Artisan advice for a Ultra Noob

[Charybdis]

I hope it's okay to post this in the Ultramarines sections but I was hoping my brothers in blue could give me some advice.

 

I'm at the point where I've realised this hobby is going to be a life long passion for me so I'd like to take the plunge and get my first airbrush. 

I've narrowed the list down to the Harder & Steenbeck Ultra D, Infinity CR Plus, Evolution and the Badger Patriot 105.

 

Just wondered if anyone has any experience with these models or if you have any recommendations of your own.

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated and again apologies if this post isn't appropriate for the Ultra section. 

[Captain Idaho]

I've moved this to an area where you can have better advice. I'm certainly not too knowledgeable on the subject, sorry.

 

Just be sure to post up any work you've completed to your brothers in the Ultramarines section ;)

Edited November 26, 2020 by Captain Idaho

[sarabando]

Honestly id go for a badger, from what ive heard they have phenominal after purchase support and servicing. that being said i run a £20 no name amazon airbrush because i suck and treat my tools like trash

[Firedrake Cordova]

When looking at an airbrush, there are 3 main things to look at:

• how easy it is to clean (a dirty airbrush is an annoying clogging tool of frustration)
• the availability & pricing of parts (needles, nozzles, and seals are all consumable items)
• is it within budget?

As a general rule:

• Badger airbrushes and parts are cheaper and easier to get in North America, and Badger are supposed to have great customer service.
• Harder & Steenbeck airbrushes and parts are easier and cheaper to get in Europe
• Iwata airbrushes are cheaper in North America than Europe

All of the airbrushes you mention have a good reputation.  In terms of the Harder & Steenbeck range, I'd recommend either the Evolution or the Infinity (most of the parts are interchangeable - the only real differences are the trigger spring tensioning adjustment, and paint limiter handle) over the Ultra (it's not a bad airbrush, just that the others are worth the money if you can afford them).  I'd say either pick up one of the 2-in-1 kits, or get the 0.4mm version (the 0.2mm will clog more, and more clogging = more annoyance, especially in the beginning!).  The Badger Patriot is an acknowledged workhorse of an airbrush.

 

For what it's worth, I've got an Evolution CR Plus, and am very happy with it.

 

If you've not seen it, it's worth watching this video with the owner of Badger, which covers the basic use and maintainance.

 

P.S. Only the "CR Plus" models in the H&S range are chrome-plated and have teflon (solvent-resistant) seals, so if you are allergic to nickel or want to use solvent-based paints or cleaners, you'll want one of those (the chrome finish is also harder-wearing than nickel).

[Rik Lightstar]

Firedrake Cordova has mostly stolen what I was going to say, so I'll mostly reiterate it.

 

None of the mentioned brushes are bad. They'd all serve you well.

 

Location could well be the big deciding factor, as it makes a noticeable price difference.

 

If any of your friends own any of these brushes I'd recommend asking if you can try using them briefly just with water in them and onto a piece of paper so you can see how they feel in hand, I have an H&S Ultra, a Badger Velocity and a Badger Sotar 20/20, I find the H&S far more comfortable in hand.

 

Rik

[Lovecraft0110]

I hope it's okay to post this in the Ultramarines sections but I was hoping my brothers in blue could give me some advice.

 

I'm at the point where I've realised this hobby is going to be a life long passion for me so I'd like to take the plunge and get my first airbrush. 

I've narrowed the list down to the Harder & Steenbeck Ultra D, Infinity CR Plus, Evolution and the Badger Patriot 105.

 

Just wondered if anyone has any experience with these models or if you have any recommendations of your own.

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated and again apologies if this post isn't appropriate for the Ultra section. 

 

Hi Charybdis, 

 

Now, I'm by no means an "airbrush artist", but I have painted a lot of models in the last few years. I've owned 4 different airbrushes from various brands so far, and I can tell you this: the Badger Patriot 105 is the best value for money, the most versatile, and the most forgiving of all your options. You can fit it with three different needle/nozzle combinations (0.3, 0.5 and 0.7 mm), you can upgrade it with different triggers, thumb rests, etc. (because it shares parts with the newer Badger Patriot Xtreme), and most important of all, it's super-easy to clean and disassemble, and practically indestructible. 

