What am I doing wrong. I have a Testors beginners airbrush set with can of air. My attempt produces large paint cloud. Seems more paint floating around than on model. I used a whole bottle,1/4 once, thinned, for area of about 24" square.
Doh.
Far more pressure than is necessary. Cut the pressure WAY back.
If you have the beginner set, I think on the propel can there is a little screw on top to get the air flowing, turning it to the left until it slows the flow down enough to allow the paint to come out in a stream to the front and not as a cloud, should do the trick…
Scott and Tom are spot on, too much pressure. If you had a cloud of paint I hope you were also using a respirator! Regardless of the toxicity levels of the paints you were using, breathing dried paint droplets is NOT recommended.
What is recommended is reading this article ABCs of Airbrushing.
I hope you don’t let this frustrate you from using an airbrush. I used to use rattle cans and hand brush which is less than optimal. Now I only use a brushes for detail work and pieces too small to spray.
I do recommend upgrading your airbrush to either a decent single, or dual action, airbrush at your earliest convenience. The “beginner” brushes are only slightly better than rattle cans. Also the propel cans are a difficult item to use. Difficult to control the pressure as the temperature of the can dictates the air pressure. The propellent lowers the temp which causes the can to freeze, which lowers the pressure, which forces you to raise the pressure, which causes the pressure to be far too high when it thaws. And so on. Then there isn’t that much air inside. Try putting the can into a pan of warm (NOT HOT!) water to reduce the freezing time.
It doesn’t take too long before that inexpensive AB and propel can ends up costing you more than a high end AB and decent compressor. You can use a “garage” style compressor for the air source if you don’t mind the noise, or can put the compressor in another room, or outside (like I can). My local Canadian Tire is currently selling a 100psi 3 gallon tank compressor for $59CDN (about $50US). A Badger 150 (my model!) dual action airbrush sells for $55US at Bear Air. Add in a cheap air regulator and moisture trap from Wally world (about $10 each) for $125 (+Taxes & S&H) you can have a high end airbrush and reliable and controllable air source. AND pump up your tires and use pneumatic tools!
All excellent advice!
If the choice is between a compressor and a better air brush at the moment, get the airbrush. You can get cheap air from either a carbon dioxide cylinder or a tank of compressed air, or even a large tire if you have the space.
If the compressor you buy doesn’t have a tank with it, visit a local scuba shop. They often have old tanks that can no longer be used for diving, but are perfectly fine as stilling/storage tanks for airbrush use. Just get one that doesn’t have loose rust inside! The stilling function is necessary to take the pulsations out of the air supply. It is particularly necessary if you use a “garage” compressor.
And don’t throw out that simple air brush! It’s just fine for large coverage and simple tasks.
i was lucky enough to start out with a compressor with a regulator and airtank when i started and with a decent airbrush too (paasche H) i only had issues on the 1st 2 times and i had it nailed from there on in.