Just wondering because I want to upgrade my testors dual action internal mix airbrush to a paash, badger or iawatha. Which type is better internal or external mix? Single action or dual action? Is one more universal than the other in the way of spray pattern(fine, medium, or large area coverage.) I want to start painting my fleet and want a good one that I don’t have to fuss around with too much. As far as the three types I have listed in your experience which is your favorite or gives you the best job for your money.
I appoligize if this has been covered elsewhere but anytime i search for something i get single responses listed a million times instead of topics. It is just easier to ask the question. Any thoughts on what I may be doing wrong in the search
I own a paashe double action internal mix air brush and i love it. i’d go with the double action brush because the paint is a lot more controllable than it is with a single action brush. It’s kind of tricky to get used to, because you have to push down on the button to get air and then pull back on it to get the paint to come out but with a little practice it works great.
My entire set up is a 2 gallon compressor that i got at walmart, an inline regulator with a moisture trap, an inline paper cartridge filter, and a paashe double action air brush. I also own a badger single action brush but since purchasing the paashe airbrush, it’s the only one i use now.
There is no one best airbursh. I’m going to go against the grain on this one and say that for the purpose that you describe a good single action, internal mix airbrush would be my recommendation. The reason is that you’ve described wanting to do general painting of your loco fleet. A single action will give you good, even, consistent paint application that you may not get with a dual action since the paint flow is controlled by how far back you pull the trigger. This could lead to uneven paint application. For painting large pieces such as locos, rolling stock or buildings you good even coverage over a broad area. Leave the dual action brushes for detail work and for weathering. To go with this you’ll need a good compressor with a storage tank, vapor trap and a regulator. You’ve seen my setup, nothing fancy, but highly functional. Remember, that compressor set-up is also good for the grit blaster set-up I showed you.
I agree with jktrains, except I really like the Badger external mix single action for large jobs. #250 I think. I have 3 of them. One for white, the other 2 for colors. They are easily cleaned, and make it easy to change colors quick too.
I also have a Paasche VL-S and another off brand dual action that I use for other more delicate jobs, where you need more control.
Everyone thank you for the responses. I have the aztec dual action airbrush that i have had for a long time when i was building 1/24 model cars. It does a good job but it is hard to control the proper flow of paint. I like the fact that you can change the tips easily but to change colors it required a complete cleaning. very time consuming. I was leaning toward the single action possibly external mix to cut down on cleaning time. But i had never used one and was a litttle iffy on it. I do have a 1 gallon compressor with moisture trap and also a badger air compressor with no tanks and a pressure guage.
Jk i am going to steal your idea for the sand blasting booth and have my eye on your air eraser on a website i found. I think I will probably get a single action and keep the aztec dual for detail stuff. It does do a good job of that as I have weathered an engine house before we moved.