from the repleys on the painting thread, I’m led to believe that: I can get a inexpenceive, external mix,singel acton, airbrush ,under $30, a compresser, also low cost, Ican then use craft paints ‘‘apple barrel’’ thinned with disstilled water, and get decent results.
Am I correct?
You might give it a try, but I am not convinced that you will be happy with the results you get from a cheap airbrush, a cheap compressor and cheap paints.
I tried that and it was a complete waste of money. A decent beginner´s kit (airbrush with various nozzles, cups, jars and a compressor) will take you to the $ 200 region.
UNCLEBUTCH:
‘Cheap’ airbrush - yes. You can apply a decent coat of paint with one. I would stick to the ones offered by North American suppliers as opposed to overseas. In other words, don’t go for the absolute lowest price, but $30 - $40 will get you something useable. There have been many endorsements of inexpensive air brushes on the forums. What you will not be able to do is things like fine lines, unless of course you mask the model properly.
Cheap compressor - yes. I’m not talking about the tiny hobby style compressors without a tank. A three gallon tank will give you consistant air pressure for airbrushing purposes. Like I said, you are not going to inflate transport truck tires with it.
Craft paints - NO! OK, for scenery maybe, but not rolling stock. (I can just hear the howls now from those who use craft paints. I can guarantee that they had to practise a lot with them before they could get good results). Buy a couple of bottles of different brands of paint and experiment with them. Some you will like, others you may not. Buying ‘airbrush ready’ paints is the best bet when you are starting out. Once you can get an even coat of paint down, then experiment further if you wish to.
Also, buy yourself a couple of practice models to learn on. Cheap Tyco is ideal. Painting an actual model as opposed to just spraying a sheet of cardboard will teach you volumes about how much paint to apply so you don’t get runs and don’t cover up all the details.
Further, clean your airbrush immediately after you are finished using it. Don’t put the cap on the paint jar first, don’t move the painted models to your work bench first, don’t go for a visit to the loo. CLEAN the airbrush!!! I use laquer thinner. Don’t breath the fumes. Maybe get yourself a set of micro wire brushes designed for air brush cleaning, but be gentle with them. In fact, be gentle with all the parts of the air brush, the needle in particular!
Once you have lea
I agree with David. There are excellent modelling paints out there at decent prices. The craft paints can be used but you will need to dilute and filter them. You will also need a good primer and several coats. I did it once because I wanted a specific color I could not find elsewhere (I’m not good at mixing…). But not worth the hassle otherwise. There are several threads here on paint - try the search function. Good luck!
Dave is always full of good advice, the above statement is the best advise anyone can give you!!!
Dave is right about airbrushing with crafters paints, it takes a lot of practice to do it perfect but it can be done.
If you want to paint thin lines then the only way to go is with a good dual action airbrush not a cheapie. For general painting the Harbor Freight airbrushes work very good.
My main use would be buildings and such,so I wouldn’t need fine lines, and then if I get good enuff maybe some weathering.I don’t think I would ever need to paint rolling stock.
I did a search,that took most of my day,was raining anyway, but learned a lot.Many said that the H.F.equipment is a good way to get started at a reasonable price. But then I found a MicroLux from MicroMark, about same price,
Anybody got experence with it?
thanks
I have the MicroMark Microlux single action airbrush and like it a lot. I’ve used it mostly for structures but it should do well for weathering rolling stock. i use a Paasche VL double action for finer work.
Joe
Watch out for the shipping costs… You will need to do your math. I purchased a compressor in Canada that appears to be the same as the one sold at Harbor Freight. It is quiet and works quite well. Simon
I bought a single-action Pasche H airbrush and an “airbrush compressor” a few years ago to paint structures with. A single action airbrush works great unless you are looking for very fine lines. The little airbrush compressor couldn’t maintain pressure very well and this caused inconsistent performance and clogs even using good airbrush paint. I bought a small pancake compressor and used the dryer that came with the airbrush compressor, and no more problems since.
As mentioned cleaning right away is very important, so be sure to get some small cleaning brushes. I paint with acrylics, mostly Model Master and Tamyia. Rinsing with water gets most of the paint, then I soak the tip parts in Aztek cleaner. Other cleaners will work but the acrylic cleaner is cheap, not stinky and a small bottle lasts a long time.
I haven’t tried using the cheap acrylics but imagine that they might work OK through a single-action airbrush if well mixed and strained, and you have a big enough compressor to maintain pressure. The little battery powered mixers are very inexpensive and work great, and I highly recommend investing in one.
