First airbrush, help needed!

[Hands of blue]

Hi folks.

I know there is dozens of old threads about airbrushes and I\'ve read most of them but I decided to start a new one. Just because I hate bying expensive stuff and then regretting it later.

I\'m going to buy my first airbrush soon and I want you to make sure that I get good quality.

I\'m propably going to order from Usa as the prices in Finland are ridiculous. My budget is about 250€ (about 385$) and that should include brush, compressor, postage and taxes (22%). I know that that won\'t buy the best quality but I\'m hoping to get a good starting set. I\'m going to paint terrain and larger models and undercoat and varnish smaller ones.

Bear Air seems like a good place to order from but if anybody has other suggestions I\'ll be happy to check them out. And if you have any experience about bearair then please share.

So, first the brush. I got quite good idea of what a good brush is like from the previous threads and I think Badger model 100LG sounds good. What do you think about it?
http://www.bearair.com/prodinfo.asp?number=100115

Again if you have better suggestions I\'m listening.

The compressor is a little more complicated as I have no idea what is a good compressor like.

Is this a good one?
http://www.bearair.com/prodinfo.asp?number=120117

Besides a brush and a compressor is there anything else I need? Paints and cleaner of course but anything else.

And one last question. Is there any parts that are likely to break often? I could order some spare parts at the same time so I don\'t have to hunt them every time I break something.

That\'s a lot of questions and I\'m very happy if anyone bothers to help me.

Cheers,

H.o.B

 

[airhead]

Another good source:
Dixie Art & Airbrush

Personally, I like Iwata guns. (Mostly personal preference only) The badger is a decent gun, but for that price, I\'d be looking at an Iwata HP-C.
like
THIS

Honestly, for what you say you want to do with it. A decent adjustable single action gun would work.

****
compressors
****

There is no magic about the airbrush compressors other than they tend to be smaller and more portable and a bit quiter than an industrial model. But quiet industrial compressors can be had:

like this
for much less than that compressor.

Do ask to plug them in first - some will rattle the whole house and make the neighbors angry. Others can sit at your feet and work while you talk. The quietest (and most expensive) use a rotary compressor (like the air conditioner and refridgerator).

Also ebay is a good source for compressors. But often you get what you pay for. There is a line of compressors on ebay going for about $25 that I tried. Burned out on my first painting session.

***
replacement parts
***
Get a spare medium needle and cone - I\'d bet money you will bend the first one.


****
finally
****
There are lots of people here with lots of different experiences with airbrush. Most won\'t steer you wrong.


Feel free to contact me via email or u2u or here for any questionsl.

 

[Hands of blue]

The problem with Iwata brushes is that it\'s hard to find spare parts for them in here. And they tend to be much more expensive than Badger parts. Also I don\'t know if I need so good brush when I\'m just learning the basics.
Maybe I\'ll buy one later.

I\'ve been looking for cheap industrial compressors but here they seem to cost almost as much as the good Sparmax in Usa. Of course the shipping charges make it a little bit more expensive but I think it\'s still worth it.

One thing I would like to know about compressors is that what does moisture trap
actyally do?

Get a spare medium needle and cone - I\'d bet money you will bend the first one.

I know that this is a stupid question but what is a cone? ok, I know what a cone is but not what it is in an airbrush.

Thanks a lot for your help. I\'ll have to do some more research before I decide what to buy.

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by Hands of blue
I\'m propably going to order from Usa as the prices in Finland are ridiculous. My budget is about 250€ (about 385$) and that should include brush, compressor...

Eek. Compressors can be heavy. Really heavy.

If you\'ve read the prior threads then I don\'t need to repeat what I\'d recommend re. brand You don\'t mention what kind of airbrushing you want to do, but if you just need fairly generic spraying (see my gallery for an idea of what this can do) then they\'ll do.

Originally posted by Hands of blue
And one last question. Is there any parts that are likely to break often?

That so depends on the brush. Some brush types can work for a decade with zero need for a spare since they\'re nearly impossible to damage.

Originally posted by Hands of blue
One thing I would like to know about compressors is that what does moisture trap
actyally do?