 

And no, I am not getting a commission! 

 

Regards, 

 

Enrique @ The Race for Terra

Edited November 26, 2020 by Lovecraft0110

[Charybdis]

Thank you Captain Idaho for moving my post, and thank you especially to everyone for the wonderful advice. 

 

I was leaning toward the Badger for it's workhorse reputation (literally every review describes it as this.) but I hadn't considered the availability of parts. 

 

Considering I live in the UK I think I'll go for the Infinity CR Plus with the 0.2 and 0.4 included. 

 

Thanks again brothers, really appreciate the help. 

[UltraRich]

If you havent taken the plunge yet have a look at the Iwata Revolution.

Ive been using that one for a year or two and its a fantastic bit of kit

Great for spraying blue

 

Edit: Also get yourself some airbrush cleaner, a mask and a good set of small pipe cleaner brushes. The brushes are really useful for cleaning in between sprays as you will get paint drying as you spray

Edited November 26, 2020 by UltraRich

[pawl]

Thank you Captain Idaho for moving my post, and thank you especially to everyone for the wonderful advice.

 

I was leaning toward the Badger for it's workhorse reputation (literally every review describes it as this.) but I hadn't considered the availability of parts.

 

Considering I live in the UK I think I'll go for the Infinity CR Plus with the 0.2 and 0.4 included.

 

Thanks again brothers, really appreciate the help.

Enrique gave me the same advice re; the Patriot (I've yet to aquire the funds though!) and pointed me to https://barwellbodyworks-shop.com/gb/

Much cheaper than I was expecting, and cheaper than the brush I had been previously considering too.

[Charybdis]

If you havent taken the plunge yet have a look at the Iwata Revolution.

Ive been using that one for a year or two and its a fantastic bit of kit

Great for spraying blue

 

Edit: Also get yourself some airbrush cleaner, a mask and a good set of small pipe cleaner brushes. The brushes are really useful for cleaning in between sprays as you will get paint drying as you spray

Not purchased yet and Iwata was a name that constantly came up in best airbrush reviews.

 

I've got a mask but I was considering getting a 'Spray Booth'. I don't have a private room to model in, I'll just be painting away in the conservatory, so I thought a booth might be better in terms of mess and health. 

 

Thank you Captain Idaho for moving my post, and thank you especially to everyone for the wonderful advice.

 

I was leaning toward the Badger for it's workhorse reputation (literally every review describes it as this.) but I hadn't considered the availability of parts.

 

Considering I live in the UK I think I'll go for the Infinity CR Plus with the 0.2 and 0.4 included.

 

Thanks again brothers, really appreciate the help.

Enrique gave me the same advice re; the Patriot (I've yet to aquire the funds though!) and pointed me to https://barwellbodyworks-shop.com/gb/

Much cheaper than I was expecting, and cheaper than the brush I had been previously considering too.

 

Excellent prices, unfortunately the Patriot line seems to have sold out entirely. Might be well worth waiting for a restock though, thank you. 

[pawl]

Excellent prices, unfortunately the Patriot line seems to have sold out entirely. Might be well worth waiting for a restock though, thank you.

Might be worth dropping them a line to enquire about restock expectations. They also offer a 105 & compressor combo that's not badly priced at all. When the money is there it's what I'm aiming for. =]

[Firedrake Cordova]

Enrique ... pointed me to https://barwellbodyworks-shop.com/gb/

For the benefit of those who don't know, Barwell Bodyworks are the UK distributor for Badger. I've dealt with them once, and they were excellent (I asked them to "special order" a case for my dad's Badger airbrush, and they couldn't have been more helpful).

 

Excellent prices, unfortunately the Patriot line seems to have sold out entirely. Might be well worth waiting for a restock though, thank you. 

