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Hey guys,

Im somewhat of a rookie when it comes to painting. My skill level in terms of quality is pretty good, in my local group im one of the better painters, but its simply because I spend ALOT of time painting my models, not because of spending alot of time practising the skill etc. My question however though is what are the notable perks and benefits to using an airbrush? I'm trying to see if I can justify buying one or if I should buy one. I've been painting alot of models lately (i'd say ill be doing 350-400$ of models a month) as im just getting back into warhammer 40k and am busting to finish my necrons and then another couple armies.

Are airbrushes more needed for certain parts of painting or what? How beneficial is it to have one? Any info/tips/wisdom I really appreciate!

Thanks!

Honestly they're worth it just for speeding up the process. I use mine almost strictly for base coating and the amount of time it saves me is insane. You get nice even coats very quickly and with minimal effort. As a beginner the best advice I can give you is to keep the damn thing clean. Once you learn how to do that half the battle is won.

 creeping-deth87 wrote:
Honestly they're worth it just for speeding up the process. I use mine almost strictly for base coating and the amount of time it saves me is insane. You get nice even coats very quickly and with minimal effort. As a beginner the best advice I can give you is to keep the damn thing clean. Once you learn how to do that half the battle is won.

Whats a good airbrush combo you can recommend? I dont want to overkill but i also dont want something thats poor quality. I have no idea where to start with them to be honest.

It's real life saver with base coating large models! Problem can be matching colours though as airbrushed seems to look bit different to brushed so if you switch mid project it might look bit off.

If I was to get an airbush what else do I need with it? My house is so-so ventilation wise. Is there anything like that I would need?

 Gamgee wrote:
If I was to get an airbush what else do I need with it? My house is so-so ventilation wise. Is there anything like that I would need?

An air compressor to actually run it. Otherwise, I just open a window and try not to breath too deeply.

A mask of some kind for paint (dust is bad enough to breathe in, paint is also bad). Some air brush paints contain cadmium and you REALLY don't want to breathe it in.

A spray booth of some kind to contain the overspray. This can be as simple as a box with some 4" vent flex-pipe out the back (like what is used for venting clothes dryers and kitchen extractors).

Otherwise, for a "first airbrush" get one you can afford to kill. As it will happen, and a $300 airbrush will hurt when you do this, but a $50 one won't hurt that much (and you can get cheap double-action brushes that will suit you starting out - you don't need an ultra-fine primadonna airbrush for your first brush as you won't have the control to use it anyway).

My first airbrush was some expensive bugger that required a lot of maintenance and disassembly/reassembly just to keep working. When one of the parts went, I opted to get an Iwata Neo instead. Sure, it's not the highest end model in the world, but it's easy to clean and take care of, and is nearly indestructable.

Also, mix some airbrush cleaner in with your paints. Even with paints made specifically for airbrushing, it helps to reduce clogging and makes things apply more evenly. Just not too much, or it'll end up too watery.

You need a mask.

You don't need to thin airbrush paints.

You should get an Iwata EclipseHP-CS, it's rather easy to clean and it's a good entry-level high quality airbrush.

A friend got a S&H Infinity and he has issues with the needle getting blocked in the tip.

I would definitely advise against cheaper airbrushes, because the degree of control you have with the brush basically draws your learning curve.

Like for paintbrushes, learning with a W&N Series 7 or Raphaël 8404 will teach you infinitely more and infinitely faster than with a GW, Army Painter or noname brush.

For the compressor, ebay has options where you can get a compressor with 3L tank for about a hundred bucks, just make sure you keep it cooled if you're going to use it for long periods at a time (I put 3x 120mm fans on it, I can use it indefinitely).

Don't forget a proper cleaning kit, with tiny bottle brushes. This makes it far easier to keep clean.

Also, an eyedropper - preferably a glass one, which should be available at any pharmacist - great for transferring paint into the airbrush from GW bottles and for 'swishing' the bowl of the airbrush clean with water.

You want glass because you'll get paint inside and it's easier to clean it out if it's hard glass, rather than soft plastic that will scratch. Even glass eyedroppers are dirt cheap, so no worries.

I've had an airbrush for about a week and it's already worth it to me. My base coats are much smoother than I get when I brush them by hand, and it takes a fraction of the time for each model. As I go it'll get smoother yet as I'm still in the learning by doing phase. Once I get going on vehicles as well, it's going to save me hours upon hours of coating those things.