Traps moisture lol When you compress air it can\'t hold as much water vapour as when it\'s uncompressed; so if the air is damp and you compress it the water dumps out of it, without a trap it\'s inside the hose and it\'ll spit out through the air supply as little droplets.

Einion

 

[Hands of blue]

Originally posted by Einion

Eek. Compressors can be heavy. Really heavy.
[/quote]

I know. I just emailed Bear Air and Dixie art and asked if they can give me a rough estimate of shipping charges. When I get the answers I hopefully know if it\'s really cost-effective to order from abroad.

You don\'t mention what kind of airbrushing you want to do

First I\'m just going to learn how to use it and undercoat and varnish models and try to paint terrain and larger models. But when I get some experience I\'ll propably want to try some more advanced painting.

Traps moisture lol When you compress air it can\'t hold as much water vapour as when it\'s uncompressed; so if the air is damp and you compress it the water dumps out of it, without a trap it\'s inside the hose and it\'ll spit out through the air supply as little droplets.

Thanks for the info. :beer:

 

[airhead]

Originally posted by Hands of blueI know that this is a stupid question but what is a cone? ok, I know what a cone is but not what it is in an airbrush.

The cone is the bit under the nozzle at the end of the needle. Beginners often damage the cone by forcing the needle too far forward - or bend the end of the needle in a \"tip crash\" where you actually strike the hardboard/mini/media with the airbrush - the needle hits and gets a nice hook in it. Usually ovals out the cone as well.

For this particular airbrush, the cone is part 41-003, 41-004 or 41-005 depending on if it is a fine, medium or heavy needle to match.

**
compressor
**
surely you have a home center/diy store nearby that sells compressors? I\'d check them out. Most come with a moisture trap and a regulator.

 

[Hands of blue]

Originally posted by airhead
surely you have a home center/diy store nearby that sells compressors? I\'d check them out. Most come with a moisture trap and a regulator.

Well, the cheapest I\'ve found costs 85€ without moisture trap and regulator. I\'ve heard that it works for airbrushing but is very noisy and the airflow is very uneven. I\'m going to wait for the information about the postal charges and then decide what to do.

 

[Jericho]

I picked up an Iwata set from Dick Blick over Christmas. It\'s a nice brush (Eclipse HP-CS) and I have a number of friends who want to chuck their Aztec\'s in the garbage after playing with the Iwata. I honestly don\'t know the difference, I just bought one based off the recommendations of some other hobbyists

The compressor I got was the Iwata Sprint Jet. It\'s a nice little guy that\'s small and really quiet. Has all the hoses and connections for the main brush brands as well which was nice.

I think it was approx. $300 for that setup after shipping and a brush cleaning set, but their prices might vary due to sales and stuff. You can place an order with them, and they will email you an exact shipping quote a couple days later. If it\'s too costly you can abort the order no problem. Nice little option.

 

[DaRat]

I would second the suggestion to buy a spare nozzle/cone and a needle. When I tried my airbrush for the first time (to prime some minis), things went very well until I cleaned the airbrush and broke the nozzle by overtightening when reassembling.

In addition to a moisture trap and regulator, you\'ll also want to think about where you want to spray and how to vent the resulting spray. I opted for a commercial spray booth, but there are also plans on the net for building your own. Some people just spray into a large garbage can with a garbage bag inside.

I\'ve gotten more paranoid about my health over the last few years, so the commercial spray booth seemed the best option for me.

 

[Hands of blue]

Originally posted by DaRat
In addition to a moisture trap and regulator, you\'ll also want to think about where you want to spray and how to vent the resulting spray. I opted for a commercial spray booth, but there are also plans on the net for building your own. Some people just spray into a large garbage can with a garbage bag inside.

Good point. I\'ll check if I can find any plans as I like to build things myself and buying a commercial spray booth would blow my budget.

 

[airhead]

I find if I\'m spraying non-toxic acrylics, a dust mask is fine. Even though it is non-toxic does not mean I want acrylic lined lungs.

Ureathanes, laquers, etc require a NIOSH (don\'t know your standard) respirator with organic vapor cartridges. Often I\'ll wear a full face cover as well. Something like my boat makes me get up in my full tyvek bunny suit and sock hat as well.

If I was doing much more than a hobby, I\'d have a supplied air setup.