Airbrushing - I need convincing

[johnd]

I'm convinced that the desire to acquire an airbrush is just another form of AMS. All they do is slow down the process, another expensive complication, something that has to be mastered and cleaned after each and every colour. People do achieve good finishes with them but for me they're a step too far.

John.

[MikeC]

I'm convinced that the desire to acquire an airbrush is just another form of AMS. All they do is slow down the process, another expensive complication, something that has to be mastered and cleaned after each and every colour. People do achieve good finishes with them but for me they're a step too far.

John.

Not quite. Expensive - depends on which one one buys, but "yer gets what yer pays for". Has to be mastered - yes, so does any skill worth acquiring. Cleaned after each and every colour? Empty old colour; insert cleaner and wipe cup; spray cleaner through, wipe out cup again; spray plain water through to flush cleaner. Takes a lot longer to type than to do.

Having said all that, it's entirely your call whether you want to use an airbrush or not, if you're content as you are, crack on.

Edited February 17, 2014 by MikeC

[Giorgio N]

The cost of airbrushes is something that must be put in the right perspective: yes, they don't come cheap and some can be very expensive. However at the same time a good quality airbrush and compressor can easily last for 20 years if properly maintened. My previous compressor was replaced after 22 years of service while my first airbrush still works after 25 years of use.

My latest compressor costed me around €250, say rougly £ 200. Assuming it will last for another 20 years this means £10 per year, not too bad a price. My trusted Badger 200 might not be the best around, but works flawlessly and costed me £ 60 5 years ago. Again I expect this to work for another 15 years without much trouble.

If I compare these costs with spray cans for example, the airbrush doesn't come expensive at all ! The wastage of paint with spray cans is huge, they often have to be binned half full because they run out of propellent and good quality ones easily cost £6-8 or even more for some.

[Albeback52]

I'm convinced that the desire to acquire an airbrush is just another form of AMS. All they do is slow down the process, another expensive complication, something that has to be mastered and cleaned after each and every colour. People do achieve good finishes with them but for me they're a step too far.

John.

You & me both John!! . If you've ever brush painted something the size of a 1/72 B-52, you'll experience a sense of achievement that NO airbrush will EVER give!! .As ever of course, to each/her own!

Allan

[colin]

Thing is one of the best parts of modelling to me is using the airbrush.Cleaning it is no more a chore than when I clean the brush, yes I still use one of those for detail painting.

[gorilla]

A good wee debate here that I think I need to enter, I am kind of in a place just now where I'm thinking of the future kit I will need as I do plan to do some big models as well as do a few batch builds of some favourites.

As some of you will have seen I only use a paint brush just now and I feel I'm very good at getting decent coverage with my brush work think this comes with years of practice I have had when I have been away from model building all my models I done years ago were hand painted as there was no choice for me then.

So I sort of know the pit falls of hand painting and yes there are colours I hate doing with a brush.

I am thinking of investing in an airbrush though as this will help improve some of the finishes I get, but the thing is I know I will be painting my models with both airbrush and old faithful hairy sticks. My current build is my submarine all the internal bits are hand painted I would love to airbrush the main hull as I'm sure weathering it will be easier this way. The airbrush would also be a brilliant addition for the priming and applying varnish coats to the rest of the models I do.

There are several models on my list that I know will look good with my brush skills but I think if an airbrush was used they would be another level.

I'm a complete novice when it comes to airbrushes how ever I can use spray cans quite well. I don't even know where to start when looking at airbrushes all this compressor stuff and that is a bit confusing as to what setup is best.

[rich2010]

Thanks for all of the replies. I've enjoyed reading this discussion. Looking ahead, I think I'll almost certainly probably definitely maybe go the way of the airbrush and use my Humbrol enamels in a spray booth in the loft. That spray booth kit shown above looks pretty good, I think I'll look for one similar. I also reckon I'll go for a 'better' model airbrush with a compressor and tank. The pitfalls of cheaper kit are false economy in the long run. It just means I'll have to save a bit more.

Consider me convinced.

[Rick Brown]

Thanks for all of the replies. I've enjoyed reading this discussion. Looking ahead, I think I'll almost certainly probably definitely maybe go the way of the airbrush and use my Humbrol enamels in a spray booth in the loft. That spray booth kit shown above looks pretty good, I think I'll look for one similar. I also reckon I'll go for a 'better' model airbrush with a compressor and tank. The pitfalls of cheaper kit are false economy in the long run. It just means I'll have to save a bit more.

