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I've got a Master series iwata knockoff brush that I've had a lot of trouble with. Absolutely everything, even specifically formulated airbrush paint, is too thick for the thing, and it's given me nothing but headaches.
I've heard that several of the Badger models (Patriot comes to mind) are super forgiving. At this point I use my brush (infrequently) for priming mostly, but if I could find one that was less of a giant hassle to keep operational I'd like to move to doing camo patterns and such. If you fine folks have any tips I'd be very appreciative.
From my own experience, i use a badger renegade krome and have no issues with it. just clean it regularly. my only complaint is that the connecter to the air hose is tiny and fiddly.
Iv heard that the iwata hq eclipes was very good too.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/03/14 21:30:58
Ive got the Iwata Neo CN and absolutely love it. I'm sure there are plenty out there that are much better but for $69.99 at Hobby Lobby its great.
To give you a idea of it take a look at my blog I'll post a link here so you can see the highlighting and shading effects I was able to do with my marines.
I used a Master airbrush for a good period of time and never had any real problem with it. I will advise you that you should still thin "airbrush ready" paint, no matter what brand of airbrush you use. Also, what specifically are you having trouble with and what is your airbrush doing/not doing that is causing you problems?
As far as upgrades to your current brush, I would recommend any of these:
Badger Patriot 105 ($75) - solid brush, larger standard needle
Badger Renegade Krome 2-in-1 ($160) - excellent brush, easily one of Badgers best offerings, very popular
Badger Renegade Velocity ($125) - older than the Krome, but very similar with less "fancy" features, uses the same needle/tip as all of the Renegade-series brushes
Harder and Steenbeck Evolution SIlverline 2-in-1 ($175) - very nice brush, good reviews
Iwata Eclipse HP-CS ($130) - solid mid-range airbrush, larger standard needle than the others on the list
Grex Genesis.XGi ($168) - fairly new but they get good reviews, looks kind of cool, needles/tips seem a little expensive
d-usa wrote: "When the Internet sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending posters that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing strawmen. They're bringing spam. They're trolls. And some, I assume, are good people."
It's got extremely light and spotty flow, even if I have freshly cleaned it and jack up the compressor.
I did end up thinning even the airbrush ready paint (a black primer actually) and it was still giving me fits. I did manage to make it work (poorly) by thinning it down with windex, but the fumes were horrific.
I've stripped the thing apart, cleaned every bit of paint I could find out of it, and still not been able to get the thing to give me a decent sray. I'm fairly sure it's something in the cap, usually you can get some flow if you take the whole thing off, but I cant even get water through the cap most of the time.
I've seen some of the badger models have a larger than usual needle aperture, that seems like it would be much more forgiving about using thicker paints, no?
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/03/14 22:29:38
Nykidemus wrote: It's got extremely light and spotty flow, even if I have freshly cleaned it and jack up the compressor.
I did end up thinning even the airbrush ready paint (a black primer actually) and it was still giving me fits. I did manage to make it work (poorly) by thinning it down with windex, but the fumes were horrific.
I've stripped the thing apart, cleaned every bit of paint I could find out of it, and still not been able to get the thing to give me a decent sray. I'm fairly sure it's something in the cap, usually you can get some flow if you take the whole thing off, but I cant even get water through the cap most of the time.
I've seen some of the badger models have a larger than usual needle aperture, that seems like it would be much more forgiving about using thicker paints, no?
Sounds like a bent needle or you have damage to the tip. Which model Master airbrush is it?
As far as needle size goes, most airbrushes can take multiple needle sizes. However, for painting miniatures the smaller is usually the better. There is no reason to run thick paint through your airbrush, proper thinning has a learning curve but it isn't overly difficult, just lots of trial and error.
d-usa wrote: "When the Internet sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending posters that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing strawmen. They're bringing spam. They're trolls. And some, I assume, are good people."
I have a cheap chinese thing. It's been working well for me. I think it's the same one BuyPainted used before he got his Harder Steinbeck.
If it's using a 0.2 mm needle, definitely go up to 0.35. Even 0.35 is pretty picky about paint consistency when you try and do fine detail stuff.
I use Vallejo Model Air and I find it needs further thinning out.
You do need different consistency depending on what you're doing, so I don't imagine any paint is completely "prethinned". Base coating you do at higher pressure, longer spray distances and can use thicker paint. Fine detail is done at lower pressure, shorter spray distances, and needs thinner paint.
I use a .2 and it works great with all paint. I just thin mine until they are almost translucent. Adding a drop or two of slow dry blending medium helps stop tip dry too.
I started with a Master's G22 and it was ok. The trigger has a lot of play in it and I had to removed the needle cap as it messed with the spray pattern. I still use it for inks, glosses, and priming
I've since moved over to the Badger Patriot 105 and have the .5mm and 3mm needles for it. It's like night and day. You would actually be surprised how small you can get the spray pattern on the .5mm needle by adjusting the psi and how much trigger you give it.
I think the biggest issue you are having is that you are using a .2mm needle. That is super fine and will be extremely finicky. I'm guessing you probably get tip dry a lot too.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/03/15 13:26:41
Getting yourself a larger needle/nozzle for the G22 would be the cheapest potential fix, but it may not do you any good. I got myself a G44 with both .35 and .5mm bits, to start, and the machining quality of the gun, itself, makes the thing a nightmare to use in either case. I bought it based on numerous online reviews without checking their age - it seems that quality control for the Master series had dropped off rather significantly since they were written.
I'd suggest looking into getting another airbrush, entirely, instead of trying to fix what you have which may, in the end, prove impossible. Issues with the air cap (and nozzle alignment, on mine) can't be solved with a new needle/nozzle, pristine as they might be.
The Dreadnote wrote:But the Emperor already has a shrine, in the form of your local Games Workshop. You honour him by sacrificing your money to the plastic effigies of his warriors. In time, your devotion will be rewarded with the gift of having even more effigies to worship.
So the .3 needle seems to have made a pretty substantial difference, which is awesome, but I'm still having a bit of trouble maintaining a constant flow rate. I get intermittent spatter, and sometimes the brush will still just stop, except now it will actually throw a big blob of paint after I release the paint button if I still have the air going.
Rinsing it out whenever it does that has been helpful, so I'm pretty ok with it overall, but what would help cut that down?
I'm using Vallejo black airbrush primer, and I've been thinning it with Liquitex airbrush medium. I presume the medium is the best thing to use for thinning, since that's what it's made for, but maybe using more of it, or some water would be better? I've heard mention of flow improvers and slow-dry medium and such, do you guys find those to be necessary most of the time?
I use my Badger Krome with the .21mm needle and turn the pressure up to 30psi and have had no problems. That being said, if you do thin it, it's best to use an airbrush medium (like you already have) or thinner (I use Vallejo Airbrush Thinner) over just water.
You can also make your own, like this:
d-usa wrote: "When the Internet sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending posters that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing strawmen. They're bringing spam. They're trolls. And some, I assume, are good people."
