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I've been meaning to get an airbrush for a while; I'm a very slow painter and I think an airbrush might go a long way towards speeding my painting up (which in turn should help motivate me to paint more). I think I'm going to invest in one with my birthday money, but I'm a complete novice and don't really know what I'm looking for (I know I want a gravity fed, double action airbrush, but past that...)

I found an airbrush and compressor on Element Games:
http://elementgames.co.uk/paints-hobby-and-scenery/airbrushes-and-accessories/compressors/iwata-silver-jet-compressor
http://elementgames.co.uk/paints-hobby-and-scenery/airbrushes-and-accessories/airbrushes/iwata-eclipse-cs-airbrush-035mm

Does anyone have any experience with these, and are they good? They're quite pricy, but I'd rather invest early than buy something cheap that I'll want to replace soon. What else would I need to buy? Are there any other recommendations? Thanks for any help.

 ImAGeek wrote:
I've been meaning to get an airbrush for a while; I'm a very slow painter and I think an airbrush might go a long way towards speeding my painting up (which in turn should help motivate me to paint more). I think I'm going to invest in one with my birthday money, but I'm a complete novice and don't really know what I'm looking for (I know I want a gravity fed, double action airbrush, but past that...)

I found an airbrush and compressor on Element Games:
http://elementgames.co.uk/paints-hobby-and-scenery/airbrushes-and-accessories/compressors/iwata-silver-jet-compressor
http://elementgames.co.uk/paints-hobby-and-scenery/airbrushes-and-accessories/airbrushes/iwata-eclipse-cs-airbrush-035mm

Does anyone have any experience with these, and are they good? They're quite pricy, but I'd rather invest early than buy something cheap that I'll want to replace soon. What else would I need to buy? Are there any other recommendations? Thanks for any help.

Are you loaded with cash? If so, ignore me!
Are you handy? As in, manually skilled? If so, ignore me!

Otherwise, I would argue against going all out.
I'd agree to spend on a good compressor but get a cheap airbrush.

A good compressor is golden.
I think that the one you linked is missing a tank, if so I wouldn't buy it.
For the compressor it all depends if you are going to airbrush in apartment or inside a garage/shed.

A normal compressor for airbrushing with tank should be relatively cheap and not too noisy.
A silent compressor for an apartment is a bit more costly.

I'd recommend the usual: tank (3-5lt), condensate filter, adjustable pressure output.

For the airbrush I'd start with a cheap one (max 50€) so that even if you don't like it you still have the best tool for priming.

Common error on what I've seen from people and done myself while starting to airbrush is:

1) Careless maintenance. You spend 30min airbrushing... and then lazily clean up. Next time your airbrush is all gunked up. Swearing - and lost time - ensues
2) While cleaning you feth up something. Usually it's bending the needle.

Good luck with your purchase.

Its iwata so its good stuff.

Iwata, and badger are your entry level airbrushes,

Good points by Grimdark. Airbrushing is fine if you can leave it set up, and the clean feth me the cleaning. I have small kids so have to pack mine away after use which added to cleaning is very time consuming. I wait till I've built up a whole host of minis the blast the lot otherwise I'm just pissing time away.

I was in the same boat as the OP a few years ago and after quite a bit of research settled against High end stuff and went Chinese copies. I do not regret my decision.

I did though decide to buy mine through a reputable hobby tool company so if I had any problems I could call in the warranty with them. I got mine here.

http://www.rdgtools.co.uk/acatalog/AIR_BRUSHES_AND_COMPRESSORS.html

Don't forget to get a booth. An open window is not good enough and the smell will piss off your parents!

The airbrush is good, the compressor is, afaik, garbage. Despite their expertise and reputation in airbrush manufacturing, they have offered some absolutely crap compressors.
What you want is something with a tank, a good starting point is going on eBay or what-have-you and searching for AS186, that comes with a decent tank and a moisture trap, often you'll get a hose and a crappy airbrush included. The airbrush you get is gak for regular use, but it's worth practicing a bit on; taking it apart and so on. Every brand is slightly different in disassembly, but you'll learn the basics of handling needles and nozzles.

