i’m thinking of buying an air brush but i have no idea of how to use one properly or how to show whethering with it. I would appreciate it if some one could give me some links or just tell how to use one properly. thanks.
Try this site or this one and possibly this one.
There are also a few members on the forums that are pretty salty when it comes to airbrushes and airbrushing. MusicCity, although I haven’t seen him here in awhile and MikeV to name a couple. Any questions and either one can help.
I hope this will help and have fun with your new airbrush.
[#ditto]
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Ross. [^]
By the way. What are you doing to the “A-61” Blackwidow? I started one years ago adapting the nacelles and props from a C-130!! I may have to try and dig that one out and do some brain storming.
You’re welcome!
The “A-61” basically a “what if?”—What if the P-61 had not been used for weather research, but had been mothballed and brought back as a ground attack-observation aircraft during the Viet Nam War?
Adding wingtip tanks, upgrading it to the C model, “adding” strengthened wings and nacelles to allow for more hard points and fuel, upgrading the radar and moving it out of the nose to make room for either a Vulcan or four to six .50 caliber machine guns.
It would have been one heck of a ground attack ship: four 20 mm cannon and from six to eight .50 guns firing forward, four guns in a turret to maintain suppressive fire as the ship completes an attack, turning and climbing away, plus various bombs, rockets, etc. Sort of an early version of the A-10.
This sort of thing was inspired by a friend who modified a Piasecki Air Jeep kit with a recoilless rifle and machine guns for use “in country.”
I’m also doing a side-by-side build of a “real” model of the P-61.
Sounds great!! I have always liked the P-61. I am also going to try my hand at an F-15 Reporter and/or the P-61E. I’m gonna have to invest in a couple more R-M P-61s though. I’ve only got three at the present time and have plans for two and the third is the one I started chopping as mentioned above.
I am salty? I thought “salty” meant that you were sassy? [(-D]
I always thought it meant well versed?!??!??? [:D] Now I’m confused!! [%-)]
I’ve always used it to mean old, crusty and wise. Not always the best company or best mannered, but a huge bucket-load of useful information gleaned through years or decades of hard work and dedication.
Often used with the terms “old coot” or “curmudgeon”… [:)]
One of those useful terms that has multiple meanings. It can mean:
-
lustful, lascivious
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sharp tasting, and by association, sharp minded or sharp tongued
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earthy, sometimes “down to earth”
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savory, usually of food, but also of character by association
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a scattered elite—“the salt of the earth”
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an experienced sailor
I think sharp minded, savory of character, and the salt of the earth might apply to Mike. But I think the term you wanted to use was:
Savvy: derived from savant, an extremely knowledgeable person.
[#ditto] That’s what I said. [%-)] Sorta.
[(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D]
Did some one say “SALTY” !? [oX)] ARRGHHH Mate !!
we are getting pretty [#offtopic]…
"We are not merely stranger than you imagine…
…we are stranger than we can imagine!
We now return you to your regularly scheduled reality…[alien] [alien][alien][alien][alien]
Anytime you look to buy a product that you know nothing about, it’s pretty intimidating, but really that’s the only thing you have to worry about. There isn’t a huge number of reputable airbrush makers out there. You’re looking at Badger, Iwata, Aztec and Passche. There are others, though. I use a Tamiya, for example. I guarantee that somebody on these boards has personal experience with any brand you may want to check out. For starters, MikeV knows all there is to know about Badger. I don’t know what kind of budget you have, but if you’re worried about breaking the bank on an airbrush that you don’t like, don’t worry. You can get a good airbrush, one that will allow you to learn to do lots of different things, for less than $100 US.
As far as not wanting to buy an a/b because you don’t know how to use one, I don’t imagine very many people here knew how to use one before they bought their first one either. Buy one, read the tutorials, and practice, practice, practice. Just be patient. I don’t know of anybody who has taken an a/b out of the box, and been a “best of show” quality airbrusher right away.
My advice is don’t be, it will take alot of time and trouble to master, but if you keep at it you will get results.i think there’s five different types airbrushes, (single-action,external mix), (single-action,internal), (fixed double-action), (independent double-action), (double-action turbo). i’ve had my two olympos single-action,internal and independent double-action for years now, but i started with a badger single-action, external mix and learned myself. if your just starting out get a single-action,ex mix or single-action,internal mix, and practice on some plastic card or paper, so you get use to holding it and feeling comfortable with it in your hand. weathering with an airbrush don’t take to long to get use to, it depends on what your doing. tanks, figures, buildings, aircraft. but you could just use artists chalk pastels for weathering, i’ll stop there cos i’m going on a bit
I was as well, but now I wonder how I ever modeled without them.
Floxy, there can be an alternative : some art shops give airbrush lessons; depending on the place you live, there may be one in the surroundings. Although it will be more art oriented, basics are good for everyone and you’ll have opportunity to try before you buy. Apart of this, go see the sites the other chaps quoted as they are full of information. If all this fails, you can try by yourself, as an airbrush is much less dangerous than a gun (don’t aim at yourself, though). When I get a new airbrush, I try first with… air alone, to get the feel of this new engine, then I put plain water, then I try with ink. After that, there is more possibilities that I can speak of here, but the topic is : feel it in your hand, see how it behaves, how low you can set the pressure, and how high, what will be the thickness of the medium you will spray,etc… in one word : practice.
Boss, when you spoke of only four brands of airbrushes, I think you forgot Aerograph/De Vilbiss, Harder & Steenbeck, Hansa, Richpen, Holbein, Efbe, and some more. Okay, there is a number of European brands in this list but they are worth trying.