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.

I recently purchased a Paasche V airbrush.

I am an artistic person by nature, but haven't had any experience with airbrushing.

I played around with it some before hosing down a test Hammerhead.

I found that the first coat of Regal Blue I laid down was really nice and smooth.

Then, I went to highlight the edges with some Sky Blue, but found that it was kind of...um...splattery?...at times. Yes, I "primed" the brush before taking it over to the model.

I am wondering if distance had a lot to play with it?

Anyway...after I got the blue done and thought "Not bad for a beginner", I masked off some blue to do the Grey.

Well....some overspraying later, and I am repainting the blue.

This time...well...ran into problems.

1) even when pulling back (it's a double action brush) sometimes paint wouldn't come out (and plenty in the gravity cup)
2) the paint turned out glossy (as you can tell from the picture) after drying, where as it wasn't before I had to "fix" my overspray

I'm definitely not giving up on airbrushing, as I really did well with it prior to messing it up.

Picture link is broken for me, might be easier to upload to your dakka gallery

Sounds like the paint wasn't well mixed, and you were having some clogging issues - did your paint foam/bubble in the cup as well?

When you say gravity cup your still attaching it from beneath right?

Siphon based airbrushes are a bit annoying to deal with.

generally iirc needs higher pressure to work properly and properly thinned paint.

several things.

try a airbrush lubricent before starting.
make to thin paint properly (milky consistancy)
check your pressure

also do you have a moister filter on your compressor?

Higher pressure...hmm...I can try that. Was about 20psi, I think.

I do have a regulator/filter combo that lets me adjust the pressure, and as I said, I *think* I was about 20. I can crank it up though!

I use Winsor & Newton Flow Improver + H2O mixture for thinning my paints when I brush paint.

I don't recall any bubbles in the gravity cup...but I will sure try and thin it some more..

This is the exact kit that I got. Comes with gravity cup and 2 siphon cups. I wasn't doing a *ton* of painting, so didn't want to use the siphon cup yet.

Lol that is the exact same kit i started with and i exchanged it quickly as it always had problems.

its a fickle beast that one. and it needs to be cleaned alot.

try adjusting he pressure and or thinning the paint more.

My best advice is to buy a better airbrush. I also bought that kit when I first started, used it once, put it back in the box, then bought a better brush.

20 PSI for a siphon feed airbrush is on the bottom of their working pressure range. Between 25 and 35 PSI (and higher) is really the optimal pressure range for that style of airbrush. However, those pressures are far too high for fine detail work because higher pressure results in more overspray, which is why scale modelers always recommend using a gravity feed airbrush. Also, siphon feed airbrushes generally require much more paint to work, due to the way the paint and air are mixed.

That being said, that brush isn't useless. If you have a large number of models you need to prime, varnish, or basecoat one color, that brush would do the do the job. You can find a pretty cheap gravity feed airbrush that will work wonderfully. I used a Master G44 for a long time before I upgraded to a Badger Renegade Krome and Badger Sotar 20/20.

Unrelated, that Paasche could also be used for spray tanning. I mention that because my wife is constantly bugging me to try to do to her.

Uh oh...and here I thought I researched a good brush for beginners. ...uh oh!

Man...that masters looks sweet for the price!!

TheMeanDM wrote:
Uh oh...and here I thought I researched a good brush for beginners. ...uh oh!

Man...that masters looks sweet for the price!!

It is definitely a serviceable airbrush, but remember: it isn't the Cadillac of airbrushes.

It is a good place to start if you aren't entirely sure you want to airbrush since it doesn't cost that much. The spray characteristics are decent enough for most applications. The balance is a little off on it, it's pretty heavy, and the mechanics aren't nearly as smooth on it like you would find in a high end airbrush.

If you're serious about getting in to airbrushing, and you should be, I would recommend getting an upper-mid range brush (like the Krome or a Harder & Steenbeck Evolution Silverline, which is a little more expensive) that will last you a life time (if properly maintained) instead a of cheaper one that you'll quickly outgrow.

