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Hey everyone,
So I am thinking about getting into airbrushing and plan to buy this Neo for iwata airbrush and compressor (http://elementgames.co.uk/paints-hobby-and-scenery/airbrushes-and-accessories/airbrush-and-compressor-bundles/entry-level-airbrush-bundle), and I know I need some cleaner solution and a cleaning pot, but I am not really sure what else I need to get in terms of hose and adaptors and other accessories as I'm not sure what size fittings the airbrush and compressor have, or what else I should get to start airbrushing.
Any help/advice would be much appreciated

Personally i have never had specific airbrush cleaning solution or a cleaning pot. just an open bucket and water and or iso alcohol

but it looks like your thing comes with a hose that fits the brush you got anyway.

One thing i would get is a airbrush stand. the kinda that clamps on the side of your table probably.

also get a bucket. you never know when you need to dump your current color quickly rather than running it through your brush. might save the compressor some lifespan (though it seems you are getting a bit of a weak compressor. i dont know since i dont have experience with those small ones)

Thanks for the help, do you think I should look into getting a better compressor?

Its up to personal taste.

i have gotten cheap ones from harbor freight (china stuff) and it worked fine till it started having moisture issues.

im currently using a chunky one with a tank from badger and works perfectly fine.

for longevity id get one with a tank. since you can always upgrade and get multiple brushes later.

Many paints turn to goo when they touch isopropyl alcohol (IPA). They'll come off, but they'll come off in gooey chunks which makes it harder to clean out of the narrow passages. IPA also leaves parts very dry, something like Vallejo Airbrush Cleaner tends to break down paints so they come off more smoothly, and it also doesn't leave things quite so dry (seals, the needle, etc). My cleaning procedure is usually to tip out the old paint, run water or thinner through the brush to get off the bulk of the paint (and I may not spray it through, I might just tip it out), then spray through some Vallejo AB cleaner while using an old crappy brush to get off any paint still left in the cup, pull the brush apart and clean the needle, nozzle and run a pipe cleaner through the paint passage of the brush itself.

I've never used that compressor so I have no idea if it's sufficient.... but I'm always wary of bleed valve compressors which don't have use a standard pressure regulator. The specifications on it are very weak, 1 to 15PSI and flow rate of 10.5 LPM, 15 PSI is usually enough, but I often go up to 20-30PSI for certain jobs like applying basecoats or some primers and use 30+ when cleaning out my airbrush. By comparison, my compressor cuts in at 43PSI and out 60PSI with a flow rate of 23LPM. Personally I wouldn't buy anything less than that.... but that's just me, I'm sure some people would say my compressor is overkill (though I doubt many would ).

You shouldn't need more hose adaptors than what is needed to get from the compressor to your airbrush, if you buy a kit that should all be included, if you don't buy a kit it'll be specific to the airbrush and compressor you bought.

Honestly I don't use a lot with my airbrush, airbrush thinner and paint goes in, I clean out with Vallejo AB cleaner and a couple of airbrush cleaning pipe cleaners, reassemble and it's ready for the next time. I should probably buy a cleaning pot and airbrush hanger, I don't have them myself, but I could imagine they'd be a worthwhile investment.

Good airbrush accessories:

- Quick connect/disconnect adapter for your airbrush to hose
- Airbrush size-appropriate pipe cleaners
- Clamp-on airbrush holder for your desk
- Fume hood
- P95 reusable half-mask
- Delicate masking tape (frogtape yellow, Tamiya, etc.)

Some more advanced things to consider:
- Inline air pressure valve
- Crown tip (allowing air to flow escape through sides)
- Thinners, flow enhancers, mediums, etc.
- Air valve splitters and/or multiple pressure valves (to allow multiple hoses & airbrushes at different PSI)

My thoughts on IPA: Isopropyl Alcohol is wonderful to clean parts that don't have rubber or plastic after you're done, but it's terrible to clean parts during, because you don't want it to mix with paint. It's not good to use on any parts that are plastic or rubber, because it makes them more brittle, and those stupid O-Rings, gaskets, seals, etc. for airbrushes are ridiculously expensive to replace.

 Talys wrote:
Good airbrush accessories:

- Quick connect/disconnect adapter for your airbrush to hose

I've never really seen the point of a quick disconnect for myself. I guess if I had a larger compressor with a large tank that took a long time to fill. If I need to disconnect my airbrush I just flick the switch to turn off the compressor which sits next to my leg and disconnect it. The tank empties, but it only takes a few seconds to get back to working pressure after I turn it back on.

