Air brush recommendation

[Gwolfe]

I am an N-scale modeler seeking recommendations for a basic air brush system. 1) What parameters/specs should I look for? 2) Can run an air brush using my shop compressor or should I purchase a stand-alone compressor? 3) What are the pros and cons of using a canned compressed air to power the system - at least as a start? 4) Micro-Mart offers a Testors set that includes everything for $189 (a little steep for my budget) http://www.micromark.com/complete-airbrush-system,10235.html - is this a good deal for a new kid? Thanks for your advice. Glenn (building the MR Salt Lake Route)

[Gwolfe]

Apologies - I would value input to my questions but I hadn't searched through the numerous threads on this topic before I posted. Thanks for your input and your patience. Glenn

[gandydancer19]

 

You can use your shop compressor. I do, but I have added a second regulator and water trap just for the air brush line. I tried caned air at first, but it doesn't last long and the can freezes on the outside and reduces the pressure available. Not a good choice in my opinion.

I also prefer an internal mix air brush that has a large color cup built in on top, known as a gravity feed air brush. Either single action or double action. A single action brush is easier to use, but a double action one is more versatile.

I wouldn't start by getting a set. To expensive and probably more stuff than you need. Get what you want in pieces. It saves money and also spreads out the expense some.  If you are going to use acrylic paints, the tip and nozzle on the air brush should be a larger one.

You can also use a large cardboard box for a spray booth. I have one that I put a range hood on top of. It works just as good as the expensive ones.

[Medina1128]

I  have a couple of Paasche 200s and an inexpensive one that I bought from Airbrush City The Airbrush City one is a decent one (my first one), but I use the Paasches almost exclusively, now.

[wsdimenna]

the new iwata brushes clean so easy.  That's my next purchase. they also make nice portable compressors for moving around layout when doing scenery

[CTValleyRR]

Gwolfe

I am an N-scale modeler seeking recommendations for a basic air brush system. 1) What parameters/specs should I look for? 2) Can run an air brush using my shop compressor or should I purchase a stand-alone compressor? 3) What are the pros and cons of using a canned compressed air to power the system - at least as a start? 4) Micro-Mart offers a Testors set that includes everything for $189 (a little steep for my budget) http://www.micromark.com/complete-airbrush-system,10235.html - is this a good deal for a new kid? Thanks for your advice. Glenn (building the MR Salt Lake Route)

I've never run an airbrush on a shop compressor...but compressed air is compressed air.  Just make sure you can regulate it down to the right pressure.  And a moisture trap is a good idea.

Canned air is the exception to the "compressed air is compressed air" rule.  Too much trouble.  Expensive, too.

That Testors kit isn't a bad deal at all.  It's what I started with (albeit quite a few years ago).  My wife paid $69.99 for it.  Nothing in the kit is top of the line, but it certainly will get you started.  The only thing in the kit I've never used is one of the nozzles, which is too fine for an "acrylics only" guy like me.  You won't get a top quality paint job from this kit, but it's quite serviceable (besides, when first starting out, YOU will definitely be the biggest obstacle to a top quality finish).  Used to come with an instructional video that's exceptionally well done.  Don't know if it does or not now (doesn't mention it in the write up).  Personally, even at $189, I'm not sure how you can get a brush, cleaning station (essential, BTW), and a compressor at that price (although I HAVEN'T priced stuff recently, I'm thinking a compressor alone will cost more than that).

Actually, you'll probably need more pipettes than come with the kit, and if you're a fan of gravity feed cups (as I am), you'll want more of those, too, but none of that is expensive.

I've since upgraded both the brush and the compressor, but the compressor lasted me 4 or 5 years, and the brush a few more after that.  And I stuck with Aztek, the brand of brush in the kit.

