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So, I've been wanting an airbrush for a while, but then again, doesn't everybody? Anyway, with a recent really huge tax return as an excuse to (finally) start a Krieg army (that I've been thinking about for a long time) and finance an airbrush, I really have no reason not to.

But I need a bit of advice first. I've read Mistress of minis' Airbrush Tactica, and it was quite helpful, but a little more would be great.

Going by her recommendation, and reading a few reviews online, I'm thinking of getting the Air Pro Tools PS 900. Cost isn't a big issue, but if I can get something really good for really cheap, I won't complain (unless there's some really glaring issue that no one's brought up yet... anyone?).

So after that, I know I need a compressor. Although a normal compressor would be ideal for most people, since I'll be having to carry mine back and forth when I go to and from University for holidays and the summer and I only have so much room in my car, I want to get something smaller. So I'm aiming for an airbrush-specific model. Essentially, what's a good, small, portable air compressor?

And after that, are there any more accessories/tools that I need?

Finally, does anyone have any links or videos towards good tutorials for maitainence and basic airbrush technique?

I use Master airbrushes from TCP global. I have a G48,G44,
G41, and G76. Some people don't like the Master series, but I really like mine. I use the G41 for painting mini's, only use a couple of drops of paint and has a clear line of sight
with no paint cup to block your vision. These are very good
detail brushes. I use a TC-190 compressor. I had one screw
up, TCP Global replaced it immediately at no cost to me. Like I said before, some people like these airbrushes and some don't. I think for the price they can't be beat.

Well, I don't plan on using the airbrush for much detail work. Mostly for basecoats and lighting.

I can paint a tank as well as a mini with any of these. Very
fine line to about 1/2 wide line.

The PS900 has been taken over by the company that makes the Master airbrushes- same stuff just different labeling. TCP as dad1946 mentioned, are pretty highly rated, and they also sell the smaller AB compressors that would fit the uni student lifestyle

I gotta order some new needles for mine, like a tard I jammed it back in after a cleaning and bent it.

How many spare needles would you recommend someone who's new to airbrushes to buy? I don't intend on them breaking and all, but I figure it's bound to happen over time.

Essentially, what are the things I should be getting with my first airbrush? Compressor's a no-brainer, as is an actual brush... but I see stuff for cleaning kits and brush holders and a mind bogglingly huge selection of stuff, plenty of which I'm sure I don't really need for my purposes. As for the actual jargon itself... I don't really know what constitutes good and what constitutes bad. Doesn't help that the TCP page is ugly as sin and about as helpful as it is pretty.

An airbrush has a wicked sharp point on the end - that will dull with time, but is somewhat fixable. Keep the spraycap on it, and be careful when cleaning, and you should be fine.

For the most part, your basics are an airbrush, a compressor/air source, and paint. Anything else is just nice accessories, and are easily moddable from a variety of sources. For example, I used a Gatorade bottle with the hole cut out for a spraycleaning station - the alternative was a 25$ jar with a special lid, that I did eventually end up buying.

Check out WGConsortium's video line on airbrushing for a good visual representation of the basics:

http://www.youtube.com/user/WGConsortium

Do not forget cleaning supplies. Personally my favorite is a small cheap ultra-sonic cleaner from amazon.com I picked up for around $35. I also use a small bottle of iso alcohol as well as a bottle of "airbrush" cleaner.

Also, learn from my fail and do not disassemble your airbrush over/near the sink when you go to clean it. There are very tiny parts that can/will drop and roll around in the sink then go down the drain all in slow motion while you watch in horror, but cannot seem to act fast enough to grab.

on WGConsortium's intro to airbrushing. Between him and AwesomePaintJob is what got me to even entertain airbrushing and glad I did. I still have a LOT to learn and do since I am very new to this, but so far am happy with what I have done.

If you take extreme care in protecting your needles you wont need any extras. I have one extra on hand from when I first bought mine and I haven't needed yet. The best way to advise someone who's getting into airbrushing is to tell them that they need to treat operating it like surgery. In surgery, everything is kept very clean, everything is neat and organized, and everything is thought out before it is done. Follow those simple rules of logic and you can't go wrong.