- Delicate masking tape (frogtape yellow, Tamiya, etc.)

I use masking tape all the time on military models, I almost never use it on wargaming models, lol. Depends what army you're painting I guess.

- Crown tip (allowing air to flow escape through sides)

I assume you mean crown cap? Even though I have a crown cap, the first thing I do when spraying is remove the cap. Just make sure you replace it when you aren't using the airbrush to avoid damaging the needle.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:

 Talys wrote:
Quick connect/disconnect adapter for your airbrush to hose

I've never really seen the point of a quick disconnect for myself. I guess if I had a larger compressor with a large tank that took a long time to fill. If I need to disconnect my airbrush I just flick the switch to turn off the compressor which sits next to my leg and disconnect it. The tank empties, but it only takes a few seconds to get back to working pressure after I turn it back on.

A quick disconnect is nice if you have more than one airbrush that gets regular use (like I do).

Also, good masking tape is nice to have with painting war gaming models. I've done lots of masking with it on all types of models, including infantry, but especially vehicles.

Nobody's mentioned it yet, but an ultrasonic cleaner is a godsend. Gets gunk out of the nozzle and nozzle cap, and for occasional deep-cleaning if you manage to get paint in the air channels.

I run mine with a mix of screenwash and water and it works very well - after a session the nozzle, cup, needle and nozzle cap all go in for 10 minutes or so after flushing with water and AB cleaner, then reassemble, run some more cleaner, then water and lube.

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:

AllSeeingSkink wrote:

 Talys wrote:
Quick connect/disconnect adapter for your airbrush to hose

I've never really seen the point of a quick disconnect for myself. I guess if I had a larger compressor with a large tank that took a long time to fill. If I need to disconnect my airbrush I just flick the switch to turn off the compressor which sits next to my leg and disconnect it. The tank empties, but it only takes a few seconds to get back to working pressure after I turn it back on.

A quick disconnect is nice if you have more than one airbrush that gets regular use (like I do).

Also, good masking tape is nice to have with painting war gaming models. I've done lots of masking with it on all types of models, including infantry, but especially vehicles.

I have 2 airbrushes as well, but I'm never going to disconnect an airbrush until it's been cleaned out and when connecting a new airbrush it's always going to take me at least few seconds to put paint/varnish/whatever in the cup ready to spray, so switching off the compressor and switching it back on again is a non-issue.

If you used a large compressor with a large tank I could see it being useful because you don't want to have to wait for a big tank to refill before you can spray again, but with the 3L tank you get with most hobby compressors (or even more so the tankless ones) I don't really see the point.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

winterdyne wrote:
Nobody's mentioned it yet, but an ultrasonic cleaner is a godsend. Gets gunk out of the nozzle and nozzle cap, and for occasional deep-cleaning if you manage to get paint in the air channels.

I run mine with a mix of screenwash and water and it works very well - after a session the nozzle, cup, needle and nozzle cap all go in for 10 minutes or so after flushing with water and AB cleaner, then reassemble, run some more cleaner, then water and lube.

I would like one of those but my hobby area is getting so cluttered I don't really want another thing on the desk Definitely sounds like a good idea though.

A compressor with a tank is a good bet as it will give a more constant pressure. A 'non-branded' one should be fine and give you better results than the branded Iwata one in your post - something like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/FoxHunter-KMS-Airbrush-Compressor-Airbrushes/dp/B004XP7K9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1472130867&sr=8-1&keywords=airbrush+compressor

I have something similar with a slightly bigger pump (which is overkill but was a good deal). It is remarkably quiet and gives easy visual control over pressure. It is bulkier though.

The airbrushes that come with that package are a matter of debate. They are cheaper knock-offs of other designs. Some say they are fine for beginners and others say you should definitely get a kosher one. Either way, if you search for similar pumps without an airbrush it would do you well. When I was searching the airbrush was essentially free with the pump so thought I might as well get it. It was the imitation of the Iwata HP airbrush that came with mine and it has worked up until now!

 Talys wrote:
Good airbrush accessories:

- Quick connect/disconnect adapter for your airbrush to hose
- Airbrush size-appropriate pipe cleaners
- Clamp-on airbrush holder for your desk
- Fume hood
- P95 reusable half-mask
- Delicate masking tape (frogtape yellow, Tamiya, etc.)

