air brush help.

[spaceman91]

I have never had one but after talking to a friend i would like one just to speed up the painting side of the hobby. I was just wondering if anyone could tell me a good place to start. I would like to avoid paying to many £ coins if i can help it. If the GW one is good then i would consider that but i would get a compressor because i have heard that the cans can cause problems. Any help would be great, thanks

[Defenestratus]

I have never had one but after talking to a friend i would like one just to speed up the painting side of the hobby. I was just wondering if anyone could tell me a good place to start. I would like to avoid paying to many £ coins if i can help it. If the GW one is good then i would consider that but i would get a compressor because i have heard that the cans can cause problems. Any help would be great, thanks


Introduction to Airbrushing with Ken Schlotfeldt (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsW-vN0_lHw)

[Mr Mystery]

Most important thing is to know what you want it to do.

Airbrushes are good for base coating, solid colour washing, and doing marking on big things like tanks.

The GW spray gun can do the first two, and very nicely too. The cans chill as you use them (science reason I don't quite grasp) and this causes them to temporarily lose pressure. Not a massive problem if you use two cans, but frustrating if you're wanting to do a big batch (like 40 Skaven....). Compressor of course overcomes this factor, and in theory need only be bought once. Whilst the cans are cheaper at first, they can become false economy if you use it regularly.

The spray gun is simply not designed for detailing work, so to judge it on that would not be fair. But whilst it's wide spray is arguably preferable for base coating or washing, if you're mostly wanting to airbrush tanks or other details, invest in the right tool.

Hope this is helpful!

[Phototoxin]

Most important thing is to know what you want it to do.

Airbrushes are good for base coating, solid colour washing, and doing marking on big things like tanks.

The GW spray gun can do the first two, and very nicely too. The cans chill as you use them (science reason I don't quite grasp) and this causes them to temporarily lose pressure. Not a massive problem if you use two cans, but frustrating if you're wanting to do a big batch (like 40 Skaven....). Compressor of course overcomes this factor, and in theory need only be bought once. Whilst the cans are cheaper at first, they can become false economy if you use it regularly.

The spray gun is simply not designed for detailing work, so to judge it on that would not be fair. But whilst it's wide spray is arguably preferable for base coating or washing, if you're mostly wanting to airbrush tanks or other details, invest in the right tool.

Hope this is helpful!

I agree, my issue is trying to find something that converts from the airbrush size (like bicycle pump size) to airbrush size.

[Mr Mystery]

Oh, and in the words of Columbo 'just on other thing'...

Your average pen shaped airbrush doesn't hold much paint. Ones I've seen have a small reservoir for this. Spray guns main advantage here is the size of the bottle, which again lends itself to batch base coating or washing.

From your username, I could guess you play Marines? If so, invest in both if your budget stretches. Gun is a god send for painting power armour quickly and efficiently, pen ideal for detailing Dreads and Tanks. For instance, create a squad marking mask for your Rhinos, and use the pen brush to stencil the design on.

If I've guessed right about your preferred army, then I'd start with the spray gun (or equivalent alternative)

[spaceman91]

You have guessed right on both counts. I am a marine player and it is to 1. speed up Basecoating 2. Make my tanks take half the time to paint. So by what has been said the gun would be good. Thank you peoples. I am now going to watch that vid posted.

[spaceman91]

I have a BIG thank you to the guy/gal ( sorry ) that put that vid up. That has help sooooo much. I am now going to bore my friends with this stuff but you have made me the happiest lad in england right now. Thank you to all you that posted.

[rtmaitreya]

Introduction to Airbrushing with Ken Schlotfeldt (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsW-vN0_lHw)

Awesome tutorial! That guy does not look quite as German as I was expecting, though.

[Defenestratus]

Awesome tutorial! That guy does not look quite as German as I was expecting, though.

You're welcome.

It was sent to me by my good friend Chris at DropZone Painting (http://dropzonepainting.com/) who incidentally uses his airbrush quite a lot :P

[Kaiserdean]

Also, one thing I've seen every other air brush user say and I wish I listened to: Don't go cheap.

