Heyy guys i want too start spraying but am i on off my rocker for wanting this gun? i dk where too start so any info will help me keeping in mind i cant spend alot [:D]
Thnx Keith
Hi Keith,
I would spend a little more money to get an internal-mix airbrush. I’ve used external-mix models like the Badger 250 you linked to, and I find that it does not atomize paint nearly as fine as an internal-mix model and the external-mix tends to get big-droplet splashes.
A finer atomization means you can lay down a thinner, more even coat.
Go for this one instead: http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/bad/bad200-1.htm
The Badger 200 is a nice, simple single-action internal-mix model. Perfect for the beginner, and it’s cheap too at under $60.
Hope this helps.
Heyy Long Island.
Thanks alot for that link. with that airbrush can use propellent? what is better propellent or a compressor. except compressors are so expensive. also what does it mean internal mix? and is this a god airbrush for weathering? is it fine enough? thanx so much your helping alot!
it all depends on what you want to do with it. if you want it very portable then the cans are great but in the long run they will be more espensive.
airbrushes are one of these things where you really get what you pay for. the badger 200 is a great beginners brush but it is only single action. that makes it dead easy to use and if you just want to squirt some paint then its ideal. BUT in 6 months or a years time are you going to want to have some fun with your brush and try some painting? do you have a doughter that will see it arrive in the post and instantly want her nails done?
i really would not recommend an external mix airbrush unless you are spraying ceramic glazes.
the good news is that you dont have to spend alot of money on a posh compressor. i dont have a moisture trap and i really dont think i need one for the 10 minute jobs i do (how long does it take to spray a box car? 4 minutes?)
more expensive compressors come with a resevoir. but if you have a decend hose then the hose itsself will act as a good resevoir and so you dont need the resevoir!
the one think i would recommed to anyone is dont underestimate the need for a decent hose. the cheap crappy plastic ones that come with the sets work but the braided hoses are infinatly more flexible and much nicer to use.
i have a cheap compressor with a £20 hose and a badger 155 Anthem. the Anthem is the only one of the badgers that will not get you laughed at buy graphic artists! i also use it for nail painting and glass painting and some other work i do now and then.
try and get the opiniong of graphic artists, model railroaders use airbrushes mabye once a week. graphic artists used to use them evry day. but bear in mind that enamels and acrylics are very different mediums to what they are used to. they are much thicker. a very posh graphic artists IWATA brush may make a lousey brush for model painting. i have a half decent bru***hat simply wont take the enamals that i us
Here’s an HO-scale engine I weathered with the Badger 200: http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=-1&TOPIC_ID=60073&REPLY_ID=673535#673535
The roof areas around the fan are misted with a bit of engine black to simulate engine exhaust/soot.
The hood sides were weathered with chalk to simulate fading paint, and the chalk is sealed up with a spray of Testor’s Dullcote from the airbrush.
Yes, that particular engine is my pride-and-joy. [;)]
One factor (besides price) to consider is that an internal mix airbrush is harder to keep clean, especially if you’re going to use water-based acrylic paints. Those paints dry so fast it is easy to get your airbrush gummed up pretty fast. I have used fairly expensive internal mix airbrushes (Testors Aztec and a couple of Badgers) that had trouble with acrylics. I ended up using a very cheap external-mix Badger and now a Testors external mix airbrush. It’s true the result isn’t quite as good as with a more expensive brush, but I can use them year after year with no problems…plus if you’re starting out, wouldn’t hurt to get the simpler external mix for $10-20 and save your money to buy a decent compressor. You can always add a more expensive brush later after getting used to the external cheapo unit.
“One factor (besides price) to consider is that an internal mix airbrush is harder to keep clean” i could not agree more. airbrushes really are like scientific instruments and should be kept spotlessly clean. that takes as long as the painting! but the brush if taken care of will out last the user.
i have never had paint build up with my badger but did on the other brush. it coated the needle and clogged the nozzle.
Peter
Do not immediately dismiss a single action. You may be like me, unwilling and unable to practice enough to get good with a double action, and without an artistic bone in your body. Don’t overlook a Paasche H either. VERY good starter airbrush, and still the one I prefer 35 years later.
You can get a very decent compressor, with a small tank, in the $50 to $70 range at hardware or home improvement centers. As long as it has a discharge pressure regulator it’ll work.
An external mix airbrush is very good for a beginner. The Badger airbrush you’re looking at is very good. May I recommend though that you look at the Testor’s Aztek external mix airbrush. It’s available from Wal-mart and costs less than the Badger. I’ve done some excellent pieces with it and have no complaints. A word of advice. Lose the propellant cans. Get a compressor. It make all the difference in the world.
Can we see the pieces? I have the airbrush, but Im out of propellent. I dont think I’m thinning the paint right.