As far as airbrushes go, there are millions of types for a million jobs, but I would almost always suggest a needle/gravity fed airbrush because it can do the most. IWATA makes astoundingly good airbrushes and can be very competetively priced if you are on a lower budget. Other companies exist such as PASCHE and Badger but my experience is limited with them so I won't go there. Another company I can vouch for is Harder and Steinbeck. They make some great stuff (made by them Krauts) and you get a lot of bang for your buck with them as well.

On the subject of compressors, I would go to your local hardware store and buy some reasonably sized. For me little airbrush compressors going off all the time piss me off with the sound so something with a capacity of even 3-4 gallons would give you quite a bit of spraying before they kick on, plus you can just run a hose wherever and keep it in another room. Make sure you get a moisture trap if it doesnt come with one.

I have a ps900 brush that I bought based on various recommenations on this site and am totally happy with it.
My compressor is one I bought at a hardware store and does a fantastic job but is so load that I can't use it very often as its even hard to talk over the top of.

I'm looking at replacing the compressor for a hobby one that would be quieter so I can setup everything in my basement and not go deaf...

There's four of them I'm looking at right now. I'd be partial to one with a tank but I'm fairly certain I can hook up one of my old paintball compressed air tanks to something in a pinch..

no tanks:
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-8-eighth-hp-40-psi-oilless-airbrush-compressor-93657.html

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BQPNWS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

with tanks:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001I9YX0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=A23ADOZFIJNPFB

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004KNHGCI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&m=A3KUYHN7HI5ZSF

I ended up getting one of these at a local shop for a bill; it's quiet, and had all the requisite parts, save for a tank.

jehdin wrote:I ended up getting one of these at a local shop for a bill; it's quiet, and had all the requisite parts, save for a tank.

Looks similar to third one I linked to execpt the one I'm looking at has the tank attached as well. How quiet would you say that is when running?

With the compressor going, I can have a conversation at normal volume with no issues. I'm pretty happy about how quiet it is, after all of the tales of street construction levels of noise other folks have talked about when it comes to compressors.

jehdin wrote:With the compressor going, I can have a conversation at normal volume with no issues. I'm pretty happy about how quiet it is, after all of the tales of street construction levels of noise other folks have talked about when it comes to compressors.

Thats about the level of noise I'm looking for.
The one I have now is loud enough you need to yell over the top of it and forget about trying to sleep anywhere in the house or watch tv when it kicks on...I think when I tested it with a decibel app that it clocked out at around 80+db...

My dad is a contractor and has a work shop in our barn. In the shop is a huge (like 200 gallon) compressor. That thing is so loud when it kicks on, you can hear it running from the house, which is about 100 yards away. Yeah...

The compressor I use I bought years ago for my air tools. It has a 50 gallon tank. while it is loud as hell when you fill it, once you do, you are set to paint for quote a long time in silence. So I fire it up and let it fill while I get set up and then once it is ready, so am I.

So if you ever have any inclination to ever have/use air tools, get a larger compressor with a big tank and just run it up to 130 PSI, stick the regulator at the level you need, fill it and pain in silence. Then when you need to take a tire off your car, you have the impact wrench to do that too.

Looks similar to third one I linked to execpt the one I'm looking at has the tank attached as well. How quiet would you say that is when running?

From the info that i've read having the tank is well worth the extra... less likely to have fluctuations in the air flow and the compressor doesnt have to always run (but if your spraying pretty constantly it will anyway) just to name a couple.

I purchased the same compressor as above with a small tank, and so far cant fault it, but i'm only starting out.

To put the sound into perspective, its about as loud when its on, while sitting next to it as a mid range hair dryer on low. I could hear my partner watching telly with the volume at 20/100 while sitting next to the compressor while running.

to put the size into perspective, its a touch bigger than a quarter the size of an army case.