I bought an airbrush with plans to become some sort of painting god overnight when repainting my Tau. Suffice to say it takes a lot of time and practice to get good results. It takes a bit of time to get used to the distance, pressure, angulation, mix etc to get a good result so be prepared to make mistakes and have to strip and repaint. It's almost like learning to paint again from scratch.

When I actually went about painting, it took a little bit of time and a fair amount of wasted paint to start getting decent results for basecoating. However, even when using the same colours as my original painting, as someone else has mentioned, the colours do come out quite differently when you use an airbrush for them. I'd previously been using spray-primer base coats from The Army Painter. I honestly don't think I got massively improved results from airbrushing over simply using the spray can primer.

I went with an entry level unbranded airbrush kit from amazon with its own compressor which set me back about £75. I then spent about another £10 paints, airbrush cleaning solution, thinners etc. So it's quite a big investment even with starter gear.

For the investment I was disappointed with the results I was getting, and actually switched back to using my previous painting methods. I have the airbrush now, cleaned and stored but underused. Perhaps I'll go back to learning it properly when I start a new project.

TL;DR: Takes practice to get good results, probably not advisable to switch to mid project.

ARe you a lifer? Are you going to do this hobby for 5+ years?
If so get an airbrush. It saves you time and paint and money in the longer run and makes your life easier while opening up options for painting.

It's not a magic bullet - it doesn't make you an uber painter overnight as its just another tool but it does give you another way of painting effects in a quicker and more consistent way.

I see that you are in Canadia (sorry about your planet blowing up) so make sure that you get an airbrush that you can get replacement bits for. I'm in Europia so I have a H&S Infinity CR+ but in the Americas Iwata and Badger are popular.

For an airbrush you'll need : airbrush, thinner for the paint (tamiya or vallejhhooo), cleaner (vallejhoo do a good one) - don't use raw solvents in it unless you're sure the rubber seals will take the abuse and a compressor.

Don't get a $h!tty ebay special for $20, or the bungles for $99 - the compressors in those bundles are ok (try to get one with a storage tank) but the airbrush is rubbish and annoying.

The first thing to do is take it apart and see how it goes together as you will need to take it apart a lot to clean it.

Then try spraying some water through it and make pretty patterns on some paper.

There's a load of videos on the youtube about it. Good luck.

Asura Varuna wrote:
I'd previously been using spray-primer base coats from The Army Painter. I honestly don't think I got massively improved results from airbrushing over simply using the spray can primer.

Spray paint colours are bit more limited though. Any spray paint that's similar to say kabalite green that I use for base colour of my sons of horus?

Asura Varuna wrote:
I bought an airbrush with plans to become some sort of painting god overnight when repainting my Tau. Suffice to say it takes a lot of time and practice to get good results. It takes a bit of time to get used to the distance, pressure, angulation, mix etc to get a good result so be prepared to make mistakes and have to strip and repaint. It's almost like learning to paint again from scratch.

When I actually went about painting, it took a little bit of time and a fair amount of wasted paint to start getting decent results for basecoating. However, even when using the same colours as my original painting, as someone else has mentioned, the colours do come out quite differently when you use an airbrush for them. I'd previously been using spray-primer base coats from The Army Painter. I honestly don't think I got massively improved results from airbrushing over simply using the spray can primer.
...

For the investment I was disappointed with the results I was getting, and actually switched back to using my previous painting methods. I have the airbrush now, cleaned and stored but underused. Perhaps I'll go back to learning it properly when I start a new project.

TL;DR: Takes practice to get good results, probably not advisable to switch to mid project.

The coats of paint are much much much much MUCH thinner so the colours underneath show through. It's almost like watercolour painting in reverse. Don't change mid project is a good piece of advice.

Is it worth it to try and airbrush on GW paints? or do you get specific airbrush paints?

For GW paints, you just need to add airbrush thinner until the pot is nearly full, and shake it.

You may use anything, but the cheap and working method is 10% window cleaner and 90% water.

That goes straight through your airbrush, just like airbrush paint.

I use mine for the first two shades of color. They're great for speed painting but can be extremely fickle. Make sure to clean after every use, be wary of the airbrush paints you buy, and go for an expensive one early off.

