Starter airbrush recommendation

[Cheesy101]

Hi everyone,

Sorry if this question crops up a lot, I had a look back through the forum, but couldn't find any up to date info. I'm trying to find recommendations for a cheap, starter airbrush to use for basecoats, some layering and varnishing. Nothing complex or detailed, mostly just to help speed up my painting and to learn some basics. Given my inexperience (I've not done any airbrushing before) I was planning on getting something cheap but serviceable that wouldn't really matter if I destroyed it during my ham-handed learning, however the choice out there is really mind shredding, so quickly got lost... At the moment I use mostly citadel paints, so would probably try to use them or their "air" equivalents.

 

Any help would be hugely appreciated!

[Cilu]

I'm looking into this as well and a friend of mine who already has a really nice setup with really good equipment gave me a solid advice that I intend to follow when I'll do the plunge into airbrush and that is buy a really good compressor.

Buy one with an integrated air tank for less working time on the compressor itself and because a really good compressor can make even some of the worst air brushes work really well. Furthermore if you decide to upgrade your brushes later on you do not have to go out and buy another or a new compressor.

 

Hope that little piece of advice helped?

[GrMonkey99]

I use an airbrush for priming and base coating and will share what little I know.  I have had really good luck using the Iwata brand Neo line.  They work really well and are decent on price for what you get.  As Cilu said above an air compressor with a built in  tank is better but it is also more expensive and unless you plan to paint for very long periods of time a regular one will do just as well. Some places online will sell the Neo with the Iwata mini-compressor and this might be a decent deal for someone who is just starting.  Also on the subject of compressors make sure you get a pressure regulator with a inbuilt moisture trap. (if you get one of the packages that has an airbrush and mini compressor included you can skip the regulator for now unless you plan to work in a very humid area.)  This will allow you to control the air pressure to the gun (giving you the ability to find you airbrush sweet spot) and prevent moisture from getting into your paint. 

When you set up your paint area be aware that even small airbrushes will make paint overspray (small paint particles that float in the air) that can get on other thing around your paint zone. As for paints themselves the GW air paints are pretty decent with little need to thin but they DO have a problem with them.  They still come in "pots" that are a royal pain to get the paint out of with out making a mess.  Most other brands of airbrush paint come in large bottles or smaller "eye drop" style bottle. These are much easier to use and will make less of a mess.  If you want to use GW paints I recommend getting a couple small plastic syringes to move the paint around. Do NOT use pipettes as they are very hard to clean and wont be as useful.

As a final note most major airbrush makers all use different thread pitch on their fitting so make sure your hoses are compatible (if your airbrush didn't come with one).

 

I hope that helps somewhat and doesn't confuse you to much.

[Grimoire]

While I am not a great or even passable miniature figure painter I have used airbrushes for years so perhaps some of this will help.

 

Please do not use the adjective "cheap" in describing an airbrush. Because if it is cheap it will likely not be very good. Now with that said there are a few types:

 

Internal Mix

 

and

 

External Mix

 

And additionally two flavors within these two having to do with the feed control. Single Action or Dual Action. In my opinion , varying the flow while painting is crucial so I would avoid any of the Point and Shoot types (Single Action). Now I have used and can recommend Iwata and Pasche.

 

Pasche VLS is an excellent choice and like the Iwata is all metal construction and will last forever. They usually come with one of three needle sizes of which the smallest/finest is the most useful.

 

Badger ? Just say No. And propellent cans are a complete joke. Please do not use.

 

Compressors ....... Devils in the details here. Any source of air will not do. Most air compressors fall into two types. Oil. And Oilless. Obviously Oil and Paint to not play well with each other so avoid an Oil type compressor. The good news is that you will not need very much pressure. Typically I spray at around 12 pounds. Sometimes far less.  If all you have is an Oil type you can still prevail if you take precautions with filtering.

 

In college I used a spare tire from a car - with appropriate filters and it did work. But a dedicated compressor is far better.

 

Thinning paint: Any paints should be thinned to the consistency of milk. So you'll have to find an appropriate thinner to use with your paint(s). Distilled H2O can work, but I prefer Liquitex and or Even Windex in a pinch.

 

An hour or two practice with a good dual action brush and you will be able to control the paint and airflow to get the best result.

 

Hope this helps

 

Bill

[Firepower]

Iwata Neo gravity feed airbrush.  A cheap workhorse airbrush for around $50.  Mine has served loyally for around 4 years, and just got its first ultrasonic bath for a nice deep clean as a reward. :D

 

It can do priming and zenithal highlights with ease, but finer detail takes a good deal of practice.  It can do it, all the same, but not quite hairline detail.

 

As an addition, I recommend Vallejo thinner, and some Regdab lubricant for the needle will help limit dry tip a bit.