Right now it’s late where I am and I’m a little tried and grumpy. I do have an airbrush question. Years and years ago I picked up a never used Badger 350-1-H at a yard sale for $10 and never used it either. Last year, my dad brought me a Sprayit 600-13 compressor that had been left behind by a renter of his. The compressor runs. I’ve been doing some digging and figured out that all I need is some combination of regulator and filter and I’m ready to learn to use the airbrush. I’m blessed that I live walking distance to an ACE hardware, and driving distance to Home Depot, Lowes, and Harbor Frieght.
So, just what do I need to look for? The compressor’s output isn’t that much to start with. My plans for the airbrush are for painting flying rockets where I don’t need any detail to speak of, and a few 1/72 scale aircraft. The Badger seems like it would be good for covering larger areas.
I’ve also discovered Brett Green on YouTube. I’ve got a Michael’s and Hobby Lobby here in town. Love those 40% HL coupons. With said coupon I could pick up Brett’s Aztek 470 for just over $100. They also have much in the way of Pasche so I could go that route as well. I don’t plan on purchasing the lighter, finer airbrush until May so no rush.
Just check my profile before you ask any questions. Many of the obvious ones should be answered there.
I am not sure what that compressor can put out, you will need about 20-25-ish psi for that Badger 350, maybe a shade less if you thin your paints well.
Harbor freight is perfect! For a beginning setup, this little jem will do the trick!
One hose in from compressor, one out to the airbrush, it has a drainable moisture trap, and you can adjust your pressure as well. I use one of these even though my compressor has a regulator on it. Much easier this way as it is mounted at waist level on my spray booth. Now I can adjust pressure as needed while spraying.
JW, welcome to this forum and welcome back to the hobby. The Badger 350 and Sprayit compressor will get you to a good start. The compressor is a very old diaphram type design with 1/20 horsepower. It should drive your airbrush alright. You need to thin the paint properly. You can get a cheap control at Harbor Freight, and you are likely to leave it full open all the time. A moisture trap is desirable if you live in a high humid region. When budget allows, you may want to upgrade to a higher powered, quieter compressor with modern piston design.
The combo will do most what you want with rockets nicely, but may lack in details for the aircraft. The Badger 350 is an external mix airbrush. You can download the manual from Badger web site if yours lost the manual. Make sure that you clean the airbrush properly after each use. It will serve you well if you do.
[;)] Haha, Brent Green holds an airbrush like nobody else does. I don’t know if anyone wants to try. But he sure does wonderful work and the workshop videos are very good and helpful to beginners. [:D[ I used a Paasche H (similar to your Badger 350 in design) for many years and bought an Aztek 470 after seeing the Brent Green videos. One of my big mistake. I sold the Aztec within weeks and got an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS instead. I paid just under $100 with the Hobby Lobby 40% coupon in 2008. It may be a little more now. The Iwata is a 100 times better airbrush. Spend sometime to search and read previous posts on this forum. You will see why users prefer other airbrushes over the Aztek. If you do 1/72 scale aircraft mostly, the above mentioned Iwata will be a very good fit for you. It is my main airbrush for modeling. I also use a Badger Patriot 105 when I want to lay paint over a large area quickly. But even the Patriot will give you much more detail than the 350.
For the mean time, enjoy your new tools. I expect them to serve you well in rocketing.
I live in northeast Florida. Moisture will be an issue. I think I’ve seen that photo of the Sprayit before. So it looks like I’ll need a couple of small nipples and that Harbor Freight moisture trap. And paint.
The air control unit I posted a link to above has a moisture trap built in, and even in Florida (I used to live there too, Jacksonville) you won’t have so much moisture as to be problematic. With a diaphragm compressor you won’t build up as much condensation as with a tank, but you could always add an in-line filter as well. They are cheap, and it never hurts to be double protected!
