nheather

Well the tall trigger arrived - waste of money. And I’m not saying that beacuse although taller it didn’t really improve the feel - if that had been the case I would have considered it a worthwhile experiment. No, it is because it is barely any taller that it makes any difference. At first I thought they had sent the standard trigger but I rechecked the part number and it is correct. And then comparing the two carefully, it is taller but only by about 1mm - so little difference and for me they may as well be the same trigger. Bit disappointed with Iwata to be honest, to call it a taller trigger and list it as a spare part for the Eclipse CS is a little misleading. I suppose they would argue that it is taller, and they are right, but only by a smidge. Maybe seasoned professionals could feel a difference but I doubt that many of us could. I’ll try and get some pictures up later, but for anyone thinking to do the same, don’t bother, save your pennies for better things. Cheers, Nigel

The trigger on its own you mean. You won’t find them yet. The kickstarter only finished a few weeks ago and is trying to get brushes out to investors in December. The company has said that some time after the kickstarter customers have been sorted out the new style needles and triggers will be made available as standard spares. I’ve noticed in this month’s Airfix magazine H&S are already advertising the new needles on their standard products even before the kickstarter investors have got their’s - I imagine their will be unhappiness if the general public get in first. But realistically I suspect we are a few months off seeing the needles and triggers available as spares. If you are talking about buying one of the custom brushes then the kickstarter page is still allowing late pledges. Cheers, Nigel

Element Games / Cult of Paint / Harder and Steenbeck have just done a kickstarter for customised Evolution and Infinity models. One of the key improvements, is a taller sculpted trigger, which will eventually be available for retrofitting to the standard H&S brushes. Details of the kickstarter is here So may be worth keeping an eye out to see if that will improve the comfort of your Infinity. HEALTH WARNING - clearly the kickstarter is not goung to say anything but good about the new design. But I watched a Youtube video this morning about a miniature painters opinion on the ‘best’ brush and he had been given one of the customised Evolutions to try without any strings. He did rate it but said he wasn’t sure about the trigger design himself as it is designed on the basis that your trigger finger comes straight down the length of the brush rather than slightly to the side. He said that it would have been better if it was angled by a few degrees - but I guess they didn’t want to do that as it would make the trigger left or right handed and they wanted it to be reversible. Cheers, Nigel

It’s a standard Iwata part: IWS-6123 So any Iwata spares dealer - I used graphicair.com as they are a little cheaper than the main distributer airbrushes.com. Postage costs (for such a tiny part) with them both is high, but airbrushes.com particularly eyewatering at over £5 to send an envelope weighing a few grammes. No improvement in the pad, just a longer arm. Cheers, Nigel

So, just done an experiment. Stuck a blob of blu-tak on top of the trigger to lift my finger position. Not perfect but felt better, so have bitten the bullet and ordered the taller trigger. I’ll let you know what I think when it turns up later in the week. Cheers, Nigel

I think it is exactly that, the air guide seems to fit nicely in my hand. Are you saying that you find the taller trigger helps for you? Cheers, Nigel

Yes ‘ve seen that but it looks like it turns it more into a pistol grip type. I originally started out with an Iwata TR - I had tried one and initially liked it but after a little time decided I preferred to hold the brush like a pencil for detail work. Cheers, Nigel

I have an Iwata Eclipse CS which I bought following many recommendations. Now let me make it clear first, I extremely happy with the airbrush, it performs just as good as I had been told. BUT - and this may be down to my anatonmy, but I find it a little uncomfortable to hold. I can use it, but it does sit naturally in my hand, with my finger on the trigger and able to move the trigger through full movement. My other airbrushes, an Iwata HP-B-Plus for detail and a Sparmax DH-125 for large jobs and primer are very comfortable by comparison. Anyone find this and is so, any tips. Would the taller trigger help or would that just make matters worse because my finger would have further to move. Anything else that you have tried? Cheers, Nigel

If you are only going to use it infeequently then canned air is an option. But do a few models and it gets very expensive - a few models in you’ll realise that you could have bought a cheap servicable compressor for what you have spent on cans. £56 for a compressor that has tank, moisture trap and regulator. Not sure how much cans are but guessing that’s about five cans. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Complete-Professional-Airbrush-Compressor-Kit-Craft-Air-Tank-Module-For-Nails/113304666119?hash=item1a617c0007:g:8PkAAOSwT-BbwHvi Cheers, Nigel

I was going to say that I’ve got a couple of Chinese airbrushes (Iwata copies) that you could have for free but just noticed that you are in Greece. I’ve had mixed experiences with cheap brushes. Generallt, they are very well made for what you get. The weak areas in my opinion are the needles and the nozzle o-rings. The needles can be improved greatly with polishing. The nozzle o-rings are often mal-formed and soft so leak. Ideally, you would replace with decent o-rings but I have never been able to find any. It is the quality control that is the problem - you could get one that is fine or one that is hopeless - it’s a gamble. If you get a bad one, and can’t find a replacement, it is much better to fit the nozzle without the o-ring or better still with a little airbrush wax. If you get a clone airbrush that works (or one that you make work) then they are fine. If you were in the UK my personal advise would be rather than spend £20 on a clone, shop around and pick up a Sparmax for around £45. I appreciate it is double the price but the extra £25 is well spent against the time and frustration you might spend getting a clone to work well. Cheers, Nigel