[Texas Zepher]

Gwolfe

Apologies - I would value input to my questions but I hadn't searched through the numerous threads on this topic before I posted. Thanks for your input and your patience. Glenn

My complements.   Many (most) never think to do that.   This is about the 4th most asked question on the forum.   If you have already read them you probably know my advice is you cannot go wrong with Passche, don't buy an Aztek, and there are many other good ones out there.  I used to like Thayer before they merged with Chandler, don't know about them now.  Sometimes it gets confusing because recently the brand names have been changing like running water.  Dual action brushes give the user much more control.   Gravity feed vs siphon feed to me depends on the volume of paint being used.  Gravity feeds tend to be smaller amounts of paint.  I have both.  In fact I have one Passche that is either depending on the cup used.  Careful with acrylic paint as it can clog air brushes really quickly.

As for your compressor, compressed air is compressed air.  Just make certain it doesn't have too much humidity in it.   They make water traps just for that purpose.  I don't have that problem being in an arid climate, so I can't say much else.   And finally put a pressure limiter in to get the pressure down to airbrush level.

[hornblower]

Some novice airbrush users never become comfortable with one or find the right thinning and air pressure requirements to achieve the results they're looking for.  Since you already have a compressor, I would recommend (and I know I'll get nuked for this) trying a single action airbrush from Harbor Freight Tools first.  No, they are not Iwata/Paasche/Badger quality but they are good enough to let you get a feel for airbrushing without great expense (about $10 list price).  You can also get a nice dual action unit for around $20 list price.  Both units go on sale often.  I got mine for $6 and $15 respectively.  Though I have heard that some people only swear at them, I have achieved rather nice results painting numerous locos, structures, vehicles, etc. as well as weathering all of these using one or both of these air brushes.  As long as you keep them clean they seem to work quite well.  If you eventually find you'd like better quality gear, you have at least gained a little experience with either or both types of air brushes at little expense.  If, like me, you learn to use the HFT products to your satisfaction, there is really no need to spend significantly more money on name brand air brushes.

One other thing -- If you like to paint somewhere besides where your air compressor is housed, you can use a portable air tank to power your air brushes.  I have a 12 gallon tank left over from my racing days that gives about 20 continuous minutes of airbrush time before I need to recharge.  Best of all, the tank is nearly silent during use.

[CTValleyRR]

Texas Zepher

 

don't buy an Aztek,

Why not?  I have an Aztek A470 and am very happy with it.  I especially like the ergonomic design.  If have used brushes by Badger and Iwata too, and don't see any significant difference in performance or ease of use.  I also like the interchangeable nozzles, paint cups, and siphon bottles.

[Gwolfe]

I appreciate the thoughtful responses. You've all given me a good start on my airbrush homework. Glenn

[n2mopac]

I too am an N scaler. Personally I use a single action Badger 200 series airbrush--which I am very happy with--and a Paasche compressor--good constand pressure and pretty quiet.

"Can run an air brush using my shop compressor or should I purchase a stand-alone compressor?" You can run it with the shop compressor, but make sure you have a GOOD regulator and a water trap. You don't want to be running 150 psi through  your airbrush.

"What are the pros and cons of using a canned compressed air to power the system - at least as a start?" I did this for a while with a cheap Testors airbrush. The cans lose compression FAST, so if you are doing much airbrushing at all you will go through a lot of cans--may be cheaper in the long run to invest in a compressor.

Ron

[delray1967]

I have a Badger 150 dual action airbrush (Love it! - easy to use, easy to clean, has good balance).  Mostly I use the medium needle and tip, I don't think I ever tried the Fine or Coarse needle/tip sets. 

Compressor is Husky brand with around a 20gal tank; the tank is important because it evens out the pulsing air coming directly from the compressor.  I turn it on and about 6 minutes later, I have a tank full of 160psi air - enough for more than an hour of silent spraying (just remember to turn it off once it's full or it will surprise the crap out of you when it kicks back on.lol). 

Regulator and moisture trap essential!  Don't skimp on these, IMHO it's nice to have precise control from 0-20 psi ( I usually spray at less than 20 psi). The regulator on the compressor isn't good enough, I set it to less than 60 psi (the max my airbrush regulator will accept) and fine tune the psi for spraying at the booth (by about 2psi increments).  A tiny water droplet will ruin a paint job - especially if you spray solvents (it's like mixing oil and water). 

