Since I did that spray pattern test with the Omni 4000 a while back I thought it would be interesting to see how my other airbrushes compared in terms of the thinnest and thickest lines possible.
I did this test a while ago with Model Master Acryl flat black thinned 2:1.
I thinned the paint with a 50/50 isopropyl alcohol/filtered water mix and shot it onto another piece of pellon material on my T-shirt easel.
I shot each airbrush at 25 psi with the needle as close to the surface as possible for the thinnest lines, and then pulled the airbrush back to about 3" from the surface and pulled the trigger all the way back to blast as thick of a line as possible. The test results are as follows:
The Vega 1000 is an older model built by Thayer & Chandler before they went out of business. It is a gravity-feed model with a 1/8 oz color cup and looks very similar to the Omni 5000. It does not have a single needle/tip combination like the Omni’s do though and instead has the fine #1 needle and tip.
The Omni 3000 is a siphon-feed model and is internally the same as the Omni 4000 and Omni 5000 with a single needle/tip combination.
The Vega 2000 is one of the older models also made by Thayer & Chandler before Badger took them over. I bought it as a kit with three needles and tips and use it for T-shirt airbrushing with the #3 needle and tip in it.
You can tell in the photo that it sprays a thicker line with the #3 needle and tip than does the Omni or Vega 1000, but what was interesting was that the finest lines were not much thicker than any of the others including the Omni 4000 that I tested a while back. This is not a comprehensive test by any means as there were not enough variables involved, or different users spraying through the airbrushes. Some of you can probably spray a thinner line than I can with these same airbrushes so the results may differ. What I do think these tests show is that for the modeling paints we use the airbrush is not as critical as some would have you think.
Most anyone could spray freehand camo on 1/72 and 1/48 scale aircraft with any of these airbrushes and obtain excellent results with a little practice.
As I have said before, the airbrush needle and tip are made to the size they are for the specific medium that they will be spraying. That is why I always ask people why they want something like an Iwata HP-B or something similar for model building. The needle and tip are so small that they could obtain as fine of a line and have better overall performance with something designed for the mediums we use on models. If you were to spray inks, water colors, or any of the other mediums made with extremely fine pigments meant for an illustrators airbrush, then that Iwata would be a better choice because that is what it was designed for.
I hope this helps out someone wondering about the capabilities of airbrushes and I look forward to more tests done by Greg (plasticmod992), Karl (plum1030), or any of you others on this fine forum. [;)]
Thanks for taking the time to do those tests, and for sharing them with us.
They really show what the brushes capabilities are, as opposed to reading the spec’s which only say “hairline to 2 inches” or something similar.
I’ve already learned from your first test/post how to do the really fine lines. My paint was always too thick, and my pressure too high.
I have an Iwata HP-CS, and a Badger 250. Wish you had those as I’d like to see what a real pro can do with them (especially the Iwata).
Great info Mike. Excellent of you to take your time to do this. If people check it out before asking what different airbrushes can do, it would help them out quite a bit I think.
A Badger 250? That isn’t an airbrush, it’s a small spray gun. [:D]
I would like to try an Iwata Eclipse CS some day and see how it does. I’m sure it’s excellent.
A real pro? Where? [(-D]
I’m sure many of you can do the same thing I did and some of you can do it better. [;)]
Oops! Sorry, Mike, I thought it was either a 200 or a 250 and I guessed wrong. (I bought it about ten years ago). I did some checking and It’s actually a 200 NH.
Didn’t you have the pressure much lower than 25 when you did your first test for the finer lines?
I see. I have not used the 200N. Is that a dual-action or a single?
It apparently is not being manufactured any longer.
All I can see on Badger’s web site that is produced now is a 200-20, 200NH, 200G, and 200SG, all of which are single-action.
I will be testing some other Badger airbrushes soon as they are sending me some at my request to become familiar with them.
I will be trying out the Badger Anthem 155 siphon-feed, the Badger 150 siphon-feed and the Badger 360 siphon/gravity-feed.
I’ll post some pictures of how they do also just for the fun of it. [:D]
I do actually have the 200NH. I think you misread my post.[;)]
Anyway, it is a single action, siphon feed, and I have quit using it with a bottle, as it also came with a cup with a curved tube to fit up from underneath. I never spray enough to warrant using the bottle anyway. The cup sits to the side and it’s hard to postion it just right for fear of spilling. I also worry about it staying in with it’s press fit fitting.
I’ve been using the Iwata exclusively ever since I got it last June. It’s just so much easier to clean and use.
I may find some use for the 200 but haven’t had the time to want to try it again. It did spray quite well, though, while I used it.
