Airbrushing questions

[Arma]

I have never touched an airbrush in my life, but I do have a few question regarding them and their uses.

* Do people use them to basecoat often?(especially for big vehicles like Falcons, Rhinos, etc)

* I live in Japan which has a massive selection it seems since they have a love with plastic modelling (gundam, etc) can anyone recommend a good brand to buy? (most people recommend Badger I think and dual action). Also what about pricing for decent kit?

* Is it a good idea to use normal GW paints (I guess ok if thinned?) or maybe ones specifically for airburshing (model air by vallejo etc).

Cheers! :beer:

 

[james sequeira]

I have heard top comments about Vallejos airbrush paint range.

 

[angus147258]

Get an iwata or richpen airbrush. Both are japenese as well. A really good miniature airbrush would be the iwata hp c plus. It\'s a good ilistration brush. It would probabley be good for minis too.
Jake

 

[MPJ]

I\'ve owned and used a large number of airbrushes, by far my favorite is the Aztec by Testors. Really nice airbrush that one and easy to take care of.

 

[farseerlum]

the aztecs seem to be a good \"modelers\" airbrush. easy to use and keep clean.

the iwata is a good brush also, probably a more \"artist\" brush but still fine for modeling. of course it needs mroe cleaning and attention than the aztec. i have the HP c plus. i use it mostly for undercoating and then the base colors of a mini.

 

[Legacy Account]

It\'s down to personal taste with airbrushes much of the time. I had an Aztec and hated it to bits.

Iwata make far superior gear. Any acrylic paint will go through an airbrush, it just needs to be thinned down. Vallejo Model Air is good stuff, but it still needs thinning and aint very different to other mini paint really....

 

[The Artisan]

I\'m with Spacemunkie. If you can afford an Iwata then get an Iwata. I\'m lucky enough to own an HP-C and a Micron-SB. They have changed the way I paint everything, from priming to varnishing.

Acrylic paints can be used but the\'re not ideal. If you do go with Acrylics then go with Vallejo model. Ideally you want an alcohol based paint. I recommend Tamiya and Gunze Sangyo is even better (though not easy to find). I guarantee you superior ease of use and results.

One thing to keep in mind. Using an airbrush takes as much practice to perfect as it does a regular brush. You won\'t be producing Golden Daemon quality work in one day.

 

[angus147258]

Ya. Get a good brush that can shoot acrilics well. The eclipse brushes are made for automotive art and therefore shoots mainly uros, why I suggest the hp-c is because it\'s an ilistration brush and shoots acrylics really well. If you plan on doing extensive painting for your minis you might want to get a finer brush. The richpen mojo is BY FAR the finest brush in the world. It would also be a waste of money for miniature painting. (I\'m not so sure if 300 dollars would be worth it for basecoating a mini!) You can really get finer stuff than you\'d think with some of these brushes. Just buy what you can aford.
Jake

 

[Arma]

Thanks everyone, looks like the Iwata is a good idea.. I\'ve found a few package deals in Japan for a compressor and airbrush!

@The Artisan - I live in Japan so model shops here are literally FULL of Tamiya and Gunze stuff...

 

[The Artisan]

If you do decide to use those paints make sure you get the Flat Base X-21. Just a small drop will turn a glossy paint flat. You\'ll really need this if you\'re after a non glossy look. About half of the Tamiya and GS are glossy.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Arma]

Looks like the HP-C is OOP now - the closest thing to it seems to be the HP-CP though the cup size is slightly smaller. Is this the closest to the HP-C? Cheers.

Here\'s the links to the Iwata site.

http://www.anest-iwata.co.jp/english/products/paint/prd/index.html

http://www.anest-iwata.co.jp/english/products/paint/prd/airbrush/hpp.html

 

[The Artisan]

The stats appear to be the same. So I would say yes. You might consider the HP-CH. That is what I actually have. The extra valve is pretty handy for that extra bit of air control. Not necessary but handy.

 

[angus147258]

I was actualy refering to the hp-cp (the hp c plus).
Jake

 

[Modderrhu]

Yes, the HP-C Plus is the replacement for the HP-C. All-round a much improved brush. I got the HP-CH, with which I am mightily pleased.

We aren\'t working on porous media, paper and canvas will trap paint, but metal surfaces won\'t. I found that working at even 1 bar, the air from the brush will push paint all over the mini before the paint dries. That\'s why I\'m glad I got the HP-CH with that little air valve thingie. Drop the air flow, shoot small amounts of paint, and the paint stays on the mini where I want it.

A 0.3mm nozzle is better suited to acrylics too, since it won\'t clog as easily as a 0.2mm nozzle. But you still need to thin acrylics. I use it with GW paints, but thin them 1:20 with water and Future.

Another vote for the Iwata HP-CP, or HP-CH here. However, if you just want it for base-coating, and doing terrain, consider the HP-CS instead. A fair bit cheaper, with a 0.35mm nozzle. It doesn\'t have as fine atomisation, or that preset handle, but; might be perfect for the job you want it for.

The best prices I\'ve seen for Iwata airbrushes is from a seller called ophelia_shop on eBay.