As for the actual airbrush itself, you're not really going wrong with Iwata.
A lot of people will say that buying an expensive brush is doing yourself a disservice, but there is practically no difference in use compared to a cheaper one, so if you get a top of the line model or an entry level one doesn't really matter all that much(beyond how much it hurts if you break it) as long as you don't start off with like 0.2mm nozzle or smaller. H&S offer kits where you get both a large and a small needle/nozzle set, which is very handy.

There's plenty of threads here on the forum that go over airbrush stuff, so do a search and loot at other discussions.


And remember that the atomised paint from airbrushing is a health hazard as you don't want paint particles in your lungs, so get a particle filter mask, or a spray booth if you're going to spray around other people or pets.
Enamel and laquer paints give off fumes, so do your homework before you start airbrushing those.

The airbrush is great. Iwata has a good reputation. The compressor however comes without a tank. This means noise and no "rest" period for the compressor.

You would need a cleaning kit, empty pots and dropper bottles, alcohol for cleaning, thinning solution (depending on which paint you use).

Getting into airbrushing is a big investment at the start but pays off in the long run.

This compressor (the AS186 recommended above) is cheaper but has a tank and moisture trap - does anyone else have experience with it?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/FoxHunter-KMS-Airbrush-Compressor-Airbrushes/dp/B004XP7K9W/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1460995366&sr=8-3&keywords=airbrush+compressor

 ImAGeek wrote:
This compressor (the AS186 recommended above) is cheaper but has a tank and moisture trap - does anyone else have experience with it?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/FoxHunter-KMS-Airbrush-Compressor-Airbrushes/dp/B004XP7K9W/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1460995366&sr=8-3&keywords=airbrush+compressor

I use one, as do two of my friends. Absolutely no issues with it so far, and from what I've seen it's a very popular choice.

One thing to keep in mind with tanked compressors is to empty the tank if you don't intend to use it for a while, otherwise you can get condensation inside, leading to rust. It's very easy, though. You can either just unscrew the hose, pull the safety valve or the valve on the moisture trap to empty the air. Or just run air through the brush, although that tends to take a while.

Okay cool, I'll probably go with that compressor then. In terms of airbrush, this one is a little cheaper:

http://elementgames.co.uk/hobby-and-scenery/airbrushes-and-accessories/iwata-revolution-cr-gravity-airbrush-05mm
Does the 0.5mm make much difference compared to the 0.35 of the more expensive one?

Theres also this one which is much cheaper, is it that much cheaper for a reason (i.e. is it half as good as the others?) I don't want to buy cheap but then have to rebuy one in the near future.
http://elementgames.co.uk/hobby-and-scenery/airbrushes-and-accessories/neo-for-iwata-cn-gravity-feed-airbrush

 Backspacehacker wrote:
Its iwata so its good stuff.

Iwata, and badger are your entry level airbrushes,

Entry level? Im not sure about Iwata, but Badger should definitely be considered better then entry level.....I would think a $20 airbrush from Harbor Freight to be entry level..

I have several different airbrushes but I'll just say, Iwata's customer service is outstanding.

When I first started airbrushing I broke my compressor (user error). I called them up with a paragraph long excuse ready to go... but without a single question asked (except for my address), they shipped me the replacement part free.

ImAGeek wrote:Okay cool, I'll probably go with that compressor then. In terms of airbrush, this one is a little cheaper:

http://elementgames.co.uk/hobby-and-scenery/airbrushes-and-accessories/iwata-revolution-cr-gravity-airbrush-05mm
Does the 0.5mm make much difference compared to the 0.35 of the more expensive one?

Theres also this one which is much cheaper, is it that much cheaper for a reason (i.e. is it half as good as the others?) I don't want to buy cheap but then have to rebuy one in the near future.
http://elementgames.co.uk/hobby-and-scenery/airbrushes-and-accessories/neo-for-iwata-cn-gravity-feed-airbrush

0.5mm will give a larger spray than the 0.35, so you won't be able to do much detailing. 0.5 is pretty much only suited for priming, basecoats and very rough or large detailing, such as OSL on a titan or something. Although this is where some of the more expensive brushes show what they're made of; with some careful trigger work you can do surprisingly fine detailing with large needles. I can't speak for Iwata's, but my H&S Infinity is very efficient and I can use the 0.4 needle for more than I thought I'd be able to.

