Airbrush for model building

Haych

I’ve decided to have a go at model building again. I used to do it many years ago and it was a very enjoyable pass time and if I say so myself I was pretty good at it. Perhaps I should t admit that!

Anyway, I have a Revell 1:32 F4U Corsair winging its way to me, pun intended, and am thinking about possibly investing in an airbrush, something I never had before. 

Anyone have any recommendations. I know they’re not cheap. Been looking at the Paasche TG Talon which looks pretty good. 

If I can find one that will do general art type stuff too that would be a bonus as my daughter is a budding artist and will highly likely confiscate it!

Thanks in advance. 

Hurling_Fruitmig

I haven’t built anything for ages but used to use a Badger 150 with (from memory) a medium sprayhead. It worked fine for models and A-Level art projects.

stonevibe

Iwata gravity free is what you want.

Avoid  the ones with a bottle at the bottom, as they will splatter paint everywhere.

Nomad

I think most airbrushes that cost proper money are going to do the business. It's more a case of checking out reviews to see if a particular one is likely to suit your needs. The Paasche Talon looks good. Review here of a version that comes with a variety of needle/nozzle sets...

https://www.graphicair.co.uk/paasche-talon-tg-3f-review/

Packaging issue aside (which may have been fixed by now), I like the big nozzle. The cheapie airbrushes tend to have tiny little nozzles that would be easy to lose. I started with this set from Bartsharp, mainly for the compressor, and went for the package deal with the two cheapie brushes...

https://bartsharpairbrush.co.uk/product/bartsharp-airbrush-compressor-tc90t-with-130-airbrush-133-airbrush/

A decent compressor is a good idea - the tank means a much reduced duty cycle (no tank means it always runs when you spray) and doesn't pulse, and twin cylinder means it does less work overall when it refills the tank (adds up to much longer working life). I went with the kit so that I could make beginner mistakes with the cheapie brushes.

Overall, I found the brushes okay apart from paint sometimes building up at the nozzle if I paused a bit between sprays, resulting in a bit of spatter at the next button press. The issue is that the nozzle protector bit is quite small and hard to get into to clean off excess, and unscrewing and refitting is a bit of a pain. With the protector off, access to the nozzle and needle tip for cleaning is fine, albeit with some risk to the needle if one is careless. Actual coverage seemed pretty good to me, but I don't use the gear all that much, and I don't do any detail work (I got it for painting small parts rather than things like painting camo patterns on models). In the end, I splashed out on a Harder & Steenbeck jobbie, which is lovely to use and has a nice big nozzle (but doesn't need a tool to fit/remove it). The H&S has seals that are solvent proof - cheapies can have o-rings that might not survive painting with the likes of enamel paints.

I used a 0.3mm nozzle on the cheapie with the gravity cup, and a 0.5mm on the one with the siphon jar, and the H&S has a 0.4mm nozzle. I'd say the H&S still has a narrower spray pattern than the 0.3mm in the cheapie. The cheapie gravity fed one hasn't been used since I got the H&S, but the siphon one is used for larger areas (the little jars hold about 22ml of paint - lots of painting time).

Some suggestions / recommendations...

• Watch plenty of beginner how-to vids.
• Get quick connect thingies for the coupling between the hose and the airbrush. Really good for when you want to get it off the hose to clean it.
• Tamiya make some excellent stainless steel stirring sticks - flat blade at one end and a tiny little spoon (for checking viscosity of thinned paint) at the other. 
• An airbrush holder that clamps to the edge of the table is a good thing. Anything that sits in the middle of the table can slide about, and the air line can get in the way. 
• If you're handy, consider making your own spray booth. For the cost of a basic ready-made one, you can get something bigger and much better.
• Making up your own paint thinner and cleaner is miles cheaper and they work very well. Plenty of recipes out there (generally, water and IPA, with some additions depending on whether it's thinner or cleaner).

boogieman

I got an airbrush kit for xmas. Get a compressor with a tank, it works much better and gives a more even paint flow. Avoid the really cheap Chinese airbrushes: they don’t work very well, they’re hard to clean and the spares are difficult to get. Get an airbrush with interchangeable nozzles, a larger one is good for bigger surfaces, the small one is better for very fine intricate work. My missus bought my kit via eBay, I think it was about £100-120 ish for the compressor and brush. 

