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Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut





UK

Hi, I have been looking for the opportunity to buy an airbrush to step up some of my painting, and with several vehicles and big units coming up I wanted to give it a go.
I 've been watching airbrush videos for a while and I believe I know what I want, but I wanted to ask you all in case I am making some mistake.
I do not want to go super cheap on it since I know this might be a great asset moving on my painting, so I would want to hit a good beginner tool that is not going to break or give me a bad first experience.

Gravity feed double action airbrush, and relatively quiet ​compressor with pressure control and air tank.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01M3WU42Z/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=squidmaruk09-21&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01M3WU42Z&linkId=5885dcb786762fa4b3a3dceef0565a13

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Airbrush-compressor-reservoir-Fengda-FD-186/dp/B019CKXBOU/ref=pd_bxgy_img_2/260-7905121-3012914?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B019CKXBOU&pd_rd_r=9a8524f3-30cd-4187-9870-c0150c2dcd06&pd_rd_w=8TOlA&pd_rd_wg=hrpUM&pf_rd_p=e5130b5a-1765-4699-bcba-dfad57398256&pf_rd_r=YPT9CAVN6CPE7QMY1WY4&psc=1&refRID=YPT9CAVN6CPE7QMY1WY4

Any tips, feedback?

PD: Vallejo cleaner, thinner and cleaning station are going to be in no matter what. I am not sure if I need to buy the hoze for connecting the air from the compressor to the airbrush separately or if it comes with one of the 2 items.


Serve the Emperor today, for tomorrow you may be be dead.
Painting blog:
https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/793314.page
 
   
Made in gb
Esteemed Veteran Space Marine






Northumberland

From the looks of it, you'll need to buy an air hose alongside that compressor. You may also want to consider a set of dental brushes to clean the nozzle, a prick to clean the aperture of the nozzle and a selection of pipe cleaners to clean the needle channel.

I'm not familiar with Sparmax, and I can recommend the H&S Evolution - but it's worth saying that even a cheaper airbrush is a useful tool for you to get learning on. So that one will do nicely.

You may also want to invest in some flow improver and retarder to prevent 'dry tip' (Where paint drys on the needle tip and causes an irregular spray pattern).

Make sure you dilute your cleaner 50:50. It doesn't need to be concentrated, so it'll last longer. I mix 10:20:20:50 of retarder, flow improver, thinner, water to make up my airbrush thinning mix, in a clean vallejo dropper bottle. Makes it easier to work with .

Hope this helps.

EDIT: Also, whatever tool is required to remove the needle seal is a good idea. My first seal I ruined because I stretched the seal diametre by putting the pipe cleaners through. It's best to remove the seal first, and clean out second.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/06/06 14:34:06


Now with 100% more blog: 'Beyond the Wall'

Numine Et Arcu
 
   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut





UK

 Warpig1815 wrote:
From the looks of it, you'll need to buy an air hose alongside that compressor. You may also want to consider a set of dental brushes to clean the nozzle, a prick to clean the aperture of the nozzle and a selection of pipe cleaners to clean the needle channel.

I'm not familiar with Sparmax, and I can recommend the H&S Evolution - but it's worth saying that even a cheaper airbrush is a useful tool for you to get learning on. So that one will do nicely.

You may also want to invest in some flow improver and retarder to prevent 'dry tip' (Where paint drys on the needle tip and causes an irregular spray pattern).

Make sure you dilute your cleaner 50:50. It doesn't need to be concentrated, so it'll last longer. I mix 10:20:20:50 of retarder, flow improver, thinner, water to make up my airbrush thinning mix, in a clean vallejo dropper bottle. Makes it easier to work with .

Hope this helps.

EDIT: Also, whatever tool is required to remove the needle seal is a good idea. My first seal I ruined because I stretched the seal diametre by putting the pipe cleaners through. It's best to remove the seal first, and clean out second.


Thanks a lot for your comment. I am really tempted to buy the airbrush right now but I want to wait until I give it a few days to rest on my head and look for other options, and maybe something I am missing.

Serve the Emperor today, for tomorrow you may be be dead.
Painting blog:
https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/793314.page
 
   
Made in gb
Leader of the Sept







I can really recommend getting a quick release coupling like this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Disconnect-Connectors-Adjustment-Accessories-Compressor/dp/B08X4K664K/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?adgrpid=56872852527&dchild=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0vznmNGD8QIVXhAGAB1Eqw6fEAAYASAAEgKz9PD_BwE&hvadid=259162161532&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=1006886&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=18375276222007594812&hvtargid=kwd-354459655607&hydadcr=18223_1817009&keywords=airbrush+quick+release&qid=1623004041&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUE2UjNNSzQyT0NRQUImZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAzMzIwODcxQlcwNVBJRFFQWTJDJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA4NTYxMzYzSUlRODIxSTAzMjk3JndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfcGhvbmVfc2VhcmNoX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Unscrewing the hose at the end of sessions and cliff cleaning and suchlike is a total faff.

Please excuse any spelling errors. I use a tablet frequently and software keyboards are a pain!

Terranwing - w3;d1;l1
51st Dunedinw2;d0;l0
Cadre Coronal Afterglow w1;d0;l0 
   
Made in gb
Esteemed Veteran Space Marine






Northumberland

No problem, glad to help - and exercising restraint is always a good idea.

