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How do!

Looking to increase my knowledge when it comes to airbrushing. Whilst I’ve had the kit to indulge for a while, it’s not really something I’ve played with. But, that’s likely to change when I get on to painting my Necrons.

As I tend to do, I’m researching schemes and techniques I might want to adopt via the medium of youtube. And I’ve noted the artist will often explain the exact airbrush they’re using. But what I don’t understand is “what difference does it make?”. Note I’m not questioning whether there is a difference - quite the opposite.

The name I hear most often is Badger, and I’m aware some painting channels offer their own branded.

Can anyone shine a light and pass on some knowledge here?

In my experience, it only starts to matter when they get so cheap parts don't fit together well (so things like the action isn't smooth, or things don't align perfectly), it's hard to get replacement parts, or parts have poor longevity.

I have a $50 cheapo chinese airbrush and a $150 airbrush from a local company, they both work fine, I use them both happily. An issue with the $50 one has been finding upgrade and replacement parts. For the $150 one, I have multiple needle and nozzle sizes and backups for the ones I use frequently. The action on both of them is similar.

Also on the longevity side, my more expensive brush uses teflon seals that seem to be working as good now as when they were new, the cheap one has rubber seals that have worn out and are difficult to buy replacements. Also on the cheap one the coating has worn off in the cup area, but I haven't noticed any degradation in function for the coating being worn.

The more expensive one does have some extra features like an extra valve, an adjustable stop on the action and the chuck is accessible without remove the back cover thingo... but really those are features I almost never use and do not miss at all when using the cheap one.

Doc,

As you have said, Airbrushes come in a number of different flavors and types and for some reason no one talks about that here. I find that curious.

1) Single Action
2) Dual Action
3) Internal Mix
4) External Mix

Single Action I would equate to someone using training wheels on a bicycle. It'll get you down the road but you would be restricting yourself in not taking advantage of the Benefits of the Dual Action

So, in my opinion, and Yes LOL, I do have one, would be to use a Dual Action Brush. The Internal/External is less of an issue.

Size of the Needle & Cap. I generally use the smallest needle I can get. This makes a larger problem out of the consistency of the medium you are painting. A lot of folks use larger needles with Acrylics because frankly they are harder to thin down enough to not clog the brush or have the paint actually go on "dry" which usually results in a lack of smoothness. Also you'll probably want to look at retarders too.

When looking at a specific brush, examine all of the component parts. Are they *all* metal ? If they aren't, except for an O-Ring or two then I think that's not acceptable. Why ? I have a few Paasche VL brushes. They come with a Plastic handle that screws off. After taking this off I can take the entire brush and soak it in Acetone. Yep. It'll still work just fine. In fact, after airbrushing something my final cleaning step is to run Lacquer Thinner through it. Every time. Then when putting it away I loosen up the needle and leave it that way.

How much pressure ?!?!? I've sprayed almost everything at 20 lbs or less. Much less sometimes. Maybe as low as 5 lbs.

Which brings us to: An air source. These also come in two distinct varieties. Oil and Oil Less. Obviously Oil type (think traditional compressors) can be used to run air tools. Which require ????? You got it. Oil. LOL so trying to use these with Acrylics can be a real problem. And before anyone mentions it, yeah ...... You can put a filter on the airline and probably should. But put it as close to the brush as possible. Air under pressure warms up. Warm air holds moisture.
Oil Less on the other hand are probably better for Airbrushing. The good news is that these are usually cheaper.

Brands. Paasche and Iwata I have used many, many times and they function well. The Badgers however are usually less well made.

Regards

Bill

Why are beginner things always most difficult to use? Seems backwards.

I started with a forty euro kit, compressor like a big aquarium pump and all.

I added airbrushes of different nozzle size. All cheap but not necessarily cheapest.

