Painting and Airbrushing

I'd like to reiterate something Jon said:

There is no one, right, and true airbrush. If you can possibly try one or more out before you buy, do!

Just like aircraft: It's not who has the better aircraft, it's who's the better pilot. Same thing when flying an airbrush!

Triarius wrote:

CALLING MIKEV! AIRBRUSH NEWBIE NEEDS YOUR HELP! MikeV is one of our airbrush gurus.

Not one of....THE guru!

Just kidding. I will help if I can but asking, "what airbrush is best" is a question with 20 different answers. Give us some more info and we will try and help you out the best we can.  

I got back into the hobby in February, and had never air brushed before. It all seemed like a big mystery to me.

• A double action airbrush
• A compressor
• A regulator for the compressor
• An airhose to connect the A/B to the compressor (the hose has a moisture trap built in) 

That's basically it. I put it all together, and started spraying paint onto milk jugs to practice. I read everything I could on this forum, on the internet and in books. It often seems like it'll be tough, but it's really not too tough. It takes practice to get really good- but you can get great results fairly quickly with just a little practice.

One thing that helped me was to keep it simple to start. What I mean is, poeple told me mixing ratios for apint and thinners, PSI levels, how far to hold the A/B from the surface, etc. I tried to account for all of it, and it got frustrating. So I broke it down into smaller parts. First, I just blew the apint straight throught eh airbrush- no thinning- and saw what that did. then I played with thinning and saw what it did. then I went back to the un-thinned, and played with PSI levels. Basically, I learned a little bit in practice what each aspect did on it's own. When I actually painted a plane the first time- it went super smooth.

Also- don't fall into the trap of brand X is THE airbrush, and brand y and z just want cut it. For any brand of airbrush, you can find a world class modeler that uses it. It's more about the user of the A/B than the A/B. Certainly some are more capable than others, but no brand of A/B will make your skill go up.

In my case, I kind of fell into two major A/B brands. So I was able to test two. I ended up using the one that honestly most people would say was not the best- but it just clicked for me.

The main thing is practice, practice practice- and have fun! Once you get into airbrushing, you just can't find enough stuff to airbrush!

And welcome to the forums! This place is full of great people and tons of knowledge and support.

My first suggestion is to try searching this forum on "airbrush." You'll get more information than you think you want!

These days, double action airbrushes have become much more affordable. Again, that's the way I'd go, but considering that you are new to airbrushing, i'd suggest a midrange, "you can do everything with this model" airbrush like the Thayer and Chandler (now owned by Badger) Omni 4000. When  you've mastered that, then step up to something "better." Frankly, I've seen incredible work done with low end brushes—but the frustration factor for a newbie would be horrific. I doubt very much I will ever use anything other than my T&C Omni 4000—it shoots straighter than I can aim, as the saying goes.

Most manufacturers do sell kits. They usually include the airbrush, whatever specialized tools it needs, a hose, and various accessories that you may or may not need. Check out Dixie Art and Bear Air. They generally have the best prices.

Things you will need:

1. A spraybooth, regardless of what you are spraying, you don't want it in your lungs, your liver, or your family and pets, if any.
   
2. A compressor or other air source. Again, search the forums on "compressor" and "air source." A tank either for stilling or storage is highly recommended.
3. A hose with adaptors to your air supply.
4. A regulator intended for airbrush use, range 0 to 50 psi or thereabouts. You probably won't every use more than 30 psi, and that rarely.
   
5. A spare needle and aperture for the airbrush. Sooner or later, these get damaged.
6. Needle lube.
7. A fine mesh screen to strain the paint through before it goes into the airbrush. Some brushes come with bottles, and some of these have a filter on the siphon tube. You need to strain the paint one way or the other. Having an air brush clog in the middle of a paint session can ruin your day—and your paint job.
8. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!!! Airbrushing is about 40% technology and 70% art. Just do the math…  
   

Once you get the hang of it, you'll wonder why you ever did anything else.

CALLING MIKEV! AIRBRUSH NEWBIE NEEDS YOUR HELP!

(MikeV is one of our airbrush gurus. Also check out Musicity's website. He's got some good tutorials and advice, too.)