As Pawl suggests, it might be worth dropping them a line, if only because it may put you at the front of the queue.   Badger are a little bit of an old-fashioned company in how they work (not saying it's a bad thing), and rather than having a big stockpile of products, they do "on-demand" manufacturing, which can cause some lead-times for Europe due to shipping times.

 

++EDIT: Just had a nosey at their web site (I like looking at shiny things...:blush:), and it looks like they're super-busy as they're not responding to enquiries or phone orders.  Doh.

Edited November 27, 2020 by Firedrake Cordova

[Blissful Brushes]

I live in the UK and I’ve got. Badger Patriot 105 and Sotar 20/20.

 

The Patriot is excellent IMO, it’s good for covering larger tanks and still fine enough for individual models. I’m not an expert by any means and I’ve managed to make it work pretty well.

 

Check out Amazon, that’s where I got both of my airbrushes. It’s also worth checking the US version of Amazon. I managed to get my Patriot for $80 on sale and it was £120 in the UK version at the time, it took an extra week to arrive but it was worth the savings.

 

Definitely invest in Flow improver/thinner.

Edited November 27, 2020 by Blissful Brushes

[Charybdis]

One last question.

 

Is there a particular Compressor I should keep an eye out for?

 

Doesn't need to be fancy, just not too loud that I disturb my family. We're all in Tier 3 at the mo and I don't want to make it any more of a pain for them by making a ruckus long into the night. 

[NiftyVT]

Most everything has been covered and my only thing I would add is to buy several spare needles. You dont want to be into a good airbrushing session just to accidently bump the tip into something, fumble the brush and drop it when trying to rack it on the stand etc and damage the needle and then have to wait for a new one to show up.

 

Note: I have done all of the above and more lol.

 

And pretty much any compressor with a tank will work fine. Just compare the db ratings vs budget allowance.

Edited November 29, 2020 by NiftyVT

[Firedrake Cordova]

Is there a particular Compressor I should keep an eye out for? Doesn't need to be fancy, just not too loud that I disturb my family. 

Oh, compressors are a subject almost as complex as airbrushes themselves.   There's a few decisions to make - whether you want an oil-free or oil-based unit, with a tank or without, and from a brand or not.

 

As a general rule, the oil-free ones are smaller, lighter, louder, and a lot cheaper than the ones which use oil.  The vast majority of the models on the market are of the oil-free variety.  The big brand within the oil-free segment is Sparmax (there's also Iwata, but they're generally re-badged Sparmax models) - the other option is one of the "generic" brands and/or models, such as Royal Max (brand) and AS186 (model).  The options for the oil-based models are a bit more limited - I'm not aware of any options outside of Werther/Sil-Air and Bambi.  As a general rule, you can get spare parts for the branded models (e.g. Sparmax), whereas they are harder to come by for the generic units.

 

The other primary factor is whether you get a model with a tank, or a tankless one.  Tank-free models start when you press the trigger for air, stop when you let go of it, and generate air at the pressure you ask (10psi, etc).  Generally, there's a slight delay between pressing the trigger and the compressor starting, the compressor tends to end up running for longer (more wear), and they are more prone to condensation in the air line due to heat build-up (from running for longer).  In contrast, tank-based models use the compressor to fill the tank to a preset pressure (generally 60psi), and the airbrush draws the air from the tank at a pressure you set, so the compressor only runs when the tank pressure gets low.  Whatever you're doing, it's unlikely you'll need more than 30psi, although a bit of headroom isn't a bad idea.

 

Whilst most manufacturers/shops will list the noise output of a given model, it should be taken more as an indication than anything, as the character of the sound is important.  For example, my Sparmax TC-620 has two pistons, so it runs at around half the speed of the single-piston TC-610 - whilst it's rated as being slightly louder, the noise is lower-frequency, and less intrusive.  One other thing to bear in mind is the surface it's being used on, for example, if you run a compressor on bare floors, it is likely the noise will reverberate around the house, but if you put the compressor on a blanket, it won't.

