Airbrushes

[PJM20]

What brand of airbrushes do you guys use? Also what brand air compressor do you guys use? Thank You! - Peter

[johnegert]

Well, Peter.... This issue has started many a fistfight among the Paint Lunatics! I am a Paasche man from centuries past--- they have always performed wonderfully for me when my brain and my hands could get in the same place at the same time. There is a lot of far-higher tech out there now, but Paasche is like a rock.  If you are totally new, and want to learn the basics, you could go with the Good Old Type H ( The gearheads are rolling their eyes now!!}, single action, simple, easy to clean, and pretty cheap. I still use my ancient H a lot. If you have a fine left/right brain balance and want to join the Crazies, you could start with the VL double action series. When I want to be SERIOUS, I unleash my Turbo model, which cost big bucks but can do darn near anything. As to compressors, I don't see much need to spend any huge sums---- I still use my El Cheapo Wally World Campbell/Hausefield 2 gallon, but be sure to get a good moisture filter.

       Now stand back, Peter, and wait for the Technogeeks to fire away...........

john

    

 

[g. gage]

I have an airbrush someplace, don’t remember what brand. I use spray paint cans.

 

Good luck, Rob

 

[ttrigg]

Peter; I’m going to avoid John’s fistfight. Like Rob I have an airbrush, but I know exactly where mine is. Mine is stored in the same footlocker as all the N scale stuff. Haven’t touched it in about 10 years. I now do all my painting with rattle cans. "Q-Tips" with a very light misting from a rattle can make excellent "paint rollers" for putting dust/dirt on a wall, only problem: it is good for just one roll. (I go through a bunch for one building.) Toothpicks are an excellent spotting applicator for lines, streaks, drips and drops. Cotton balls with a mild dusting spray make good "spills".

[kstrong]

I've got a Badger model 200, though I rarely use it. I tried the Grex airbrush at a convention a few years ago, and liked the feel and control of it a lot. It beats the pants off my Badger. The Grex is a "single action" airbrush in that the farther you move the trigger, the more paint you get. My Badger's a "double action" airbrush, which means you've got both the trigger and paint spread controls independent of one another. That's fine for general purpose painting such as a piece of rolling stock or building, but I'd never even think of using that for any kind of detail painting. That's about as "expert" as I get on airbrushes. Note that the Grex is considerably more expensive than the Badger.

Like others, I prefer rattle cans in this scale for a few reasons. First, our models are big, and airbrushing them takes forever. Second, in this scale, the details are large enough to where a rattle can won't hide them as they do in the smaller scales. The trick is finding rattle cans in the right colors. Floquil and Scalecoat make many "railroad" colors in sprays, and Krylon, et. al. supply ample blacks, browns, etc. But that's not germane to the question.

As for a compressor, I first used a Badger air compressor, but that proved marginal with what I've been using through the brush. It really needs a bit more oomph. Instead, I've switched to using my Porter Cable compressor set to around 40 PSI. Works great. If you're serious about airbrushing, you'll probably want to invest in filters and moisture traps. I've not gone to that extreme yet, but--again--if I use my airbrush once every other year, it protests about being woken from its slumber.

Later,

K
 

[dwbeckett]

Like Most others My air brush is packed away, I have been using spray cans since 1990 when I painted my first G scale gondola. Back then I was using scale coat in can's. Back then as now that was a pricey way to go........Now I use Kraylon spray cans, Painting two light coats vs one heavy.

 

 

Dave

[johnegert]

 Good God, Peter!! We're under attack by a mob of disgruntled can-shakers!! .... and, in Tom's case, a flack for the Q Tip Cartel!!!....OK--- I am willing to admit that a can of Krylon Ruddy Brown Primer, a can of Satin Black, and a couple of cans of  more exotic RR colors may do what you need. I am also ready to admit that airbrush weathering can be greatly overrated and overdone. BUT, there is one area where I have the canheads by the meat grapes, and that is color. The one great fact of RR colors is fade, and I can introduce that easily and effectively by lightening and darkening, intensifying and graying, etc., etc., which is beyond The Can.

But these Philistines are right----- it's not for everyone. The learning curve is fairly steep, and the first 10 times you use an airbrush, you'll probably create a dung bomb--- but it's a lot like learning a musical instrument. All at once something beautiful happens, and then you're hooked.