Anyway, I got a Master AB G444 kit with a ABD TC-60 compressor, and a cleaning kit. As well as a bunch of Vallejo Air colours.

Fafnir wrote:Anyway, I got a Master AB G444 kit with a ABD TC-60 compressor, and a cleaning kit. As well as a bunch of Vallejo Air colours.

Where'd you get the vallejo air paint at? I've been running into issues finding someone that sells them and has wide range of colors.

Maelstrom

Picked up the paints and a Manticore before the embargo hits.

Pretty much expended my entire model money for the rest of the year in the past two days. Let's hope I can do something with all of it.

What is this embargo you speak of? I am curious to know what is really behind this is all. From what I have heard, none of the distributors are carrying (can get?) the Model Air line anymore and thus shops cannot get them. I have found one place locally that carried them in stock, but what the owner told me is what he has is it. Once they are gone he does not forsee being able to get more. So I bought from him many of the colors I might need and multiples. I also ended up buying a new Model Air suitcase last week off eBay. I do not need them all right now, but I will, so I figured I would get them while I could so I had them when I need them. That and I sold some old camera gear so I had enough money to pay for the suitcase.

It is really sad as I really love these colors. They brush on excellent and airbrush even better from my limited experience. I would rally like to know what is behind not being able to get them.

I'd get a pancake tank compressor. You can find them at your local Harbor freight, Home depot, or whatever the Canadian equivalent is (Menards?). A cheap regulator ($25) will keep the pressure low enough to work with, and the small tank ensures you're not going to run out of air at inopportune times.

What embargo? I buy my Vallejo model air from thewarstore.com. Great service and selection. Some
of the more popular items such as grey primer and thinners
are out of stock often.

The embargo is on GW UK's products. Part of the Trade Account terms and conditions will very soon prohibit sales outside the EU. Technically this should just apply to GW's product lines - not sure whether they can legally restrict the sales of other products.

dad1946 wrote:What embargo? I buy my Vallejo model air from thewarstore.com. Great service and selection. Some
of the more popular items such as grey primer and thinners
are out of stock often.

I actually was just looking a thewarstore.com. I'm giving my FLGS till friday to get in some Vallejo paint and if they still don't receive it then I'm gonna order some (along with a bunch of dark eldar pre orders)

I was talking about GW's embargo on EU retailers. Maelstrom is where I tend to do a lot of my shopping from, and so I was referencing GW product, not Vallejo.

And what's this about distributors not carrying Vallejo Air anymore?

Additionally, when using Vallejo Air with an airbrush, how should I mix it for use? I've heard that you can pour it straight in the feed with no worries, but I've also heard that you should use some thinner. Can someone help my confusion?

You can use the model air straight from the bottle. It may
require a little higher pressure. I always thin my paint, usually 1 drop thinner 2 drops paint with Vallejo. Some
other brands (GW) require more thinnig. It takes a little
practice to get the right consistency. I thin with Vallejo
thinner, or water and flow aide, Windex, Future, I guess
I've tried it all. I thing its best to stick to the paint manufacturer thinner to get the best results, althought I
have gotten some very good results with just Future.

Fafnir wrote:
Additionally, when using Vallejo Air with an airbrush, how should I mix it for use? I've heard that you can pour it straight in the feed with no worries, but I've also heard that you should use some thinner. Can someone help my confusion?

I use mine straight from the bottle, works pretty good. I shoot it at ~18psi and it gets the job done.

I use non-ammonia windex (blue window cleaner) to thin my GW paints to go through the brush. about 1:1 and then a little distilled water if its still looking chunky.

If you're having problems getting ahold of Vallejo paints, give Reaper paints a shot.

jehdin wrote:If you're having problems getting ahold of Vallejo paints, give Reaper paints a shot.

It is not most of the Vallejo line that is the problem getting. It is specifically Vallejo Model Air line of paints. Correct me if I am wrong, but Reaper does not make a line of paint specifically for airbrushing like the Vallejo Model Air line, does it?