Consider me convinced.

You won't regret it chap!

I look at my A/B as a hobby in it's self. I take as much pleasure out of using it as I do making the model.

Rick.

[Sean_M]

You won't regret it chap!

I look at my A/B as a hobby in it's self. I take as much pleasure out of using it as I do making the model.

Rick.

I agree with Rick. Now that I have a feel for AB I can have started playing with paint types and viscosity. When I started, I wanted to give up but I am glad I hung in there.Owming a Aztek I also get to play with different nozzles

[paul178]

So in reading all this I would like to ask the wise and good on here what should I do?

I am coming up to my 69th Birthday and have been model making since the little blue spitfire came out at two shillings. Without blowing my own trumpet I have always brush painted and the results are generally good but I would like to see what results I could get with an Air brush.

So this is going to be a present to me from my wife

The nub of the question is I would like to get a brush and compressor that will do a good job for spraying large areas and also cope with camouflaging say something like a 1/72 spit or 109, nothing elaborate. I paint with acrylics now and much prefer them.

Can any member or members recommend a fairly inexpensive set up that will do that(I don't want to fleece my wife on cost to much. If I don't get on with it I will quietly put it away and go back to the hairy stick.

As for cleaning it out and disassembling it I don't mind that I was a photocopier engineer for 30 years so muck grime and burnt on toner I am sure would have been much worse. Sorry for the ramble but I would like some suggestions.

[LeVi Tophatter]

Thanks for all of the replies. I've enjoyed reading this discussion. Looking ahead, I think I'll almost certainly probably definitely maybe go the way of the airbrush and use my Humbrol enamels in a spray booth in the loft. That spray booth kit shown above looks pretty good, I think I'll look for one similar. I also reckon I'll go for a 'better' model airbrush with a compressor and tank. The pitfalls of cheaper kit are false economy in the long run. It just means I'll have to save a bit more.

Consider me convinced.

Cool. Not to throw a spanner in the works but keep your set-up simple, an entry level airbrush and a 'gas can' is usually the best place to start. Learning to airbrush effects on a model kit can be a frustrating learning curve at times an like many things, it's all about practice with your tools not the price or brand. You'll be surprised at the kind of finish you can get with a single action external mix airbrush.

Also, some of the best models I've seen in person have been brush painted (oil/enamel and water/acrylic), it's definitely a skill that still has it's place today.

All the best with your choices.

[Rich G]

Paul178,

I'm not sure how much money you have available, but if you look on ebay you will find plenty of 'buy it now' airbrush and compressor kits for between £60 and £70, I would suggest the AS186 with air tank and two basic airbrushes and hose, the brushes are cheap as chips and are literally just a starting point. I bought one two years ago and started learning to airbrush with it, I have since gone on to buy harder & steenbeck and iwata airbrushes which I now use because they are much better, but to learn on you get everything you really need in one of these bundles.

If you don't get on with it you can always re-list it on e-bay and sell it on for roughly the same amount of money.

Personally I think airbrushing is not something you can just have a go at, it takes time and patience to develop it as a skill, you need to learn what consistency to thin the paint to, what pressure to use, how to use the airbrush triggers etc but having only done it for two years I have got considerably better over that period (at first I found it difficult to get consistent results) and will do the majority of painting by airbrush as it really does lift the finished result some way. If you have less money available then maybe sticking to brushes is best, I've tried the cheap aircan airbrushes that revell and other companies do, they are a waste of time and money in my opinion and nothing like a proper airbrush and compressor.

I hope this helps.

Rich

[Alan Kelley]

Buy an Iwata Revolution airbrush. I bought a CR about 5 years ago and absolutely love it. It is so easy to clean and strip down- I regularly switch between lacquer based paints and acrylics- it takes me about 2 minutes to clean my airbrush out. I have an Aztek as well- haven't used it once since I got the Iwata- much harder to use compared to it. Compressor wise anything will do as long as you dont mind a bit of noise- just make sure you can adjust the pressure and get a moisture trap. All in all that you could get away with spending just over £200 on the airbrush/ compressor set up.

