[Closed] Model makers. Talk to me about airbrushes and compressors

I'd get myself on Gumtree or ebay and buy a basic airbrush and try it out with some cans of compressed air....see if you like it/can be arsed with it before splashing out.

For a really budget airbrush try this: https://www.wonderlandmodels.com/products/revell-starter-class-spray-gun-v2/?gclid=CMWT_p_RodECFQoW0wodLYME6A

You'll need extra cans of air but eventually a compressor will work out cheaper.
Your paints will need thinning to the consistency of semi-skimmed milk, and for that I recommend a mix of Revell Aquacolor and Tamiya acrylic paints, which can be thinned with water or Tamiya's X-20 thinners

[url= http://www.graphicair.co.uk/products/Iwata-Studio-Series-Sprint-Jet-Airbrush-Compressor.html ]Compressor[/url]

other (and cheaper) compressors are available but you definitely want one with a moisture trap.
If you have the paint thin enough then a pressure of 15psi or even less should be good.

"Double Action" airbrushes offer more control than "single action" ones. Gravity feed (where the paint cup is on top of the airbrush) I find work better at lower pressures than suction feed (paint cup beneath the airbrush)

The revell item i posted first will get you started on a low budget but TBH you'll probably outgrow it very quickly.
I use a NEO by Iwata gravity feed external mix airbrush but I couldn't tell you what make & model my compressor is

I made a few models with something like [url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-Airbrush-Compressor-Kit-AS18-2-Kit-1-/111186327623?hash=item19e338b847:g:NKEAAOSwgyxWUxLk ]this[/url] a number of years ago and it served me well for what didn't seem like loads at the time (they were about £50 then IIRC).

I upgraded to an Iwata A/B and can't honestly say I could tell the difference. It is possible I'd already reach the ceiling in terms of my own skills though 😉

that's identical to my compressor apart from the brand logo which is missing from mine

I spoke to a guy who had used a tractor inner tube as a 'compressor' I can't remember now what it was he'd painted, but I remember it looked ok.

Look at a Harder & Steinbeck Ultra airbrush with a .4 needle to start. Get a .2 needle later on once comfortable with paint consistency or get the 2 in 1 kit.
German so well made and find them easier to clean than Iwatas. Hold their value so second hand market is strong if you dont like it.

Compressors are where people go wrong when beginning airbrushing as an un-consistence air supply that you cant regulate along with any sign of moisture will put you off airbrushing for life.
Sparmax make brilliant compressors and the AC-27 is a good start point that can have a tank added to it later on if you like it. Will sell second hand not far off what you pay for it as well.
https://www.air-craft.net/acatalog/Sparmax-AC-27-Airbrush-Compressor.html#SID=1000

Thats probably the cheapest way along with the Iwata Neo to get into airbrushing using kit that will last you.

I'd agree with Monde. You wouldn't buy a BSO

I bought a cheap compressor and airbrush and both lasted about 5 minutes. You will definitely need a moisture trap, in fact if you are spraying out in the garage, especially this time of year you could probably do with two. I have one on my compressor and one at the brush.

There is a learning curve, but the results are much better than a brush and you don't need to have any artistic talent.
practice on some cheap kits and look what others are doing re shading, weathering, highlights and shadows etc

I have a h&s airbrush and iwata compressor.

I bought a cheap compressor and airbrush and both lasted about 5 minutes.

Everyone's experiences are different I guess. Mine served me very well for a couple of years with no splattering and was great as an introduction at a fraction of the Iwata level price (and budget is cited as a factor by the OP). I then sought to upgrade later on but ultimately lost interest in model making, it's not that the kit had broken... Not saying it wouldn't or that they don't, YMMV as always 😉

^^ this

It does of course depend what the OP is wanting to do, the BSO comment is a bit daft, if a friend said "I want to take up cycling, on a budget", would you recommend he spend at least £1000?

A £70 set up with a compressor with a moisture trap, and two decent dual action airbrushes will give you more than enough of a feel without throwing huge amounts of money at it. I stand by my recommendation, which I bought on the back of a recommendation from far more skilled modellers than me.

njee20

It does of course depend what the OP is wanting to do, the BSO comment is a bit daft, if a friend said "I want to take up cycling, on a budget", would you recommend he spend at least £1000?

That's exactly what I was going to write. Airbrushing can be fiddly, time consuming, incredibly messy (with over spray) and it's definitely a skillset that takes time to get good at. Unless you like wasting money it might be wise to consider a cheaper option initially.

I have an Aztec set up which cost £100+ in 98 or 99 along with the best compressor I could find at the time which I ordered from Germany. My friend at art college had the cheapest bare bones set up he could find and not only did they deliver very similar results there was little to separate them in functionality.

The actual type and model of compressor doesn't really matter as long as it delivers the air needed by the chosen brush/gun and ideally about 30 to 40% more. This is the free air delivered and is a volume measurement not pressure.

Combined with an adequate air reciever to dampen pulses and eneable the pump unit to stop / start when the brush is in use, any will be ok.

The most suitable compressor is a different question and depends on what you have as pre requisites. Noise level, space, electrical connection, portability etc etc.

From there, as said above the most important thing after compressor size is filtration. Compressed air at say 7 bar (100 psi) also has 7 times the water content in it when compared with atmospheric pressure (1 bar). As you use the item on the end of the line, the water stored in the pressurised air condenses out and generally makes a mess.

Most cheapy supplied air filters are simple 'spinners' and only remove water content at that particular temperature and point. As the air travles through pipework, and especially if it goes outside in winter, further water will condense out as the temperature drops.

The best solution is a dryer that drops the air temperature, removes all the water at that point and then heats it back up. Clearly these are huge overkill for 99% of hobbyists, never mind a simple air brush.

After all that, I'd get the biggest compressor (output wise) I could afford with the other constraints mentioned, and a decent water filter with pressure regulator to go as close to the air brush as physically possibly.

You can also get small filters that go on the inlet of tools, but these are generally quite bulky relative to the tool and will alter the balance too much.

Since I left the compressed air industry, dessicant dryers have become a lot cheaper. A inline version of these close to the point of use may also be a good idea.