Air brush advice needed

So after many years in the hobby, my son and I are about to buy an air brush. My intention is to recover some warbird ARFs I have been flying a few years and paint them. He also wants to paint plastic models. The question is about learning the basics. Our plan is to puchase a kit from Airbrush City and go from there. Any pointers as to books, videos, groups, or other sources of information would be welcome. In addition, any experience with stuff from Airbrush City, or your personal experience getting started would also be helpful.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Lenny Nipper and son

Reply to
Lenny Nipper
Loading thread data ...

you'll want to invest in a nice compressor as well. Sometimes you can find a nice compressor/airbrush package deal.

Reply to
Scott Klinger

I messed around with an airbrush as well. If you look at this website:

formatting link
can see some of the results I accomplished with my aztek airbrush. It is a dual action brush with easy to clean tips. I also bought the scorpion

1 compressor. It always provides enough air and it is really quiet.

I did have a Paasche but I didn't like it, it was hard to clean and seemed to clog a lot. However it could've been just my noobness.

A couple of thigs I learned...don't use cheap paint. I used acrylics on my viper twin from walmart and they pretty much all peeled off on the bottom of the plane. However you should not have this problem with high quality acrylics (if you use acrylics at all).

Reply to
Anthony R

I haven't kept up with the books so I wont speculate on what books are out there now. As for the airbrush, save yourself a lot of fits and get a good dual action unit the first time. My first experience was with the Paasche VL, and I haven't used anything else. Dual action gives you a slide on the trigger, and pulling it back allows more paint to flow. Allows you to do many different things without changing settings. Less tinkering, more painting. The VL has different tip sizes for different paints, effects, etc. They are 1,3 and 5, with the 3 a good tip for lacquer and most of the paints you will be dealing with in this hobby. A bare bones set is about 40 something dollars, with a complete set with all 3 tip sizes running in the 70's and up. Don't know airbrush city, but go in, shop prices, then check the net to see if they are reasonable. If they are, it's (IMHO) always better to buy local.

Reply to
John Alt

How big are your warbirds? You might find that painting large surfaces with an airbrush takes a long time. You might be happier with a standard air compressor and detail gun if your ARFs are on the large side.

-- Morris Lee snipped-for-privacy@verizon.net

Reply to
Morris Lee

I agree with Morris. The common factor is the compressor. If you get one big enough to handle a detail gun, it will work with the air brush as well. An airbrush compressor, on the other hand, will not have enough air flow for the detail gun. Once you get to that level, you might take into consideration air power tools as well. Air brushes work great for details, or plastic kits, but not for painting the base color of a larger bird.

In any case, as was posted by others, don't skimp on the air brush and/or the detail gun. Spend a few extra dollars now, and save time and frustration.

JR

Reply to
JR

Thanks everyone for the most excellent feedback. I think I have probably started a little bit too low, but the stuff is inexpensive and my son will be able to use it for models. I will use it to better understand the skill and then purchase better equipment if it looks like something I want to pursue. As to size, I have a 40 size bird, a

60 size, and a big 84 inch Dynafilght Spitfire. Sounds like I would need a whole season to paint the bigger bird with an airbrush.

Thanks again for the feedback.

Reply to
Lenny Nipper

That Dynaflight Spit definitely needs a detail gun. In a way, if you're gonna paint 'em, you'll need both -- the detail gun to paint large areas, and the airbrush to do the neat stuff like simulated weathering, exhaust stains, etc. If your son wants an airbrush to paint plastic models, Testors makes a fairly good cheapie. Also take a peek the the Badger 200. I used one to do camoflage on plastic models, and it did a great job.

Reply to
Morris Lee

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.