Gravity feed Vs bottle feed

I use gravity feed exclusively. The only time I would resort to the bottle is if I had to lay down A lot of paint. I just keep refilling that little cup, no wasted paint, easier clean up, and I feel it gives a more reliable feed--no "cavitating". You can't tilt the brush to extreme angles, but I've never really spilled any paint, just watch what your doing.

My vote gravity all the way.

Steve

Agree with Steve, I've never had such a big paint job where I felt the gravity feed was needed. botlte feed also has tilitng issue as you have to make sure the plastic tubing is submerged in the paint.

I use both. Not with a bottle though, I use one of those color cups instead. Another name for bottle feed is "siphon feed". There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Raverdave Does the gravity feed flow better than the bottle feed?

Yes and sometimes a little too much better. This I feel is one of the gotchas with gravity feed. It's an advantage and disadvantage at the same time. You must be very dilligent with the trigger finger. YMMV.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Raverdave Does the gravity feed restrict your movement more than a bottle feed?

Maybe yes, maybe no. For my air-brushing, I split time between a Badger 200NH and a Paashe H, both of which are siphon feed. Better than 90% of the time, I'll use them with an open top color cup. In that configuration, I think that the same sorts of movement restrictions apply to both.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Raverdave Does the gravity feed flow better than the bottle feed?

Yes, although siphon feeding actully requires surprisingly little air-pressure to draw up the paint. With both the Badger and the Paasche, I can paint at close to 10 PSI if I desire.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Raverdave Does it really matter?

All else being equal, gravity feed is probably preferable, although I don't think the difference is huge.

Andy

...........
Paasche H..........
& VLS (within the week).......both siphon feed
i'm too clumsy for gravity feed

QUOTE: Originally posted by cirikili ........... Paasche H.......... & VLS (within the week).......both siphon feed i'm too clumsy for gravity feed

I use a Paasche H with siphon feed exclusively and it works great for me.

I use both and don't really notice it much when I switch between them. I did when I first started using gravity feed brushes, the paint cup kept getting in my line of vision, but after a while I don't even think anything about it.

Gravity feed brushes feed at SLIGHTLY lower pressures, and I suspect this depends on the brush model. I have a T&C Omni 3000 (siphon feed) and a T&C Omni 4000 (gravity feed). If I get the paint viscosity right the 4000 will feed at less than 5 psi (more or less since my gauge barely moves). The 3000 with the same paint needs about 7 psi to spray properly. IMO either of those pressures are more than low enough for anything I need to do.

I learned the hard way and have on hand my trusty, bottle-feed Paasche-H single action and my wonderfully reliable Iwata Revolution Hp-CR gravity-feed. The lesson stemed from a long back and forth stare at a huge 1/72nd scale B-52 I was planning to build one day. It was like the Revolution airbrush was saying to me, "dude, you're kidding, right?" So I drove down to my local HS and purchased the Paasche for the large job, attached the jar, filled with paint and had it done in a hour-with no re-filling the airbrush with paint. The long and short of the story is simply...I use them both with great results! I broke away from the mainstream thinking a long time ago. If it's easy to use and produces the results you're looking for...you got it made.

Use of the colour cup (which is great - so much less cleaning and less paint to mix B52 excepted!) with a bottle feed brush is probably half way between the two types as the paint volume is held alongside the brush body and the "head" of paint might just aid flow. The 200 I use will definitely flow at <10psi.

I like the gravity feed when I'm working close and inside a tight place that a bottle won't let me into...I use the bottle feed when I'm painting a large area and then I don't have to keep filling the cup!...I use my Badger 360 most of the time because I can use the cup for the tight spots and flip it over and plug in the bottle to finish it...Its two air brushes in one...I'm really happy with it...And easy to clean...I use my Badger 200-20 for everything else..I like the single stage, but I've adjusted my 360's needle too, so its like a single stage too and if I need more paint I can pull back my trigger finger a little and get full action on the paint....Thats why I bought the double action so I could adjust the needle to where its a fine spray coming out for close tight lines , I can never get it the same every time, the 200-20 is like that too, I can adjust the needle and get a small amount of paint or full blast or somewhere in between...



"RC"