As for the Neo; you could probably stick with that. They're basically the same as one of their more expensive models, but made to slightly lower spec in Taiwan or something, if memory serves.
So depending on what you want to do with it, you probably won't need to replace it.

Gunzhard wrote:I have several different airbrushes but I'll just say, Iwata's customer service is outstanding.

When I first started airbrushing I broke my compressor (user error). I called them up with a paragraph long excuse ready to go... but without a single question asked (except for my address), they shipped me the replacement part free.

From what I've heard Badger also has great customer support in the US, and the big cheese himself will often handle customer support. I don't know if this is still true, nor do I know how well they support international customers, but so far I've only heard good things about their US customer service.

 Snoopdeville3 wrote:

 Backspacehacker wrote:
Its iwata so its good stuff.

Iwata, and badger are your entry level airbrushes,

Entry level? Im not sure about Iwata, but Badger should definitely be considered better then entry level.....I would think a $20 airbrush from Harbor Freight to be entry level..

No, I would greatly argue against that.

Badger yes, Iwata if you wanna be facny entry level.

But if you want to get a really good idea what you can do with an airbrush you need a half decent one like a badger or an Iwata, that lets you do anything a high quality airbrush can just not as good .

Harbor freight one is just for hell bashing maybe

Okay, cheers guys. I'll probably get the AS186 compressor and the Iwata Neo brush. That's about half the price I was expecting to pay!

 ImAGeek wrote:
Okay, cheers guys. I'll probably get the AS186 compressor and the Iwata Neo brush. That's about half the price I was expecting to pay!

Just keep in mind the extras you'll need;
Nozzle reamer, although you get those real cheap on ebay, some airbrush lube (iwata's is real good), safety gear, a spray pot helps for when you want to empty the gun, thinner and other various fluids you might want, like varnish.
And as for paints, if you plan on using GW's paints I recommend either getting a bunch of cheap plastic pipettes off ebay or buying a bunch of dropper bottles and pouring the paint over into them.

Most other brands offer airbrush paints already in dropper bottles, so no problem there.

 ImAGeek wrote:
Okay, cheers guys. I'll probably get the AS186 compressor and the Iwata Neo brush. That's about half the price I was expecting to pay!

I started with exactly the same setup

Well, I guess in truth, I started with a couple of free airbrushes that came with an AS186 compressor - just real cheaply made ones. Think it was only a month before I got the NEO CN and it was a massive improvement over the brushes that came with the compressor.

I stuck with that for a long time until I eventually decided to treat myself to an Iwata Eclipse. Again, this was yet another step up which was great. The NEO had a 0.30 nozzle and the Eclipse 0.35. I found the spray patterns pretty similar with the main difference being just a greater sense of control with the Eclipse (and much easier to clean!).

So personally, i think the AS186 and NEO CN is a great first setup, and one that you'll be able to get pretty good detail with.

My experience learning to airbrush with the NEO was mixed. On one hand, it really did give me experience with airbrush use and maintenance without having to worry about wrecking something high-end.

On the other, the darn thing always had something wrong with it. I couldn't ever expect to pick it up and have it perform without a bunch of fiddling around, deconstructing, re-cleaning something, and more fiddling. And that's when it wasn't broken. The cheaper parts they use are a bit fragile, especially the nozzle, which ended up back at the shop three separate times. Fortunately Iwata's warranty is top notch, so it didn't cost me anything but time. The various gaskets in the Neo (that aren't in the Eclipse) were also a headache.

Now that I have the Eclipse, it's like a whole other world. I finally feel I can airbrush without setting aside several hours to maintenance. But then, I wouldn't have learned those skills without the NEO.

On balance, I'd say yeah, try the NEO. When issues crop up, solve them to the best of your ability and don't get frustrated- you'll know when you're ready to step up to the Eclipse.

In my opinion the Iwata HP-CS airbrush is fantastic. It's a very easy to clean airbrush and it's very rugged. The slightly larger needle size makes it more forgiving with paint for beginners, and the very smooth trigger is easy to use both when you start, and still a feature you appreciate when you get to doing more substantial work. I still use one for 75% of my priming/basecoating work.

