Airbrushing......grrrr.....

Jon, it's always a little bit of a come down when you first use an AB, I know it was for me.

Best advice, get yourself a decent AB and a compressor, and practise.

Having your own comp. makes a huge difference, as it allows you to practise without having to deal with the vagaries of air cans, which just make the AB experience more frustrating.

Best of luck.

Karl

I saw that right away. The one I was using had canned air. The AB wasn't too bad- just figuring out how far too push down/pull back, etc. But you could see a definite change as the can got cold.

I also played with the paint thinning a bit. That'll take some experiments, too.

It was a let down, you're right. Although there was one part of the test plane I shot that I thought "That's what I was going for!" So there's light at the end of the tunnel.

Milk jugs. Plastic milk jugs. Get lots, and practice lots. The only way to learn is by making mistakes ('course if that was really true I would be a freaking genius! ) If you have an airbrush, but not a compressor, go and buy a large truck tire tube and fill that up. Lasts longer than a propel can and cheaper! Don't waste any more money on the propel cans. Even a cheap wallyworld or harbor freight garage compressor is better than propel cans, and can refill your car and bike tires.

John, I have to agree... get a cheap air compressor from Wal*Mart at least instead of those cans of air or else you'll be fighting a never ending battle.

What worked for me, maybe something will help you? -
I bought a cheap quart of enamel paint, I work with enamels mostly, and a gallon of cheap thinner. Mixed up a small batch ready for a day of test spraying. I was kind of used to mixing paint from my previous jobs.
I practiced painting on all kinds of things but using the full trigger down and back postion first. Adjusting my air pressure and spraying distance until I aquired somewhat decent results.
I then followed along with some test patterns that I found in AB'ing books and on the internet. Practing just one step at a time until I felt comfortable with it. Such as spraying dots first, then lines, etc...
I found taking it step by step and not rushing it, the process wasn't so overwhelming and fustrating. I knew if I became too fustrated the AB would have started collecting dust and I didn't want that to happen, LOL.

Like a new born baby learning to walk or learning to ride a bike, learning to swim, learning to drive a car, learning how to make a baby - oop's sorry , it all takes time and pratice. 

Sometimes the fun part is in the learning too. 

P.S. WARNING - The wife won't appreciate the cat being painted to look like a skunk. 

jhande wrote:

John, I have to agree... get a cheap air compressor from Wal*Mart at least instead of those cans of air or else you'll be fighting a never ending battle.

I think I'm going to do that. Having to spray in short bursts or wait long periods for the can to thaw was a pain.

jhande wrote:

I practiced painting on all kinds of things but using the full trigger down and back postion first. Adjusting my air pressure and spraying distance until I aquired somewhat decent results.

Thant makes a lot of sense. I'd tried to approach it the other way, and that was frustrating. Working from the other direction- simple. Obvious.

Must be why I didn't think of it. LOL

jhande wrote:

P.S. WARNING - The wife won't appreciate the cat being painted to look like a skunk.

Oh, it's on now. We have a black cat. I have some extra white paint. Pepe Le Pew anyone? ;-)

Well, I have the Harbor Freight Hobby airbrush compressor which works pretty good. I've been practicing with the Badger 175 I recently acquired here on the boards. I'm waiting for the Paasche Regulator from Dixie Art to come in on the 24th so I can cut the air pressure down to 12-15 psi & really start Badgering stuff around here I practice on 5 gal. buckets & I have yet to start on something productive as I am getting the general coverage down at different distances & once the regulator comes in I can get more into the detail type of painting...
My g.f. has a cat & if it comes anywhere near me while I'm spraying It'll get Badgered of course, I run the risk of finding a new hole in my head from a .357

One thing I did when I first got the A/B hooked up was  try and control the air/paint flow which of course was a bit frustrating and then I just said what the heck,... let's open 'er up, let 'er rip!! I like it & have got probably 10 hrs. of air time on it so far

Just got about 20 mins on an Iwata Eclipse over the weekend spraying a T-shirt which was interesting

Hippy-Ed wrote:

Well, I have the Harbor Freight Hobby airbrush compressor which works pretty good.

This one?

jwb wrote:

Hippy-Ed wrote: Well, I have the Harbor Freight Hobby airbrush compressor which works pretty good. This one?

Pretty much the same one. Mine is the 40psi. This wone is set for 35psi & a tad newer. I haven't had a problem with it & I've had mine for the past 2 yrs. now. Was using the HF Hobby air brush single action (internal mix) until I stepped up to the Badger 175

Hey Jon,

If you don't have an airbrush compressor...While the harbor freight one works, spend an extra $20 @  Wal-Mart and get a small C&H with a 2 gallon tank. That way it's not continuously running. They're decent enough, not really quiet while the tanks filling, but there's a trade off with everything right?

 

Or there might be another option but I'll have to take a peek in the tool room before I mention it.

Chuck another $20 at it and buy a 50' hose and it gets much quieter!

What do y'all think of this one?

It's a 1 gallon tank, but it's closer to what I can pay. (Money is a real issue right now.... and will be for the forseeable future.)

It's a Campbell Hausfeld like H2O_MARK suggested, but it's $25 less than the 2 gallon, and believe me, that's a huge difference.

Jon,

Really any air compressor is better than none believe me! Canned air is pretty expensive and not really the best method. As the can is used the temp drops and as it gets cold it can really ruin a day! If you must use canned air get a small pot and fill it with warm ( read: almost hot ) water and put the air can in there, that will help regulate the air cans temperature.

Now here's my spare compressor...it's an older Paasche D500 with a Watts  0-60 PSI regulator, I bought for it a year ago I think it was about $40 for the regulator at a hobby shop.

I'm sending you a PM right after I post this so if you don't get it please let me know.
Rob

ARGH I thought I resized all of those pics....Oh well sorry bout that folks!

Jon...PM sent!

Got your PM!

Bgrigg wrote:

Chuck another $20 at it and buy a 50' hose and it gets much quieter!

Spend another $300 and get this one.

MikeV wrote:

Bgrigg wrote: Chuck another $20 at it and buy a 50' hose and it gets much quieter! Spend another $300 and get this one.

LOL Mike was that an offer? Joking aside I've looked at some of those high end specialty compressors and I would LOVE to have one...maybe someday, what's the lotto up to again? LOL

That is the one I use, the Badger Million-Air.
Great compressor and real quiet.

jon, the Campbell Hausfeld you posted is the first compressor i bought. i only had it for one day, it got the job done but the noise was too much for me.

The HF Hobby compressor isn't too bad as far as noise goes. I'd say it' sabout the same level if not a little quieter than one of those air pumps ya plug into the cigarette lighter for the tires.

Jon,
Sent you another PM.

H2O_MARK wrote:

Jon, Sent you another PM.

Got it! Reply sent.