From what I can see you've got a good basic set-up. The compressor will be adequate for any airbrush, although don't be fooled that 47db is 'whisper quiet' - it's enough to be annoying to your household if you intend to spray at 1:00 am. But that said, don't worry too much - it's not an absolute racket. The brush also looks sturdy enough, and you've clearly done your research in going for gravity-feed/dual action. Certainly, I know modellers who have done great things on cheaper than this.

Finally, remember you'll need the correct fittings to connect your air hose/compressor/airbrush. Save yourself the frustration and make sure you get the right size fittings first time

EDIT: Beaten to the punch - good call Flinty

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/06/06 18:33:27


Now with 100% more blog: 'Beyond the Wall'

Numine Et Arcu
 
   
Made in gb
Leader of the Sept







Interdental brush wise I found some soft rubber types that you can push through the nozzle tip. Nice and soft so shouldn’t damage the nozzle.

Please excuse any spelling errors. I use a tablet frequently and software keyboards are a pain!

Terranwing - w3;d1;l1
51st Dunedinw2;d0;l0
Cadre Coronal Afterglow w1;d0;l0 
   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut





UK

Thanks for all your responses


What is that "Airbrush Quick Release Coupling Disconnect Adapter Kit" thing you recomended?

For the hoze I was looking at something like this. Seems that 1/8 standard is the one I would need. Looks like this containts the pieces you got on your link too, could it be?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fengda-Airbrush-Standard-Fittings-Disconnector/dp/B07ST2ZT1Q/ref=pd_di_sccai_5/260-7905121-3012914?pd_rd_w=yVWB6&pf_rd_p=2529c273-c9d4-4495-807e-68ed4dfade5e&pf_rd_r=0GQ1BV66ZXP0F6996R8V&pd_rd_r=83da2a23-cfab-47bd-a5f2-71a97bdf502a&pd_rd_wg=ehpQ4&pd_rd_i=B07ST2ZT1Q&psc=1

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/06/06 21:18:29


Serve the Emperor today, for tomorrow you may be be dead.
Painting blog:
https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/793314.page
 
   
Made in gb
Esteemed Veteran Space Marine






Northumberland

Essentially what it says on the tin - it's a coupler that has a spring clip so you don't need to screw/unscrew your airbrush up everytime you want to clean it or put it away. Makes life easier - just like the fittings on your garden hose

And yes, your hose comes with one. Just make sure 1/8 is what you need (probably is, but don't quote me on that).

Now with 100% more blog: 'Beyond the Wall'

Numine Et Arcu
 
   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut





UK

Airbrush landed!
There are still a couple things missing, most of it is here.
I spent the evening setting it up, practicing cleaning and doing some exercises to get the hang of it. Is going to take some time, but I feel quite good about it on my first few hours.
I moved into some priming and zenitals to see how it works with miniatures, and after the first 3 I did a complete clean up of the airbrush.


I couldnt let it rest until tomorrow, so I jumped back in doing more zenitals for other models I am planning to paint with the airbrush as much as I can. As far as I understand, zenitals are not too impactul after a coat of base color or two, but is still good practice for the first moments.

I jumped to paint a tiny squig with some colours and it was a fun experience. The blends do not behave as wet blending does, instead it first goes to white-dark and then picks up saturation, which is a bit extrange but I get used to it.
The macro on my phone is horrible XD


Thanks all for your responses and suggestions. I am really looking foward to practice and experiment with this tool.
If you are interested on my painting/building progress, including some nice space marine conversions and custom models, you can find it in this dakka blog:
https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/60/793314.page#11149212

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/06/14 22:26:39


Serve the Emperor today, for tomorrow you may be be dead.
Painting blog:
https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/793314.page
 
   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut





Looks good. Priming and basing with an airbrush is so good that it makes the expense worth while in my opinion.
   
Made in gb
Esteemed Veteran Space Marine






Northumberland

Awesome! Glad this worked out for you If you find your zenithal priming gets speckly, I can recommend using a white ink, such as Daler Rowney. They were suggested to me by a Dakka member and they certainly work wonders

Now with 100% more blog: 'Beyond the Wall'

Numine Et Arcu
 
   
Made in gb
Torch-Wielding Lunatic





 Warpig1815 wrote:
...I can recommend using a white ink, such as Daler Rowney /snip


Seems to be a few white inks in their range, so which one is best to use? i.e - which do you use through an airbrush?

Cheers!

   
Made in gb
Esteemed Veteran Space Marine






Northumberland

I use 'Cool Grey' for a mid tone and plain old 'White' for my highlight. And the result is a much better transition than acrylics (Although, I have heard people swear by Tamiya's white).

In any case, you won't really go wrong with whichever white you choose, and all of the inks from their FW range will be just fine through the airbrush. The only down side I found was that they were a touch fragile if mishandled. So a varnish afterwards is advised - and a full coat too (I had an issue where I thought the ink had reacted with Vallejo gloss varnish, but in hindsight I think I just hadn't varnished thoroughly enough).

Hope that helps

Now with 100% more blog: 'Beyond the Wall'

Numine Et Arcu
 
   
Made in us
Fixture of Dakka






 Warpig1815 wrote:
Awesome! Glad this worked out for you If you find your zenithal priming gets speckly, I can recommend using a white ink, such as Daler Rowney. They were suggested to me by a Dakka member and they certainly work wonders

So I still buy Daler Rowney inks but given a choice I’d pick Liquitex over them (and do). For white titanium white is my go to. There’s a pretty robust series of inks available though; the only one I don’t recommend at all is Dr PH Martins Bombay inks line.

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