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Buying my first Airbrush. And I would like to what your top ten choices are. I'm also hoping to possibly re sell this air brush later on if possible.

Also what are the do's and don'ts of owning and using an airbrush?

What if an emergency happens and I leave the airbrush out .. how easy is it to clean once paint is dried?

Thanks again.

Clean it often, clean it well. Doing multiple different colours in row seems to be bad idea. Apart from colour mixing seems to result in clogging faster. I would avoid GW air colours. They seem to be giving me hell of a lot more cleaning than vallejo. Particularly evil sun scarlet is nightmare to clean. Anybody know vallejo equilavent shade?

Ultrasonic cleaner might be good investement and solve your last question. However I MIGHT be wrong but I would recommend separating as many parts as possible and only put parts that are in contact with paint there. Can't figure what else caused my airbrush occassionally going...loose? with the air flow so that the air has habit of flowing out even when I'm not pushing the button. Paint still requires pulling it back and it's not always but rather irritating. Wondering if the washing there with trigger in caused that one.

http://www.modelhow.com/airbrushing/beginning-airbrushing/

There are at least two good choices for beginners - Harder&Steenbeck (ultra), badger (patriot). Both are easy to use, and quite cheap.
I do not recommend cheaper airbrush, it's all about quality check. Brand companies are more restrictive with it, and cheaper stuff it's a lottery. And because airbrush it's very precise tool, it's better to invest a little more on better model.
I have one cheap airbrush from Adler, I'm using it for priming only (running on big needle), the needle isn't centralised so getting cloged more often.

Depends on what you want the airbrush for.

Priming and/or painting larger models I'd go with a .35MM or larger needle size. Iwata HP-C and Patriot 105 are probably the most highly recommended AB's I've seen for that task.

Sotar 20/20 with it's .2mm needle is apparently good for detail.

Stay away from so called "value" AB's. A $50 AB might sound like a good deal but odds are it won't be able to do advanced AB and therefore will hold you back from becoming a better painter. Both the 105 Patriot from Badger and the HP-C from Iwata are around $150 MSRP. Parts aren't cheap for the Iwata but then again if you take care of it and are responsible for maintenance you shouldn't need to replace any part that often (if at all).

I have the 105 Patriot and it's fairly durable. My next purchase with part of my tax return is one of the Microns from Iwata for the fine detail needle and the adjustable pressure valve on the AB itself.

Check out Miniac and/or Next Level Painting on youtube or twitch. Kenny Boucher with NLP is a near god with an airbrush and 40k minis. They make me want to become even better with my AB.

jivardi wrote:
Depends on what you want the airbrush for.

Priming and/or painting larger models I'd go with a .35MM or larger needle size. Iwata HP-C and Patriot 105 are probably the most highly recommended AB's I've seen for that task.

Sotar 20/20 with it's .2mm needle is apparently good for detail.

Stay away from so called "value" AB's. A $50 AB might sound like a good deal but odds are it won't be able to do advanced AB and therefore will hold you back from becoming a better painter. Both the 105 Patriot from Badger and the HP-C from Iwata are around $150 MSRP. Parts aren't cheap for the Iwata but then again if you take care of it and are responsible for maintenance you shouldn't need to replace any part that often (if at all).

I have the 105 Patriot and it's fairly durable. My next purchase with part of my tax return is one of the Microns from Iwata for the fine detail needle and the adjustable pressure valve on the AB itself.

Check out Miniac and/or Next Level Painting on youtube or twitch. Kenny Boucher with NLP is a near god with an airbrush and 40k minis. They make me want to become even better with my AB.

The Patriot 105 is actually only like $65 on amazon, it's pretty cheap. The Iwata HP-C is like $250, the HP-CS is the cheaper $150 variant. I have the HP-CS, used it for a few years now and it's been super reliable.

Picked up a Badger Velocity during their sale for $55 last month, which is a steal since it's like $120 normally, looking forward to trying a different airbrush for a change personally. So far though, no complaints about the HP-CS, just gotta give it a full break down and clean once every few months to keep it going.

 Horst wrote:

jivardi wrote:
Depends on what you want the airbrush for.

Priming and/or painting larger models I'd go with a .35MM or larger needle size. Iwata HP-C and Patriot 105 are probably the most highly recommended AB's I've seen for that task.

Sotar 20/20 with it's .2mm needle is apparently good for detail.

Stay away from so called "value" AB's. A $50 AB might sound like a good deal but odds are it won't be able to do advanced AB and therefore will hold you back from becoming a better painter. Both the 105 Patriot from Badger and the HP-C from Iwata are around $150 MSRP. Parts aren't cheap for the Iwata but then again if you take care of it and are responsible for maintenance you shouldn't need to replace any part that often (if at all).

I have the 105 Patriot and it's fairly durable. My next purchase with part of my tax return is one of the Microns from Iwata for the fine detail needle and the adjustable pressure valve on the AB itself.

Check out Miniac and/or Next Level Painting on youtube or twitch. Kenny Boucher with NLP is a near god with an airbrush and 40k minis. They make me want to become even better with my AB.

