Once I got an AirBrush, priming and basecoating became a lot more fun.
=]
And you can get right in to zenithal highlighting, if you are game.
I started with a Master's airbrush and shop compressor (like the big, loud air compressors for using in wood/machine/whatever shops). This is a cheap way in. But those shop compressors are &$%)& loud!
Some people stick up their noses at the master's line of airbrushes - but here's my take:
* it is not as good as any of my 3 Badger Brushes - but still perfectly good for primer and basecoats.
* it works better with some TLC - i don't remember where I learned these tips, but what I do with mine:
- Get some Pepsodent toothpaste (or similar - stuff with some grit) and a microfiber cloth - put a wee bit of peosodent on the needle, then use the cloth to polish it. Do this 2-3 times. This is not a sex thing.
The Master's
AB needles have poor quality control and are a bit pitted. That messes up paint spray, and this simple task will improve it.
- Get something like Burt's Bees Wax lip balm and use it (lightly) on all the screw thread connections. Again, the tolerances are bad and air leaks through these connection points.
- Replace the O-rings if you can. Do not use the Master's replacement o-rings. They are all low-quality. I found my replacements at a local Airsoft gun shop.
- Get some airbrush lubricant - Badger, Iwata, etc. all make their own. But it is 99% glycerin - and I got a big bottle of the stuff cheap at my local pharmacy. Look in the skin care/Band-Aid section.
Put a drop of this stuff in the trigger, and on the needle when you first insert it. That is not a sex thing.
- All in all, this looks like a lot of work, but it isn't. And the DIY fixes are pretty cheap and easily available.
* This is true of all Airbrushes - it will be finicky on what paint and formula shoots best.
- Every variable imaginable affects this - air flow, moisture traps, environmental humidity, temperature, gravity, air pressure, magnetic fields, ley lines...you get the point.
- The exact formula that works for me will not necessarily work for you with the exact same brush and set-up.
- Practice on scraps and plasticard and whatnot before you go for any important models.
* Do not get discouraged and curse the tool (again - not a sex thing). Artists can work with anything they have to make art. You just have to find what best works with what you have. Practice. Patience. Persevere.
Now, as far as ease of access/cost ratio -
Do you have a Hobby Lobby, Michaels, or something of the like in Australia? If there is one nearby, they often have 40% off coupons and should carry the Iwata NEO line:
https://www.iwata-airbrush.com/neo-for-iwata-gravity.html
- Neo is somewhere between a Masters and a (more) Name-Brand brush. It is also in-between cost. Apply that 40% coupon, and you have a fairly good deal.
However, here in the States I got a Badger 105 Patriot from Amazon for 70$, and I love mine.
https://www.amazon.com/Badger-Air-Brush-Patriot-Gravity-Airbrush/dp/B002W84GTO
- excellent craftsmanship for your all-purpose spraying. It comes with a fairly fat needle (not a sex thing - yes, I am committed to this bit), but you can easily swap it with a finer one if you want finer detail.
Compressors -
* The Nail/Neo/small, low-volume compressors are fine for quick work - but actually intended for really low-pressure spraying. Like fingernails. You are likely to be unhappy and frustrated with these, and then you've sunk money in it and unlikely get value from it.
* Ideally, get one with a regulator that really lets you dial-in the percentages between the major ten marks.
- Most shop compressors - and even my nice, refurbished, and obtained-for-a-steal Badger quiet compressor measures PSI well over 100 - and it is hard to see the marks between the 10's.
I want to easily set to "18" or "22", but it's hard to do on this dial - resulting in some inconsistency that i do not like. But I'm a bit OCC like that. Might not bother you.
* The quieter the compressor, the more expensive. Suit to taste.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Oh - and get an inexpensive little ultra-sonic jewelry cleaner for your airbrush.
It makes cleaning less of a chore and really gets of the paint you might other miss.
A light drop of dish detergent in a cup of distilled water - run it about 3-5 times on it's built-in 2 minute cycle, and viola - a nice clean airbrush.
Can also be used to strip miniatures with 91% alcohol mixed with distilled water. Or Simple Green. Vodka probably works too.
I think I got mine at a little local shop called Harbor Freight. Probably can get them in most department/hardware stores. Pretty sure I only paid $20 for it.
~ And there are a TON of youTube videos with reviews, care & cleaning tips, tutorials, paint reviews, etc., etc., etc.
Watch the T-shirt and Car airbrush videos too. You may never know what cleaning and paint thinning tips you find in those.
I hope this helped, and you have great success with your airbrushing!
