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Beginners airbrush/compressor kit.

Welsh Bloke

By Welsh Bloke
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Welsh Bloke Newbie

Welsh Bloke

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Hi guys,

 

As someone who has never airbrushed before I was wondering if anyone has any experience of using this type of kit https://www.amazon.co.uk/KKmoon-Airbrush-Compressor-Painting-Manicure-TC-100/dp/B07B4VSXHS/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 or others similar, usually around the £40-50 range.

 

Obviously I know you get what you pay for but would you recommend this type for someone on a budget? I'm more interested in the compressor rather than the airbrush.

 

Any advice gratefully received,

 

WB

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Werdna Very Obsessed Member

Werdna

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The airbrush might be ok for the money, depending what the needle size is, but I'd suggest looking for an 'AS-18' type compressor as a minimum.  They can be had relatively cheaply and work well.

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fishplanebeer Very Obsessed Member

fishplanebeer

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I know this will be beyond your budget of around the £50 mark but for somewhere around £150 you could pick up a brand new Neo Iwata dual action airbrush (with a .35mm nozzle suitable for fine lines and medium coverage) and Badger BA 1000 compressor, both of which are excellent quality. Other brands do exist at similar cost, especially the compressor which is not actually manufactured by Badger and is also sold by others under their own name/brand.

 

Just a thought in case you were willing to push the boat out a wee bit to get a quality set up that will last for quite some time.

 

Regards

Colin. 

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alt-92 Very Obsessed Member

alt-92

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Don't skimp on your tools ;) . 

While you can find the occasional gem, a good dual-action (i.e. push for air, pull trigger for paint) will generally cost you between 80-150, and an entry level compressor for similar.

I suggest you also take a look here, as that is a subsection dedicated to the question at hand :)

Maybe there are some more useful tips there.

 

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/forum/14-airbrushes/

 

[edit]

That second a/b with the ridge underneath? It's personal, but I can't work with those iwata-like things. They don't feel right in my hand.
How an a/b feels seems an odd criteria, but nevertheless important.

 

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Jazzie Established Member

Jazzie

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3 minutes ago, alt-92 said:

Don't skimp on your tools ;) . 

While you can find the occasional gem, a good dual-action (i.e. push for air, pull trigger for paint) will generally cost you between 80-150, and an entry level compressor for similar.

I suggest you also take a look here, as that is a subsection dedicated to the question at hand :)

Maybe there are some more useful tips there.

 

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/forum/14-airbrushes/

 

While i have not scrimped on the cost of the tools for what was once my day job, this is a hobby that some people like myself cannot spend a whole heap of money on. I started off with an AS-186 compressor with tank that came with an airbrush for around the £100 mark all in, and i have since bought other cheap(£15-25) airbrushes from the same line and have had no issues that i did not create for myself. I therefore recommend these to someone who is starting out with an airbrush.

Arabest,

Geoff.

 

 

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Black Knight Completely Obsessed Member

Black Knight

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I use a Chinese clone airbrush which cost me about £15. 

My compressor, which was meant to be temporary 15 years ago, is a Babyliss from a 'home tanning' set. 2nd hand it cost me £10. They can still be bought for about the same price

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Welsh Bloke Newbie

Welsh Bloke

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Thanks for the advice guys, it's pretty much what I expected. Truth is cash is not really a problem but I have a terminal illness and didn't want to splash out on something that I probably won't be using for that long. My wife bought me this for xmas https://www.amazon.co.uk/Timbertech®-ABPST01-Airbrush-Adapter-Nozzles-Needles/dp/B00K78M09E/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=timbertech+abpst01&qid=1609107304&sr=8-1 without realising that they're not much use without a compressor bless her. I was just wondering if I could get away with a cheap compressor but seems not.

 

Anyway we've just spoken and she'd like to use the airbrush for her crafts as well so I don't feel so guilty now. I'll get an AS 186 with tank for about £80-90.

 

Thanks all.

 

ps Any views on the airbrush she has got me?

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Welsh Bloke Newbie

Welsh Bloke

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38 minutes ago, alt-92 said:

Don't skimp on your tools ;) . 

While you can find the occasional gem, a good dual-action (i.e. push for air, pull trigger for paint) will generally cost you between 80-150, and an entry level compressor for similar.

I suggest you also take a look here, as that is a subsection dedicated to the question at hand :)

Maybe there are some more useful tips there.

 

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/forum/14-airbrushes/

 

[edit]

That second a/b with the ridge underneath? It's personal, but I can't work with those iwata-like things. They don't feel right in my hand.
How an a/b feels seems an odd criteria, but nevertheless important.

 

 

Lol. Thanks alt, I knew there must be a more appropriate section for my query but couldn't find it anywhere. Now I know. I'll probably be nagging you all for advice on there soon. Thanks.

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alt-92 Very Obsessed Member

alt-92

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Sorry to hear/read that. 

 

Looks like there are multiple needle/nozzle sets, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.5. That covers pretty much all needs, depending on the type of paint you're using I'd guess you'll be fine using the .3 for general purpose and .2 for finer details.

Acrylics like Vallejo might need a bit of help in .2 to prevent needle clogging, but proper thinned enamels will work fine as well. 
 

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Werdna Very Obsessed Member

Werdna

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1 hour ago, Welsh Bloke said:

ps Any views on the airbrush she has got me?

 

W-B - Sorry to hear your prognosis - much respect and best wishes to you.  

 

Re the timbertech airbrush - I have similar, although I've now 'upgraded' to a couple of others (a H&S and a Sparmax).  It is a perfectly good and capable brush - mine came with a 0.3 needle fitted, plus a couple of (larger and smaller) spare needles and nozzles.  The 0.3 setup worked fine, but I could never get it to work properly with the other needles/nozzles fitted and I was never able to work out why.  Fortunately, the 0.3 was good for most - if not all - of the work I was doing with it.

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fishplanebeer Very Obsessed Member

fishplanebeer

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For what it's worth I have the Badger BA1000 compressor (around £85) which has a moisture trap, is maintenance free and works with very little noise so ideal for me. As for the airbrush I went for an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS at around £150, a doddle to use and you can swap out the .35mm needle/nozzle it comes with for the larger .5mm set for more general usage (and less likely to become blocked).

 

Just a case of horses for courses as everyone will have their own preferred 'tools'.

 

Regards

Colin.

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