i am getting a airbrush gun but i heard that you need a compressor because the cans don’t last so long. is it really important to haave a compressor. what should i do get a compressor or use the cans.[:D]
Compressor all the way! The price of cans will far surpass the price of a descent compressor in the long run. A 20 lb CO2 bottle is also a good alternative.
Mike
Yeah with my first a/b i used cans sitting in a pan of warm water(makes em last longer) but after 10 or 12 cans i could have bought a compressor! cans are good only if you airbrush just once in awhile.
Absolutely … you’ll soon get really tired of those cans of propellent. The compressor is much cheaper in the long run and far more reliable.
A compressor is way too expensive in the long run, they don’t offer constant pressure. It’s harmful to you and they are a waste of metal cans.
I don’t recommand getting a CO2 tank because they are a bomb. Why would you want to sit next to a metal shell that can pop any minute? Or you may tip it over and break the neck and transform the thing into a flying rocket and crack your head into pieces. There are periodic professional inspections you need to do, but that’s plain hassel. And beside, you can’t really trust your life based on that.
That is almost laughable. [:D]
The car we all drive every day is a bigger bomb!
They power the soft drinks in every fast-food restaurant and every tap beer keg in bars, have you heard of many accidents with those? [;)]
There are hundreds of airbrush pros who use CO2 all the time with no problems. It is absolutely silent, it needs no moisture trap and it will last a ling time at the pressures you spray models with. If you are careless or prone to accidents then don’t use one.
Mike
Ok but get a burst disc. If you don’t, then the chances or it exploding is not as unlikely as you think. Go here…
If you go with a pressure tank, get it filled with dry nitrogen. It is less toxic than CO2. A friend has a dry nitrogen tank and it last him about six to nine months. It isn’t that expensive to fill. No moisture trap is needed, only a regulater That is the way I am going in the near future. I am going to hard pipe it from my garage to my model room and use quick disconects for easy removal and transport.
The CO2 recommendation I gave was an option and not my first choice. Any compressed gas is going to cost much more in the long run than a good compressor.
Mike
I just got my airbrush 2 days ago, and for the first little while I am going to go with canned air. I will go with an air compressor in a few months.
Have fun with your new airbrush Abrams … make sure you have a couple of cans of propellant on hand. The more you use the cans, the less effective they become, so I always kept 2 or 3 on hand to switch them out.
yeah, … I …I uhhhh… found that uh… out tonight.
(but I am having fun with it) I’ll post some pics soon
Before I got my compressor I was always worrying - will I have enough air left in the can to clean out my airbrush.
Those cans have got to be (IMHO) the biggest waste of modeller’s money there is. They’re expensive as hell.They last only long enough to get you into the middle of a project before they tire out .They’re expensive as hell.What’s more,you cannot regulate the pressure on them which leads to a very frustrating airbrushing experience.They’re expensive as hell.
Do yourself a big favor and don’t dump another dime on those
and you’ll be able to get a compressor that much sooner.
Those cans…they’re expensive as hell.
I’m watching a few on ebay. but the thing is, if I get one off of ebay, shipping to Canada is atrocious. So I would probably get it shipped to relatives in the states to keep until someone comes up or we go down there. So I would be waiting for a couple of months anyway. So, if I can get a few cans for my birthday in august (or maybe a compressor) I’ll be fine.
(I take it you think cans are expensive) LOL
Having tried propellant cans, compressed air and compressors, the compressor is really the most practical way to go. You can get a good Badger compressor from Michael’s cheaply. Just wait until they have their 40% or the occasional 50% off one item coupon, and go for it! You can also use some commercial compressors, but you have to add the water trap and pressure regulator before you get started, or you could damage your airbrush in the process.- Ed
Another thought Abrams (seeing as you are in Canada), go to Co-op and check out their line of King Canada compressors. I picked mine up on sale for $140.00 and it works just fine.
exactly what is a water trap and what does it do?
There is a Michael’s in Saskatoon.
There’s a communist-operations in just about every town around 1000 people. 
hmmmm…
(My dad does have a compressor, but it stays in the garage, and I don’t feel like dragging it in every time I want to paint.)(everyone in the house would complain about the noise too!!!)(and If I just tried a long hose hmmm… off my desk onto the floor out to the playroom up the stairs through the entryway out to the shed into the garage… no, Mom wouldn’t be happy)
I just checked King Canada on the web. This thing has to fit in my bedroom or I’m defeating the purpose of getting my own air compressor.