[Hotel Papa]

... and a 'gas can' is usually the best place to start. ...

Now that's expensive advice. Gas cans will in no time consume more funds than would have gone in a compressor that will last you for years. Plus they tend to freeze up in extended spraying sessions, which makes them drop in pressure. Which in turn may make you give up in frustration.

Skimp on the first airbrush if you must. Usable double action "tryouts" can be had for cheap. They do also have the risk of causing frustration, but at least they spray paint. And if you get the hang of it you will no doubt want something decent.

Edited March 3, 2014 by Hotel Papa

[CharlieNZ]

Iwata Neo gravity feed airbrush is pretty decent for the price.

Avoid air cans and get a decent compressor with a tank. The airbrush is only half the equation, without a quality air supply it will frustrate you no end. I'd also suggest a water filter, even if it is one of the pistol grip ones that fit directly to the airbrush. Nothing spoils your day like a splatter of water on your just applied paint.

[Giorgio N]

Agree 100% with Charlie and HP, avoid air cans. They look like a cheap way to start airbrushing before investing more for a compressor, but in the end it's false economy. They are not cheap. pressure can't be regulated and will drop while spraying, they freeze and need to be kept warm while spraying... and last but not least, they have the habit of becoming exhausted right in the middle of a job

I started with air cans myself and in the beginning I was very excited. However my excitement soon cooled down when confronting the problems given by the air cans.

Then I looked into other options, including things like the tyre adaptors and a number of low budget compressor... finally I realised that it was better buying a proper compressor. The first time I saw one for sale with some discount, it was mine.

[paul178]

Thanks for your advice folks. I will not use canned air(I used enough of that in my job)so it will be a compressor. So what's a realisticl priced one to set me on my way for now? Ones to avoid would be good to know if that does not break forum rules.

[Rich G]

Paul,

Like I said before there are plenty on e-bay that come as a bundle, or just compressors on their own depending on which way you want to go, other than that try a google search and see what sites come up for prices. I can only speak for an AS186 compressor with air tank, mouisture trap etc, had it just over two years, works brilliantly, had no issues. They are easy to get in the uk, not sure about other countries, you also see them for sale at scale model world and some other model shows throughout the year.

Rich

[Alan Kelley]

I have a b&q compressor with an 8l tank. Noisy as hell when it is filling but it can be regulated and only cost £50 new.

[Hotel Papa]

I have a b&q compressor with an 8l tank. Noisy as hell when it is filling but it can be regulated and only cost £50 new.

If you go for the "power tool" approach, make sure you get one with as large a tank as possible. That way you can load the tank to 6 bars at the beginning of a spraying session (pressure is reduced down form that at the outlet) and it may never have to reload after all evening.

Still, that's a solution that's only feasible in the shed or garage.

[shood23]

I can vouch for the AS186 compressor aswell its quite small not very noisy and good for the average scale models (my main experienceis on 1/24 and 1/20 scale cars)

[Billydick]

Some things are better done with a brush - that simply can't be done with an airbrush - figures in particular facial details etc. But for the most part a good quality airbrush is the weapon of choice. Yes, takes time to get used to, but then it's another feather in your cap there after. Advice is buy the best airbrush and compressor you can afford - don't beat about the bush ... same goes for brushes. Cheap brushes are the pits - more trouble than they are worth. I've got three airbrushes. I have a Grex single action for metallics, an Iwata Revolution and an H&S Evolution. They are things of beauty. Dismantling an airbrush is like dismantling a carburettor - a piece of fine engineering. I've got a Badger BA1100 Compressor reasonable cheaply off Ebay a year or so ago (about £80) has separate air tank and as proved to be totally reliable. Don't know if it's still available now though.

BillyD

[justin1980]

I would also recommend the as186 compressor quiet and has a tank. I got mine as a bundle with two double action airbrushes everything works great so far and I think I paid around £60.

[Sean_M]

In a word the AS 186 is a piece of junk. After 3 month you have to start a regime of cleaning the diaphragm. It gets hot and does not cut out as it is supposed to. I went down this road and ended up in tears. These things come out of china in the 1000's. If you are looking for a affordable alternative talk to Paul at Little-Cars.

[sroubos]

I've had an AS186 clone for four years now. Very reliable piece of equipment, it has never let me down and I have sessions where I use it for three hours on end.