DO NOT BUY AN EXPENSIVE air brush set. My wife bought me a $200 Canadian air brush set. It was one of those small square compressors that people use for nails. It had 3 types of air brushes gravity feed and bottom feed. They are good to start with. Only problem with them is it can collect water and you get water spray. You can always buy a water trap/regulator for it.

*edit* Just found an image for the exact set I have.



*/edit* I just noticed that I don't have is a water trap on the gravity feed brush. That would help me out so much. Will have to see where I can get that for myself. This is a great set for $200, get a compressor that goes to about 40, 45 PSI (You will want to use it around 30 PSI) and you get 3 brushes. Only thing you don't have with this set is a tank. Not a big deal since you get 3 brushes. Don't want the brushes the one below looks good. Remember, I just showed it because so you can see what to look for. Again, it can be good, or might not be good. I am sure others will tell you if that is a good way to start.

I am glad I went this way. Remember how someone mentioned earlier about KEEPING THE airbrush CLEAN? It will happen you think it's clean and then it will not work as much anymore. Took me months too finally get it clean. I bought a $200 air brush and I am afraid to use it now till I learn how to clean properly. Thank god I was able to get the old airbrush clean again so start with a less expensive set.

Here is an example. Cheap. http://www.kijiji.ca/v-hobbies-craft/kitchener-waterloo/multiple-use-mastercraft-airbrush-with-air-compressor/1227978642?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true I don't know if this is good, just showing it as an example This compressor has an air regulator and water/moisture trap. The air brush is a bottom feed. Good for priming, but for actual painting I would also get a gravity feed.

I hope this helps to show what you will need and to look for. Once you get better you can start buying something better and more expensive. It is even recommended from professionals not to start with expensive air brushes because you will need to learn the basics first before you can actually use what the expensive brushes offer.

I bought the Iawata NEO (around $180USD when I purchased.) and couldn't be happier. I'd say splurge for an expensive brush (triggers are my favorite) and get a cheaper compressor

You often dont need a super expensive airbrush

Badger chrome or the iwata eclipse is usually enough like everyone suggests. roughly 100$ but can be down to 75

just dont skimp on the compressor

make sure it has a tank.

(Moved to Painting & Modeling as the better location for this conversation.)

You might check out Dakka's Articles section as well, and search for "Airbrush". Quite a few useful hits.

If you're starting out, go cheap until you learn how to care for the airbrushes or you'll make some very expensive mistakes as you learn.

I bought one of the MASTER airbrush & compressor sets off amazon almost 4 years back, the airbrush wasn't very good but I still use the compressor and hoses, runs fine. Came with an attached moisture trap, but I was getting water splatter after 30 min or so of working and on advice I also got an in-line moisture trap, made a big difference. The MASTER compressor doesn't have a tank, but I haven't found it necessary as it kicks on and off to backfill the in-line pressure, good for an afternoon paint session. It's a very quiet compressor and I can use it in my hobby station and still listen to music/TV just fine, about as noisy as a refrigerator.

I've bought a few cheap chinese airbrushes over the years and they vary greatly in quality, my current favorite is a $25 airbrush that's a Badger Patriot knock-off and works quite well, when it broke (bad seals) I bought a Patriot knockoff that didn't work well at all, but I used parts from it to fix the knockoff that I liked and it works great again. Since the one I use isn't branded I can't recommend it, unfortunately. Most of the chinese ones are $15-20 for the basics or $25-$35 for the better ones, quality is very hit and miss vs the actual Badger and Iwata airbrushes which are much more consistantly good.

I recommend cutting your teeth on the cheapy ones and upgrading to a quality airbrush once you get a good feel for it

I think the value of an airbrush is dependent on what you're painting.

Painting exclusively infantry to a table top standard? An airbrush isn't going to help you all that much.

Painting mostly vehicles and larger monsters? An airbrush is extremely useful.

Some armies are really conducive to airbrush use, like Eldar, others an airbrush doesn't really help, like Orks.

If you want to make good use out of an airbrush you need to design your army's colour scheme around it, if you already have a scheme you like with a hairy brush, just stick with that and when you start your next army think about how you might airbrush it instead.

 Kalamadea wrote:
If you're starting out, go cheap until you learn how to care for the airbrushes or you'll make some very expensive mistakes as you learn.