You don’t need to spend a lot of money on an airbrush, and cleaning brushes and a paint mixer are cheap. Most of the investment is in the compressor.
As others have mentioned - cleaning is the key to air brush success.
I have a Badger 200 from way back(single action/internal mix).
I also have a Badger 105 ‘Patriot’(dual action/internal mix).
One of the advantages of an internal mix air brush is the very fine mist at low air pressure for weathering. Many external mix air brushes will be rather ‘splotty’ at low pressure, unless you buy the fine tip.
A friend has the HF dual action/internal mix air brush. For about $20 it appears to be rather nice. I bought one with their catalog coupon, but have not really put it to the test.
Jim
Air Brush Smair Brush. LION uses PAINT BRUSHES. Him has no intention of taking the time to CLEAN an air brush.
Things that need CLEANING are not found on the Layout of the LION.
ROAR
I don’t want to throw a monkey wrench into the discussion, but it takes no longer to learn to get good results with craft paints then it does to learn to get good results airbrushing with any paint.
Even model paints need to be made to the proper consistency to spray properly, and practice to get a good coat without runs, etc…
Although, you would have to use either Flow Aid, or the specially designed acrylic thinners, otherwise the craft paints tend to separate if only distilled water is used…
A good consistency to aim for is 2% milk.
And, making sure that you get good coverage and no runs takes practice. No more than using any kind of paint though. Once you learn how to airbrush with one paint, any other will also work.
Just make sure proper technique, and consistency, is used, and you will be able to use any paint needed. Some require different thinners, or different clean up, but, all need proper airbrushing technique, and consistency of paint to spray, and any paint (to an extent) will work.
Note: In no way am I saying that craft paints work better than model paints, as model paints have their place. I use Modelflex, and ModelMaster Acrylic’s on a frequent basis. I also have Vallejo’s Acrylic surface primer as my go-to. So, yes, model paints have their place in your painting arsenal.
But, I am saying don’t overlook craft paint as being in your arsenal as well.
And, for those looking for a dead flat paint, craft paints are just that. They dry dead flat, and stick to almost anything.
Don’t overlook them only because they are cheap, or because they take work to use correctly.
Yes, airbrushing with craft paint takes practice, and they need to be mixed properly, but airbrushing with model paints takes practice, and need to be mixed properly as well.
Hi Ricky W:
Just for the record, when I said “No” to craft paints, I was directing that advice to someone who had no air brushing experience at all and in all likelyhood would be learning on their own.
I totally agree that craft paint can be used and will do a good job, but if someone is just starting out I think it could be a very frustrating experience figuring out how to get the right consistency, pressure, volume etc. Starting with ‘air brush ready’ paint would give them a better idea of what consistency the paint should be for spraying. That would eliminate at least one variable.
On the other hand, if that same person were to have an experienced craft paint user teaching them, then I agree it would make no difference.
Dave
I, too, use paint brushes, in addition to using an airbrush. The myth about the time needed to clean an airbrush is probably why a lot of airbrushes spend their entire time forgotten in drawer.
Even with my less-dexterous-than-they-once-were hands, a complete disassembly and cleaning of my double action Paasche VL takes less than two minutes. I use all types of model paints and use lacquer thinner for clean-up. A pipe cleaner, dipped in thinner, quickly cleans all internal passages, while the tip and aircap soak for a few seconds in thinner in the colour cup (I never use it for painting - too small for most jobs and too fussy to clean). The needle is wiped with lacquer thinner on a rag. The airbrush has been in service for over 35 years.
Whether I’m painting a batch of models, like this…
…or simply applying a bit of Dulcote to newly-applied re-weigh data on a couple of cars, like this…
…difficulty of cleaning your airbrush is not a valid excuse for not using it.
Wayne
I have had a Badger 200 (I think), a Paasche H, and currently operate a dual-action Harder-Steenbeck Infinity. I have used air sources like a hobby compressor, Canadian Tire air tool compressor, and air bottle. I usually use the hobby compressor (with a water trap) as it is the quietest for continuous running. The air bottle was one of those for emergency tire fill-ups but I always forgot to refill it once it was depleted. The tool compressor was loud but the air reservoir lasted long enough for a few minutes respite (enough for a couple of colours). I like being able to finesse my paint line thickness but it takes a lot of practice to become adept. For buildings a single-action is perfect. As for paint, once you get the right consistency it will spray just fine. If you thin it too much to go through the airbrush then you have less pigment from cheaper paints so it may look chalky. More expensive paints have finer pigments and can take being thinned down. At the end of the day, you usually get what you pay for but you don’t want to by buying features you don’t need.