Haych

Thanks all. Follow on question: with the gravity fed systems what are they like for changing paint/colour? Is it a hassle or fairly simple?

Nomad

Haych said:

Thanks all. Follow on question: with the gravity fed systems what are they like for changing paint/colour? Is it a hassle or fairly simple?

Not too big a hassle depending on how fussy you are. Either way, it is what it is, and part and parcel of airbrushing. Colour changing generally involves flushing through with water/solvent until it runs clear. Basically, tip out any left over paint, wipe out the worst of it from the cup, then blow through whatever's left in the chamber until it stops spraying. Then, bung in some water and spray that through until it sprays clear. Some will cover the nozzle and spray, which causes it to blow back into the chamber under the cup, resulting in painty water bubbles rising in the cup. Tip out and repeat a couple of times, and then another scoosh with clean water through the nozzle.

Covering the nozzle (to block the paint/air mix from passing through) varies depending on the tip arrangement of the particular airbrush. On my cheapies, the nozzle protector is a cylinder with no gaps, so I just press a finger tip against it. On the H&S, there are gaps, but I have a little plastic cap thing that fits around the outside and can be held on while spraying, and that seals enough to get the back-flush.

Regarding siphon brushes, note that there are two types - simple ones where the airflow passes over a small venturi that leads down into the jar, which basically has no needle and very little control, and the type where there is still a needle and nozzle with a chamber which has the same sort of control as a gravity type. Mine is the latter, and the jar assembly screws onto the side. That still needs the proper cleaning procedure to get the chamber cleaned out. I'd imagine the basic venturi type is easier, but I've never used one.

boogieman

Haych said:

Thanks all. Follow on question: with the gravity fed systems what are they like for changing paint/colour? Is it a hassle or fairly simple?

Pretty easy, you just wash out the cup with thinners/cleaning solution and then run some through the brush and you’re ready to go with another colour. You’ll only be using small amounts of paint, a little goes a long way in an airbrush. Forgot to mention the model of mine, it’s a Harder & Steinbeck Ultra, gets good reviews even though it’s a fairly low cost brush compared to others like Iwata and Badger. 

Haych

Awesome. Thanks all. Will do a bit more research and possibly bung one on the credit card until payday. 

nick79

Harder and Steenbeck ultra is what I use, it was my first and I’ve stuck with it for quite a few years now. I would recommend it as it’s very easy to strip and clean, with no tools needed. It’s also reasonably priced. 

nick79

What paint are you planning to use? There is a huge variety out there, i generally use Tamiya and Vallejo acrylics. They don't smell, and airbrush really nicely. 

boogieman

I bought Vallejo paints as that seemed to be the most recommended make. 

fob

I would add that you should really think about ventilation. A spray booth has been mentioned but, if you don't make/buy one, then you need to configure the space in which you're spraying to have a good supply of moving air (eg fan and open window). Masks might be a lot costlier nowadays as well.

Pwalo

Harder and Steenbeck Evolution here. I ran one of the chinese 160 clones for a long while which worked really well, but the rubber seals don’t play well with solvents. Good for acrylics though. Bartsharp as previously mentioned do them with good spares backup.
Compressor with tank is a must.

Haych

Righto, thanks everyone for your input. I pulled the trigger on a decent airbrush this morning and have gone for..............

Iwata Eclipse HP-CS - it seems to be a favourite of many modellers and has very, very good reviews. 

I’ve also invested in a decent compressor so should be up and running in a few days or so.