New to airbrushing, need help

to the forums! Pull up a keyboard and stay a while.

Lots of questions, eh? There are no stupid questions, only stupid answers. I hope I can avoid giving you those ones!

1. The air regulator controls the pressure of air flowing to the airbrush. You don't want to try to paint models using the full pressure that the compressor can make, so you use the regulator to lower the pressure to something reasonable.

2. I don't know, I hope somebody can answer that for you. Hard to believe anything named Tornado or Cyclone can be quiet!

3. X:X  is the amount of parts that you mix to achieve the ratio you want. IE 3:1 Paint:Thinner is 3 parts Paint to 1 part Thinner. The size of the part depends on how much you want to make.

4. I think you asking what is the proper ratio of Tamiya acrylic paint to their thinner. There is no "correct" ratio, but I think most people would agree that 3:1 is a good starting point. You really should be looking for a thin milk-like consistancy. I "eyeball" most of my measurements! Eyedroppers or plastic non-needle syringes can assist making more accurate measurements.

5. The primer is an undercoat used to insure that the paint bonds to the surface you are painting. Acrylic paints don't like to bond to really smooth surfaces, so some people recommend a primer coat before painting with acrylics. This helps prevent the paint from lifting after masking. Enamel or Lacquer based primers have agressive solvents that "bite" into the plastic forming a strong bond. The acrylic can then adhere to the primer coat.

6. By guage I think you mean the air regulator. If you are using a small hobby airbrush compressor, the answer is not really, but it is the only way to control air pressure, which can help prevent overspray and control airbrushing fine detail lines. You can buy inexpensive ones for around $10US

7. Yes, air propellent cans do work, but badly. The propellents can freeze causing difficulty when spraying, and they don't last very long. It certainly wouldn't take very long before you spend as much as a compressor can cost. You can purchase a large tire tube and refill at the local gas station for less and get better results, or spend about 3-4 cans worth and buy a 10 gallon pressure tank which you can also refill. I know one person that has a large and very noisy compressor they keep in the garage, and they bought a 10 gallon tank they just refill as necessary. Depending on how much paint they're spraying it can last 1 to 3 models.

See MusicCity's excellent articles on most of your questions...
Thinning Paints http://www.craigcentral.com/models/thinning.asp
Air Pressure http://www.craigcentral.com/models/pressure.asp
Air Sources http://www.craigcentral.com/models/airsource.asp

Good Luck!

I gave up on cans very quickly. Here's a solution:

Go to a scuba shop and ask for a tank that has failed to pass a pressure check. You can sometimes get them for nothing! Just make sure they don't have a lot of loose rust inside! All you need is the tank and any valve that will fit.

Until you get a compressor, you can get the tank filled with low pressure compressed air or carbon dioxide—if you set it up properly, you can get refills for pennies at the local gas station.

Once you afford a compressor, the tank becomes a "stilling tank." It sits between your comressor and airbrush, serving as a buffer that eliminates the pulsations in pressure from the compressor.

A small regulator helps eliminate guesswork. Get one after you get a compressor.

Primers are not always needed, but they do help you find imperfections in a model's finish.

The regulator (gauge) is placed after the stilling tank. If you put it on the compressor, the needle will bounce so fast you cannot read it.

The regulator does just that—it regulates the pressure at the air brush.

Get a moisture trap for your air line!

Keep asking questions! Airbrushing is half art, half engineering, and very difficult at the beginning! Above all, don't get discouraged!

1. Regulating the air pressure.

2.

3. I think you talk about the mixing radio. How much paint and how much thinner is used

4. About 1:1, but just thin it until it look like milk.

5. See What is primer and Here on ScaleWiki

6. Well you need to regulate the air someway, so yes it's important. Unless you have an airbrush with a regulator, like the Iwata Hi-Line series, you need one

7. You can, but it's not very nice. You can't regulate the air pressure, you always run out of air in a middle of a job and those can are very expensive on a long run. a "cheap" compressor at hardware store is a better option, even if it's noisier

 

Thanks to all you, for all the answer. Helping alot.
But about the propellant cans, can i put the cans in a container filled with water, to prevent from freezing?

Yes, by all means, do—warm, but not hot.