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Good afternoon Dakkanauts! I seek the advice of the airbrush-savvy amongst you to help out myself and a friend. I've toyed with the idea of getting an airbrush for a while now and with the release of the "Start collecting" box sets from GW I finally decided now was the time to start the nid army I want. I'd like to do a true swarm army with tons of gaunts and so I feel this would be a great army to practice using an airbrush on. I also have a good friend who has recently purchased a ton of second-hand astra militarum and so he now has over 100 guardsmen to paint and he'd like to get more beyond that.

So with that said I have a few questions:

- What airbrush should I buy? (Keep in mind I'm in Canada-land and don't really want to pay shipping from overseas)
- Any specific features I should be looking for in my airbrush purchase?
- I plan on using GW air colour range as they are colours I am comfortable and familiar with, does this change anything?
- Any basic tips to get me started so I have a basic Idea of what I'm doing?
- Any nid or astra specific tips from those with experience airbrushing those two armies?

Thank you in advance everyone!

Having just done a bunch of reading up on this as I've just gone through the process of getting a proper airbrush setup for myself, here's what I've learned relevant to your points:

- Have a look around and let us know which brands are available. edit: also what your price range is.

- Specific features to look for: double action gravity fed, if that wasn't obvious already. Most other essential features are universal across brands. The additional snazzy extras depend on what you'll be doing.

- Using the GW Air range should be fine. You might want to transfer them to dropper bottles(really cheap on ebay) for airbrush use.

- Plenty of good guides that will introduce you to the basics you need to know if you just do a few quick google searches. Can't think of any off the top of my head. Also look at youtube, a quick visual demonstration helps a lot. Also, airbrushes atomize paint, if those particles get in your lungs, they don't get out, so you'll want a mask with a decent particle filter if it's just you. If other people or pets will be in the room at the same time as you airbrush, you'll need a decent spray booth.

Hello fellow Canuck.

What budget do you have to work with?

It is usually best to spend more on a good compressor at first and go with a less expensive airbrush at first.

Badger Renegade Krome would be a good starting point. Good airbrush, comes with 2 needle size, not too expensive, great reputation.

You also need to think of all the little things that go with airbrushing. Pots, droppers, cleaning kits, cleaner, thinner.

My budget is probably around the 300$ mark tops if I can help it. I'm not sure what the magic breaking point for quality is for airbrushes so if this is way off then I suppose I'd have to re-evaluate.

When purchasing an airbrush are there many that come as a complete set that have those little things such as pots, droppers cleaning stuff and thinner? I live in a small town so If I order online or travel to get one I'd like to make sure I'm getting everything I need to run it properly.

I'll take a look online for the Renegade Krome, see if that would suit me. Thank you guys very much for your advice thus far, I greatly appreciate it. And the safety tip is a nice one to hear too, I never even considered the health effects of using an airbrush.

 Inevitable_Faith wrote:
- What airbrush should I buy? (Keep in mind I'm in Canada-land and don't really want to pay shipping from overseas)

Amazon is your friend. Particularly, 3rd party, foreign vendors that will ship at no charge to you. Why, you ask? Not only are some of the prices great, but.... No tax! Many of them don't do enough business in Canada to require them to be tax registrants, and the 12% or so you save there is quite substantial. It'll tell you what the tax is before you check out. A lot of the "import" vendors end up being tax free.

For example, this Iwata HP C+ is $157 tax free, delivered:
http://www.amazon.ca/Iwata-Medea-Performance-Action-Large-Gravity/dp/B0018A7QJE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452849596&sr=8-1&keywords=iwata+hp+plus

If you live within travel distance to the US, and have access to a mailbox/package service across the border, there are some good deals to be had, tool, like this iwata HP-CS for $123 USD. The problem, of course, is the weak CAD at the moment.
http://www.amazon.com/Iwata-Medea-Performance-Action-Large-Gravity/dp/B0018A7QJE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1452849658&sr=8-2&keywords=iwata+hp+cs

Incidentally, there isn't one on Amazon.ca at the moment, but I've seen (and purchased) HP-CS in Canada for as low as $115, no tax, which is just an awesome price for that airbrush.

I find that the Paasche Talon is also a reasonable quality, reasonably inexpensive airbrush, as is the Iwata Neo. Both are pretty good starter airbrushes, IMO.

 Inevitable_Faith wrote:
- Any specific features I should be looking for in my airbrush purchase?

Don't get an airbrush with too small a needle size (nothing below 0.30, imo) for your first airbrush. Go double action, gravity fed; don't buy a siphon-fed airbrush, because for the size of models you'll paint, you'll waste more paint in the siphon tube than anything else.

Unless cost is REALLY an issue, don't get a cheap Chinese-made no-name brand airbrush. They're serviceable (ie they work), but the quality control can be horrible.

 Inevitable_Faith wrote:

- I plan on using GW air colour range as they are colours I am comfortable and familiar with, does this change anything?

They work great. You can spray them on neat (no thinner). Personally, I would transfer them into eBay dropper bottles, which is very easy to do with a dollar-store funnel. But that's just me. Some people don't seem to mind pot-to-airbrush cup.

Just a few different tips from the good advice already posted:

Get yourself some airbrush cleaner, Vallejo if you can get hold of it is great but I'm sure any brand will be fine. This is essential for good maintenance of your air brush, and between colour swapping too to prevent any dry paint build up.

You don't need to go super expensive particularly straight away, but neo by iwata is a very good brush for the money and would be my recommendation.