The Iwata Silver jet compressor, on the other hand, looks like junk. There's no tank, which is not the end of the world, but for GBP130, heck you can buy a Makita that will last you five lifetimes of hobby airbrushing, plus all the adapters.

Badger has a very nice hobby compressor (with tank), Paasche has a pretty inexpensive hobby one that works, there are some cheap Chinese knockoffs. If space and money aren't a big problem, you can get an small size ultraquiet ontractor's compressor, plus a hobby-sized moisture trap/regulator.

I've got everything now (went with the Neo brush) and I'm trying it now and I cannot get it to spray paint. The air goes through it fine, but I pull the trigger back and it's still just air. I've tried it with just water so it's not that the paints too thick. I've cleaned the needle, and the needle definitely moves back when I pull the trigger back. Any ideas what it could be?

Take off the crown and aircap, and the metal back end of the airbrush, so that you can see what's actually happening. When you push down and pull back, you should see the needle move back, and a small aperture around the needle open up.

Assuming that's ok, take the needle out, put water in, and see if it works. Obviously, with no needle, water should come out freely If not, it's blocked somewhere, either in the nozzle or cup.

But it's a new device, so if there's a problem, don't try too hard to fix it; just get it replaced.

 Talys wrote:
Take off the crown and aircap, and the metal back end of the airbrush, so that you can see what's actually happening. When you push down and pull back, you should see the needle move back, and a small aperture around the needle open up.

Assuming that's ok, take the needle out, put water in, and see if it works. Obviously, with no needle, water should come out freely If not, it's blocked somewhere, either in the nozzle or cup.

But it's a new device, so if there's a problem, don't try too hard to fix it; just get it replaced.

I took the needle out, and got a few spatters of water come through. I used the aerosol cleaner and sprayed it down into the tip through the cup and it came out of the tip, but water still won't - just air.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
The cheap one that came with the compressor seems to work okay, paint and air come through. I messaged element games where I bought the Neo from and asked if they could do anything.

Well element said I've voided the warranty by taking the nozzle off so I have to fix it now.

Er, WTF?

You would need to remove the nozzle to do a thorough clean of the airbrush. Iwata warranty does not state anything of the sort:

http://www.iwata-medea.com/support/iwata-warranty/

In fact, it says:
"*Needles, Nozzles, O-rings and Internal Packings need to be replaced from time to time due to ordinary wear and are not covered by the above warranty."

Which to me suggests that Iwata expect you to be needing to replace the nozzle, and they do not mention anywhere that doing so will invalidate the warranty on the rest of the airbrush.

Well, I never told them I took the nozzle off anyway so I'm arguing that point now; but I think because it's a nozzle issue of some kind it won't be covered by the warranty. However I don't know if it even is a nozzle issue, and yeah you're right about the warranty there; it doesn't say it's voided by that. However on the element website it does say **Please note - when cleaning this airbrush (or for any reason) do not remove the nozzle ! Do not use the mini spanner that comes with this airbrush! Any questions please contact us.* So maybe they meant that. I genuinely haven't removed the nozzle though. I removed the screw cap thing that goes over it but I never touched the actual nozzle inside. Is it worth emailing Iwata directly?

That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. If you have goopy crap dried in the nozzle, you can't clean the inside of a nozzle without taking off the nozzle, except by using harsh solvents that will destroy the O-Rings.

Sure, you can email Iwata directly.

Is there a hobby shop nearby that does airbrushes? You might get someone to look at it. The flow of paint (or water) is a very mechanical thing. It is no engineering feat and it is not magic. Essentially, either the passageway is blocked, or it isn't. And if it's blocked, you should just have to clear the blockage.

From the cup, gravity forces the paint/water down; from the hose, pressure forces air up. When the two meet, the air sprays the paint out of the nozzle. That's about all an airbrush does, so the only places where you can have a blockage are in the passageway where the air comes up, or the path where the paint comes down -- or somewhere after they meet (the nozzle). If you check all those parts and there is a clear route for the paint and air to flow, the only other possible problem is the needle (if it's bent, the wrong size, not going backwards, etc). But, of course that can be diagnosed by simply taking the needle out.

Still can't get my head round that one. They even sell replacement nozzles!