Made the decision on the airbrush--now what else do I need???

Grahor--

When I ordered the AB (BTW-- I went with Dixie Art, they had all the parts I wanted, had them in stock, AND was less than Bearair!!!!) I purchased an extra medium nozzle.

I agree and I don't believe I will need the "pencil" thin line for my use, just letting you know what their advertizement says ....but I will be doing model aircraft so I won't need the thin lines as you say.

That is also the reason for the  enamel paints--Testors ModelMaster paints are enamel. Many of the other makers (such as Polly scale are acrylics) so I will also be shooting them as well.

Thanks again for your helpful advice!!

I should receive my new AB by Friday.

Qwik-

>>Still thinking about the extra tip, they advertize the Anthem 155 AB spray pattern as "pencil line to 3".<<

I don't think you can use "fine" tip with 155 Anthem. For fine tips, there is a special modification of 3155 Hybrid. That's what I have. But I still can't make "pencil line". 2 millimeters is my best attempt. Paint and pressure influence that a lot.

A real professional can do "pencil line" with both Anthem and Hybrid, no doubt here. I've seen it myself, and there was no real difference between lines. Me, I'm unable to do it despite all my attempts; on the other hand, there is no real need for this. In modeling, you need to mask away everything anyway. :)

I don't have much experience with enamels, I'm in apartments, too much smell. However, it's harder to clean airbrush after enamels.

>>What a brilliantly simple idea!<<

Well, it was pretty obvious. I mean, connector even looks like a small cup. Of course, it's a bit clumsier to hold an airbrush upside down, you lose a bit of precision, and you need to get accustomed to it, but after a couple of minutes it becomes normal. Saves me a bit of paint, and with such prices, every bit counts. :)

Bgrigg/Grahor-

Both Excellent responses to my questions!!!

Grahor--Firstly, I am a little of both---when it comes to splurging on what may be a necessity (some consider luxury) and for the reasons you and Bgrigg gave--your experiences tell me to get the metal cups, so I will get 2.

2 jars (3/4 oz.) as well. Something to start with.

As for a ultrasonic cleaner--I will look into that as well. Very Interesting!!

I will be spraying enamels to begin with and acrylics eventually, so I will also get the needle lube (and look for glycerin--ref. Bgrigg)

Still thinking about the extra tip, they advertize the Anthem 155 AB spray pattern as "pencil line to 3".

Thanks again for all your extremely helpful suggestions and advice!!!

Qwik-

Grahor wrote:

All in all, jars are useful. On the other hand, they cost an arm and a leg. On a gripping hand

Nice Motie reference, I sometimes wish I had a real gripping hand! 

Grahor wrote:

Metal cups are good thing - I always use them for spraying. Well, since I have only one of them, I have to clean it between every spraying, which takes like 10 minutes and a bit boring. Thus, I would advise to have 2 such small cups, or 3 if you have money to burn on luxuries.

I have three, and they are a luxury at that quantity. As I don't often use the third. Two I find are essential, though.

Grahor wrote:

By the way, when I need to spray just a tiny detail, I turn my airbrush upside down, and drop just a couple of drops into connector, without any cups, thus turning it into a gravity-feed airbrush, and use it upside-down.

<smack> That's the sound of my hand slapping my forehead. What a brilliantly simple idea! 

Grahor wrote:

Oh, and if you spray acrylics, needle lube is a must. It's a pain in the a$$ to manualy remove paing from needle's tip every 20 seconds. It can be done, I'm doing it right now, because I'm cheap and don't have it, but I'd rather not. :)

If you can buy plain glycerin, it's much cheaper than needle lube, and basically is the same darn thing! 

>>The deluxe kit is not available from the supplier (BearAir) I am buying from, so what else besides the AB do I need?<<

That depends on 1) Do you have money to burn on luxuries which would really help you, or do you prefer to do things by hands, but save on money? And 2) what paints are you going to spray?

>>I see references to metal cups and extra jars--are they necessary, and why?? It comes with the medium nozzle/needle.<<

You wouldn't be able to make very thin lines with that. On the other hand, I'm unable to make thin lines even with fine nozzle/needle. Anyway, there is no real need for overly thin lines.

Extra jars are needed for mixing colors. If you would buy pre-mixed colors and don't mix them yourself, you don't really need them all that much. On the other hand, I wasn't able to paint without mixing colors. You will need one or two jars with cleaning solution in them, for fast-cleaning your airbrush between colors (I use simply water with a bit of detergent for that.)

All in all, jars are useful. On the other hand, they cost an arm and a leg. On a gripping hand, I've found that small hermetically-closing bottles in "medical and laboratory equipment" shop are far superior to any expensive jars (with exception that they can't be directly connected to the airbrush, but I never use standard jars for painting either, I always use metal cup), and cost $4 for 20 bottles. After purchasing them, I only ever use one big jar for cleaning solution.

Metal cups are good thing - I always use them for spraying. Well, since I have only one of them, I have to clean it between every spraying, which takes like 10 minutes and a bit boring. Thus, I would advise to have 2 such small cups, or 3 if you have money to burn on luxuries.

By the way, when I need to spray just a tiny detail, I turn my airbrush upside down, and drop just a couple of drops into connector, without any cups, thus turning it into a gravity-feed airbrush, and use it upside-down. If you need to spray mostly small details and areas, think about gravity-feed airbrush - it uses a bit less paint. For average and large survaces there is no difference.

An interesting luxury is ultrasonic cleaner. You can, of course, clean your airbrush by hand every time, but you can buy a relatively good ultrasonic for $25 (don't forget to check specifications - you need one which have at least 35.000-40.000hz (or, in other words, 40khz), there are some models with, like, 100hz cleaning frequency sold as "ultrasonic" - they are not, they are "sonic":) ) It's a pure luxury, but the one which really makes your life easier.

Oh, and if you spray acrylics, needle lube is a must. It's a pain in the a$$ to manualy remove paing from needle's tip every 20 seconds. It can be done, I'm doing it right now, because I'm cheap and don't have it, but I'd rather not. :)

So far you have airbrush, tank, regulator and moisture trap.The 155 Basic kit comes with a hose and a 2oz bottle and adapter. I would buy a couple of color cups (the metal ones), and some smaller bottles (3/4 oz).

I prefer color cups over bottles as they are lighter, smaller, easier to clean and have a shorter siphon tube, which I would think requires less air pressure to draw the paint up to the brush. I have three of them for those times when I'm spraying multiple colors. I don't have to do a complete wash up, just a quick clean of the brush, hook up the next color and go! I use only acrylics and I keep a yoghurt container full of Windex to soak the old cups in until I have time to clean them proper. You can easily get away with two, it is rare I pull the third off the shelf.

I do have a multitude of bottles (3/4 oz clear) as well, and I have a bunch of adapters, as well as normal lids. I also have the 2 oz, but it's a monster! I mostly use the bottles for very large areas (2 oz of paint takes a surprisingly long time to use up), and for cleaning.

Needle lube (Bear Air carries Regdab) which I find essential for reducing tip dry and overall lubrication of the airbrush.

Spare needle. You will eventually need a new needle, with care they can last a very long time, but drop them point down, or bend them slightly, and they're done for. It's better to reach into the drawer, than to wait for the replacement to come.