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I'm getting myself an airbrush tomorrow hopefully so need some advice on what I'll need to pick up to make sure I can airbrush my Grey knights a nice smooth silver colour.

What all will I need to pick up along with the airbrush and can of compressed air ( getting a real compressor next month).

Think I need flow medium and some form of matt medium from what I can tell.

Anything else I need to get to spray these guys up? Gona practice on the metal minis first as they'll be the easiest to strip off if I make mistakes

I would buy some Vallejo Air paint, they can be matched to GW colours quite close. They can be used straight from the bottle, although I would thin it slightly for best coverage. Do not use canned air, wait for your compressor. You may right-off your expensive models, buy some crappy models or old ones and test out on them. Also look up Object Source lighting, this is a popular technique that is taking off especially with airbrushes...

Read this article.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Zenithal_Airbrushing,_OSL_and_Snow_and_Ice_Tutorial,_subject_-_Grey_Knight

Is canned air that bad? Kinda impatient and want to get started lol.

Yea I seen the object source tutorial along with some other tutorials on Youtube they've inspired me to give it ago.

Yea I'm gona try it out on some old plastic Lord of the rings models I've got.

Well, the issue with Cans is that you cannot guarantee the pressure. Temperature, climatic conditions and such have a dramatic effect on all sprays however a Can is finite and will lose pressure over it's period of use meaning that you will only get 60% of the material inside the can at a decent pressure, the 1st 4% and last 30% is almost written off.

Remember to get a moisture trap on your compressor to stop water getting in your airbrush. If you want to start (Kudos on your enthusiasm) then buy a Can of Air and then practice your technique (i am guessing you have a double action airbrush). Get used to it, and you will find when your Compressor arrives you will be well on your way to super stardom.

Bottomline, do what you want to, but make sure you experiment and learn as much as possible and share it with us. You never know, you could find the next great technique!

Yea I'm hopefully going to pick up a dual action one,

actually looking at this kit.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AIRBRUSH-double-action-AIR-BRUSH-KIT-COMPRESSOR-11p-/360375236497?pt=UK_Crafts_DrawingSupplies_EH&hash=item53e809b791#ht_5861wt_1002

Looks pretty good. I'm also going down to my FLGS to see what they've got in stock first.

Yea I suppose canned air cant guarntee what sort of pressure I'd get but would be useful for practising instead of buying a really expensive compressor and finding that air brushing isnt for me

I´ve had nothing but grief with the GW metallics. The Model Air ones are far better suited for airbrushing and give an excellent finish.

I too would recommend starting on some old models until you can get the hang of using an airbrush. I´ve had mine for about 10 months now, and I'm still learning something new every time. Check out the Buypainted youtube channel, he is awesome with airbrushing. Great for inspiration :-)

Cheers,


IK-Painter

Like stated above its best to do some practice models, i personally use windex as a thinner usually in a 2:1 windex:paint ratio, this usually gives me a nice smooth finish. I've actually switched from GW paints to Vallejo model color, it makes measuring paints and thinner much easier than trying to do it with an eye dropper.

Cool,

Gona experiment and mess around on some old models incase I wreck my Gk's

Its more I need to try and find a reasonably priced compressor, like for around £50 ish but i've no idea what to look for

I bought this one off ebay. No problems so far, its lower end of the Quality scale but it does a creditable job, but for gods sake I'm painting miniatures not the Sistine Chapel..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AIRBRUSH-KIT-AIRBRUSH-COMPRESSOR-AIR-BRUSH-COMPRESSOR-/370268372610?pt=UK_Crafts_DrawingSupplies_EH&hash=item5635b6fe82

Stretch your pennies a bit and you will get a hell of a lot more.

mwnciboo wrote:I would buy some Vallejo Air paint, they can be matched to GW colours quite close. They can be used straight from the bottle, although I would thin it slightly for best coverage. Do not use canned air, wait for your compressor. You may right-off your expensive models, buy some crappy models or old ones and test out on them. Also look up Object Source lighting, this is a popular technique that is taking off especially with airbrushes...

Read this article.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Zenithal_Airbrushing,_OSL_and_Snow_and_Ice_Tutorial,_subject_-_Grey_Knight

GW has small bits of metal that will clog an airbrush. Just go with the Vallejo model air colors. I personally prefer to use them for metallic.

Brilliant,

I may be getting a free airbrush off a family member, so if its up to scartch i'll just buy that same compressor, otherwise thats a really good price for a compressor and two brushes.

Thanks alot

If you are painting Silver the Vallejo AIR paints really are the easiest to use. Do NOT try to thin them with Windex though... vallejo air paints and windex don't jive. Use a proper Airbrush medium, which is far far better regardless, like Liquitex (or Golden) Airbrush Medium.

If you are going for Gold or Copper I'd recommend using Vallejo Model Colour paints, the AIR line will give you headaches (unless you want silver of course). The Andrea Gold set goes through the airbrush easy as pie and extremely smooth but the colors are a bit odd for my taste. The Tamiya golds imo, were more trouble than they were worth, being that you need the Tamiya (enamel) thinners for thinning and cleaning.

I experimented with just metallics in my AB for a few months... I got a 'cheapie' AB for the metallics that has a larger nozzle and I always use Liquitex AB medium. All around I'd say the Vallejo Model Color with proper thinning were the best, even better then the Vallejo Air.

So model air metalics seem to be the way forward.

Buypainted's youtube chanell has some really cool looking mini's painted with GW metalics, he just thins them alot... I mite try it and see how it goes. If it doesnt work I'll buy some model air ones.

air metallics are awesome
if you get non-air gunmetal don't airbrush it without thinning ALOT

the stuff is like pudding, seriously

Think I'm just going to pick up a good airbrush and a can of compressed air this month.

Its mainly for doing the undercoat for my Grey knights. Get a compressor next month depending on how it goes. Going to try some Object source lighting I think.

Edit: just remembered my dads got an air compresosor hes used with power tools in the past. Gona have to look it up and see if i can use it with an airbrush

Just got a free badger model 200 airbrush

its only single action and I'm missing one or two parts but still free brush.

Also found out i need just one or two parts to turn an old air compressor in my basement into one I can use with an airbrush