For compressors, get one which has a reasonable cylinder attached to it. Anything that reduces pulsing from the compressor piston or diaphragm is a good thing. And a regulator too. Having an airbrush without a regulator is like driving a car with only one gear.

 

[Arma]

Ah pressure? regulator? 1 bar? I\'ve got a lot to learn but I always insist on getting good kit.

Here is a kit I can get from a site in Japan (I have a choice of 4 brushes, one of which is the HP-CP).

Does this include everything I need?

It\'s 30,000 yen ($250) (£150 ish).

Good value?

 

[Modderrhu]

Hm, I don\'t know that Sprint Jet compressor, but it looks like it\'s got a regulator and a moisture trap. The sorts of questions to ask are; what pressure can it produce, how much airflow, and what\'s the duty cycle? Small compressors are great for doing illustration type stuff, but if you want to prime an entire army, the compressor might struggle to keep the air supply going. Smaller compressors also have issues with thicker paints and heavier pigments, since those paints need higher pressures to atomise completely.

I went to a local hardware store, and picked up a generic compressor that is overkill for almost any airbrushing purposes. It came with a 10 litre cylinder and a regulator too. Cost half as much as a typical airbrush compressor. Just one thing, it\'s makes one hell of a noise... that\'s perhaps the single benefit of a costly airbrush compressor over a far cheaper generic compressor.

Hmmm, the jargon... \'bar\' is a measure of pressure. You might be more familiar with p.s.i. I think it\'s something like 15psi to 1 bar. A regulator is like a tap, but instead of just restricting airflow, it reduces air pressure. So, if the compressor is producing pressure between 5 and 6 bar, you could set the regulator to 2 bar, and the pressure on the other side of the regulator will always be 2 bar, no matter what the compressor is producing. You\'ll typically use the airbrush with pressure between 0.5bar and 2 bar, depending on how much control and atomisation you want. Higher pressures atomise paint better, but result in worse overspray.

Air loses its moisture when it is compressed. This can come through the airline as tiny drops of water, potentially screwing up an otherwise perfectly smooth finish. That\'s the purpose of the moisture trap, to remove the droplets.

So, basically, if the compressor can maintain airflow for painting terrain and priming an army, then it\'s probably a good kit (though you might wish for a bottle-feed or a bigger cup). Value-wise, shop around, the chances are you can pick up a more capable, albeit noisier, compressor and regulator for a far reduced price.

An odd thing about airbrushes and compressors: finer airbrushes can be used with cheaper compressors. Brushes with bottle-feed and bigger nozzle need the beefier compressors.

Mind you, if the barstewards in ZA weren\'t such monopolistic rat-rip-off bartists, I\'d have considered the same kit. Try the equivalent of 700 :cussing: dollars.

 

[The Artisan]

That is a very good deal. I paid that price for my HP-CH alone. I don\'t think you\'ll find a better deal.

 

[airhead]

Mod covered it pretty well. The smaller diaphragm compressors that the airbrush companies sell are fairly quiet. You can stand to be in the same room with them for extended periods.

AIRBRUSHES
I\'ve not used any of the H models, that just looks like a place to have more trouble cleaning. But the \"Plus\" models look just as good if not better than the originals:
http://www.iwata-medea.com/products/airbrush/performance/index.jsp

COMPRESSORS
Like Mod, I went and bought an industrial compressor (5hp - 20 gal tank) that lives in my garage. Piped into my spare bedroom/studio when I was shooting shirts.

My latest compressor is one from Sears:
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&pid=00915300000&cat=Compressors+%26+Air+Tools&subcat=Air+Compressors+%26+Inflators&vertical=TOOL&ihtoken=1

I made them plug in and run several demos on the shelf before I found one I could stand. I use it when I go to my daughter\'s school to help with the costume department in her drama troop.

There are some top end compressors that use rotary compressors (like your refridgerator). Very quiet, very expensive, a bit more tempermental as most of them need the oil checked.

USE
The airbrush is probably the least intuitive tool available to us. Push down on the button for air. Pull back for paint. The more you pull back, the more paint you get. As you get the gun closer to the target, you have to reduce the amout of paint (push foward some) or you will get those wonderful spider/centipede/splash effects.

When you are done, move the trigger foward and release the air. Just releasing the trigger lets it snap foward and may damage the cone. Getting too close to the surface and you will crash the needle (hit the canvas or model). This will put a small hook on the end of the needle resulting in a need to replace it. (you will do this at least once as you learn to do detail - so buy a spare needle).

Have fun and let us know how it goes.

 

[Modderrhu]

@The Artisan: Aye, me too. Haven\'t stopped kicking myself since I saw the HP-CH on eBay for $150. ossessed:

 

[Arma]

http://www.in2art.com/product_popup.php?prodID=5632

Here\'s a link to a decription of the compressor - seems to have a moisture feature. Also mention a feature for airflow adjustment; this is the regulator?

Thanks for the all the help btw, I\'m a new painter never mind new to airbrushes, I\'d like to try my hand at some Gundam stuff here too since it\'s V cheap (for the figs at least).