I am in this hobby for the rest of my life, if you buy quality tools, life will be good!  It may take a while to save up for, but I doubt you will regret it.  You are on the right track, read as much as you can so you learn by others' mistakes/ successes, watch how-to videos on youtube (most are for spraying cars/motorcycles,etc but encourage good habits and are applicable to airbrushing anything, not to mention inspiring).  Get some cheap paint (not crappy paint, just the cheapest, quality paint you can find-color doesn't matter, don't buy old paint, it sometimes gets clumpy) and start spraying cardboard or paper to get the hang of it.  You will get clogs, the paint will be the wrong consistency, the tip will need cleaning, spatters will happen and it will teach you to take it apart and clean it properly.  Better to screw up a sheet of paper or cardboard, than a $300 BLI diesel.

If possible, go to a store where you can hold the airbrush in your hand to see how it is balanced; this isn't critical, but just about every airbrush performs the same; the way it feels may be drastically different to you - also see how easy it is to take apart and clean...you will be doing this often.  I don't like gravity fed guns, sometimes I need to load up a bottle and spray 6 or 7 autorack underframes and I don't want to keep loading color into the cup.  I've found I want a swivel connector (and I think a smaller air hose) to make things a little more comfortable, and a couple (maybe just one more) bottles for additional colors. 

I built my own 2'x4' spray booth with a nice squirrel cage blower.  I did research on requirements of a spray booth, mine gets really close to the 'recommended' ratings but may be a little overkill for most people (I like to over-think, over-build, and over-analyze my projects.lol).  For infrequent spraying you could probably get away using a big bathroom fan (really, CFM's are misleading-the motor driving the fan needs to be stronger than most exhaust fans rated for bathroom use; but it may work well enough in your case, depending).

[Train Modeler]

We use Paasche double action powered by a 5 HP, 25 Gal compressor with additional dryer and filter.

Richard

[matthewd5]

I just got my first airbrush, it's a badger 350 and it was like $54 but it was at Michael's craft store and if you join their member club they send out 40-50% off coupons pretty often

so with my wife's coupon it was like $24

also, they had a DVD on weathering scale plastic and meta things but the DVD went way beyond that and served as a great primer for airbrush 101

i already had a porter cable compressor and I had an adaptor that came with the compressor that went between the compressor and the ten foot long optional cable I bought that was also a badger

matthew

[doctorwayne]

delray1967

.....If possible, go to a store where you can hold the airbrush in your hand to see how it is balanced; this isn't critical, but just about every airbrush performs the same; the way it feels may be drastically different to you - also see how easy it is to take apart and clean...you will be doing this often.  I don't like gravity fed guns, sometimes I need to load up a bottle and spray 6 or 7 autorack underframes and I don't want to keep loading color into the cup.  I've found I want a swivel connector (and I think a smaller air hose) to make things a little more comfortable, and a couple (maybe just one more) bottles for additional colors....

Delray 1967 has pretty-much covered everything which I was going to mention, and if you're going to do any amount of painting, I wouldn't bother with a gravity feed brush, either.  Many times, I'm painting two or three dozen cars at a time, or large structures that might use a couple small bottles of paint.  My Paasche VL accepts several paint manufacturers bottles, including Floquil, PollyScale, Testors, Accupaint, and the discontinued PollyS colours, including the small 1oz. bottles.  I usually have about two dozen of the latter type in-use at any given time, and in most cases (if you plan your sequence of painting carefully) you won't need to clean the brush until all of the painting is completed, regardless of how many colours you're spraying.  If you do, even a dual action brush like the VL takes less than two minutes to clean thoroughly. 
If the brush which you choose doesn't readily accept the bottles in which your most-used brand of paint is sold, consider modifying a cap, from a used-up bottle, to fit the airbrush - some brass tubing and a couple of holes in the cap, following the example of the cap which comes with the brush should do the trick.  As you use-up paint, clean the empty bottles and their caps (useful for storing left-over thinned paint), and your home-made siphon cap will fit them all.

I also built my own spray booth using material I had on hand.  The fan is from an old air hockey game, and has been working flawlessly for over 30 years.
  
