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Airbrush tips need please


Harrier/ViperFan

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I have decided to make the move to Airbrush, yes I am scared about it because I am not sure how best to proceed with mixing and Cleaning the airbrush. I didn't go expensive right now it's just one of those cheap sets off of EBay for like £35. I figured the cheap set as if I mess up the airbrush it wont cost much to replace. Anyway so any beginner tips you can give would be great.

 

Paint's I use are

MR Hobby Aqueous

Tamiya

Xtracrylic

Humbrol and Revell if the need is great.

 

I know if I search on google I can find loads of info on how to but I have followed guides on google and YouTube before and they turned out to be complete waste of time because they use either stuff I can't get hold of or really expensive items.

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You could try a reference book such as this https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Airbrush-FineScale-Modeler-Books-x/dp/0890247064/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1489001698&sr=1-1&keywords=airbrush+how+to  or you may be able to pick one from a hobby store or model show.

As with most forms of applying paint it's about practice and what best works for you. Any airbrush worth it's salt should come with cleaning & maintenance instructions, even a basic one. The paints you use will offer advice on which cleaners/solvents to use on the label or manufacturers websites. Just try it out on some old kits to get the hang of mixing the various paints you have to the correct consistency and air pressure. 

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Biggest tip I can give you is be prepared to keep trying and don't give up. When it works it's fantastic. But at the start it feels like nothing is working.

 

Next. Try and alter one thing at a time (ie thinner, paint or air pressure) otherwise you will get confused and nowhere. Different paints, thinners and air pressure all behave differently.

I find that Tamiya paints are the easiest to start with. You may also need to add more thinner than you think to get the "semi-skimmed milk" consistency. I tend to use 50/50 Tamiya to thinner and then add a few drops of Vallejo air flow improver, spraying about 20psi or 1 bar.

 

Also, if it's spitting, paint drying on the tip or not doing anything. Usually its because the airbrush is not clean enough. But be gentle when your cleaning the needle and nozzle, they can break and bend easily.

Note: Using acrylic based paints you tend to get more problems as they dry quickly. Enamel/solvent based paints are a lot easier to use through an airbrush.

 

Finally, you may need to try a few difference airbrushes until you find the one you like. I started with a cheap £30 VEDA airbrush which wasn't too bad but didn't last very long. As I was new to airbrushing I think I damaged the needle and nozzle. Then I got an H&S Ultra with a 0.2 needle and didn't quite gel with it. Now I have a Badger Patriot 105 and it's great. Not really had any trouble with it.

 

I have had my airbrush for a year and it's only starting to work for me (I don't get much chance to do any modelling, only a few hours each month). But the past few times it's been working great. I have started to use a bit more thinner than most people have said to use and I have started lubricating (iwata super lube or Badger Regdab) the needle a lot more and that (touch wood) has stopped the dry tip issues I was having. 

 

Hope that help, Good luck

Edited by m4rky
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  • 2 weeks later...

I have been on the same learning curve over the last two years, so here is my tuppence worth:

- practice with ink, it avoids any thinning issues when you just want to see what the airbrush is capable of, and you need to get used to the press-pull-push-release action; I use a water soluble Windsor & Newton bright magenta, easy to clean and it also clings to any old paint residue, showing you where your cleaning regime is going wrong

- when cleaning, remember to first wipe all remaining paint out of the cup with a cotton bud, or swap in a clean cup - don't put any more paint through than you need to

- for the first clean I use whatever I thinned the paint with - alcohol or water. Some water soluble paints react badly to alcohol thinners, so you may make things worse (Humbrol, I am looking at you). Then I move onto airbrush cleaner - rather than spray through immediately, let it sit a minute, and work the needle a few times to give it chance to soften any dry stuff. Lastly I always run water through on the basis that airbrush cleaner can be fairly mean stuff and you don't want it slowly eating the seals

- if you use a nozzle cleaning tool, be gentle, you can unknowingly enlarge or damage a delicate nozzle, making the needle sit further forward and not withdraw fully, or have uneven paint flow. And never try to insert the tool into the thin end first...
- if your airbrush has a adjustable needle stop, learn to use it

- leave the Humbrol for hairy sticks; if you really do need to airbrush it, thin with water and definitely NOT Mr Levelling Thinner, unless you want to create some colourful filler

- get a water trap

- use a daylight-balanced light, you won't regret it

- if/when you upgrade, get as good an airbrush as you can afford for the job you need it to do, so the limiting factor is you & your ability, and not the brush's quality or its lack of features

- don't get an expensive airbrush then try to save money on the compressor; spend just as much on a decent compressor with a proper regulator valve.