Also a good airbrush cleaner pot will be handy in the cleaning process, as well as cotton buds to wipe away and build up of paint on the tip.

Get yourself comfortable breaking the airbrush down after a session to clean it properly. It can be a bit tedious at first but it will ensure your air brush remains spraying nicely.

Don't start with too high pressure either, 15-20 up to 30 psi is plenty. Don't rush either, while air brushing is a very quick way to get models primed, don't over coat your models, do it in a couple of goes if necessary so you do not lose any surface detail.

Hope that helps!

Here are some interesting finds on Amazon.ca

Compressor:
http://www.amazon.ca/Paasche-D3000R-Compressor-Regulator-Moisture/dp/B001CJPWYM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1452862961&sr=8-3&keywords=airbrush+compressor

You need one with a tank or the noise will drive you nuts, not to mention pressure fluctuations.

Given the budget you mentionned, after the compressor there is not much left for an airbrush. Have no fear, does not mean you can't get something decent.

Iwata has new entry line of Airbrush. The Neos.
http://www.amazon.ca/Gravity-Feed-Dual-Action-Airbrush/dp/B004INERK4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452863022&sr=8-1&keywords=iwata+neo

Cleaning kit:
http://www.amazon.ca/Airbrush-Nozzle-Cleaning-Repair-Needle/dp/B00Y4X5GEE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1452863519&sr=8-4&keywords=airbrush+cleaning+kit

 HighMarshall wrote:


Don't start with too high pressure either, 15-20 up to 30 psi is plenty. Don't rush either, while air brushing is a very quick way to get models primed, don't over coat your models, do it in a couple of goes if necessary so you do not lose any surface detail.

As an aside to this, I'd recommend looking into buying an airbrush with a valve or a connector with a valve. Some regulators seem to not work all that well at low pressures, around the 15 mark, so to avoid that you can run it at 30 psi and just dial it down at the brush.

Several Iwata brushes have a built-in MAC valve and H&S have a fPc valve that you can buy, and is also included in some kits. fPc is very expensive, though, and the best option is probably to buy a quick-release hose connector with a built-in valve, this way it'll work with any airbrush you connect.

Hello:

I am not sure if you have Michael's in Canada? If you do you can do really well on the airbrush by using one of their "special" 50% off coupons. I believe you get this one when you join their mailing list. Once you join you will get a 40% off one via email or your phone all of the time. I picked up a Badger Patriot 105 two stage gravity fed gun for around $55 including tax. I used my next coupon to buy another needle set for it the following week. Michael's is your friend. You can get the Badger on line from $78 to $150 depending on where you look. It is a good gun and sprays primer and paint both with no issues. It can cover a large area quick and also can do very fine detail work. I have had mine for about 2 years now and love it.

For the compressor the cheap home store ones work great and are very cheap. Just make sure to use an air dryer in the line and drain the tank after every use. You can get this: http://www.lowes.com/pd_374485-1126-FP2028_2z8vn__?productId=3533062&pl=1&Ntt=air+compressor or a similar product for right around the same price ($75 to $90).

I hope this helps.

You guys are seriously amazing you know that right? This is a huge help and has really gotten me a good start on what to look for and what I can expect for pricing. I greatly appreciate all your help and I'm really looking forward now to this new venture in my painting hobby. You guys rock

vundere wrote:

 HighMarshall wrote:


Don't start with too high pressure either, 15-20 up to 30 psi is plenty. Don't rush either, while air brushing is a very quick way to get models primed, don't over coat your models, do it in a couple of goes if necessary so you do not lose any surface detail.

As an aside to this, I'd recommend looking into buying an airbrush with a valve or a connector with a valve. Some regulators seem to not work all that well at low pressures, around the 15 mark, so to avoid that you can run it at 30 psi and just dial it down at the brush.

Several Iwata brushes have a built-in MAC valve and H&S have a fPc valve that you can buy, and is also included in some kits. fPc is very expensive, though, and the best option is probably to buy a quick-release hose connector with a built-in valve, this way it'll work with any airbrush you connect.

Absolutely, this is solid advice too. I'd also suggest getting a quick release connector, a simple and inexpensive purchase that makes life easier when it comes to cleaning your airbrush for colour swaps

ok, so some of this has been answered...but...

First of all - do a search - this question comes up very often, and the majority of advice that has been posted for the last 100 times is still true today.


Next - do NOT get a krome (or any other high end small needle brush). Airbrushes can be tricky to get he hang of, and any precision small needle brush will be INCREDIBLY frustrating to learn on.
Many people confuse build quality with price - don't get me wrong - you don't want some $20 cheap no name knock off on ebay that has terrible tolerances - but you also don't want a fine precision airbrush with a tiny needle - it would be like trying to learn to drive a standard in a formula 1 racer.

There is a very delicate balance in the paint viscosity, pressure and needle work in airbrushing - and the finer the needle - the more sensitive this becomes.


I would suggest a badger patriot 105 - it is an amazing airbrush - it has a very unique noozle design in that it is very forgiving on paint and has a good learning curve. You can still do a lot of great work with it, and eventually when you decide to get a brush with a smaller tip - the patriot will still be in use for many jobs (I have one, its one of my 4 or so airbrushes - and still my go to brush for about 75% of what I do).

As long as you get a decent compressor with a regulator and air trap - it should be fine.

Best of luck, and i hope you enjoy airbrushing - its a lot of fun!

I've placed my order for an airbrush, compressor and cleaning kit. I should have it all by the end of the month. I thank you guys greatly for all your help and I look forward to start airbrushing soon. Once again, thank you all!