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ok, i have gotten to the point that i realize i need to get an airbrush and stop bothering with spray cans for larger items ... but the price is a concern for me ... so i have a few questions ...

first one being. i already have this compressor

http://chpower.com/productdetail/inflation-and-fastening-2-gallon-air-compressor-with-accessory-kit_fp209000av

would it work? with a water trap and regulator on it of course.

if it will, then that will free up more money to spend on the airbrush and hose and such.. (trying to keep it all under 75$ if at all possible)

from reading the forum, i am already seeing that most everyone recommends getting a name brand airbrush of course, which i will. eventually. likely going to start off with a lower cost dual action for now. if my local Hobby Lobby will let me use their 40% coupon for one may can start with a name brand for 50$ish (were as the Chinese ones on ebay are in the 20$ range which would free up more funds for everything else and get me started so i can learn it)

That will work, though you will want a moisture trap and take a look at the way it is plumbed. If the supply comes straight off the compessor, it can pulse while running. You want air to go into the tank first to act as a buffer before going out to you brush. The upside though is that you can simply fill up the tank and turn it off for a bit while you use the stored compressed air if it does pulse while running.

You may also want to pick up an inline regulator. The ones designed for nailers and what not often lack fine adjustments on the low end. Trying to dial down to 10 PSI for using inks can be impossible on them.

On the brush itself, I recomend name brand because it is less trouble in general. You can get a Chinese knock off of one of them for the $20 or so, but they can have issues out of the box. If you do go that route, get a knock off from a major supplier like Harbor or TCP Global as opposed to off eBay. If you do have issues and need to return it, then you have a customer service number and possibly even a local store to go to. Master's from TCP and HF both have pretty good knock offs for dirt cheap and they have liberal return policies if your brush arrives broken.


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BTW, Hobby Lobby normally allows the coupon on airbrushes, but the cheap Iwata Neo isnt nescessarily a step up from a knock off from HF or TCP. Although it has an Iwata name on it, it is no more an Iwata than the Masters G22 is. I would probably get the knock off myself and save for a real Iwata, Badger, H&S, GREX...

i will have to get it out of the shed tomorrow and double check. i think it goes into the tank then comes out with the built in regulator ... but i may be mistaken ...

great that it will work! ... was already expecting to need to get a better regulator and water trap for it if it did. i also have a 5 gallon air tank that i guess i could fill up and use some as well ...

good to know on the name brand one from Hobby Lobby ... think i will try to get one from TCP (had already been looking at stuff from them on ebay when i decided to see if my compressor would work) would let me get started learning while i save up for a better brush and such.

ok finally got out to check on my air compressor ... it is one that has the compressor line going into the tank then a seperate outlet for the output ... it is only a 2 gallon tank though ... will do around 50psi to 75psi at the most ... which i think will be more then enough ...

going to buy up the parts to make it more useable over the next few paychecks ( water trap / regulator etc) ... then get the brush ...

i have almost decided i want to get one of the ones that has a limiter that can be set for the needle so if i want to do a certain line size i can set the limit if i have trouble controlling it on my own ... still up in the air about getting a better brand first or a cheaper for now to start learning with as i save up for an even better one ..

Pretty much what Sean said.

Airbrushes with a limiter are typically found on the upper end of the price scale. I got an H&S Evolution and an H&S Infinity with the limiter. Just like you I thought it might come in handy, but I've never effectively used it. The double action trigger does allow you good control of the brush by itself.

What you want to get is a dual-action gravity feed airbrush with a needle/nozzle size of 0.2mm-0.4mm. Keep in mind that you get what you pay for. Cheap knock-offs will generally work, but won't hold a candle to a proper brush in consistent function and reliabiliy.

Finally, since it sounds like you want to be sure to spend your money wisely, I recommend that you watch this video. It explains everything you need to know to get going.

that compressor certainly will work just fine given the appropriate line filters and a regulator.

As for the airbrush, Try to pick one that you can get parts for more easily.
What you don't want, is to bend the needle one day and have to wait a week or 2 for it to be shipped.
Being from USA I would expect Badger to be readily available, also iwata is a global brand that sold everywhere.
I really like Harder & Steenbeck airbrushes, but I don't know how available those are across the pond?

thanks for the video will watch it today ... yeah the more i thought about it ... spending the money up front (even if i have to wait a bit and catch one on sale or something) for something a little better would make more sense ...

going to check at some of the other local paint places to see what they carry and such ... have a Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Hobby Town USA .. and then several automotive paint shops to dig through ...

if you go to hobby lobby or michaels, don't forget your coupon as you mentioned in your first post!!!

The only challenge with most local places, is usually a poor selection.

I have found that usually hobbytown usa has the best selection, but not always the best prices.

Of course, you could always go amazon as well.

While clearly you don't want a junk brush....don't worry about getting a very high end one up front....you will find, just like any other tool, over the years you may collect several of them.
Each is optimized for a different job.

Oh, and on pressure...."50-75 psi enough..". yes.
Depending on what paint I am using, and what job (shading an exhaust port vs. basecoating) I run between 12-50 psi.

Finally, depending on how much the parts cost to adapt your big compressor, you might look at just picking up a cheap starter compressor.
I used this one for a long time, before upgrading to a nice quiet paasche.
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-6-hp-40-psi-oilless-airbrush-compressor-93657.html

On the line limiter - I have one on a couple of my brushes, but to be honest, I have never found it that useful - maybe others have, but I would not make it a serious buying consideration.

Best of luck!

that video was an interesting watch ...

a regulator and water trap will cost me about 25$ at the most ... so much cheaper then buying a small compressor ... then an adapter to the smaller hose and that part of it is done ...

my next day off is monday so then is when i can have a look around town and see what i can find locally ... and see what parts are available locally as well ...

i think i have just about decided on the Badger Renegade Velocity for my first airbrush. now hopefully one of the places will have them in stock locally where i can use a coupon ... if not then will likely buy online.

SilenzZzz wrote:
i think i have just about decided on the Badger Renegade Velocity for my first airbrush. now hopefully one of the places will have them in stock locally where i can use a coupon ... if not then will likely buy online.

The velocity is an excellent airbrush (I have a velocity renegade) - sadly, it may be too high end for most of the craft stores to carry, but maybe they will in your area.

One note on it: when using its very fine needle - the airbush can be very...finicky (any prevision airbrush can be with a very fine needle).

While this is a subjective term (all experienced airbrush people will know what I am talking about) .... basically, when using such a fine needle the brush has very low tolerance for some thing...
* you need good quality paints thinned very well.
* drying needle tip is more of an issue
* you need almost no particulate matter, lumps, or contaminates in your paint.
* your needle will be very susceptible to damage, being so fine.

I don't want to discourage you - this is an excellent airbrush (I love mine) - and I am sure many people would suggest it as a first brush - I am just trying to set expectations.

I am just throwing a bit of caution out there, that I would suggest using the less fine (don't recall the proper name) needle and cap to learn with - from controlling paint, thinning paint, to just using the brush.

have fun and enjoy!

I went to every craft store within 40 miles of my house and the only gravity fed dual action airbrush I could find was a Testors Aztek. I would NEVER make the same mistake of purchasing it again. I ended up buying an Iwata Eclipse off of a good friend of mine but I haven't been able to use it yet since I need a new hose. The only thing the Aztek taught me is that you really do get what you pay for.