- if you regularly switch between fine detail and large coverage get one with interchangeable needles & cups (H&S are good for this), or be prepared to own more than one. Brushes with ~0.3 nozzles with 2-5ml cups are a good compromise though
- not everyone can master a conventional double-action easily: I can't. It turns out I am a fumble-fingered numpty who can't time push-release right, usually followed by splatter on the next pass. If you are struggling, try a continuous double-action airbrush and see if it helps you; look at the trigger-type Neo brushes from Iwata, or the Grafo & Hansa ranges from H&S which I settled with: I am now splatter-free.

Edited by CheshireGap
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  • 2 months later...

As someone who has just bought their first airbrush these tips are great, thanks everyone! I haven't tried it out yet, I'm doing lots of research so I'm completely ready when I sit down to first use it.

 

My question is how do you get the paint and thinners out of the pots and into a mixing pot or whatever, it's not like tamiya or humbrol pots are good for pouring. Do people use pipettes, or syringes, or something?

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I use two types of syringe depending on the quantity being mixed. I have larger 5ml syringes for making up large amounts for when I know I will be using a lot of the same colour in one go. I also have some 1ml for smaller amounts. I find these are more accurate than using pippettes.

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I always keep a syringe filled with thinners handy at all times. You can use it to thin the paint, flush the airbrush through, clean the nozzle etc.  Keep that syringe for thinners only, keep it loaded and you'll be ready.  

Edited by Grey Beema
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I use eye/ear droppers which you can buy from a chemist shop. I don't know what type of brush you are using, but if it has a side cup, I do the mixing in that. With a dropper, you can count the number of drops of paint and thinners. I use Tamiya paint almost exclusively for spraying and mix it 50/50. That way you can keep your pressure down to around 15-25psi. Have it too high and Tamiya paint tends to dry as it's leaving the nozzle and can give a rough, powdery finish.

The are many products on the market for cleaning the airbrush after use. I use a product called Foaming Airbrush Cleaner and to shift really hard paint, Liquid Reamer.

But the one piece of advice that is better than any other is................practice, practice, practice.

Have fun.

 

John.

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Thanks for all the replies guys, very helpful. I was thinking I might use those little syringes that come with the toddlers nurofen that are about 5ml, that way i can measure how much I'm using, so it's good to know other people are using similar things. I guess a bit of trial and error is to be expected to find what really works for me.

 

So I guess a follow up question would be about mixing! I've seen those empty pots on the tamiya paint stand that you can put your paint and thinners in and just shake them up, does anyone have experience with those, do they tend to get all gluggy after a while, or can you give them a good rinse with water? I've got a gravity fed air rush with a 5ml cup but I don't want to try cup mixing yet, I'll get to grips with mixing outside the cup first I think!

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Don't' worry about mixing in the cup as it's easy and saves having to mix in an external container and then having to transfer it. Just put equal amounts of thinner and paint into the cup then gently stir with an old paintbrush, something like a size No.1. Before spraying the model give it a two second blast to clear any unmixed paint/thinners.

 

John. 

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1. Try Vallejo Model Air paint; it comes ready mixed for spraying. You can use any colour on a mule to set up your air pressure and spray pattern or even to compare your own mix to

2. I mix 'in the cup' as I don't spray much. I put thinners in first then add the paint with a paint brush. I found that if I put the paint in first some at the bottom doesn't get thinned and stops up the airbrush

3. If mixing and needing to keep a lot of paint buy the poly dropper bottles like wot Vallejo comes in. They can be bought real cheap off ebay

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Use wooden coffee/tea stirrers, free from most places, to mix the paint. Then spot the paint into the airbrush cup using the same wooden stirrer. I wipe them clean with thinners and reuse over and over. I only use the pipettes for thinner. They can't be cleaned easily when used for paint.

Best tip for spraying, once you get your set up correct. Is to not apply too much paint in one pass. Use light coats and build up slowly.

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Thanks for all the tips everyone. I think I was vastly overestimating how much paint I'd be putting into the cup. I did some tests and then primed up a 1/35 tank and found I had loads of paint still in the cup, so ended up finding that a few drops using a stirrer or something similar is a perfect approach.

 

Used some Vallejo primer without thinning, worked a treat. Also saw a handy tip when using Tamiya paints is to open a new pot, fill to the little line below the rim, shake it up and you're ready to go. I tried it out and it was great, did it with three pots for a three tone camo (jumping right into the deep end!), and it sprayed really well.

 

Thanks again!

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