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Hey guys, like the title says I got my airbrush in today. It will be a little while before I actually put it to use because I've got a little more shopping to do (models, cleaner, paint).

With that being said I wanted to go ahead and make a post so I can get some input from the community as far as pointers, tips, and really anything relevant to airbrushing!

Here is my setup

Iwata Sprint Jet Studio
Iwata Eclipse Gravity Feed HP-CS

As you can see I went with a pretty mediocre setup. My primary use for this setup is to get the absolute BEST primer/base coat.

If I had to ask you guys one thing it would be what PSI do you find to be the best when doing this kind of work? I realize that this probably varies greatly depending on the paint/airbrush and so on but I figured I would ask anyway.

Looking forward to seeing what kind of input I can get from this thread!

I use Vallejo Surface Primer, unthinned, at 30 to 35 psi with no problems. I will typically leave it that high while doing heavy lifting (like basecoats and such).

For normal work, I cruise somewhere around 20-25 psi. For fine detail I'll drop it down to 12 psi or so.

 JusticarGames wrote:
Hey guys, like the title says I got my airbrush in today. It will be a little while before I actually put it to use because I've got a little more shopping to do (models, cleaner, paint).

With that being said I wanted to go ahead and make a post so I can get some input from the community as far as pointers, tips, and really anything relevant to airbrushing!

Here is my setup

Iwata Sprint Jet Studio
Iwata Eclipse Gravity Feed HP-CS

As you can see I went with a pretty mediocre setup. My primary use for this setup is to get the absolute BEST primer/base coat.

If I had to ask you guys one thing it would be what PSI do you find to be the best when doing this kind of work? I realize that this probably varies greatly depending on the paint/airbrush and so on but I figured I would ask anyway.

Looking forward to seeing what kind of input I can get from this thread!

I've got a Smart-jet and that same airbrush, great start.

Well I've personally never used a PSI over 25 for anything but I suppose with the thicker paints it might work. Most of the time I keep it around 16-18. I also use Vallejo Surface Primer unthinned or with a very small amount of Liquitex Airbrush Medium. Not every paint-pot is the same so there is no hard fast rule.

I'd recommend mixing/thinning your paints (with Liquitex) in small clear cups. That way you get used to seeing what consistency works best for you. With paint too thin, or PSI too high you'll get spidering and frustration - with paint too thick or PSI too low you'll get immediate clogging and frustration.

You're going to need a fair amount of practice and Terrain is absolutely perfect for this.

Thanks for the input guys!!

Nothing wrong with your setup at all. In fact, I think you made good decisions overall. I think you'll find you can get a lot more out of it than your realize.