so I asked for an elaboration.

MM:

QUOTE: Plus, those brushes are easier to clean and trouble shoot, IMHO

I'll trust your opinion on this one. I've used my friends Iwata, and it's not nearly as anal as an Aztec for it's need to be clean. The nozzles do seem a little flimsy, and get a lot of paint trapped inside of the housing, every time I AB.

On the acrylics point, I've been shooting acrylics exclusively thorugh the aztec, and it has not given me any problems, but again, I stress the fact that it does not give any problems provided the nozzle is throughly soaked after each use.

I am gonna buy a sotar very soon, been eye balling one at Coast.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Tankmaster7 sotar eh? Is that a really good brush?

It's the best one Badger makes as far as fine lines and atomization.
It is Badger's equivalent of the Iwata Micron.

Mike

They are not bad A/B perse, but they do need TLC and quiet a bit of experimenting to get it all working right.

There are many guys that are happy with them.

So i picked up an old FSM with an "airbrush round-up" that said great things about the 470, I hadn't been in the hobby since Swarzkopf was a corporal. I says to myself, I says, "These guys know what they're talking about. I'll buy that one!" And I do. It came in the mail on Monday. Tuesday I go to this forum for the first time to find this debate on whether or not I just made a bad choice with the 470. YOU GUYS ARE FREAKING ME OUT MAN!!! (actually I''m learning a lot from both sides. Thanks.)