What is the average PSI for most air brushes?
I have an old one that was set up for the little cans of compressed air.
I have run from 25 to 40 PSI depending what type of paint I am using at the time and the finish I am after!
I will adjust the pressure several times until I get the spray pattern I am after.
It also depends on the size of the tip in the Air Brush.
Do not be afraid to experiment with different pressures!
I have a small automotive Touch-up gun that I have run at full pressure of my Air Compressor (125 psi) but then again I was shooting Rustolium Enamel Paint using Lacquer Thinner - I would really cover an old rusty lawn mower deck FAST and the paint went on almost dry! BUT - it would really shine!
BOB H - Clarion, PA
There isn’t really an average setting for pressure. It could be anywhere between high teens to somewhere in the 40s. Several considerations factor into the equation. Type of brush, type of paint, thinning of the paint, type of painting (ie: weathering or actual painting) all play into the setting. Your best bet is to do some testing by spraying a sample on paper or cardboard before you do it for real.
Thanks for the quick response. I had no clue, but then again, my wife things I’m clueless anyway.
I’m not afraid to experiment, I just needed a base to start with.
Actually there are some baseline averages.
Acrylic model paints (water based), thinned to a milky consistency, medium (#3) tip,18-25 psi. For weathering, thinned 20/80 paint/thinner, 15-20 psi.
Airbrushes do not have an adjustment for air pressure, it’s either full on or full off, air pressure is adjusted by a regulator & gauge in line with the air source.
And she married you anyway??? What is that saying about her???[oops][(-D][(-D]
You must have had some other attributes that attracted her!
Good luck with your spray painting and remember, practice makes perfect. (or nearly so.)
Blue Flamer,
P. S. Hang on to the better half. It’s less hassle than trying to break in a new one, and probably cheaper.[sigh]
I agree with the PSI numbers and use an inline regulator and a moisture trap. All air compressors pump a certain amount of moisture into the air and the trap removes it. I use the original Scalecoat and do not want any moisture introduced into the mix. If you are airbrushing into an area that has background detail, lowering the PSI from your normal PSI helps get paint into those tight areas like the tanks and pipes under the running boards of a steam model. If you use higher PSI in those detail areas, it tends to bounce off and not cover those details.
CZ
I generally run a little higher: 30 psi for acrylics and 25 for weathering, but you get the idea.
FWIW, the moisture is in the air already (it’s called humidity). It just gets compressed and concentrated by the compressor, and should be removed.