Im so glad for this thread! :p
Bought an aibrush too and it came with 2 brushes, one grav one siphon. I quickly put the siphon down (pretty sure its the same model as you) as I was having clogging almost constantly. Swapped to gravity which is working better but im still learning the ropes.

Think il give it a few months and upgrade to a mid-range as reccommended, having problems with constant overspray with my pressures. But all in all loving the airbrushing

You'll be happy to know....and I'm happy to announce...

I snagged a new Badger Krome from ebay for $80!

Anyone interested in a very slightly used Paasche V....

Now to figure out if my hose will fit....and if not...what I will need to make it work!

you'll need this. While not necessary, I would also recommend this.

If you are having trouble with paint consistency instead of mixing buy Vallejo Air Color. They are very nice paints and no thinning is required.

As for the splatter issue that is usually solved with a combination of your psi setting and the distance you are holding the airbrush from the model if you are not noticing clogs.

Badger and Harder & Steenbeck make some nice inexpensive (relatively) gravity feed airbrushes if you are looking to switch.

 D6Damager wrote:
If you are having trouble with paint consistency instead of mixing buy Vallejo Air Color. They are very nice paints and no thinning is required.

As for the splatter issue that is usually solved with a combination of your psi setting and the distance you are holding the airbrush from the model if you are not noticing clogs.

Badger and Harder & Steenbeck make some nice inexpensive (relatively) gravity feed airbrushes if you are looking to switch.

VMA paint is overall pretty nice, but there is no need to go buy all new paint when what you have works just fine. Plus, you should really be thinning VMA paint anyways for the best performance.

TheMeanDM wrote:

I use Winsor & Newton Flow Improver + H2O mixture for thinning my paints when I brush paint.

Theres the issue. You used water as a thinner.
To get most acrylic paints thin enough to spray nicely with water, you need to add so much that the surface tension of the paint is all but gone, and it will take ages to dry.
Try an airbrushing medium, maybe Liquitex or Golden?

Also having the pressure too low can cause splattering, having the airbrush not cleaned or assembled right can also cause splattering.
Having the airbrush pressure too high will cause no end of overspray issues. always mask off more than you first thought was okay. - the entire object, barring the work area is a good start.

the biggest issue is the paint you are using isnt designed to be used to run smoothly through an airbrush, as such. Most acrylic paints we use as modellers are designed for brush painting and because of this the pigments are not ground fine enough for an airbrush to atomize with precision, this isnt to say dont use these paints but dont be surprised if they cause you problems. I, myself, use Vallejo Model Colour paints in my airbrushes and they annoy me constantly but it is something i have to live with if i choose to use them, you will also find that lighter/brighter colours will spatter and spit a lot more frequently than darker colours, im not sure why this is but they just do.

there are 2 ways you can improve upon your issue, firstly is to buy airbrush paints like Vallejo Model Air & Badger Minitaire or to buy paints with a liquid pigment like the P3 acrylic paints from Privateer Press, the pigments in these airbrush paints are ground far smoother and wont cause you the same amount of issues. Secondly you can strain your paints through a fine muslin cloth or a pair of ladies tights/pantyhoes to remove the bigger lumps of pigment and cured paint to help the paint flow better

 BrokenToad wrote:
the biggest issue is the paint you are using isnt designed to be used to run smoothly through an airbrush, as such. Most acrylic paints we use as modellers are designed for brush painting and because of this the pigments are not ground fine enough for an airbrush to atomize with precision, this isnt to say dont use these paints but dont be surprised if they cause you problems. I, myself, use Vallejo Model Colour paints in my airbrushes and they annoy me constantly but it is something i have to live with if i choose to use them, you will also find that lighter/brighter colours will spatter and spit a lot more frequently than darker colours, im not sure why this is but they just do.