I absolutely hate this advice.

If you've been into this hobby for any period of time and plan on staying in it and are serious about it, invest in quality equipment. Not necessarily a $400+ airbrush with an equally expensive compressor, but something more in the $100-$150 range (any of the double action gravity fed offerings from Iwata, Badger, or Harder & Steenbeck are good, some of which are in the sub-$100 range). When I first decided to get into using an airbrush about five years ago, I was taken in by the "start cheap" mantra and it was a total waste of time and money. In fact, it made me not want to use an airbrush because there is no $20 airbrush that isn't a piece of gak. My gakky Master airbrush looked nice, but the internals were roughly finished, the needle was junk, and it just didn't work as nicely as the more expensive brushes I eventually bought. The idea that you'll make "expensive mistakes" is way overblown. Airbrushes are relatively simple devices and there isn't terribly much you can do to permanently damage one. Read any literature that comes with the airbrush and go on YouTube to watch videos of cleaning and disassembly if you have any questions.

There are ways to save money in the hobby, buying crap equipment isn't the best way to go about it. Like anything in life, you get what you pay for.

I agree with the starting cheap idea, with the caveat you still want an airbrush that has a half decent reputation. My first airbrush was an artlogic, cost me about $50AUD, works fine, there's nothing I can do with my $150 airbrush that I can't do with my $50 airbrush.

Part of the reason I don't like recommending buying something expensive is because even though airbrushing is becoming more popular, there's still a lot of people who buy one and don't really like it or don't end up using it.

You start cheaper to try it out as much as anything. You just have to make sure the cheap thing you're buying isn't junk.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
I agree with the starting cheap idea, with the caveat you still want an airbrush that has a half decent reputation. My first airbrush was an artlogic, cost me about $50AUD, works fine, there's nothing I can do with my $150 airbrush that I can't do with my $50 airbrush.

It isn't what the airbrush can do, but rather how well it does it; a more expensive airbrush doesn't make the user a better painter. There really is no comparison between the cheap Chinese knock offs that people love to recommend and a quality offering from a legitimate airbrush company. Anyone that says otherwise either doesn't know what they're talking about or they're lying.

Part of the reason I don't like recommending buying something expensive is because even though airbrushing is becoming more popular, there's still a lot of people who buy one and don't really like it or don't end up using it.

Then they can sell it. A quality airbrush that isn't beat to gak can fetch near about the sticker price. There is no market for used gakky airbrushes so in reality, you'd probably loose more money that way. Also, it may sound a little cruel, but I don't care if someone buys a nicer airbrush and decided to give up the hobby a year later because that's not really my concern. What I do care about is giving people good advice and helping them make smart investments. Chances are, if someone buys a nice airbrush and a year later decides to get out of the hobby, it isn't going to be because they were frustrated with a quality built airbrush.

You start cheaper to try it out as much as anything. You just have to make sure the cheap thing you're buying isn't junk.

Cheap stuff is junk and junk doesn't help anyone learn better. Seriously, an Iwata NEO or Badger Patriot 105 is going to offer a much better experience than a bs $25 Master airbrush. This "buy cheap" mantra isn't sage advice and it doesn't help get people into using airbrushes (which they should be) because it makes for a less than pleasurable experience. I'd reckon it probably turns more people away from using an airbrush and I can speak from experience on that one.

I read a bunch of people recommending a cheap-ish siphon feed airbrush as something that great for beginners, so I bought a Paasche VL siphon feed for $60. I tried using it a couple times and it sucked; the spraying was inconsistent, it wasted too much paint, and the action wasn't smooth. I put it away and decided that airbrushing was for the birds. A month later, I decided to give it another go and picked a Paasche VSR for another $60. This had a lot of the same issues as the other Paasche I had, especially the coarseness of the action. A month after that, I again took to the internet to find a reliable airbrush. Here on Dakka, I read people raving about the cheap Master Airbrushes so I picked one up on Amazon for $30. In the span of three months (I bought my first airbrush in February 2012, about a month after I got into the hobby), I spent $150 on airbrushes and I still didn't have a decent one to work with. Yes, the Master was decidedly better than those horrible Paasche brushes, and I was able to use it moderately well, it still had all of the problems of the first two brushes I used, just a little less worse. That all changed when my wife gave me a Badger Krome 2-in-1 for my birthday in July of that year and I realized what I had been missing. The spray pattern was better, the action was noticeably smoother, and the entire thing just felt well made. That cheap ass Master got put in the drawer never to be used again.

