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What do you want to do with an airbrush?

How big is you workspace?

Do you need to store the stuff when you dont use it?

And how big is your budget?

 

Sorry for the questions but before i can give you good advice i need a bit of information.

Cause my setup probably wont work for you and its rather expensive for a beginner.

For the airbrush component, the airbrushes from Badger, Iwata, and Harder & Steenbeck are all of roughly the same quality, so it's really a case of picking one that is comfortable in the hard, easy to clean, and you can get parts for (also note that prices vary by region - H&S are cheaper in Europe than the US, and Badger are cheaper in the US than Europe).  The ones normally recommended are the Badger Patriot 105, Iwata Eclipse or Revolution, and the Harder & Steenbeck Ultra or Evolution.

 

For the compressor, it's generally recommended to get one with an air tank, as the "on-demand" ones tend to have a slight delay starting when you activate the air valve, and can tend to run hot (which means you want an in-line moisture trap, too), or "need a rest" after a while, however that doesn't appear to be an option for you (I assume you're limited by space).  Sparmax make decent compressors (Iwata rebadge them), have spare parts available, and do a range from small to quite big - it might be worth perusing their site and seeing if you can find one that fits your needs?  Realistically, you don't need more than 30psi for everyday use, although a little bit of latitude is always useful.

 

Don't know if that helps?

Edited by Firedrake Cordova

FYI - do not use compressed air cans - they cost a fortune to run an airbrush because you will go through loads of them, they suffer from pressure drop as they are used too. They look cheap to begin with but it's false economy. 

What do you want to do with an airbrush?

How big is you workspace?

Do you need to store the stuff when you dont use it?

And how big is your budget?

 

Sorry for the questions but before i can give you good advice i need a bit of information.

Cause my setup probably wont work for you and its rather expensive for a beginner.

 

No worries, makes sense.

 

What do you want do with an airbrush

I am considering an airbrush for the purpose of laying down base coats on Primaris Space Marines quickly. I plan to experiment with rattle can zenithal highlights and if that works well then I'd also add zenithal highlight to the base coating process.

 

How big is your workspace?

My desk area is about 42" x 20" or 106 cm x 50 cm. I don't have good access to ventilation at the desk. I also have an island in the kitchen which is much larger but less comfortable to work at for extended periods of time. I can turn on the vent in the kitchen; it is about three and a half feet (roughly 1.5 meters) away from the island.

 

Do you need to store the stuff when you don't use it?

Yes, I have to pack up and store all my hobby stuff when it is not in use.

 

How big is your budget?

Comfortably, about $300 US. I know a quiet compressor won't be cheap, but I'm wary of jumping in on an expensive airbrush for getting started and I don't plan on using it for detail work.

So rattle can need outside or hooded vent. For me you have it backwards. Do your base with cans (you have very little control with rattles and they work great for batch painting). Do your highlights with an airbrush (aim for intrest points rather than realistic highlights for best effect). Small airbrush and diaphragm compressor should work fine. You do not need a high end airbrush for this type of work.

Sorry I was unclear. I am going to experiment with rattle can zenithals to see if I like what is does as a concept (I know rattle can is not great at zenithal highlighting). If I move to using an airbrush then I would definitely be using the airbrush for any zenithal highlighting I would do to a rattle can primer coat before doing the base coat with the airbrush.

The stuff i can recommend for you would be

Compressor: Fengda AS 186 or a knockoff they are rather silent and duarable

 

Airbrush: H&S Ultra

 

Additional: hose, cleaning set, rebreather mask, thinner and cleaning fluid and a small spray both.

I use the one from Hobbyzone its rather cheap mdf but it works if you have to break down your setup.

Yeah, overall it's not a pressing issue for me. I'm a while off from going back to working on any new marines and I recently saw a compressor sale which got me thinking about it. I keep circling around the issue because I'm not in a great spot with space and ventilation. I keep seeing folks or folks describing working in their garages, attics, basements, or dedicated hobby space or with a really big vent box right next to window and I didn't and don't have access to any of that sort of thing except for a few weeks a year.

I'm going to be slightly contrarian, and recommend against the H&S Ultra.  It is indeed the best of the "budget" airbrushes (it is a better design than the Neo), but it is still a low-cost design with a couple of issues (the push-in air cups aren't great - some people find they leak - and they aren't compatible with H&S's other airbrushes if you get another later), and a bit expensive in the US (it's the same price as the Patriot 105) - I would recommend the Evolution instead, if funds allow it (get the 0.4mm needle version if it's an option).  

 

When I was looking for my airbrush, the general view amongst the American modelling community was to get the Badger Patriot 105 (~$80), or the Iwata Eclipse HP-CS (~$140), as they were the best "beginner" airbrushes.  Both of these are solid, workhorse airbrushes, which can go from priming to fine details.  Unlike the non-CR Plus Harder & Steenbeck models, they are also chrome-plated with PTFE internal seals, which means you don't have to be as careful with what you are cleaning them with (the basic H&S models are nickel-plated - which wears more quickly and is a problem if you have a nickel allergy - and have Viton rubber seals, which will get eaten by laquer thinners).

 

One thing to add is on needle size ... going with a smaller needle doesn't necessarily mean you'll be able to paint finer details (it does, however, mean you will have to thin your paint more, and will get more clogs).  There's a good "Introduction to airbrushing" video on YouTube - the guy doing the talking is Ken Schlotfeldt, the owner of Badger.

 

 

The AS 186 suggested are supposed to be a good compressor.  If you want something smaller, it might be worth having a look at the Sparmax AC-27 (~$125) - it's a ~6" cube, and the same as the Iwata Silver Jet, if you're looking for reviews.

 

One final point - have a look at the various art/airbrush supply shops in the US.  It's not uncommon for shops to do airbrush and compressor bundles/kits, with a bit of a discount over the cost of buying the parts individually (some of them are also cheaper than Amazon, from my brief search) - certainly, the shop I bought mine from did a deal when I asked.  They might also be able to give you some advice. :smile.:

 

Actually, one other point - have a look at how much seals, needles, and nozzles are, as they are all consumables (although they do last a while).

Edited by Firedrake Cordova

If you have an Art / Airbrushstore in your area i would suggest to go and ask if you could hold hold them in your hands.

Airbrushes tend to differ in meassurments, same as hand suzes differ.

It helps to choose an airbrush you like to handle to avoid fatique, cramps etc.

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