Need Airbrush help
12-26-2003, 01:06 PM
#1
Need Airbrush help
I'm thinking of getting into airbrushing but can't seem to find anything that will let me decide one way or the other what I should buy. I plan to use the brush for painting my RC car bodies as well as for painting plastic model car kits. The thing is, I've never used an airbrush and, being very new to the RC world, I've never painted a lexan body either.
I've read lots of the old posts concerning this topic but still have some questions. For instance, everyone talks about brushes like the Paasche VL. That's a double action brush. Is buying a single action brush a waste of time/money? I've never been much of an artist with a normal brush in my hand, is airbrushing a much different skill than painting with a normal brush (I hope so)? How much maintenance does one of these things require? I have no idea how quickly these things use up a can of air. Would it be a waste to buy an airbrush but no compressor?
As you can probably figure out, what I'm really struggling with at this point is whether I should just stick with paint brushes and cans of spray paint until I'm a bit better grounded in this hobby or should I take the plunge and get into airbrushing. Part of me is tempted to go fpr a cheap airbrush just to try things out but I also hate to waste money for no good reason.
Any opinions would be helpful.
I've read lots of the old posts concerning this topic but still have some questions. For instance, everyone talks about brushes like the Paasche VL. That's a double action brush. Is buying a single action brush a waste of time/money? I've never been much of an artist with a normal brush in my hand, is airbrushing a much different skill than painting with a normal brush (I hope so)? How much maintenance does one of these things require? I have no idea how quickly these things use up a can of air. Would it be a waste to buy an airbrush but no compressor?
As you can probably figure out, what I'm really struggling with at this point is whether I should just stick with paint brushes and cans of spray paint until I'm a bit better grounded in this hobby or should I take the plunge and get into airbrushing. Part of me is tempted to go fpr a cheap airbrush just to try things out but I also hate to waste money for no good reason.
Any opinions would be helpful.
Last edited by plbman; 12-26-2003 at 01:11 PM.
12-26-2003, 03:38 PM
#2
Tech Regular
First off, you should go here and read about airbrushing. It will give you a good idea of how it's done and what is required.
Is buying a single action brush a waste of money? No, it's just more limited than a single action brush (though what some painters can do with a single action brush will blow your mind). With a single action brush, you push the button and both air and paint flow out. To adjust the spray pattern, you have to manually adjust the needle, which means stopping spraying and adjusting, then respraying. With a dual action brush, you push down, and air comes out. The more you push down, the more you air comes out. Then you pull back and paint comes out. The more you pull back, the more paint comes out. Both of them require you to learn how to spray them a little differently. Neither is a waste of money.
Questions you should ask yourself is, do you want to make the investment, both in money and time in airbrushing? When you spray a lot, an airbrush is actually less expensive over time. Do you want to be able to take advantage all the paints available for an airbrush? Have you really experimented with what can be done with cans? Some amazing work can with be done with cans but usually people assume they need an airbrush to create cool bodies and it isn't true. Most of what happens in a paint job is in the masking, not the paint. What an airbrush can do for you in the "fades" and the number of paints available. Subtract those two things and any that can be done with an airbrush can be done with cans.
Is buying a single action brush a waste of money? No, it's just more limited than a single action brush (though what some painters can do with a single action brush will blow your mind). With a single action brush, you push the button and both air and paint flow out. To adjust the spray pattern, you have to manually adjust the needle, which means stopping spraying and adjusting, then respraying. With a dual action brush, you push down, and air comes out. The more you push down, the more you air comes out. Then you pull back and paint comes out. The more you pull back, the more paint comes out. Both of them require you to learn how to spray them a little differently. Neither is a waste of money.
Questions you should ask yourself is, do you want to make the investment, both in money and time in airbrushing? When you spray a lot, an airbrush is actually less expensive over time. Do you want to be able to take advantage all the paints available for an airbrush? Have you really experimented with what can be done with cans? Some amazing work can with be done with cans but usually people assume they need an airbrush to create cool bodies and it isn't true. Most of what happens in a paint job is in the masking, not the paint. What an airbrush can do for you in the "fades" and the number of paints available. Subtract those two things and any that can be done with an airbrush can be done with cans.
12-26-2003, 03:42 PM
#3
Here's the quick skinny on basic brushes like te Paasche VL (dual-action) versus the Paasche H (single-action).
Single-action means the "button" on the brush applies paint in a fixed amount depending on how far you have the dial set. It will spray either a small, fine pattern or a heavy, large pattern, with a fixed amount of air. Everything is adjustable, just not while you are painting.
