I read the FAQ and looked at a couple of the sites listed and after seeing some of the stuff they sold I became a bit confused on what I would actually need to operate an airbrush. For someone on a fairly limited budget exactly what would I need to get and around how much might everything cost?
Also, besides brush strokes and probably time spent painting, are there other advantages of an airbrush over brush painting?
You will need an airbrush, an air source, and a means to connect the two. The air source can be pretty much anything that can provide regulated compressed air. Thus, the canned air can be used (although I strongly recommend against them), a compressor, an air tank, etc. Compressors are the most popular, but they are frequently noisy. An excellent source is to use a tank of carbon dioxide. In many areas these can be leased from companies that service soft drink machines.
Airbrushes come in many styles and brands. Get a double-action, internal mix, and make sure it doesn’t say Aztek anywhere on it and you’ll never be sorry.
The connection is simply the hose, however it has to have proper connectors for whatever you use as an air source.
The benefits of an airbrush are in the level of control it offers you. We can spray lines from about 1/32" up to a couple of inches. We can spray shaded exhaust and smoke stains easily. The blends between camouflage colors are no problem. It’s also easy, and a lot less expensive, to spray a whole model with an airbrush than with a can of spray paint. Take a look at most award-winning models and odds are that it was paint with an airbrush. There are just some things that a paint brush can’t do.
Thanks for the info. That helps a lot.
What is wrong with the cans of compressed air?
I really can’t afford to spend too much so that’s what I was thinking about.
Also do airbrush’s come with different sized nozzles or do I have to buy them seperately?
Edit: I was just looking at one of those sited listed in the FAQ and wondered if this would be a good kit to get.
http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=BG3503
As the cans are used they chill rapidly. So rapidly that frost will form on them. The chilling causes the pressure to drop. As they warm back up the pressure goes back up. Bottom line is that the pressure is always going up and down. You can help the problem by sitting them in a pan of warm water, but even so you will never have a constant source of pressure.
Some do, some don’t. I prefer the Thayer and Chandler Omni 4000 (actually made by Badger now) and it has a one nozzle / one needle combination. Most of the Iwatas have varying needle / nozzle combinations. In general, they will sell the airbrush with one combination and if you want something different you have to buy it separately.
I wouldn’t … Badger makes great airbrushes but that one is an external mix. The only thing wrong with an external mix airbrush is that the pattern is somewhat coarser or granier than with an internal mix airbrush. Besides, you can get the same kit at Dixie Art for $40. Take a look at their web site. Their prices are about as good as you will find, and they carry Badger, Iwata, and Paasche (those are the top three in my opinion) www.dixieart.com
Just one more question. What does a double action airbrush do compared to a single action one, and would a single action one work ok?
The trigger on a single-action airbrush does one thing, it turns the air flow on and off. A lot of people use it to regulate the airflow by only pushing it part way down, but that isn’t the way it’s supposed to be done. The volume of paint is adjusted by screwing the needle in or out before you start spraying. A single action brush will work just fine, and many people use them very well. I used a Badger 200 for a long time before I got my first double-action brush.
A double-action trigger does two things; it turns the air on and off by pushing down or letting up on the trigger, and it also adjusts the flow of paint by moving it backwards and forward. This gives you the flexibility of constantly adjusting your paint flow as necessary. If you need less paint to in real close to paint a crevice or sunken area, just ease off the trigger a bit. Want more paint to paint a large area, just pull back farther. They take a little getting used to at first, but the benefits are well worth the trouble.
I found a Badger 200 on ebay that as far as I can tell looks good.
I think I’ll give that a try and see how it works. As long as it will get the job done and still look good that’s what I care about. Thanks a lot for all your help. The information is greatly appreciated.
The 200 is a good airbrush, I’ve had mine about 12 years or so. Parts are easy to find, and it will do a good job for you.
One thing about the 200 though, it has a Teflon washer behind the head, where it screws onto the body. If the head is left tightened that washer will flatten slightly and the spray will start to pulsate. To prevent that from happening always loosen the head after you are finished using it. When it starts doing it (or, since this one may be used, if it does it when you get it, replace that washer and it will stop).
Thanks for the tip. If everyone is as nice and helpful as you I’m gonna have a great time here. [8D]
depending on how much the 200 is going for on ebay you might check out dixieart.com anyway and look for their sets… they include airhose, paint bottle, color cups etc… all in one package! And if they come with different sized needles they include them all. The Badger 155 and 175 both are about 59 dollars for the individual set, I think the Paasche VL is about 49 dollars for the set.
Airbrush hoses (if the one on ebay doesn’t come with one) range from about 10 to 14 dollars for a badger… so you would have to factor that into the ebay cost. if the one on ebay is still cheaper happy airbrushing!!!
The one I’m watching is the Badger 200 Deluxe Set. Comes with vinyl hose, propellant, propellant regulator and all that stuff. Not going for much yet but there are still 3 days left. I really can’t afford to buy one at retail though. I wish I could but hopefully this one will work out good. Thanks for posting.
Here is my advise that might be unwelcome.
DON’T try to buy a tool like an airbrush & compressor that will give years of good service cheap or on budget.
Rather wait a bit longer, save a bit more and a good set.
There are many people that won’t blink at paying $150 for a Model and AM parts but squirm when it comes to paying the same for a tool that will improve their modeling skills.
