Paasche vl

Anthony, what exactly are you having issues with?  A more detailed description of what you are having problems with would be helpful.  In general, your best bet would be to use the #1 needle and cap, and 10-15 PSI sounds fine.  Make sure the paint should be thin enough to flow when the needle is not opened to far.  The tip of the airbrush should be close to the model, on the order of 1/4 to 1/2 inch.  There's nothing at all inadequate with the Paasche VL as far as doing freehand camo is concerned.  The basic idea is that you have the airbrush quite close to the model, and pull back the trigger only a little so that you are not spraying a lot of paint.  It's just a matter of playing with the air pressure, paint viscosity, trigger position, and distance from the model surface.  It probably sounds a bit intimidating, but with some practice, you'll stumble into a combination that works, and afterward wonder why it was so flipping hard in the first place.  Good luck.

Andy

I would disagree.

10-15 psi from a siphon-feed airbrush is too low to consistantly pick up the paint.

I would suggest maybe 15-25 psi for that as that would be more realistic for a siphon-feed airbrush.  

Paasche VL's are notorious for needing high psi's and high cfm's to paint properly.  As Mike has said on numerous occasions, the VL was designed for T-shirts and thick paints.  Yes, it will do model paints, but requires at least 25 psi or higher to fully atomiize your paint.  The needle tip and nozzle are quite large when compared to illustration and detail brushes and thus require more airflow to atomize the paint.

E

I've got a VL and agree on the higher psi. I normally did about 20-22 psi with about a 3:1 ratio on thinning. I did enjoy using it, though I ended up preferring my Aztek to it, and now use that all the time. (Shhhh...... don't tell MikeV...... )

I found that playing with the adjustment wheel made finer work easier.... you could just focus on one action. Do have to watch for tip dry, it was always a problem with my VL. It was odd- paint that I thinned for the VL would get awful tip dry, yet I could shoot it straight with my Aztek and not have a problem. 

MikeV wrote:

I would disagree. 10-15 psi from a siphon-feed airbrush is too low to consistantly pick up the paint. I would suggest maybe 15-25 psi for that as that would be more realistic for a siphon-feed airbrush.

I don't own a VL, but neither my siphon feed Badger 200 NH nor my siphon feed Paasche H need more than 15 PSI.  Although the H seems better at 15 PSI, the Badger, which is more similar in design to the VL, works fine at 10.  Of course that said, if he is using a bottle vs a color cup, the longer draw length would need a bit more pressure.  And if his thinned paint viscosity is thicker than than mine, he would need more pressure as well. 

Andy

ABARNE wrote:

Although the H seems better at 15 PSI, the Badger, which is more similar in design to the VL, works fine at 10.

I rarely use 10 lbs with my gravity-feeds and usually spray 12-15 or more.  

I agree with the consensus here. I used a VL for years and it took nearly twice the psi as compared to a gravity brush.

As a side note, I typically use 10-12 psi and very thin paint (about 2.5 to 1) for my freehand camo. A friend of mine who is a much better modeler uses the same gravity brush and swears that he never goes under 20 psi for anything. He insists that the higher pressure atomizes the paint better and the smaller drops make a finer, more delicate line. I tested this one one of my last builds and low and behold, it did seem to work.

I stumbled on this thread while looking for what appears to be the same information as Anthony.  I have a Paasche VL myself and no matter what I do, I can't get the thin fine lines.  I've tried different thinning ratios, anything from 8 to 25psi, different needles/caps etc.  I always end up with a thin line of splatter (best way to put it) on the outside of the thin line I am trying paint.  I am not entirely new to airbrushig either.  The VL puts down a great coat overall and I have no problems with it except when it comes to doing very fine lines.  It just doesn't cut it.

-Ro

very nice info guy's...   I'm just now starting back into modeling after about 25 yrs out of it...   I have a Paasche VL myself...   If I was to go buy another Paasche, Badger, Iwata or whatever brand airbrush for finelineing, what would you all suggest?   any input appreciated...

Big Train wrote:

very nice info guy's...   I'm just now starting back into modeling after about 25 yrs out of it...   I have a Paasche VL myself...   If I was to go buy another Paasche, Badger, Iwata or whatever brand airbrush for finelineing, what would you all suggest?   any input appreciated...

I suggest the Badger 100LG with the medium tip/needle, it is an excellent airbrush.