Dual-action allows you to control the paint flow while you are painting, by rocking the "button" you are pressing for air back and forth. It's a little like a video game controller, and you use your dominant hand index finger to control everything, so if you lack dexterity, it may not be the best thing to start out with.
For a beginner, I would recommend a single-action brush, just for its ease of use and shallow learning curve. You can be painting in minutes with a decent single-action Badger or Paasche kit, and a good compressor or air source. It will give you great finishes, and leave very little to mess up. If you are brave and have some artistic inclination, jump into the Paasche VL. I have literally painted thousands of bodies with one, and if you buy the full "kit" you get three different sized needles and tips, that will cover just about everything you will need to ever paint.
Good prices on all guns and supplies at http://www.bearairexpress.com/.
Hope this helps, good luck,
doug
Single-action means the "button" on the brush applies paint in a fixed amount depending on how far you have the dial set. It will spray either a small, fine pattern or a heavy, large pattern, with a fixed amount of air. Everything is adjustable, just not while you are painting.
Dual-action allows you to control the paint flow while you are painting, by rocking the "button" you are pressing for air back and forth. It's a little like a video game controller, and you use your dominant hand index finger to control everything, so if you lack dexterity, it may not be the best thing to start out with.
For a beginner, I would recommend a single-action brush, just for its ease of use and shallow learning curve. You can be painting in minutes with a decent single-action Badger or Paasche kit, and a good compressor or air source. It will give you great finishes, and leave very little to mess up. If you are brave and have some artistic inclination, jump into the Paasche VL. I have literally painted thousands of bodies with one, and if you buy the full "kit" you get three different sized needles and tips, that will cover just about everything you will need to ever paint.
Good prices on all guns and supplies at http://www.bearairexpress.com/.
Hope this helps, good luck,
doug
12-26-2003, 06:11 PM
#4
Tech Addict
iTrader: (3)
Fella's I too need a little bit of help. I'm chasing a new air brush, What are you guys using???? I've looked at Bear air but none of the decriptions say any thing about RC car bodies. I also tryed to email them but the address on there site doesn't seem to work for me??? I'm after a top quaility side or bottom feed brush so I can use my Faskolour bottle adaptors with it. ANY help would be appreciated.
12-26-2003, 06:33 PM
#5
Thanks for the quick replies folks.
Haunted, to answer some of your questions, no I haven't really experimented with cans much at all. As I said, I'm just getting into this hobby so, my experience is limited on all fronts. Same answer for what I'm looking for in paints. I haven't really done much messing around yet so I don't even know what's really out there.
What got me thinking about an airbrush was my desire to paint RC Car bodies (the new hobby) as well as my desire to build and paint regular plastic car models (the old hobby). I've built quite a few plastic kits in the past but found that its very difficult to do a top notch job with brushes and cans.
Anyway, still not sure if an airbrush will get me where I want to go but the feedback has been very helpful.
Perhaps this airbrush thing is an itch I'm just gonna have to scratch, regardless of whether I can convince myself one way or the other about whether it makes sense
Haunted, to answer some of your questions, no I haven't really experimented with cans much at all. As I said, I'm just getting into this hobby so, my experience is limited on all fronts. Same answer for what I'm looking for in paints. I haven't really done much messing around yet so I don't even know what's really out there.
What got me thinking about an airbrush was my desire to paint RC Car bodies (the new hobby) as well as my desire to build and paint regular plastic car models (the old hobby). I've built quite a few plastic kits in the past but found that its very difficult to do a top notch job with brushes and cans.
Anyway, still not sure if an airbrush will get me where I want to go but the feedback has been very helpful.
Perhaps this airbrush thing is an itch I'm just gonna have to scratch, regardless of whether I can convince myself one way or the other about whether it makes sense
12-26-2003, 08:02 PM
#6
You'll get a lot of different viewpoints on brushes. Probably as many as what car is the best to run. I have had GREAT success with a Paasche VL set, since I started playing around with brushes in 1983. The first brush I ever had was a Badger single-action brush, and for screwing around, it was perfect. Once I figured out what I was doing with it, though, I quickly recognized the need for more control (and I was only 13 at the time).
Through college, I used a high-end Thayer & Chandler dual-action gravity feed for paintings and other fine detail work, but for R/C paints, it was too fine and couldn't shoot various viscosities very well. I still use it from time to time, but only for very detailed work.
The cost of a VL set is around $60 and it comes with 3 tips/needles, hose, a siphon-feed cup and a few bottles and lids that are the exact same as the original Pactra toxic RC paints. For what you get, it's a fantastic price, and the brush is an absolute workhorse, as long as you keep it clean and maintained.