If and when you decide to get a real air-brush for painting, don't get a $50 job off ebay. It's not worth it. Save your $ and get a good brush and a good compressor. I've spent way too much money trying to fix/upgrade/find adapters for some junky kit I bought off ebay only to pitch it all get the real deal.

[walrusman999]

Question for you folks then, do many of you guys prefer single or double action Airbrushes? I understand the differences and what you would generally use them for but I'm curious because some folks use their Airbrush more then others and for different reasons.

[Lord of the Dead]

I have both single and double action, also I have a mix of gravity feed and siphon feed brushes. its really what you feel comfortable with. defiantly don't go cheap. Iwata, badger and passcha all have good range of brushes.

[Defenestratus]

Question for you folks then, do many of you guys prefer single or double action Airbrushes? I understand the differences and what you would generally use them for but I'm curious because some folks use their Airbrush more then others and for different reasons.

Don't bother with single action IMO.

[walrusman999]

Don't bother with single action IMO.

Maybe, like the video talked about you would use them for large single color coats. Like if I was painting base coats or working on terrain. But I had thought, and the video confirmed, that anything you can do with a single you can do with a double and with better accuracy.

[DWest]

I now use an Iwata Revolution CR and it's absolutely brilliant- if you're looking to seriously get into airbrushing beyond just throwing primer coats, I'd look at the Revolution or something similar. At the very least, expect to spend somewhere in the $90 range; I first bought a Paasche VL because I wanted to save money, and the needle bearing died on me in 3 weeks. I've noticed the Iwata sprays a tighter pattern and uses less air as well.

Second thing: get an air compressor, a real one from a hardware store not the little desktop "made for airbrush" ones, or at the very least a large tank you can fill from the gas station air pump. The propellant cans are nasty and evil and expensive.

And finally, get a cleaning station, like this one (http://www.amazon.com/Iwata-Medea-NAC-201-Cleaning-Station/dp/B000VADIVC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361832423&sr=8-1&keywords=iwata+cleaning+station). Speeds up the changeover time for paints by quite a bit, and makes a very handy brush rest at all times. I have found it extremely useful to have something to pin my brush in place out of the way when it's not in use, or maybe that's just because my air hose is like a Tyranid's Lash Whip- it has a mind of its' own and wants to kill me.

[Lungpickle]

Even if you only use it for base coating and washing and even shading you will love it. The best thing I noticed is it simply puts a fine coat of paint on no glopping and this leads to better detail retention. Don't go cheep either it will depress you in the end and a waste of money. Iawata cr revolution, .03 needle, I use a smart jet compressor (auto on, auto off) and make sure you have a dial air flow regulator. It's sweet to use and IMHO can save time but better than that the base coat coverage is awesome.

[Deadlift]

I use a Harder an Steenbeck evolution, it comes with 2 needles. A 0.2 and a 0.4. I spent £130 on it and it's a fantastic brush. There is something I believe a bit special with these German engineered brushes that I haven't found matched by company's such as Badger etc.
I also bought a sonic cleaner which is great for giving a good clean between uses, no substitute for a proper once in a while deep clean, but very handy for regular cleaning.

I am by no means a great painter compared to many here in BOLS, but my airbrush allows me to get effects I couldn't with a paintbrush

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab3/joenortonjones/IMG_1177.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab3/joenortonjones/IMG_1184.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab3/joenortonjones/IMG_1265.jpg

[spaceman91]

I am by no means a great painter compared to many here in BOLS, but my airbrush allows me to get effects I couldn't with a paintbrush

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab3/joenortonjones/IMG_1177.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab3/joenortonjones/IMG_1184.jpg
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab3/joenortonjones/IMG_1265.jpg

i don't mean to sound lile an a#%e licker but there isn't anything wrong with those models dude. Don't put yourself down. I like them, they look good.

Edit: just seen the bottle of baileys in background. Bit random for a paint table? You want to share something? We are here for you ;-)