Hey guys.
What’s a good air brush to buy to get painting? The easier the better!
Thanks
Sheldon
you are going to get a lot of opinions on this one. my favorite is and has always been the Paasche model VL. it takes a little learning and practice to get really good with it but once you get on to it, it will do just about any job you want.
charlie
There is lots of good air brushes out there. All will be ‘junk’ if you do not clean them after every use! Myself, I have the following:
- Badger 200 - Internal Mix - Single Action. Bought it in the 60’s, and still going. About $100+ MSRP
- Badger 105 - ‘Patriot’ model. A dual action top ‘cup’ fed unit. Very nice. (MSRP $100) - I bought mine as a ‘show special’ from Badger at the 2010 NTS.
- Harbor Freight - This is a dual action/internal mix model. It appears to be made by Badger - But the price is only $20! I bought this about two weeks ago, and it performs great.
I bought the Badger 200 in about 1966, it still works today(46 years). If you are ‘serious’ about using an air brush, get one through Harbor Freight or Air Brush City(both are on the ‘web’). And buy a small compressor if you do not have one. The propellant cans are a waste of money. You will need a ‘regulator’ to adjust the air pressure down to the 15-35 psi range. I have a W R Brown unit I picked up over 20 years ago and produces a max of 35 psi of air pressure. If you already have a larger ‘shop or garage’ air compressor, consider getting an air tank and regulator. You can fill the tank out in the garage and paint all evening without the air compressor ‘noise’.
Just about ALL brands of air brushes will work. You get what you pay for. Thayer & Chandler, Paasche, Testors, Binks and Tamiya all have produced great finishes on train models. Good results are in the hands of the modeler.
Jim
:
What’s the difference between a single and double action brush?
Try this link. It explains things rather well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbrush . As a general rule a single action airbrush is easier for a beginner to master. Some folks will disagree of course.
Joe
LikemJoe, I thought a single action would be easier, too, but then I attended a clinic which was taught using a dual action model and was surprised at how easy it is. If you have the opportunity to try a couple of different types (like at a train show), I would do that, then get the one that you prefer and practice with it before you try to use it. I set up an easel and used some cheap watercolor paints until I got the hang of it.
with a single action air brush you control the amount of paint. With a double action you control the air also. normally push down on the trigger for paint and pull back for air.
I have a Badger 150 and love it. If you just need an airbrush for one project, I’d get the cheap one from Harbor Freight; if you see yourself using it for years for a number of different projects, I’d spend more money. I’m partial to Badger (but they are all (for the most part) equal in quality,what they can spray, how well they spray,etc); check the availability of accessories, spare parts and support for whatever brand you choose.
Go for the Dual Action, it’s just easier to work with (just pull all the way back and blast out any clogs or pull the needle back and, with no air, clean the dry paint from the nozzle with a Q-Tip, without risk of damaging the needle tip). Also, see how easy it is to take apart to clean; a BIG part of airbrushing is cleaning everything really well (any serious retailer will show you how to break it down and clean it). Hint: use lacquer thinner to clean it; it just about dissolves dry acrylic paint in seconds.
Lots of videos (not just for MRR) online for airbrush lessons/tutorials…very helpful for beginners (like us). Do the exercises, spray thin horiz lines to fill several sheets, then make vertical ones; next, try a wavy lane, ‘dagger’ strokes, dots, fades, etc You will use all those techniques during weathering. Don’t forget the dedicated airbrush artist forums; folks there own several (dozens even!) airbrushes and have opinions for each, depending on the job at hand. Just don’t get too distracted with airbrushing (those guys do amazing stuff!) and remember, you have a railroad to build/paint. 
If you can afford it, get a cheap one, play with it, and upgrade later if you want to; or save buying a cheap one and go for any ‘pro’ Internal Mix, Dual Action airbrush (get a bottom feed so you can use a bottle, the built in paint cups are pretty small if you plan on spraying a lot of color (my opinion). You can thin just about any paint, but I picked up a 'read
I’ve only used a single action airbrush. When doing weathering with the single action, I would use a highly thinned ratio of paint to thinner to get the subtle weathering effects. With a double action, would you say that you could use the standard ratio of paint to thinner, instead of a highly thinned ratio, and get the same subtle effects?
Obviously, I’m still trying to figure out the difference between different types of airbrushes. If the above is correct, would that make a single action better for solid color painting, like for painting a locomotive? I read above about having people having several different airbrushes, so I’m trying to figure out why someone would use more than one.
Any double action users here?
I’ve only used a single action airbrush. When doing weathering with the single action, I would use a highly thinned ratio of paint to thinner to get the subtle weathering effects. With a double action, would you say that you could use the standard ratio of paint to thinner, instead of a highly thinned ratio, and get the same subtle effects?
Obviously, I’m still trying to figure out the difference between different types of airbrushes. If the above is correct, would that make a single action better for solid color painting, like for painting a locomotive? I read above about having people having several different airbrushes, so I’m trying to figure out why someone would use more than one.
I have 3 air brushes and they are all double action guns, the primary difference is that with a double action brush you can get a smaller line of paint. Now, with that said the size of the small line of spray depends on many factors, size of needle, amount of air your pushing through (by pressing down) and how much paint your pushing through (pulling back).
Why do I have 3 brushes (or as they are commonly called, guns) one an Iwata HB-B can spray a line as fine as a sharpened pencil. But you have to thing the paint for this brush as it has a VERY fine point needle, it is gravity fed. Iwata HP-BCS Eclipse is bottle fed (suction) it has a much bigger needle and can spray Floquil without thinning it at all. Then I have an Iwata Eclipse G6 I use this for painting parts of my layout, it can spray thick paint like the HP-BCS but can take a larger container.
Single actions are fine, but you have no control over the amount of paint vs air mixture. Not all guns are created equal in my opinion, I have had 9 different brushes in my lifetime and have been using the 3 Iwatas for the past 18 years and would never use anything else. Badger makes some nice brushes too though. I would never
you will get many opinions because air brushes are somewhat like automobiles. once somebody spends the money to buy it, he often swears by the one he chose. may be kind of an ego thing.
you will also get some good, straightforward answers here.
personally, i started out with a paasche model VL and i still have it… not the simplest but once i learned through practice i was able to do anything i wanted with it… i never saw any reason to try anything else. had i been displeased with the paasche, then i might have tried another but that never happened
experimentation is the key. get some cheap paint and experiment with different ratios of thinner, air pressure, distance from target, needle size, etc. etc.
only real problem i ever had was one time when i dropped the needle and bent the tip. luckily a paint supply store in St Louis had the part in stock.
another bit of unsolicited advice, if you have access to a professional paint supply store and i don’t mean the paint department at wally world, they can turn you on to a lot of supplies that will work well for you and cost a whole lot less that those you buy though the hobby dealers. yes, than includes paint.
be happy in your work,
Charlie