Okay, talk to me about paint/$$$ conservation

[SpaceMouse]

Tonight I painted the bridgework that my daughter rusted. I did okay, but I have a lot to learn with this airbrush. The problem is I went through a bunch of paint and $5 worth of thinner. (Which is some kind of alcohol so I can save by buying that in quarts.)

Anyway tommorrow I want to paint my EZ track and roadbed, not to mention the rock walls and ground. So how do I do it without breaking the bank? Can I spray latex wall paint through the brush if I thin it down? What are the tricks?

[Anonymous]

Craft paints from an arts and crafts store work well and are less expensive.
I use automotive windshield washer fluid as a thinner for water based paints.

[Virginian]

Gads. I don't know what you are doing my man, but try practicing a little on a cardboard box. This will let you see, and let you get down to where you are getting the pattern and flow you want. Sounds like you are using way too much air pressure to me. I got a bottle of Scalecoat II and a quart of thinner and I have painted about 5 locos and a Walthers double truss bridge and I have about a half bottle of paint left, and the thinner still looks full.
What size tip do you have installed?
Do not use any "regular" paint thru that airbrush. The larger pigment will plug it in a heartbeat.

[SpaceMouse]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Virginian

Gads. I don't know what you are doing my man, but try practicing a little on a cardboard box. This will let you see, and let you get down to where you are getting the pattern and flow you want. Sounds like you are using way too much air pressure to me.

I fugured that too, but there is no regulatr on the compressor. Can it be controlled from the pen?

QUOTE: I got a bottle of Scalecoat II and a quart of thinner and I have painted about 5 locos and a Walthers double truss bridge and I have about a half bottle of paint left, and the thinner still looks full.

What size tip do you have installed?

Don't know. I know it is moving a lot of paint. Is this adjustable as well?

QUOTE: Do not use any "regular" paint thru that airbrush. The larger pigment will plug it in a heartbeat.

[Eriediamond]

Spacemouse, This may seem kind of dumb, but is that a new paint gun you have? If so there should be instructions with it. Not being that familiar with airbrushes or knowing what type you have makes it kind of hard to answer, but like others have said, practice with different settings on the airbrush. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that when all else fails, read the instructions. Ken

[Virginian]

Somewhere in the line you definitely need a regulator. A seperator isn't a bad idea either. It's usually at the compressor, and 15 to 20 psi ought to do you. I hear some small compressors are supposed to be factory set, but I don't know what the factory set them at. What kind of compressor do you have?
What kind of brush do you have? I don't know of any that don't have flow regulation. If it's an external mix single action, it should have a turn down nozzle on the paint tip.

[SpaceMouse]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Eriediamond

Spacemouse, This may seem kind of dumb, but is that a new paint gun you have? If so there should be instructions with it. Not being that familiar with airbrushes or knowing what type you have makes it kind of hard to answer, but like others have said, practice with different settings on the airbrush. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that when all else fails, read the instructions. Ken

Unfortunately, there are no instructions. I got the airbrush on eBay and is was sadly deficient in the support department. I ordered Getting Started in Airbrush, by David Miller & Diana Martin, but it may be a while before it gets here.

I also requested a set of instructions from Badger, but I have not heard from them yet.

[Bergie]

Stick with it, SpaceMouse. It's tricky in the beginning, but once you get the hang of it you'll be amazed by the results.

You should also consider MR's video or DVD on airbrushing. See it here: http://store.yahoo.com/kalmbachcatalog/model-railroading-videos.html

There's a member who spends a lot of time over in the Classic Toy Trains portion of the forums who works at a hardware store and knows a lot about compressors and regulators. [Elliot, do you recall? He works at a hardware store in the Milwaukee-area.] I'll try to remember what his name is and see if he can help out.

I think you need to invest in a regulator... it's a very important component. After all, you're painting a model, not your house. Although in your first round it kind of sounds like you're off to a good start painting your house! [:D] Just kidding... stick with it!

Bergie

[Bergie]

OK, I found it. Check out this thread:
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=-1&TOPIC_ID=25030&REPLY_ID=244581#244581

The member I'm talking about is mattslionel. I'll shoot him an e-mail to see if he'd care to offer any advice.

Bergie

[mcouvillion]

Chip,

I am constantly amazed at the progress you have made in several months. You are not afraid to try anything! We need a forum on SpaceMouse's Railroad just to be able to keep up with you. Keep at it.

How's Lil Guy doing? The picture hasn't changed and there have been no recent posts. Is he running OK and when is he getting his "varnish"?

Mark C.

[SpaceMouse]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mcouvillion

Chip,

I am constantly amazed at the progress you have made in several months. You are not afraid to try anything! We need a forum on SpaceMouse's Railroad just to be able to keep up with you. Keep at it.

How's Lil Guy doing? The picture hasn't changed and there have been no recent posts. Is he running OK and when is he getting his "varnish"?

Mark C.

LIl Guy is in the train hospital. My son ran him off the layout onto the floor twice. He lost his front truck again. What it keeping if from getting fixed permanently is a broken screw. I need to get a really small easy out and get that sucker out of there. Then, I can fix him a lot more solidly. With the compressor, I plan on painting a few locos to Hogwarts colors. Lil Guy will be the official Hogwarts switcher. Film at 11.

[Virginian]

Check this out.
http://www.badger-airbrush.com/
If you figure out what you have it will be easier for folks to offer advice. I'm a Paasche guy, but Badger is probably the most popular brand. They all seem to work okay.

[SpaceMouse]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Virginian

Check this out.
http://www.badger-airbrush.com/
If you figure out what you have it will be easier for folks to offer advice. I'm a Paasche guy, but Badger is probably the most popular brand. They all seem to work okay.

Sorry, I know what I have. It is a Badger 150 L and a Badger 180-1 compressor.

On another note, I found a regualtor that used for my contractor compressor and I think it will work, if I play around with the fittings.

[TomDiehl]

Since you say you got this set on Ebay, it was probably used and a good chance it wasn't cleaned out properly before he sold it. Best place to start out is the Badger website. Assume that it needs a major cleaning and start there. The instructions on the site should give you full cleaning and adjustment instructions.

On my airbrush, I use a small Craftsman compressor. Sears has been selling these for around $100 and it includes the regulator. I also use it to power small air tools and inflate tires, so the investment has wider uses than just airbrushing.

[Anonymous]

Hi everybody

Bergie asked me if I could stop in and see if I could help. So far everyone has offered very good suggestions. A regulator and a moisture trap are a must. There are very few projects that I can think of that you can get away with out both. Senco makes a regulator – trap all in one setup that sells for about $30. Its range is form about 5 to 20 psi if my memory serves me correctly. As far as paint goes, I try to stay away form the ‘craft’ type paint because the pigments are not ground as fine therefore requiring the user to add large amounts of a thinning medium, which in turn decreases the adhesion of the paint (also, the coarse pigments will cause the Teflon packing to prematurely wear – this can be the cause of very annoying leeks). Hobby paint is more expensive to by because it is more time consuming to grind the pigments finer. Almost all badger air brushes have the capability of interchanging the air cap, fluid cap and needle. The badger 150 is a very sturdy model, I have one myself. There are three setups available for it: fine, medium and coarse. The set you pick depends on the viscosity of the material you want to spray. I do not know if our IT guy has this page up but you can take a look at toolme.com That’s all that I can post for now, have to go to class.


Matt

[SpaceMouse]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Thanks mattslionel for stopping by.

The regulator I have is for a 30 gallon compressor, but it is brand new (but 20 years old)and if it doesn't topple the Badger 180, it should work. I look closely and see if it has a moisture trap--but I doubt it.