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
I agree with the starting cheap idea, with the caveat you still want an airbrush that has a half decent reputation. My first airbrush was an artlogic, cost me about $50AUD, works fine, there's nothing I can do with my $150 airbrush that I can't do with my $50 airbrush.

It isn't what the airbrush can do, but rather how well it does it; a more expensive airbrush doesn't make the user a better painter. There really is no comparison between the cheap Chinese knock offs that people love to recommend and a quality offering from a legitimate airbrush company. Anyone that says otherwise either doesn't know what they're talking about or they're lying.

I'll just have to agree to disagree, a lot of cheap chinese knocks might be junk, a lot of them are fine too. It both "can do" and "how well it does it" perfectly fine.

You can tell me I'm lying or I don't know what I'm talking about, but airbrush preferences are very personal things and I and many other modellers who are better than me still have a $50 artlogic brush in their line up.

If you have the money to spend buying a $150 brush straight off, fine, go for it, but a lot of people don't want to make that investment and there's brushes a third the price that in the hands of a beginner are going to work just as well. Maybe some are junk, but you don't have to spend heaps of money just because *some* cheap airbrushes are junk, you just need to talk to people with enough experience to recommend you the ones that aren't.

You want a gravity feed airbrush, for a starter a master g22 or g44 is very solid. Then you want a dual piston compressor with a tank, tank is vital unless you want the thing constantly running, getting hot and cutting your run time. Oiless. Amazon has some really solid combos in the 2-300 dollar range to get both these things that include a moisture trap and most of the things you need like a cleaning kit, hose and quick release. Then after that you will want to pick up some isopropyl alchohol and distilled water to mix your own thinner (1 part isopropyl 9 parts distilled water), some simple green to make your own cleaning fluid (1 part simple green, 9 parts tap water). Finally a table clamp stand, and an ultrasonic cleaner to round you out and that will be basically all you will ever need besides paint. (Createx, vallejo air, and most mini paints can be thinned for ab too).

Totally worth it, go forth. If you are going to focus $ on any one thing though, make it the compressor, you will probably get new AB's in your time, but the compressor is the one part that won't change. As I said, make sure it is a dual piston, oiless tanked version, as it is quieter, and has much better pressure consistency than the super cheap nail salon ones or tankless versions.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
I'll just have to agree to disagree, a lot of cheap chinese knocks might be junk, a lot of them are fine too. It both "can do" and "how well it does it" perfectly fine.

You can tell me I'm lying or I don't know what I'm talking about, but airbrush preferences are very personal things and I and many other modellers who are better than me still have a $50 artlogic brush in their line up.

You can disagree all you would like, it just doesn't make you right. Preferences don't matter when it comes to quality, which is tangible. You have a cheap airbrush and you like it, good for you. That doesn't make your cheap airbrush better than a more expensive, quality made one.

If you have the money to spend buying a $150 brush straight off, fine, go for it, but a lot of people don't want to make that investment and there's brushes a third the price that in the hands of a beginner are going to work just as well. Maybe some are junk, but you don't have to spend heaps of money just because *some* cheap airbrushes are junk, you just need to talk to people with enough experience to recommend you the ones that aren't.

The point is that it's a trap and one that I happened to fall in. This idea that people don't want to make investments in patently silly. This entire hobby is an investment and there are no doubt ways to save money, but buying junk because some people on the internet said it was a good idea is not one of those ways. Again, you keep hammering on this $150 airbrush idea, which is also absurd. You can pick up an Iwata NEO for $50 in the States. With a .35mm needle, it's perfect for a beginner with the bonus of being made by a reputable company. Another option is a Badger Patriot 105 for around $80 is another solid option and it has the option of varying needle sizes. Both of those are without question better than a piece of gak $20 brush from Master or some other no-name company. Also, most junk airbrushes have no customer support either, so if you do end up fething one up, there isn't much you do other than throw it away. Like I've said repeatedly, there are lots of quality airbrushes from reputable companies that don't cost an arm and leg. Any of those are better than the junk that people love to recommend.

It's bad advice and people should stop giving it. Luckily, as this thread shows, more people are starting to share this idea!