there are 2 ways you can improve upon your issue, firstly is to buy airbrush paints like Vallejo Model Air & Badger Minitaire or to buy paints with a liquid pigment like the P3 acrylic paints from Privateer Press, the pigments in these airbrush paints are ground far smoother and wont cause you the same amount of issues. Secondly you can strain your paints through a fine muslin cloth or a pair of ladies tights/pantyhoes to remove the bigger lumps of pigment and cured paint to help the paint flow better

Every popular model paint out there (Vallejo Game/Model, GW, P3, Reaper Master Series) all have pigment fine enough to pass through an airbrush. Even craft acrylics from Wal-Mart, Micheal's, etc., will airbrush just fine (when thinned properly).

Seriously, there is absolutely no need to go and blow a bunch of money on all new paints just to use in an airbrush. The whole "buy airbrush paints so you don't have to thin it" is flawed too because every single "airbrush ready" paint I own (which is a lot, mind you) still needs to be thinned, albeit less than a normal paint. If you buy an airbrush and want to get the most use out it, learn how to use it properly without taking short cuts.

Keep in mind there are very specific specialty paints that don't fit the "thin everything" criteria, like the Alclad II metallic lacquers and even Vallejo Acrylic-Polyurethane Surface Primer. But typically, you should be in the habit of thinning everything, especially when working in fine detail and low pressures.

You know....it's too bad that polygamy is illegal here in Iowa. If it weren't...I'd marry my new love.

Her name is Krome, and she's quite the Renegade. And while so much fun, I must watch myself, because she's got the temperament of a Badger.

Yes....I am in love with an airbrush.

After stripping my hammerhead as best as I could, I primed it today (Krylon Camo Flat Black with "Fusion").

I was a little hesitant at first....but Krome is so amazing to handle. She is smooth and balanced in all the right ways. Her action is so easy to trigger...not to say that she is easy, mind you. Its still going to be a learning curve to familiarize myself with all her nuances, her likes and her dislikes. However, with her ability to self-limit how far she can be pushed...well...it certainly makes it very easy to get her to do what I expect her to do.

Base of black primer. Next layer was Regal Blue, followed up with a highlighting/blending of Celador Blue toward the edges. I'm not 100% sure I want to blend more with my Sky Blue or not (maybe a step darker, like Ultramarine blue..?). That's to be determined.





If you have the means...I highly...(what is higher than highly?)...recommend getting an airbrush...especially the Badger Krome Renegade. It is so easy to work with...sprays so nice...it will take your painting to another level!

Now...to get a quieter compressor... Huh? Did you say something?

Looks good, man! I'm glad you enjoy the Krome, it really is a fantastic airbrush.

I would recommend getting some airbrush primer, such as the Vallejo Acrylic-Polyurethane Surface Primer. It comes in a variety of colors and it goes on so much smoother than spray primer.

I see in researching that primer, it says not to thin it...do you follow those directions?

TheMeanDM wrote:
I see in researching that primer, it says not to thin it...do you follow those directions?

As evidenced in one of my above responses, yes:

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:
Every popular model paint out there (Vallejo Game/Model, GW, P3, Reaper Master Series) all have pigment fine enough to pass through an airbrush. Even craft acrylics from Wal-Mart, Micheal's, etc., will airbrush just fine (when thinned properly).

Seriously, there is absolutely no need to go and blow a bunch of money on all new paints just to use in an airbrush. The whole "buy airbrush paints so you don't have to thin it" is flawed too because every single "airbrush ready" paint I own (which is a lot, mind you) still needs to be thinned, albeit less than a normal paint. If you buy an airbrush and want to get the most use out it, learn how to use it properly without taking short cuts.

Keep in mind there are very specific specialty paints that don't fit the "thin everything" criteria, like the Alclad II metallic lacquers and even Vallejo Acrylic-Polyurethane Surface Primer. But typically, you should be in the habit of thinning everything, especially when working in fine detail and low pressures.