One thing which no one has yet mentioned is breathing apparatus.  If you don't have a spray booth, you should at least wear a dust mask when spraying water-based paints - atomised paint of any type is not something you should be inhaling.  If you're spraying lacquer-based paints, even with a spray booth, wear a good two stage respirator.  Both the paint particles and the vapours are harmful.  With a proper respirator, you will not even smell the thinner.  I use mine even when spraying acrylics, as I find their smell irritating.

Wayne

[Soo Line fan]

Make sure the type you choose has good parts support. I have a Badger and the LHS always has the O rings and other spare parts in stock.

[Texas Zepher]

CTValleyRR

Texas Zepher

don't buy an Aztek,

Why not?  I have an Aztek A470 and am very happy with it.  I especially like the ergonomic design.  If have used brushes by Badger and Iwata too, and don't see any significant difference in performance or ease of use.  I also like the interchangeable nozzles, paint cups, and siphon bottles.

Oh where to begin. The interchangeable nozzles do not do what they are "advertised" to do.  I have the whole set (another stuipid purchase) and have tried them all.  For example the "narrow/fine" nozzle sprays larger pattern than the wide angle, and all of them are sloppy.  I finally decided the grey "general purpose" was about the best.  It seems to behave about the same as a normal Badger external mix brush.   In general it splatters way too much.  It leaks internally, so that after about 15 minutes of constant use the paint starts dripping out the trigger and air hose holes all over ones hand.  The threaded hose connection on the brush is a bizzaro size to which none of my normal air hoses will attach.  The cheapo hose it comes with is too small a diameter requiring a higher air pressure and kinks too easily.  The two stage trigger does not apply the paint in a nice linear fashion, but more geometric requiring a really fine touch to get the exact amount of paint desired.   

On the other hand I do like the wide/tall body that is easier to hold in ones hand.

[CTValleyRR]

I can't account for any of the issues you're having, especially with regard to the nozzles. In about ten years of using it, I''ve never had this happen. I have four different nozzles, each of which produces a distinctly different spray pattern. Only the very fine liner is a little wider than advertised. I suspect this may be a cleaning issue, or the little needles inside are bent. Same with the hose -- mine fits fine on both the mini blue it came with and my current Badger compressor.. The trigger takes practice, but as I said, I find it no harder or easier than other models I''ve tried.

[matthewd5]

I've since moved up to a badger 155, got it for 40% off at michaels and it both a bottle feed and a funnel feed, it does both

i have a 105 that was nice but I ran out of paint too often doing buildings or sceniking

i added a water trap inline and my shop compressor set to below 30psi works great

matthew

[Schuylkill and Susquehanna]

I'd recommend on of the Paasche "H" sets.  The "H" is a simple single-action airbrush with easy adjustments to paint flow, and older versions have a set screw to adjust air flow.  On newer models, some built-up masking tape works just as well.  The new "H" set that I got contains the airbrush, hose, paint cup, paint bottle, and three sizes of nozzle for the airbrush (fine, normal, and large.)  Cleaning the "H" is very easy, and disassembly and assembly are simple.  I usually do a quick cleaning by running thinner through the airbrush after each use, and then twice a year I completely disassemble the airbrush and soak it in thinner to remove any residue.  In my opinion, the Passche "H" is the best airbrush you can by.  The set costs about $80.

S&S

[maxman]

Gwolfe

Can run an air brush using my shop compressor

Okay, I have a question for the experts.  Seems to me that some "shop" compressors have an oil supply.  They are not what we would call oil-less compressors.  If this is the compressor type in question, will the normal filter/regulator/water trap take care of any oil carryover, or is this type compressor totally non-useable?

[viperj]

When using the compressed air in a can put it in a pan of water, this will cut out the condensation on the can and utilize all of its contents.

[matthewd5]

I posted way back when this thread was new, I started with a badger 350 and then I got a great deal on a badger patriot 105 which is a dual action gravity fed

I really liked the double action but occasionally found myself running out of paint

So now I also have a badger 155 anthem which is the best of both worlds, it's double action and it's changeable between an pen funnel cup and also has a larger bottle for larger painting jobs

So I put a fine detail kit into the 105 and switch between the two depending on the job at hand

I've learned that you really need to play around with the air pressure setting!