"So....I bought an air brush..." Topic
15 Posts
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Anthon | 18 Jan 2017 6:23 p.m. PST |
It's been a rough couple of years in the Anthon household, and I'll be honest, on a purely selfish personal level, Christmas has been more of a time of depression rather than joy to me of late. My lovely bride, knowing this, told me to go ahead and get something for myself this year as a pick me up. Now I'm not usually that materialistic, but I thought, what the hell. I've always wanted an airbrush, and I started watching youtube videos on them non-stop. From Tabletop Minions, Next Level Painting, The Terrain Tutor, Spikey Bits, Wargamers Consortium, Commissar Gamza, to Models Workshop, and a hundred youtubers inbetween that I didn't mention, I watched videos… To all you guys that take the time to make those videos, THANK YOU SO MUCH !!!! I wish I could tell each and everyone of you personally how helpful you were. I hope some of you are on here and see that. I decided to go the relatively cheap route since I was feeling guilty about spending money on myself and got a compressor with tank and 4 brushes for about $160. USD Now, some airbrushes cost 3 times what I spent alone, and I figured I would totally screw up and didn't want to blow cash on a nice brush because I didn't know what I was doing. I reasoned I would just practice on the cheap stuff and work up from there. I learned to drive an end-loader that had no brakes, and when I got one that could stop without shifting gears, it was much easier. Same thought process. It arrived and sat for about a week and a half. Quite frankly, I was scared shitless to try it. Today, I broke it open. took the guns apart, sanded down the needles, used my gun oil on them to lube them, built a booth out of a shoe box, and diluted paint to prime some minis. WOW. I have always used spray cans to prime my minis. You guys know the trials and tribulations of that. Too cold, it splatters, too hot, it runs. Just right, the significant other SCREAMS at you for spraying paint in the house despite your best efforts to hide the fact and vent it out the door… Even with the $7 USD siphon feed brush and Vallejo surface primer,the 36 figures I primed tonight are the best I've ever done hands down. I'm not a wiz, someday I'll figure out how to post pics, but suffice to say, the paint was thin to the point you could see every detail, yet grabs paint like plastic primer. Every nook and cranny was covered unlike with the can. And my wife didn't know I had even done it in the house… Now some people use a brush to put their primer on, and more power to you. But, this was quick, and kind of fun. And it left me thinking about what else I could do with this once I got dangerously knowledgeable… This is the best thing I've discovered since the wet pallet. If you are on the fence, or thought about purchasing one of these, I highly recommend watching some of the experts, and not to be afraid. It was intimidating at first, but I can't wait to practice more and use it for more than just priming!! Kindest Regards!! Anthon |
Mako11 | 18 Jan 2017 7:05 p.m. PST |
Sounds great! Glad to hear it, and that it is working so well for you. Based upon your report, I might have to give it a go too. I take it these are the inexpensive, Chinese airbrushes, given what you spent, and that you bought four of them. What does sanding the needles do? Smoother air/paint flow, so no sputtering, perhaps? I've been wanting an airbrush for quite some time, needing it for the mass painting of microarmor to 1/144th and 1/100th vehicles – base camo. coats. Seems like that would be the best route, especially since they don't make the colors I need, in spraycans. I might have to give this a try, when/if funds permit. |
Oberlindes Sol LIC | 18 Jan 2017 7:20 p.m. PST |
You have to buy a compressor. Compressed air from a compressor is free, so you use it freely to clean the airbrush, and your whole experience is much better. Your wife will only know that you were using your airbrush indoors is if she is home when the compressor is on. Disclaimer: I don't actually have an airbrush or compressor, but got this information from my brother, an airbrush connoisseur. |
Phillius | 18 Jan 2017 7:53 p.m. PST |
Well done. I have been dabbling iwth airbrushes for a long time without ever fully dedicating the time to improve my expertise. I have done a Tyrannid army for my some. The red & black colour scheme with blue highlights, a few years ago. Went ok. I painted some Renegade ECW figures using my airbrush about six years ago. Basic colours, then a wash and brush highlight. Pretty good, if I must say so myself. Last year I did the basic two tones of blue on a mix of Union figures, both plastic and metal, worked well. At the moment, I am using my airbrush, with house paint, to spray the bases of my ECW Royalists. The figures themselves were painted in Sri Lanka. I have done three regiments of foot and one of horse, and I am pretty happy with the outcome. Some marching dust on boots, but very little overspray other than that. Certainly worth continuing developing the skill set. I use a Badger Patriot now, and find it well worth the money. Next step, a finer needle and more detailed spraying! |
