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At least once a day, there is a topic in this forum about someone interested in getting into or wanting more information on airbrushing. Is there an authoritative article or thread here on dakka dakka that covers this? If not, I am willing to compile everyone's thoughts and write an article so there is one source to rule them all.

So here is what I am thinking needs to be covered (in no particular order) and please add to the list if you have any information to add.

1) What do I need to look for in an airbrush?
2) what models are the most recommended and where can I get them
3) what should I look for in an air compressor? Hoses? water traps? replacement parts?
4) cleaning methods and materials (perhaps a list of resources and there have been plenty of people on you tube that cover this)
5) workstation setup
6) resources to learn how to airbrush miniatures effectively (web sites, articles, videos, etc etc)
7) health and safety concerns
8) paints and other supplies

If this already exists here on dakka dakka or someone thinks this is a bad idea to do, say so now, please. I have not found an article in the Articles section on this to refer people to in the daily questions on airbrushing.

When I started airbrushing Fateweaver and MistressOfMinis helped me a ton... so if I can help I will try.

Here are some resources I'd recommend:

My new favorite article and a great starting place: http://www.akaranseth.com/blog/tutorials/airbrushing-for-figurine.htm

Mathieu Fontaine also has a video with the Miniature Mentor series, a dreadnought torso, that has some good airbrush stuff.

Another favorite: http://www.airbrushguru.com/index.html

The best ab forum: http://theairbrushforum.com/oldindex.php ...it is pretty active and you can get questions answered pretty quick, by people who really know.

Going down your list - here is a start:

1) Most folks agree that for mini painting a Gravity Fed, Dual-action (or double-action) airbrush is the best option and will make the most efficient use of mini paint.
2) There are several respected brands of ab manufacturers. Harder & Steenbeck and Iwata would be at the top in price and quality. Iwata offers a little less in terms of extras and costs a little more, but Iwata parts are easy to find and replace; and their customer service is outstanding. Badger is well respected though I have no personal experience, and Paasche makes some very fairly priced, nice airbrushes (the Talon is often recommended here). You can also get a bargain ab like the PS900, often recommended on dakka, or the Masters 'G' series which may require a little extra care (mine needed beewax to keep a seal) but work great otherwise.
Some hobby shops sell airbrushes but I've yet to see one with a good selection. Dick Blick sells a few models... your best bet would be online in my opinion. ASW Express, Chicago Airbrush, Idle Hands Hobbies (for Harder & Steenbeck), or even Ebay. There is also TCP Global and Harbor Freight.
3) Most folks agree that for mini painting you want a compressor with a separate tank, a moisture trap (or 2), and an auto-shutoff. There are many alternatives here though from the air cans you get from GW to a car tire; I won't go into these though. In my opinion braided hose is the best.
4) For cleaning I think this is the best resource: http://www.airbrushguru.com/cleaning-your-airbrush.html ...but I'm sure youtube has many good tutorials by now.
5) The workstation is actually quite easy. The AB is so precise that it doesn't require as much attention as you might think. As long as you are using acrylic paints that is. My workstation is near a window that I can use for ventilation if for example I am spraying cleaners through the brush. To prevent spray-over I just use a folded piece of oak-tag paper. There seems to be quite a lot of different opinions about this topic though, some folks create elaborate spray booths etc.
6) The Forge World 'Model Masterclass' book is actually a great, great resource (now available from GW). There are also many videos you can buy (the Mathieu Fontaine video mentioned, MIG etc...) and of course there are so many great short tutorials on Youtube.
7) I would just recommend sticking to acrylic paints; I'll let someone else get the first word on this though.
8) Any of the good mini paints will have fine enough pigment to work well in the AB, with proper thinning. Thinning is where people have such varying opinions however. A lot of people use Windex, which will certainly work in a pinch. But once you have used a proper airbrush medium (like Liquitex or Golden) it is tough to go back. Lots of folks use a mixture of Isopropyl Alcohol and water, but like Windex it will evaporate rather quickly. The proper mediums will not give you as many headaches and will keep your tip wetter, longer (hah).
9) Most important imo is patience. The AB has a big learning curve and it will frustrate you in the beginning. Learn to clean it properly, something you will do too often in the beginning, and practice, practice, practice. Start on terrain and keep pushing yourself to paint smaller and smaller areas with the AB.

Heres a good resource: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/244602.page

As an individual interested in getting an airbrush, this article sounds like a great idea. I have also done research to try and find and article and have not located anything here. Please, create!

waiting for my airbrush to come in the mail and a giant info thread would be awesome