I found that I can paint nice looking models on a small budget.these are the basics that i found work great through trial and error.I have a cheap sprayer that i found at wallmart for less then 15.00.I use a plastic container 5.00 which is for a spray booth which i installed a small fan [taken out of an old computer]
i need a bigger fan,by the way i power the fan with my power pack.run an old dryer vent hose from the back of the spray booth out the window.Ventalition is a must!.I placed a 12inch turntable made by copco 7.00 in the bottom so I can rotate my projects while I paint them if needed.
I use the small funnel 1.00 by placing it in my empty bottle,putting the water faucet screen in the funnel [yep,thats from the kitchen sink…dont take that one out.]there 1.00 at the dollar store for a couple.then I pour my paint through the funnel into the bottle,The reason for this is because the screen is small enough to keep out the smallest of debris,paint clumps ect.which of course is what plugs up the spray nozzle.If you look closely at my sprayer You will see a small wire stuck in the top of my spray bottle.I use that wire to keep the nozzle from plugging up with dried paint between coats.the wire is one of many I have from a proto 2000 locomotive.also when I clean up my equipment I put a small piece of paper towell in the sprayer pickup tube and ram it thru the tube with the wire to clean the tube out.The can of testers air was 9.00 at walmart.
so the total is less then 40.00 and Its better then painting everything by hand,I used to do that alot.My buildings come out looking realistic,I painted my brass decapod with this set.You be the judge…check out my pics,tell me what You think.
I find that I paint better on a dropcloth covered workbench, or newspapers or something, Budget’s tend to get hard to read when you paint on them.
Sorry, couldn’t resist,
Greg
Back in the 1940s, MR editor John Page had an article on how painted a steam engine using a perfume sprayer, and the paint he used was black stove polish. Now THAT’S budget! [:D]
Save up $40-$50 and buy a cheap compressor. You’ll drive yourself nuts with those propellant cans.
EXCELLENT advice!
I wonder if one of these would operate an airbrush? I’d suspect it would. For sure, the price cannot be beat. Just needs a 110 adapter, Radio Shack???
Thanks for the input guy’s.I have a compressor for the car but I have no idea what type of connector I would need to use it with my sprayer.some type of converter im sure.
as for a new compressor,well that will have to wait.I have my eye on a brass loco which is almost an exact replica of a Great western Rwy,steam loco…thats GW as in the sugar beet hauler.
the picture of the decapod at the top of this page is an exact replica of GW #90.when I bought it,it had a satin brass finish on it and I stripped and etched it down and painted it in the
black and silver scheme,still have too fini***he small parts,plus the pilot wheels in the front,By the way the GW rwy has 4 of its steam loco’s still in existance.the flash from my camera is reflecting off of the
plastic cover on my desk onto the tender.so thats not in the paint.with the stain on the postcard and reflection on the tender kinda looks like this was steaming at the time i took the pic.