Hello,
I would like some input as to what kind of Airbrush and compressor are best suited for Model Railroading? I would like to use the Airbrush and compressor in an extra office that is approximately 15X15ft that has a window that will open for ventilation.
Thank you for your help.
I am also interested in the answer to this question. I know a lot of it may just for individual taste but I would like to know how powerful or small is practicle. My Father use to have an aircompressor that we used to paint cars but it was very big and loud and overkill for the small airbrushes. Don’t get me wrong, it would work but I don’t know what would be too small. I have seen very small compressors but it is hard to beleive they would work well.
Thank you,
Jaime
Because I’m too cheap to buy another compressor I use the big compressor with a 15 gal tank I already have. I crank it down to 35 psi so it rarely comes on plus when it does the noise is out in the garage. I run an air hose to my shop when I use the Badger 250 Basic Spray Gun Set. It’s overkill for sure but it works.
Rex
If you already have a big compressor that you are willing to use, make sure you place at least one good water trap, filter, and regulator in the system, two sets would be even better, one right at the compressor, and one at your workplace. Keep in mind that anything that goes through that compressor or hose also goes through your airbrush unless you have filtered it out of the compressed air first.
There are a few variables that you should consider when looking at an airbrush setup.
First, what kind of work do you want to do with it? Will you be painting small detail work, or big backgrounds, and will you be spraying with your paint surface up at a normal working angle, or will you have to be painting things that are at severe angles, either up or down, what kind of paint do you need or want to use, etc. All these things are important to know.
For airbrushes, they come in a variety of types and capabilities, and keep in mind that there is no perfect brush for everything, anyone who tells you there is, is either lying or ignorant. I have been airbrushing since 1973, and I teach it on a regular basis, and I have heard it a number of times, “This is the best brush for any airbrushing.”
Airbrushes are typically single or double action, siphon/suction feed, or gravity feed, and internal or external mix
Single action brushes mean that the trigger or button on the brush typically control only the release of the air, with the paint volume being controlled by an adjustment knob at the back end of the brush. For those with limited mobility, or limited mechanical movement in their hands, this may be the better otpion. By pushing the trigger or button down, you release the air, and because the paint volume is already set, you release the paint at the same time. While this may be better for some, it has it’s limitations too. Because you can’t casually change the rate of flow of paint going through your brush, you give up the controll over easy changes in the amount of
Fontgeek,
Thank you for that detailed explination. Over the years I have used several air brushes different people have owned but had no idea… Now I have some idea what I am looking at when I do get around to buying an airbrush.
Someone mentioned I would need a compressor (the big one that I use to be able to use was found floating up side down in a flooded cellar last speing) with certain CFM (???) or pressure. After reading your post I assume it would depend on the type of air brush how much pressure it needs.
Just so that we’re all on the same page.
When you are talking about compressed air, there are a few things to consider, and a couple of different measurements that can play a big part in what or how you paint.
PSI is Pounds per Square Inch, that is the pressure rating. That tells you how fast the air is coming out of the hose.
CFM is the Cubic Feet per Minute, this is a rating of volume or air coming out of your compressor.
Lots of people are confused about these two ratings, but if you think of the air as track and field runners on the track, the PSI is telling you how fast the runners are going to go, the CFM tells you how many runners are going to be running at a time.
For big spray guns, commonly referred to as HVLP (High Volume, Low Pressure), these need a fairly high CFM, but not lots of pressure to work.
For smaller guns and brushes, they need more pressure, and less volume to atomize the paint.
The use of a spray gun or airbrush is kind of a three way balancing act.
Generally, the thicker or higher viscosity the paint, the better the coverage you get, but the tougher it is to atomize (spray), or to get detail. Because it is thicker, it takes more pressure to pull that paint through the nozzle and into the path of the air, and if the little blobs of pigment or paint are bigger than the opening in the nozzle, it probably won’t go.
So you end up thinning the paint and adjusting your air pressure to find the right balance with the nozzle size on y our brush.
It doesn’t really take a huge compressor to run the typical airbrush, but you need to decide what kind of work you want to do, and what kind of paint you want to use. Those are important factors when it comes to deciding which brush you should buy. You may find, like I did, that having several brushes with different capabilities was the way to go, rather than buying a brush that was kind of ok for lots of things, but not great at any of them, having brushes that could do