I own a badger single action and a Thayer and Chandler double action air brush. I like the Badger because it will accept a bottle of paint and I can cover a large area. I only use it for misting scenery to create a 'haze' look and to add the illusion of distance to a scene. For a long time it was my only air brush and I found that using different nozzles and exercising a bit of care, the badger met my needs for many years. The Thayer and Chandler brush does give me more control and I use it whenever I want to have absolute control over the paint I'm applying. Close-up viewed buildings are sprayed with the double action brush; so are my cars and locomotives. Using acrylic paints; or solvent based paints; I need to dismantle the double action brush to get it clean so it works the same every single time I use it. The single action brush only takes a couple of minutes to clean regardless of the type of paint I'm using. It's a take your pick as far as I'm concerned, I wasn't good enough at painting to appreciate the double action brush for many years.
Broken Tie
I love my Badger 175 Crescendo, wouldn’t hesitate recommending it to anyone.
Does anyone here use a Badger 175? They seem like a pretty good price and I wonder how they shape up,
I purchased a Paasche single action airbrush back in the 60's for model work. I still have it and have used it for modeling, automotive finishing, and woodworking. I have sprayed practically everything (lacquers, enamels, stains, water based finishes, shellac, varnish, etc.) with it over the years. My son bought a Paasche dual action unit years ago and had a much steeper learning curve with it than the single action one. I have several additional color cups, nozzles, and bottles for my airbrush, which I think adds to the usefuleness of the unit. I bought it to use as a very small spray gun, but have learned to do very fine work with it. As was suggested in earlier posts, keep it clean, very clean, and it will serve you well for a long time. One other point is to feed the airbrush with dry air, as it will help with the final finish. As with any tool, purchase quality and learn to use it as it was designed. My grandpa always said "it is a poor workman that blames his tools".
Jim - Preserving the history of the NKP Cloverleaf first subdivision.
I own 2 dual action air brushes, I have used single action ones before and will not use another if I dont have to. I have both a Pasche VL and an Iwata, I use the Iwata for things that need a finer spray and the VL is good for covering larger areas but not the fine spray like you would need for weathering. When spraying water based paints, rinsing is usually good enough to keep the brush clean but every now and then pull the needle out and clean it. If you get too much build up on the needle you will damage the packings. If you are not going to use the brush for a while then I recomend cleaning it completely. I am an ex autobody painter and I know the importance of clean equipment so I clean my brush completely after every painting session. My brushes are always ready to go when ever I need them.
Massey
A Veteran, whether active duty, retired, national guard, or reserve, is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life."
I did start out with a single action brush long ago, but once I switched to the double action brush, I never went back. I've been using a Paasche VL dual action brush for 20 years. I only shoot water-based acrylics through it. Cleanup is a breeze. If you clean the brush within a few minutes of finishing painting, all you have to do is rinse the brush by running water through it. With the VL, you pull the long pin, rinse it and run some more water thru the brush until it runs clear, hang it up and let it dry. If you let the paint dry in the brush, then any airbrush is a pia to clean. You do not have to completely disassemble the brush everytime if you're painting with acrylics, painting with solvent paints is another story. To facillitate cleaning keep a water source nearby where you paint, I keep a 2 1/2 gal jug next to my paintbooth and a plastic tub below it as my "sink", (lower left below the booth):
If you do a search for "airbrushing" you'll come up with several how to's.
Jay
C-415 Build: https://imageshack.com/a/tShC/1
Other builds: https://imageshack.com/my/albums
Hey guy
I have a double action and hardly ever use it because it needs to be taking apart to clean. Maybe some of our forum Buddy's could address whether or not the outside feed air brush is easer to clean while they are at it.
Lee
I know, I know, this is a very frequent question.
I found this site with pretty good deals and selection. However, there are multiple listings for the same airbrush, which is confusing. If someone could explain this, as well as recomending a good airbrush that would be much appriciated. I am a beginner, and this would be my first airbrush, but is it worth it to get a double action airbrush right off the bat? Thanks for all your help.
sfb
Edit: Sorry, I forgot to post the site.
http://www.tcpglobal.com/airbrushdepot/