Rookie Airbrusher

[Blitz23]

Gents just looking for some advice really, I'm pretty much a novice at Airbrushing but I have airbrushed a few models before but mainly basic aircraft schemes though.  I really want to get away from brush painting especially with Luftwaffe subjects I have in the stash.  Now I've been looking at paint sets previous paints I have used are Hataka and Lifecolour.  I've been looking at Vallejo and Ammo Mig Jiminez paint sets and just wanted peoples opinions on which is easiest to use really, I found the Hataka paints decent but Ammo mig do similar sets around the same price and if the quality is better I'd prefer them. Any feedback and advice would be appreciated 👍

 

Lee

[spruecutter96]

Three bits of advice on keeping your airbrush working well....

 

A.  Keep it clean. 

 

B. Make sure all remnants of the paint you've just used are removed (see previous).

 

C. There is no such thing as an airbrush that is "too clean". 

 

This might seem like overkill, but 99% of airbrushing problems are created by ineffective cleaning. Be a little bit paranoid about it and you will enjoy many years of great airbrushing....

 

Good luck, my friend. 

 

Chris. 

 

   

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

I use Vallejo and Ammo paints almost exclusively. They work quite well for me. There are some tricks with Vallejo but Ammo sprays straight from the bottle to a moderately hard finish. Vallejo is very soft touch and needs some extra care when handling. Important rule dont mask either right away. Let them off-gas for a little and then clearcoat between colors if you're using a mask. If freehanding the camouflage then clear after all the colors.  

      Vallejo air sprays pretty good from the bottle. Standard Vallejo can be sprayed if cut properly with water and if you have a flow enhacer use it. I sometimes use a few drops of Medea Airbrush cleaner for this. I would say 70/30 or 60/40 mixes. On occasion i do get buildup on the tip i just clean it off and continue. I look periodically at the tip to make sure im not about to get a big chunk of build up on my model. Hope this helps you ? 

 

Dennis

[Blitz23]

6 hours ago, spruecutter96 said:

Three bits of advice on keeping your airbrush working well....

 

A.  Keep it clean. 

 

B. Make sure all remnants of the paint you've just used are removed (see previous).

 

C. There is no such thing as an airbrush that is "too clean". 

 

This might seem like overkill, but 99% of airbrushing problems are created by ineffective cleaning. Be a little bit paranoid about it and you will enjoy many years of great airbrushing....

 

Good luck, my friend. 

 

Chris. 

 

   

 

5 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

I use Vallejo and Ammo paints almost exclusively. They work quite well for me. There are some tricks with Vallejo but Ammo sprays straight from the bottle to a moderately hard finish. Vallejo is very soft touch and needs some extra care when handling. Important rule dont mask either right away. Let them off-gas for a little and then clearcoat between colors if you're using a mask. If freehanding the camouflage then clear after all the colors.  

      Vallejo air sprays pretty good from the bottle. Standard Vallejo can be sprayed if cut properly with water and if you have a flow enhacer use it. I sometimes use a few drops of Medea Airbrush cleaner for this. I would say 70/30 or 60/40 mixes. On occasion i do get buildup on the tip i just clean it off and continue. I look periodically at the tip to make sure im not about to get a big chunk of build up on my model. Hope this helps you ? 

 

Dennis

Thanks chaps, think I'm gonna try Mig out first see how I get on.

[sapperastro]

Get yourself a big extractor fan set into the wall near your spraying area, in your big garage,  and spray those colourcoats enamels. Tip dry? what is that? coverage? done. Perfect colours? done. Worried about masking? No need.

 

Of course,  the garage  might be a bit of an issue if you don't have one...

 

Oh, and if you have a good airbrush with teflon seals, break out the acetone after spraying and run it through the airbrush. Squeaky clean. My badger 155 is still fine after many years, with only the occasional strip down and clean.

 

 

Edited May 25, 2018 by sapperastro

[Blitz23]

12 hours ago, sapperastro said:

Get yourself a big extractor fan set into the wall near your spraying area, in your big garage,  and spray those colourcoats enamels. Tip dry? what is that? coverage? done. Perfect colours? done. Worried about masking? No need.

 

Of course,  the garage  might be a bit of an issue if you don't have one...

 

Oh, and if you have a good airbrush with teflon seals, break out the acetone after spraying and run it through the airbrush. Squeaky clean. My badger 155 is still fine after many years, with only the occasional strip down and clean.

 

 

Thanks for the advice Sapper,  no garage unfortunately though! 😂

[sapperastro]

Ok then. So, how are you getting on so far? You will find most advice is better once you have stuffed up a few times.

[JPuente54]

What spruecutter96 wrote above is the best advice around. A clean airbrush is the prime imperative. After that, the best advice is practice, practice, and, yes, more practice. You don't mention what brand and/or type of airbrush and air supply that you use. One thing that can be a good practice 'palette' is a large piece of cardboard(corrugated or just the sheet) that has one side white, and, the other the brown. Use this to practice everything from fine lines to broad swathes of color. This can help you determine such things as the best air pressure, brush settings, thinner/paint ratio(if any, some as Dennis mentioned can be sprayed straight from the bottle), etc.. There are some books and guides available, too. Osprey published one a couple of years ago. I'll dig it and post the title for you. Good luck in your builds.

Joe

Edit by me: Lee, the title of the book is: Airbrushing and Finishing Scale Models by Brett Green. It is part of the Osprey Masterclass series of books. It was published in 2008; I bought mine in 2009. Its recommended price(on the back cover) is/was $39.95USD. I believe that I paid less for it from Roll Models, Inc. here in the USA for a bit less. Your mileage will vary.

HTH

Joe

Edited June 2, 2018 by JPuente54
add infromation

[Blitz23]

On ‎5‎/‎31‎/‎2018 at 4:18 AM, sapperastro said:

Ok then. So, how are you getting on so far? You will find most advice is better once you have stuffed up a few times.

Not had a chance yet, been away for a weekend in Dublin and still need to order paint.  I will post a link on this thread when I've got some done. 

 

On ‎6‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 7:56 PM, JPuente54 said:

What spruecutter96 wrote above is the best advice around. A clean airbrush is the prime imperative. After that, the best advice is practice, practice, and, yes, more practice. You don't mention what brand and/or type of airbrush and air supply that you use. One thing that can be a good practice 'palette' is a large piece of cardboard(corrugated or just the sheet) that has one side white, and, the other the brown. Use this to practice everything from fine lines to broad swathes of color. This can help you determine such things as the best air pressure, brush settings, thinner/paint ratio(if any, some as Dennis mentioned can be sprayed straight from the bottle), etc.. There are some books and guides available, too. Osprey published one a couple of years ago. I'll dig it and post the title for you. Good luck in your builds.

Joe

Edit by me: Lee, the title of the book is: Airbrushing and Finishing Scale Models by Brett Green. It is part of the Osprey Masterclass series of books. It was published in 2008; I bought mine in 2009. Its recommended price(on the back cover) is/was $39.95USD. I believe that I paid less for it from Roll Models, Inc. here in the USA for a bit less. Your mileage will vary.

HTH

Joe

Thanks Joe, I know my Dad actually has that book so I may borrow it off him for a while.