I have seen somewhere that someone sells an adapter to screw onto Parma Fastcolor bottles directly, but I forgot where I saw it. I know there is one out there for SpazStix bottles, too, I think.
Almost as important as the airbrush is the air source. You can work from pressurized cans of air, tanks of air and even spare tires with an adapter on the valve stem, but nothing as good as a compressor. There are small, silent ones out there specifically for airbrushing, but they never suited my needs very well. I prefer a small "pancake" type compressor that you can use in the garage on other stuff, and still offers an air holding tank, adjustable PSI and drainability. I just picked up a new pump at a local hardware/tool store for $169 and it will power a impact tools when my workload focuses on real cars.
If you want show finishes for plastic models, plus the flexibility of using all of the cool colors offered for RC cars, rattle cans just aren't gonna cut it. You'll be happy if you buy an airbrush and spend some time practicing with it.
Start saving all of those clear pie and salad containers you get from the grocery store, they make great practice "bodies." A few masking experiments, and a lot of cardboard for learning how the gun works in your hand, and you'll be painting like a madman in no time.
-doug
Through college, I used a high-end Thayer & Chandler dual-action gravity feed for paintings and other fine detail work, but for R/C paints, it was too fine and couldn't shoot various viscosities very well. I still use it from time to time, but only for very detailed work.
The cost of a VL set is around $60 and it comes with 3 tips/needles, hose, a siphon-feed cup and a few bottles and lids that are the exact same as the original Pactra toxic RC paints. For what you get, it's a fantastic price, and the brush is an absolute workhorse, as long as you keep it clean and maintained.
I have seen somewhere that someone sells an adapter to screw onto Parma Fastcolor bottles directly, but I forgot where I saw it. I know there is one out there for SpazStix bottles, too, I think.
Almost as important as the airbrush is the air source. You can work from pressurized cans of air, tanks of air and even spare tires with an adapter on the valve stem, but nothing as good as a compressor. There are small, silent ones out there specifically for airbrushing, but they never suited my needs very well. I prefer a small "pancake" type compressor that you can use in the garage on other stuff, and still offers an air holding tank, adjustable PSI and drainability. I just picked up a new pump at a local hardware/tool store for $169 and it will power a impact tools when my workload focuses on real cars.
If you want show finishes for plastic models, plus the flexibility of using all of the cool colors offered for RC cars, rattle cans just aren't gonna cut it. You'll be happy if you buy an airbrush and spend some time practicing with it.
Start saving all of those clear pie and salad containers you get from the grocery store, they make great practice "bodies." A few masking experiments, and a lot of cardboard for learning how the gun works in your hand, and you'll be painting like a madman in no time.
-doug
12-26-2003, 08:13 PM
#7
I just got a paasche VL for christmas and i stopped by the hobby store to get a can of air today. when i got home the hose didnt fit to the can of air. will i need to get a adapter or sumthing? I also got paint thinner, how do i use that?
thanx
kevin
thanx
kevin
12-27-2003, 06:37 AM
#8
One more (probably stupid) question.
How much ventilation does an airbrush need? Is it comparable to a can or can I get away with painting in a less open area, like my basement. I ask because I live in Chicago. Its cold up here and will be for a number of months. My garage has no heat so, painting out there would be less than optimal. On the other hand, my basement is quite a nice place to work but I'm not sure I'd want to take a regular can of spray paint and start spraying away down there.
I'm happy to wear a mask when painting but, obviously, lots of spray in the air (like from a can) would have other effects.
Thanks for all the help so far.
How much ventilation does an airbrush need? Is it comparable to a can or can I get away with painting in a less open area, like my basement. I ask because I live in Chicago. Its cold up here and will be for a number of months. My garage has no heat so, painting out there would be less than optimal. On the other hand, my basement is quite a nice place to work but I'm not sure I'd want to take a regular can of spray paint and start spraying away down there.
I'm happy to wear a mask when painting but, obviously, lots of spray in the air (like from a can) would have other effects.
Thanks for all the help so far.
12-27-2003, 07:36 AM
#9
Tech Initiate
Badger Wren
I've been using a Badger Wren single action for quite some time now and for anyone starting out it's a pretty cheap way to paint. I have never priced out cans of air but I picked up a small compressor from Princess Auto here in Ontario for $80 and it works great. I'm not an artist, I have a hard time writing my own name but by using commercial masks and Fascolor paint you can achieve some pretty nice results. With Fascolor there is no smell, so spraying indoors is no problem. Hope this helps a little....
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