Have you seen the SharpenAir needle repair station. Advertised as "stick the needle in the slot, a few turns, repeat with the next slots and out puts a perfectly straight and polished needle". Sounds good but I wonder how well it actually works. It also costs as much as five needles (depending on airbrush make) so I'm not sure I would get my money back from it. Cheers, Nigel

Yes I can see that, looks good from that aspect. Just saying that it would have more of an impact if it started showing the brush spraying a beautifully sharp line, then abusing the needle and then spraying a beautifully sharp line. Then you would have loads of people queuing up to order. Out of interest, is the needle metal, or some form of plastic, polymer or fibre - or is that a trade secret? And finally, just for a bit of fun, what would happen if you tried to airbrush in space? Cheers, Nigel

Your video would be more convincing if you also showed the brush still spraying nicely. Not saying it doesn’t, just that the video just shows you brushing a piece of metal against a piece of paper and it appears not to bend. Cheers, Nigel

I think the piece of good advice that annoys me no end is “you’ve got to try before you buy, it’s a very personal thing, what is right for one might not be right for another”. Annoying because there is no doubting that it is excellent advice until you look at trying to do it and realise that it is damn near impossible. In fact in most cases when you reply to the well wisher and say “any advice how I do that” you never hear from them again. I’ve seen it said about airbrushes, about camera lenses and most recently about first person view goggles - what you wear to fly mini quadcopters. Okay, you may be lucky to get to a club and say “oi mate, can I have ago” but if your only option is retailers then you are out of luck. I most recently heard it said about airbrushes when I googled about my Iwata Eclipse. You see I chose it after hearing so many recommendations and when I first got it, not being any the wiser I thought it was great. Now I realise that it is pretty uncomfortable for me to hold and operate. Maybe down to my hand size and finger length but when I hold it my finger doesn’t sit naturally on the trigger and the geometry of my finger movement doesn’t allow me to pull the trigger right back without shifting my grip. I can use it but it is not very comfortable. Cheers, Nigel

Thanks, yes missed that. It wasn’t until I saw a video on Youtube that the full horror of the terrible design dawned on me. Even then I thought the ‘reviewer’ must have that wrong because no designer in the world would be happy with that so I found and downloaded the instructions. Sure enough that is how it is meant to work, it’s as if the designer just couldn’t be bothered.

Just spotted something else about the design which as an engineer I find really offensive. To set the limit you partially unscrew the handle - what a lazy half-baked design. Definitely won’t be getting one. Cheers, Nigel

Agree with that, everytime I remove the tiny nozzles I wince, especially with the price of Iwata ones. Prompted me to get the Iwata nozzle tool - think there is less chance of damage than with a spanner - also easier to align so you don’t strip the threads. Cheers, Nigel

Thanks, pretty much what I had concluded myself. I did an extensive Google search and found very little which makes me think there are not many in circulation. There are a couple of out of the box reviews which are positive, but I am suspicious of those because they don’t actually go as far as using them plus they may be biassed if they get thier review samples for free. And I’ve seen a couple of forum threads, one suggesting that it causes bent needles and the other being indifferent to critical - comments ranging from no real benefit to throws the brush out if balance. So going to pass on that one. Cheers, Nigel

Does anyone here use (or have used) an Iwata Triple Action Handle. If so, would appreciate your thoughts - any good, worthwhile, improvement or not necesarry, little more than a gimmick. Cheers, Nigel

I’ve not seen anything which says what is different about the needle just that it is mysteriously special. I’m guessing that it as a dual or progressive taper like you see on some Badger models. Good point about the beanie hat, that must be where I am going wrong, off it eBay to buy one. 😀 Cheers, Nigel

Agreed but if that is all you are doing you could pick up practically any 0.35/0.4 airbrush out there - including the existing H&S Evolution - I don't see why you would need an airbrush that specialises in miniature modelling or what that specialism means come to that. Cheers, Nigel

Yes those were my thoughts too. It mentions the Infinity has an aluminium body which I think is different to the standard CRPlus so maybe lighter if that is your thing. But it doesn't say that about the Evolution, nor does it say that either of them are chrome plated. That makes the Kickstarter Evolution (£166) practically the same as the standard Evolution (£100). And I still don't get what makes them more suited to miniature modelling - especially as it is only available as a 0.4mm nozzle. Cheers, Nigel

Have you seen that there is a Kickstarter being run by Element Games for airbrushes specially designed for miniture modellers. As far as I can tell they look like standard H&S Evolution and Infinity brushes in a different colour scheme and at inflated prices. Also just being presented in 0.4mm nozzle which seems odd if they are spefically aimed at painting 28mm figures. What would make an airbrush specifically suitable for miniature painting - I can’t think of anything. Kickstarter Link Cheers, Nigel

Does it work? I ask because I have the exact one which I bought specifically for 0.5mm for primer. Mine is bloody useless. It’s actually okay on the smaller nozzles but leaks like hell on 0.5mm so sprays badly. Probably other things like tolerance of nozzles and needles but the main problem is the dreadful o-rings they use on the nozzles - they are often malformed or damaged so don’t seal properly - thought I’d buy some quality replacements (maybe Iwata ones) but impossible to get on their own. I found mine worked better with the o-ring removed and practically solved the priblem using airbrush wax but decided it was too much hassle so got a decent 0.5mm instead. Having said that - this is just my experience with that particular nozzle. The other two were better, and I have seen plenty of Chinese clines working very well. So there is no reason why you haven’t got a good one. Cheers, Nigel

Absolutely stunning - would have guessed bigger than 54mm. Cheers, Nigel