Need to give the missus some ideas for my Birthday/Christmas present. The Lego Saturn V and a Tamiya Grasshopper have both been vetoed, and whilst I need some new trainers I don’t want them as a present as that would be too grown up.

I would however like an airbrush and compressor (see Airfix thread http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/christmas-airfix/page/11 ) as I would like to see what I can do.

Any ideas on of a reasonable set up that won’t cost more than about £100?
Also, what else will I need? I assume that I’ll just be using thinned enamels, or is there some secret other bit of kit that will stop me playing on Boxing Day?

And finally, what is the potential for making a mess? Will I need to rig up a spray booth to avoid me painting the kitchen and/or kids in Matt 78?

I bought a generic airbrush and compressor from Amazon, something very much like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Voilamart-Action-Compressor-Needles-Airbrush/dp/B015IYGS1C/ref=sr_1_4/261-6702312-6190431?ie=UTF8&qid=1507284656&sr=8-4&keywords=airbrush+and+compressor+kit

The compressor itself is common to many brands and has a vapour trap and all the necessary gubbins. The airbrush itself is straightforward, easy to disassemble and clean, I’ve had to buy a couple of replacement needles and seals but it still works fine after a solid eighteen months of use.

A spray booth is optional, you might want to switch to acrylic paint (not Humbrol though, their acrylics are awful) for ease of cleaning and solvent free fumes.

Tamiya paints spray very well, as does Vallejo acrylics. The former needs Tamiya thinners, the latter is thinned with nothing more than water.

And finally, what is the potential for making a mess?

approximately, rattlecans x 10

(IANA airbrush owner)

approximately, rattlecans x 10

I would say approximately, rattlecans divided by 10 as rattlecans tend to have more uncontrollable over-spray.

If I’m honest from my experience I would ask for either the airbrush or the compressor as getting both for £100 will mean a compromise on quality and you will be quickly replacing them, which is exactly what I did.

With the numbers of models you seem to be doing HtS I would suggest a compressor with a tank that will enable you fine-tune the pressure – detailed work requires low pressures and therefore less paint.
A compressor with a filter/regulator/water trap is preferable, but these can added.

In terms of the airbush I would suggest a gravity fed/dual action airbush.
I’ve got a few and the one I probably use the most is the Badger Patriot 105. It’s proved to be very adaptable and is easy to clean.

Spraying any paint can be nasty but Enamels and are perhaps the worse with lacquer based paints/thinners not far behind – good ventilation and filter mask is imperative if you value your lungs. A spray booth can be useful for applying base coats etc, but can be awkward for detailed work unless well lit.

I’ve had mixed results with just about most brands of acrylics with varying degrees of tip dry – although this can be alleviated with acrylic drying retarder.

With a minimum of practice results from airbrushing a model are night and day apart from brush work – especially over larger areas.

I’ve bought quite a bit of kit from Barwell Bodyworks.

They do a good compressor/Patriot airbrush kit for £170:

Airbrush Kit

Get a compressor with a tank…

like this

The airbrush will be rubbish but you won’t cry if you break it (you will).

Just got back from a weekend away…

So, compressor with a tank and a dual action airbrush?

I’ve just read a review of the Airfix Phantom and I think that it deserves better tan brush paining.

http://www.airfixmodelworld.com/

My airbrush is a Neo by Iwata. Not too expensive. Compressor was about £80

Acrylics by Tamiya & Revell , thinned with either Tamiya thinners or water depending how tight you are. Other makes are available

I have a pasche single action which was a fiver in the 80’s, I last used it to do bike lettering and logos and I use it for spraying small stuff.

I also have one of the japanese things with small needles. I went out with a girl who was doing ultrarealistic air brush paintings at art college and she said these air brushes were the best. I never really got on with a dual action brush. I did some custom paint work on motorbikes and the old single action brush did fine for most stuff.

I use car base coat, I kept enough tinters to mix a good range of colours and it sprays ok. I saw airbrush paint for sale when I was buying rolls of masking film, they might be worth trying.

When I first used an air brush in the 70’s I used a lorry inner tube to power it and I used to go over the road and inflate it at the garage;-) I just run it off my main airline now. People used to use old fridge compressors.

I use an Iwata HP-C which is really nice but around £160.

I also own a Badger 200 single action, A paasche VL double action, and a Neo. I still use these and are all decent enough, especially the Neo.

Tamiya paint thins (and cleans up) nicely with windscreen wash, don’t worry about the colouring in it as it doesn’t show up in the paint, even when spraying white.

Harry the spider, have you decided what airbrush/compressor combo you are getting yet?

We got my dad a really posh one a few years ago, but I think we’ve all had to admit to ourselves he’ll never use it.

Will look up spec etc. but could be open to offers…

Harry the spider, have you decided what airbrush/compressor combo you are getting yet?

Probably a compressor with tank and regulator/airbrush combo off ebay for about £80, then swap out the airbrush for a better one.

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235028233-the-hurricane-the-dambuster-and-the-experiment/

Probably a compressor with tank and regulator/airbrush combo off ebay for about £80

HtS – Just remembered, I have a compressor (without tank or regulator) sat in my attic. I bought it from ‘Model Zone’ at Meadowhall.
You are welcome to it – PM me your details.

You are welcome to give it a go and if you like it you can make a charitable contribution or something – despite the fact that I feel somewhat used and betrayed by the fact that you clearly go to a proper scale model making forum to ask your questions these days … know-it-all mountain bikers not good enough for you? 😉

I have a couple of Iwata airbrushes. They seem good but I’m awful at airbrushing so I’m not a good source for an objective opinion.

I have a Revell Standard compressor. It doesn’t have a tank but there’s a valve that can be used to adjust the pressure. I’ve never really had a clear explanation about what the actual benefits of having a compressor with a tank are, above someone said it was for pressure adjustment but I have that, others have said it’s mainly useful when switching between airbrushes, or for smoother airflow. At my level of incompetence I’ve not been convinced one would be of any great benefit to me.

I’ve never really had a clear explanation about what the actual benefits of having a compressor with a tank are

For me it’s ‘smoother’ airflow for sure … especially at lower pressures where ‘pulsing’ with a constantly on compressor can be an issue (albeit not a massive one). Noise and heat are the other thing as once a tank is full the motor stops which makes for a somewhat more pleasant work environment.

Not having the compressor running constantly would be nice, then it’d only be the spray booth’s fan and the respirator making things uncomfortable. Pulsing may be beyond my level of sensitivity at the moment, I’m not really able to do anything more than cover big areas with paint rather than do any detail work.

To emphasise something stated above, airbrushes make a lot less mess than rattle cans.

Is it worth it to just set fire to them and chuck them out the window?

Digby,

I’ve PMed you.

I use an old fridge motor that I’ve had for years (& haven’t used for ages either, soon to be remedied.)
No receiver but very little (if any) pulsing. Very powerful if you want it to be but easy to get down to 5lb psi with the regulator.
Cons are…it takes a few stops & starts to get up to speed when It’s cold (in the garage)
Could do with a 2nd water trap.

Harry, I’ve found a Peak C5 airbrush you’re welcome to if you want it? It’s similar to a Neo and spares are available from the US…

Peak C5

PM me if you’re interested in it.

Bump for Grungy.