Some more advanced things to consider:
- Inline air pressure valve
- Crown tip (allowing air to flow escape through sides)
- Thinners, flow enhancers, mediums, etc.
- Air valve splitters and/or multiple pressure valves (to allow multiple hoses & airbrushes at different PSI)

My thoughts on IPA: Isopropyl Alcohol is wonderful to clean parts that don't have rubber or plastic after you're done, but it's terrible to clean parts during, because you don't want it to mix with paint. It's not good to use on any parts that are plastic or rubber, because it makes them more brittle, and those stupid O-Rings, gaskets, seals, etc. for airbrushes are ridiculously expensive to replace.

You just filled my shopping cart. =]

Thanks for the help on the accessories guys - ill look into getting a better compressor as mentioned too!

I know it's already been mentioned, but make sure you get a respirator with appropriate filters! I have one with the circular pink filters and never airbrush without it. (I also have a spray booth, because overspray is something that nobody wants.)

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:

AllSeeingSkink wrote:

 Talys wrote:
Quick connect/disconnect adapter for your airbrush to hose

I've never really seen the point of a quick disconnect for myself. I guess if I had a larger compressor with a large tank that took a long time to fill. If I need to disconnect my airbrush I just flick the switch to turn off the compressor which sits next to my leg and disconnect it. The tank empties, but it only takes a few seconds to get back to working pressure after I turn it back on.

A quick disconnect is nice if you have more than one airbrush that gets regular use (like I do).

Also, good masking tape is nice to have with painting war gaming models. I've done lots of masking with it on all types of models, including infantry, but especially vehicles.

Yeah, mostly, it's for more than one airbrush. In the prime/basecoat scenario, I might be doing a couple of colors, and I might swap between coats, alternating airbrushes while I let paint dry. When I'm painting details, let's say there's two shades of blue. Having two airbrushes loaded with both shades means it's easy to make a correction (otherwise, you have to clean out one airbrush and load it back up with the other color). Also, if I'm alternating between a bunch of metallic and non-metallic paints, two airbrushes lets me use silvers/coppers/golds in one, and NM colors in the other, without totally making sure every fleck of metallic is gone from the AB between color changes.


But that's not quite all --

My setup is like this - I use a Makita compressor, set to 60 PSI, with a Y connector using 1/4" quick-connects. One goes straight to a hose, set to 60PSI, which I use for cleaning station (moisture trap is unimportant because, hey, I'm just cleaning out the airbrush). The other runs around the desk (a 10 foot hose), to my airbrush hood, where I fork it in three, to 3 hobby regulators that have their own moisture traps (this is important because the big, long hose builds up moisture). They are fixed at 12, 18, and 23 PSI, and this allows me to quickly swap between known pressures I'm happy with, depending on the paint that I'm using (and how thin it is). Everything is put together with 1/4" NPT quick connects, so that I can quickly reconfigure if I want to.

When I'm just doing easy stuff, I'll typically at least prime and basecoat, and for that, 18 PSI is perfect. But for some thicker paints, I will use 23 PSI (for example, some metallic paints); also sometimes, when I'm priming larger items, I'll use a large-needle (0.6mm+) and then higher PSI just gets the job done faster. When I varnish, especially gloss, I also use 23PSI and a thicker needle, because the varnish is thicker.

Finally, when I am painting details, I might go all the way down to a 0.2mm needle, and use a very diluted paint. Or, perhaps, I'm shading, and using something which is extremely thin. In this case, I will use low PSI. Then, if I make an error, I'll correct with an airbrush using my undiluted basecoat paint, at the higher PSI -- the thicker paint is desirable for coverage, and you can't use that on low PSI.

Why not just turn the regulator dial between different uses?

Well, of course I can. The thing is, for my thinned down paints, I tend to mix up a bunch of it at a time, and I know that at the PSI setting I have, using the airbrush I'm going to use, I'll get consistent results. If I mess with it, or forget to change it, or am slightly off (especially for the detail stuff) the results might not be good. I find that easier I make it for myself to do harder stuff on the airbrush, the more I want to do more complex airbrush work.

It all sounds a whole bunch complicated, but it's really not, nor is it that expensive. The hobby airbrush regulators are something like $15 a piece from Amazon, Paasche braided hoses are really cheap, and the (large size) 1/4" NPT male and female quick disconnects are available from Home Depot for a few bucks each. The little Makita compressor is awesome, and the most expensive piece of the puzzle, about $170 on sale.

I did take some photos the last time I cleaned up my airbrush room, not sure what SD card they are on. If I can find them, I'll post.