Advice on a detail airbrush

Gravity-feed Iwata, say, Custom Micron CM-B with 0.18mm nozzle, or Iwata HP-A with 0.20mm nozzle. Badger's "fine" tip, as far as I heard, is 0.26mm.

Mind you, though, I don't have neither experience or need with such superfine airbrushes. I'm using Badger 3155 Hybrid with a fine tip. The thinnest line I can reliably produce is 2mm - although I never practiced fine lines, since there is no need for me.

eizzle wrote:

I am looking for an airbrush that would just be used for detail painting. (very fine lines) I have my Crescendo 175 which is a great brush IMO, but I want one that is dedicated for spraying very fine lines for that splotchy Navy look or just touch ups on paint jobs. I would prefer a gravity feed. I have been looking at the Badger 100 SG. I would like to stick with Badger if possible, but I will listen to any and all advice! Thanks guys!

hi there; hopefully I can give you a little bit of information.  I started with a crescendo 175 when I came back to the hobby.  while it was a good work brush, it didn't allow for the kind of control that you would get from a gravity feed brush.  I used a badge or 100 LG, but then found that the actual hardware to support as fine of spray pattern is I would've liked.

I upgraded my compressor which was a big part of the problem, even though it was a tank type compressor -- I couldn't get as reliable of air control as I would've liked.  I migrated over to using iwata's, and I like them a lot.  Nothing wrong with badger or even paasche-- I still use and H for base coating. 

as for fine detail, you could try a Sotar.  but you really have to thin your paints well, at least from everything that I've read.  They can do some very nice work, but again you have to have very very fine paint/media.  I have a custom micron B currently, and it's a great brush. 

One way of getting around having to worry about what kind of brush you are using, especially with hoses, is to use a universal hose with universal attachments.  I believe mine is a Terry Hill, but createx has all kinds of adapters and stuff.

anyway, my two cents.  Hope this helps. 

 

Thanks guys! I will do some more research and see what I can find out. Interesting point about the compressor to, thanks!

If you're not in a big rush, I ought to have my Micron C in a couple of days here and will probably post an impromptu review.

Same usage - fine lines and detail. Real happy someone here steered me to dixieart.

Sounds awesome twelve... no hurry here, just relaxed and calm

Iwata Micron B......I've retired the Paasche and the Badger. Spend the money, you will love it.

My first job with the Iwata, it routinely reliably sprays 1/32nd inch lines with no spatter @ 20-25psi.

Steve

The Sotar 20/20 is unmatched in detail. The real question is how much detail you need.

 

With my Sotar I can dot the pupils for a 120mm figure.

 

The big drawback is the very small paint bucket. It was really frustrating on the larger areas, so I bought an Iwata. 

 

With my Iwata Eclipse.. I can get really really small. I got the 4500 because of the massive paint bucket. The Iwata fills in the large, the meduim and the small. I just love it.

 

 How I got the Sotar is that I was talking to a professional figure builder and I saw a "Crow" he did.. with the clown markings on the face. I asked him how he did those and he said Sotar.. so I got it and it lived up to its name. I can literally do hair lines. 

Okay, Impromptu review

And this being written after only having a couple of hours to mess with the Iwata Custom Micron C

First impressions, awesome. Well made, well packaged. No instructions. I assume they figure if you're buying one of these, you know what you're doing already. Just a breakdown / parts list and small complimentary tube of gun lube.

The hose attachment is proprietary. If you have a Badger or Paasche, you'll need an Iwata/Medea hose or I suspect you could get an adapter fitting.

In use, wow. I don't have a ton of airbrush experience to relate to, but one of the first comparisons that came to mind - I've driven a 1972 Buick Century station wagon. And I got, once, to drive a Lotus Esprit. There's a glimpse of the spectrum of difference between my Paasche and the Iwata gun. Just messing, 1/16" lines were no problem. I suspect I'll do better than that with a little practice and getting used to the feel of the gun controls.

Really glad I got the C for the cup size. I may not ever need that much, but I have it, and the gun itself cleans about twice as fast as the Paasche.

You can adjust how far back the trigger pulls, and bonus, how firm the trigger itself is. I did a little playing with just a few drops of paint in an ounce of thinner and think this could easily do panel lines and washes.

The price from Dixie Art was killer. No regrets. I blew an injector on my truck this week so the timing couldnt be any worse, and I still don't regret it. I'm going to have a lot of fun trying to perform as good as this gun does.

Prices:

 

$120 Iwata Eclipse

$200 Sotar

$330 Iwata Micron 

If you like the Crescendo, you'll love the 100LG.  It'll spray a little or a lot if you need it to.  Same head as the 100SG, just more paint capacity.

 

E

There are three things involved with very fine lines. Airbrush, air pressure and thinness of paint. Airbrush needs to be gravity fed, long thin needle, small apature (.2mm for example)and double action can be helpful. Air pressure will probably be low (5 to10 lbs) but you don't want fluxuations in pressure (I use a CO2 tank). The paint must be very thin, or use some other medium like ink. For practical uses an Iwata HP-B works well. I think you would be hard pressed to tell the difference between the HP-B and the Custom micron by looking at the sprayed line. However there is a huge price difference. I had an HP-B and got rid of it because I so seldom used it. I currently use an HP-C and an Iwata Revolution. With the HP-C I can get a finer line than I will ever need. 

eizzle wrote:

I am looking for an airbrush that would just be used for detail painting. (very fine lines) I have my Crescendo 175 which is a great brush IMO, but I want one that is dedicated for spraying very fine lines for that splotchy Navy look or just touch ups on paint jobs. I would prefer a gravity feed. I have been looking at the Badger 100 SG. I would like to stick with Badger if possible, but I will listen to any and all advice! Thanks guys!

I think you will find that the 100 series will do everything you expect and for under $70 at Dixie Art. The Omni 4000 or 5000 are also very highly rated and around that same price. Personally I would suggest the 100LG, and you'll probably hang up the Crescendo for everything but wide area coverage like applying Future.

Well guys, I really appreciate all the helpful info! I went with the Badger 100 LG for a number of reasons. First is my experiance with Badger has been great, and I have all Badger equipment, so that makes it much easier (I know I could get an adapter, but I am sooo lazy ) The prices on the Iwata and Sotar put them out of the budget, but someday maybe! Thanks again guys!

Good choice.  If you bought the one with the medium head assembly, just remember that for about $20, you can convert it to a detail brush with the fine head and needle and of course vice versa.  Let us know how it works for you when you get it.

 

E

I got the one with the fine head, I figured I already have the 175 which is great for overall coverage, but its not so swell for very fine stuff, like outlining freehand camo! Again, thanks for all the great advice!

I got the 100 LG today. You have to love dixieart, ordered it Thursday, and got it today, and free shipping to boot It really sprays great! I did my normal thinning on some MM enamel, same pressure I use with my 175, and I was spraying some tiny lines right off the bat! That gravity feed must really make the difference, because I didnt change anything, just went with the same thinning ratios and air pressure and it did great! Thanks guys!