Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Looking into getting an airbrush and am trying to save some money doing so. How does this one stand up?

http://www.amazon.com/Airbrushing-Performance-Multi-Purpose-Dual-Action-Airbrush/dp/B001TO578Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1333543853&sr=8-2

I think is a good start to make practice.

I really actually want it to do an army much like eggrolls BA which can be seen here.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/313003.page

I've got something almost identical to this and it works very well for airbrushing models, i did this with it.

Oh nice...... This airbrush is looking better more and more.

The offer is for a compressor with a free no-name airbrush added. How should we know the quality of the airbrush? It's cheap so maybe it's okay for the start.

Seems like it will work for me.... I wont be doing more then 35 min of painting at one time....so this should work....but still any thought appreciated!

Just beware of airbrush compressors. If you do end up needing to do extended durations of painting, a compressor with a holding tank is invaluable. It keeps it from running all the time and you can really fine tune the pressure

I have a bottom feed airbrush right now and i'm looking to move to a gravity feed.

just be prepared to practice a LOT. it takes time to get it right.

clean clean clean clean clean.

read the Airbrushing artivle here too. it will help a lot.

It's a good'un, the airbrush is a "Master" series, you can get just about any part you'll need from TCP Global for a reasonable price.

I started with that exact set up off of amazon, and would do it again in a heartbeat. I've since switched to a nice airbrush (H&S Infinity 2 in 1) and larger compressor, but as an initial investment to make sure I wanted to airbrush/would enjoy it, that bundle was great. I painted a whole army with it, and actually sold it to a friend locally when I upgraded so he could get into airbrushing on the cheap.

Thats what I was waiting for! Someone who actually used this piece of equipment. Thanks!

My buddy got the same one and is happy with it now. The compressor is nice but at first the action on the airbrush was a little sticky. After he added some superlube to the trigger it was fine. He's been positing up his blood ravens army with It and they look great.

Hey thanks Heavybolter! Where has he posted his marines?

If you check out my P&M thread (woefully un-updated in forevers) near the bottom of the first page there are pics of Dread's and Razors that I did almost entirely with the airbrush.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/367223.page

I think they're also in my gallery...

Hey they look pretty good! How is painting with that airbrush? Is it fairly straight forward?

HONAW wrote:Hey they look pretty good! How is painting with that airbrush? Is it fairly straight forward?

Just like any other dual-action, you'll just have to get used to airbrushing in general if you've never done it before. Once you've gotten the hang of thinning paints/using different air and paint flows, it'll all fall into place. I practiced on a couple spare/junky vehicles until I got half decent, and of course, pieces of paper/cardboard.

I think I will be going with this one! Thanks for the help guys!

iflywhirlybirds wrote:Just beware of airbrush compressors. If you do end up needing to do extended durations of painting, a compressor with a holding tank is invaluable. It keeps it from running all the time and you can really fine tune the pressure

This compressor looks to be the kind that auto switches off when not feedinging air and has an air regulator too so it's not too much of a problem.

Aye, that one will do to learn the ropes on. I'm still using one very similar.

Learn to strip it down and clean it though - the thing with airbrushing is you MUST look after the kit properly, or it'll misbehave. Clean it up religiously after use - airbrush cleaner / cellulose thinner at the end of a session, and a spray through with windex / windscreen wash etc between colour changes (perhaps wipe down the needle with thinners). This stuff is the equivalent of 'don't get paint in the ferrule' for traditional brushwork.

Any home product that can be used to clean it?

Not really. You want something that will dissolve any dried-in paint. Most AB cleaning products are based on MEK. Cellulose Thinner is basically pure MEK, and does the job wonderfully. This said, it can attack certain rubber O-rings, so those may want replacing occasionally, and you should flush through with water after using the solvent to remove paint.

Edit: Solvents are nasty. Vent and vacate the room after cleaning - fumes from MEK are really really bad for you. It's safest to wear a proper respirator when using stuff like that. In general you can get by with a simple filter mask for acrylic spraying (the particulate is relatively large). I don't use a respirator for cleaning, but when I clean, it's tea break time with the window open and door to the paint room closed. (at least half an hour for the stuff to vent / settle). A cleaning jar will also help avoid the need for a full respirator, but still I'd advise vacating to avoid prolonged exposure to fumes.

I use white spirit. Smells horrible, melts plastic, but seems to do the job.

I have a cheap airbrush much like this one. It performs really well and I was 100% happy with it until the nozzle broke. Lucky the place I bought it from also sells spares. I now have more nozzles than I need, in case they break again.
This is the one I have. http://www.hobbyserv.com.au/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=37 It's defiantly not the best in the business but it seems to do the job really well. I think it was worth every cent!

Just keep this mind; Cheaper Airbrushes tend to break easily, so can you get hold of replacement parts just easily?

For cleaning my Airbrush I use a 4:1 mix of mineral turpentine and water. Let the airbrush soak for 20 minutes then go at it with a cleaning tool. Works really well and is really cheap.
After cleaning I also spray through some turpentine just in case there is anything I've missed. Be safe and wear a respirator or something similar. This stuff is not great for you!

The long term effects of me using this have not yet revealed themselves. I've been cleaning my airbrush with this method the whole time I've had it which is about three months.
Reading winterdyne's response there might be some long term effects with using this method, but so far it works great for me. My Airbrush comes out squeaky clean each time.

I use Windex, though it is the Target brand. I use the Windex to thin my paints, but I also have an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner which fill with the fluid as well. When I'm done with the brush, I break it down into the ultrasonic and run it for a while. I barely need to do more than that.

Dez wrote:I use Windex, though it is the Target brand. I use the Windex to thin my paints, but I also have an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner which fill with the fluid as well. When I'm done with the brush, I break it down into the ultrasonic and run it for a while. I barely need to do more than that.

I do the exact same thing but i alternate between windex and simple green diluted. A nice 30 or 40 dollar ultrasonic cleaner works wonders.