 

I don't know if that's any help?  If you're looking at ordering from a dedicated airbrush supplier like Air-Craft, Everything Airbrush, Barwells, etc, I'm sure they'll be able to give you a a recommendation if you drop them a line.

 

Most everything has been covered and my only thing I would add is to buy several spare needles. You dont want to be into a good airbrushing session just to ... damage the needle and then have to wait for a new one to show up.

Yes, having a spare needle is a good idea.

Edited November 29, 2020 by Firedrake Cordova

[Charybdis]

 

Is there a particular Compressor I should keep an eye out for? Doesn't need to be fancy, just not too loud that I disturb my family. 

Oh, compressors are a subject almost as complex as airbrushes themselves.   There's a few decisions to make - whether you want an oil-free or oil-based unit, with a tank or without, and from a brand or not.

 

As a general rule, the oil-free ones are smaller, lighter, louder, and a lot cheaper than the ones which use oil.  The vast majority of the models on the market are of the oil-free variety.  The big brand within the oil-free segment is Sparmax (there's also Iwata, but they're generally re-badged Sparmax models) - the other option is one of the "generic" brands and/or models, such as Royal Max (brand) and AS186 (model).  The options for the oil-based models are a bit more limited - I'm not aware of any options outside of Werther/Sil-Air and Bambi.  As a general rule, you can get spare parts for the branded models (e.g. Sparmax), whereas they are harder to come by for the generic units.

 

The other primary factor is whether you get a model with a tank, or a tankless one.  Tank-free models start when you press the trigger for air, stop when you let go of it, and generate air at the pressure you ask (10psi, etc).  Generally, there's a slight delay between pressing the trigger and the compressor starting, the compressor tends to end up running for longer (more wear), and they are more prone to condensation in the air line due to heat build-up (from running for longer).  In contrast, tank-based models use the compressor to fill the tank to a preset pressure (generally 60psi), and the airbrush draws the air from the tank at a pressure you set, so the compressor only runs when the tank pressure gets low.  Whatever you're doing, it's unlikely you'll need more than 30psi, although a bit of headroom isn't a bad idea.

 

Whilst most manufacturers/shops will list the noise output of a given model, it should be taken more as an indication than anything, as the character of the sound is important.  For example, my Sparmax TC-620 has two pistons, so it runs at around half the speed of the single-piston TC-610 - whilst it's rated as being slightly louder, the noise is lower-frequency, and less intrusive.  One other thing to bear in mind is the surface it's being used on, for example, if you run a compressor on bare floors, it is likely the noise will reverberate around the house, but if you put the compressor on a blanket, it won't.

 

I don't know if that's any help?  If you're looking at ordering from a dedicated airbrush supplier like Air-Craft, Everything Airbrush, Barwells, etc, I'm sure they'll be able to give you a a recommendation if you drop them a line.

 

Most everything has been covered and my only thing I would add is to buy several spare needles. You dont want to be into a good airbrushing session just to ... damage the needle and then have to wait for a new one to show up.

Yes, having a spare needle is a good idea.

 

Brilliant, thank you so much for all the guidance you've given. 

 

I'll call the suppliers you recommended tomorrow.

 

Cheers everyone, you're truly awesome. 

[Firedrake Cordova]

Brilliant, thank you so much for all the guidance you've given. 

 

I'll call the suppliers you recommended tomorrow.

No worries.   I would say a couple of things:

• You might get better results with e-mail than phone at the moment.  For example, Air-Craft are normally super-helpful (I got my stuff from them), but they aren't answering the phones at the moment, and are taking up to 2 days to answer e-mail - this is largely due to the working restrictions and increased demand; apparently everyone is building and painting model kits at the moment...
• If you're looking to get all your stuff from a single supplier, it can't hurt to ask if there's a bundle available
• Not all shops stock all things (e.g. Air-Craft are Iwata & H&S, Everything Airbrush are Badger & H&S), so you may have to get things from multiple suppliers, or maybe be a little flexible

 

Cheers everyone, you're truly awesome. 

It's a good community