Anthon | 18 Jan 2017 7:59 p.m. PST |
@ Mako11, Yes, these were cheap airbrushes. The thought process is that sanding them down and giving them a no stick lube will help prevent paint from sticking to the needle. I honestly think that this may be right up your alley. Camo is one of the techniques that some of these youtubers employ. Laying out a small pattern with silly putty or poster tact, giving it a quick spray, then using a different color…These guys I referenced are pretty good. @ Oberlindes..Your brother is correct !!! |
Anthon | 18 Jan 2017 8:04 p.m. PST |
@ Phillius…I completely understand where you are coming from. You are much more experienced, but I think have seen the same results… |
Zargon | 18 Jan 2017 11:50 p.m. PST |
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XRaysVision | 19 Jan 2017 12:36 p.m. PST |
A note on compressors. I have a compressor that I use for airbrushing, blowing dirt out of my garage, etc. It's a tank compressor with enough volume it can be used with light duty pneumatic tools and spray guns. If you have other things that justify a compressor then it's probably worth the money. However, most gamers (unlike plastic modelers, artists, etc.) seldom use an airbrush for more than priming or painting very large areas like buildings and large vehicles. A simple cost-benefit analysis tells you that you can buy a lot of canned air for the cost of compressor. There are other benefits to canned air too--like the lack of noise and sheer convenience. You don't have to worry about putting an in-line water trap in your hose or worry about draining water from a tank, because the air is dry. If you have other crafts that justify a tankless compressor (airbrush compressors can't generate the CFM (cubic feet per minute, or volume) of air a sufficient pressure for pneumatic tools or paint guns) then it might be worth the price. If you want to also run shop or house painting tools then a compressor with a tank will work, but you might need more than one regulator to get pressure low enough for an airbrush. If you an occasional user, live in a apartment, have an infant in the house (you might be risking your life if you wake up the baby with your annoyingly loud compressor) then canned air might be the perfect solution for you. |
Zephyr1 | 19 Jan 2017 3:19 p.m. PST |
Today minis, tomorrow vans. ;-) (After the first couple of vans, you'll have made your money back… ;-) |
nvdoyle | 19 Jan 2017 7:19 p.m. PST |
I've heard of people using CO2 tanks instead of compressors, and getting them refilled at a business that does such a thing for various industries (fast food, etc.). Anyone tried that, or heard anything about it? Anthon, what grit did you use to sand down your needles? |
Anthon | 20 Jan 2017 7:45 a.m. PST |
I used a 1200 grit. I got it wet. Just the first 3/4 inch of needle or so as you don't want to ruin the back seal. I wet down the paper and just pulled toward me being very careful not to bend the needle, that can happen easily. I figured these were cheap brushes, risk/reward was worth it. Also, don't use straight wd-40. It will eat at a rubber seal and attract grime. I might mess with a Silicone lubricant on the tip too to see how that works next time. If you google Airbrush polishing, you'll get a wealth of info on it by more experienced folks that I. Good Luck! @ Zephyr1 I might try a few T-shirts and faces before jumping into vans, we'll see. lol |
Elenderil | 23 Jan 2017 12:02 p.m. PST |
I have an old airbrush rescued from work, either an entry level Badger or the Humbrol equivalent. I have stripped and cleaned it but haven't summoned up the courage to try it out. After reading this I might give it a try. |
ScoutJock | 19 Mar 2017 3:24 p.m. PST |
When I first read this thread I thought sanding the needle was going to cause more problems than it would solve. I used some metal polish that my wife uses on her metal serving trays and it made a huge difference on my Iwata… I was able to control line width much better than before. Thanks all |
Bowman | 28 Mar 2017 7:29 a.m. PST |
A simple cost-benefit analysis tells you that you can buy a lot of canned air for the cost of compressor. There are other benefits to canned air too--like the lack of noise and sheer convenience. The problem is that you have no control over the pressure. This continues to drop as the can empties. Controlling your PSI is the most important part of doing detailed painting. If you an occasional user, live in a apartment, have an infant in the house (you might be risking your life if you wake up the baby with your annoyingly loud compressor) then canned air might be the perfect solution for you. I have the Iwata Smart compressor. It's noise is equivalent or less than using a can of primer. There is no way it would wake a baby in the same room. I have an airbrush too. I use it to touch up the finish on my air guitar. Lol! |
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