Right now I am just getting into modeling so I’m not real sure how big into I really will be so I don’t want to lay down a lot for a set when I might just build a model once in a while. I wouldn’t pay $150 for a model though. I don’t even want to pay more than $50 for one. If all goes well with my modeling and I really enjoy then somewhere down the line I will probably buy a good airbrush set. I appreciate the opinion and advice.
I understand what you are saying.
You can finish a model well without an airbrush, it is not an essential tool.
Nice to have but there are a lot of things you can do with a few basics technics prior towards looking at an advanced tool like an airbrush.
There are models I build without an airbrush(yep handpainted and rattle-can finish) even though I got $1000+ airbrush setup right at the table as for some models I prefer the “rougher” look. Shocked quiet a few people when they discovered that the model was hand-painted and they thought it was airbrushed.
FYI, getting brushstrokes into your paintjob often is a sign of bad technique/wrong brushes or badly prepared/thinned paints.
Either way best of luck to you and I hope you will remain and enjoy the Hobby.
My take is just go with what you are happy with, and can afford. My first airbrush was a Badger 350, single action and an air can… it worked wonders for what it was worth, and got me interested in airbrushing.
After getting back into it this year (after 14 plus years out of it) I bought another 350 and was ok with it but saw an Aztek and got it… worked way better than the single action so stuck with it… then I came here and saw some of what was possible and listened and asked questions so bought a Badger 175, then not long after that a 155… each one better than the last… now I am looking into an Iwata Hp-CR to add to the list…
My first few airbrushes were mainly due to not wanting to spend a lot of money… but once I knew it was something I wanted to use I went ahead and spent it… who knows maybe you will get hooked too and save for that later!
I agree with Model Museum in that you shouldn’t buy cheap, but if ya really want to try airbrushing buy what you can afford. It might help you find the money for the next one if ya like it enough.
I agree that you should not buy a “cheap” airbrush but I think the word “cheap” may mean different things to different people.
Cheap to me implies an inferior product that will not produce good results.
Just because an airbrush is $50-60 does not mean it is cheap.
You do not need to spend $110 on an Iwata to get a great airbrush when a Badger will do the same thing for much less. [;)]
Mike
That’s what I was thinking. Buy something I can afford for now and see how it works out and if everything goes well, somewhere down the line buy a nice one if I need it.
I agree on the cheap meaning different things to different people too. Like to me, cheap is saving some money and getting something that will get the job done with less bells and whistles than more expensive versions.
Yeah, but “Cheap” whcn it comes to airbrushes means something that sprays terrible patterns, won’t atomize and spray properly at lower pressures, stays clogged up, or won’t stand up to solvents properly. You can buy a 50 cent screwdriver and hope it will at least drive one screw before it breaks, you can spend $2 and get one that will last a life time, or $10 and get one that is ergonomically correct and comes in a lined case. I’m willing to pay for quality, but not for bells and whistles. A Badger, Iwata, or Paasche airbrush will last a lifetime with proper care, and a Badger won’t break the bank doing it.
Learning to use an airbrush is not the easiest thing to do, and if you get a junky one you won’t know if the problems you run into are you or the airbrush. Get a brand good one and you won’t regret it. Get a bad one and you’ll hate to use it.
If cost is the ultimate factor, you might want to consider just using cans of spray paint for a while. They work fine, their main drawback is the excessive volume and pressure, but you can get some amazing results with them to.
The main thing is to just enjoy the building. You don’t have to get everything at the beginning, your first few kits will probably leave a lot to be desired regardless of what you do (everyone’s do!). Just learn as you go, enjoy building them, and pick up the things you need when you feel like you need something better.
yeah, Scott has the 200 and likes it, if you win the bid, it should do you right…
I was thinking… if you think 65 dollars is out of your range right now for a compressor, you can get an air tank at Lowes for like $19.99 I believe… (going there for a faucet tomorrow and will check for you) … I think it holds 10 gallons of compressed air… which is a decent amount. My 2 gal tank on my compressor (I turn the compressor off if it’s late and the wife’s gone to bed, and just use what’s in my tank) lasts enough to do the base coat on a 1/48 plane and a little more… it should last you ahwile then… all you have to do when it is empty is hop down to the gas station and fill it up… probably at most for 50 cents or so… or if you’re lucky, there’s a RaceTrak or similar near you with free air… maybe that’s a compromise for ya… until you can get you a compressor.
and with the savings (versus $8+ cans of air) later you can get a regulator (about $20 - $40 for a modelling one with a pressure gauge in 1psi increments) and even later a water trap (about $20.00 at the hardware store)
That way when you DO get a compressor you already have the rest to hook up to it and make it complete! A regulator lets you turn down the flow and be able to get finer lines etc…
I just hate to see someone throw all that money into compressed air cans that last maybe one or one and a half models worth… plus there’s not the variation with pressure that cans have when they get cold…
Badger, Iwata, Paasche are all airbrush brands that have many devoted users. In particular, the Badger 155, 175, the Omni [made by badger] 4000 and 5000, and the iwata Hp-cr, and Hp-cs, and the Paasche vl and H are all highly recommended. The Paasche H is only a single action, but a very good single action. I personally use the Badger 155 ‘Anthem’ and I could never have been so pleased with it.
The reason I don’t recommend ‘cans’ is because of the price. for the cost of approximatly 8 cans, which is approx 4 1/32 models, you can buy a decent compressor from lowes.
Hope you enjoy whatever choice you made. I hope you’re pleased with your purchase.