The biggest difference for me was air compressor. I expect to have to move, and ship, so I bought a compressor without air tank. I worried about the fluttering air pressure, but after some hours use, a longer air hose, a couple of extra inline water separators, and learning how to use air pressure, via the air pressure regulators on the compressor and on one of the airbrushes with a finer 0.2mm needle, learning how to use flow improvers and thinning with water, now I am confident saying that the air supply made the biggest difference and cost the most. Patient use of a relatively inexpensive airbrush seems to delivers excellent results with a reliable and powerful air supply.

Well, this is the bits I bought.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00K78M09E/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Mostly because like a Hero, I donated my hose to someone earlier in the year, as their kids were getting into it, and theirs had sprung a leak.

I’ve got a tanked compressor, with a built in moisture trap. So, as far as my idiot clueless brain can tell, I’m more or less all set.

And I think it’s a double action? Press down for air flow, pull back for paint?

I’m also blessed with an excess of unpainted models to bugger about with, before I work on the Void Dragon I think my Lass got me for Christmas!

I'm not massively skilled or anything with mine (for the record, I have an entry-level branded airbrush, a Harder & Steenbeck Ultra), but I'd say there's not really anything unique that a particular model of airbrush can do that others can't. I mean, they all spray paint, right?

I look at it much the same as hairy brushes. A W&N series 7 doesn't do anything that other brushes can't, but it's a well-made tool that may make achieving a certain level of paint job easier in the hands of someone who knows how to use it. But of you're just using it to slap on a base coat, it's not really that different to a cheapo synthetic brush.

And now I’m giggling at “hairy brushes”. Because I am a massive, massive child!

I imagine I'll be painting a void dragon in the imminent future too, got my eldest son one for Christmas.

For Necrons specifically, I'd say Vallejo Metal Color are your friends. They're lovely metallic paints that are formulated for airbrushing and go on beautifully. I've helped my son paint his Necrons and you can do the most part of them quickly and easily with an airbrush.

Prime with Vallejo gloss black primer. Then do zenithal coats of Vallejo metal Steel, and then Chrome. Boom. Done. Look great. Will take a pic when I get a chance.

I want a harder and Steinbeck, the ultra dual needles kit, but... difficult to justify once I sorted the flow and pressure variables.
Eventually I hope to upgrade but as of now I have a thirty euro upgrade Chinese 0.2mm airbrush that works well to do what I have wanted to do basing, blocking, shading and highlighting miniatures.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
And now I’m giggling at “hairy brushes”. Because I am a massive, massive child!

Because airbrushes sounds like hairbrushes?

 Grimoir wrote:
Doc,

As you have said, Airbrushes come in a number of different flavors and types and for some reason no one talks about that here. I find that curious.

1) Single Action
2) Dual Action
3) Internal Mix
4) External Mix

Single Action I would equate to someone using training wheels on a bicycle. It'll get you down the road but you would be restricting yourself in not taking advantage of the Benefits of the Dual Action

Back when I started airbrushing, if you asked about an airbrush recommendation you'd always be told get a dual action gravity fed internal mix. I think over the years a creeping assumption has formed that if you're buying an airbrush for painting minis, you'll be getting a dual action gravity fed internal mix, as that's what most shops sell for hobby purposes these days.

I don't really agree with you that a single action means training wheels. Single actions are more for laying down paint over a large area smoothly. There's some really good and expensive single actions that were historically popular among model car and aircraft painters for their ability to lay down paint smoothly, but also some of the entry level junk airbrushes were also single action which has given them a bad name.

But in the context of painting miniatures, laying down a silky smooth coat is less important than control, so dual action is the way to go.

Internal vs external mix, it's been a while since I've had this discussion and I've never owned an external, but from memory gravity feed internal mix is favoured for miniature painting because you can run lower pressures for more control, and also you don't need to use as much paint, you can pretty much run the cup dry in a gravity feed internal mix but a siphon fed external mix it has to draw the paint up from the pot underneath. Not so much of an issue if you're painting a big model like a 1/32 plane or a big model ship or a model train display board, but so often in miniature painting you just need a drop or two for a highlight rather than a cup full of paint. I don't know if gravity fed external mix is a thing though?