The Patriot 105 is actually only like $65 on amazon, it's pretty cheap. The Iwata HP-C is like $250, the HP-CS is the cheaper $150 variant. I have the HP-CS, used it for a few years now and it's been super reliable.

Picked up a Badger Velocity during their sale for $55 last month, which is a steal since it's like $120 normally, looking forward to trying a different airbrush for a change personally. So far though, no complaints about the HP-CS, just gotta give it a full break down and clean once every few months to keep it going.

My local Hobby Lobby has the HP-C for $150 on sale and the CS for $130 but YMMV. I like my Patriot but I prefer Iwata's.

As someone who has recently started using an airbrush, I would actually suggest getting a cheap compressor/Airbrush combo from amazon..

I got mine for like 85 BGP which is quite steal I think. Adjustable pressure, moisture trap & a tank, cleaning kit and airbrush..
(It even dropped from a sofa on the first day when my old lady decided to take the hoover from the room and did not break which surprised me considering I was expecting a shoddy construction about to explode in my face since it was clearly made in china on the cheap)

Heres why:

yes the airbrush is crap, I see its limitations now. (its like a 20gbp airbrush so it is what it is)

BUT - I have learned how to clean, it take it apart, put it together, and maintain it as well as the Do's and Dont's you only get through experience,setting up your paint area. Also invested in some needle juice etc. & other sundries which has improved the quality of the airbrush. Alas what can one say about polishing a turd.

Also you will need to consider your airbrush area. Are you planning to use it inside? Do you have a dedicated hobby space? I got a spray booth so that I can spray indoors. It is a bit of a pain as I have to put everything away every now and then when I need the spare room for guests but hey ho.

This means that with the nice new shiny airbrush I wont be making the same mistakes regarding maintenance.

I will be upgrading to a proper airbrush(looking at Iwata Eclipse maybe) in the next month or two and am happy to invest some decent ££ now that I know what I know its viable and I'm happy using it and I wont drop it on its needle because my airbrush holder was like something made by a Mekboy.

I can still use the old brush for priming and wont have to switch paint and you will eventually want to have a spare airbrush jus for priming and maybe base coating anyhow.
The compressor is absolutely solid and don't se why id need to upgrade anytime soon.

Of course if you have the rsources and $$ to burn don't worry about what I say and just get all the shiny stuff if you can replace it easily.

If it's your first - buy a cheap chinese one probably off ebay. Use it, it will die and you will learn. Then you can buy a good one - there are many that are good, youtube has a lot of videos reviewing and comparing them, Les Bursey (sp?) was what I watched a few years ago.

Once you're ready to buy a good one:
- Badger Sotar 20/20 is great for finer detail, it's my go-to when I'm not doing a lot at once. It's easier to keep the tip clean thanks to not needing to unscrew it and it doesn't have a needle guard.
- Badger Krome is solid all 'round and if you only want one I'd suggest this. I only use it now when doing multiple or larger minis since I got the Sotar. It has a much larger well and a lid, and it has a needle guard which is more forgiving if you're new.
- I have an Iwata that seems functionally identical to my Krome. They're both good brands.
- My cheap chinese airbrush still works sort of, so I use it to spray varnish. Helps protect the better airbrushes.

Extras:
- A tank on your compressor isn't necessary, but it is better. If you don't need to pinch pennies, get one. They're still not that expensive.
- Badger needle juice or something similar, lubricant for your needle.
- Easy detach system for your airbrush so you can unclip it and swap airbrushes or clean it more easily.
- Longer hose may be necessary for your setup.
- Make sure the connections on compressor/hose/airbrush are the correct sizes, you can get adapters if necessary.

Advice:
- Never leave paint in the airbrush. If you're going to set it down and do something else, empty the well and blow some cleaning agent and water through it. ALWAYS.
- Make 300% sure you don't lose any of the components such as the tip when you're cleaning. The warp seeks them out, it's a constant fight to keep them in material space.
- You don't need to do complete cleans every day. Just run cleaning agent through it and then water. Doing complete cleans too often is more likely to damage your airbrush especially if you're new.

aslong as you have a spesific airbrush cleaner fluid, you can pretty mutch clean out any dried paint inside the brush given good time, but standard AB is a high maintenence tool.
it is good for basecoating infantry and major work on vehicles, but nothing else. you will still need to use the normal brush more then you need to use the AB. for light pigment basecoat colours sutch as white and yellow, AB is far better to use then paintbrush.
the kind of AB you want for minis is what is called gravity fed AB. the paint cup is on top of the brush, not under it. reason is gravity fed AB uses less air pressure.
you still need a compressor even if you are just a beginner. air on can aint viable. the compressor you can allways resell, the AB depends how well you have maintained it for resell value.

i know alot of people say buy a low cost basic top fed double action AB, but if you are just starting with AB, the new Sparmax Flyer is a recommended starter.
however with a a nozzle size of 0.4mm, it is for miniatures JUST a basecoating tool, but since its paint is in quick swap bottles as it is a paintgun, the cleaning is down to the absolute minimal.

One thing I would like to add is I use my air compressor in the garage for my airbrush. Ran an airline into the basement and attached a pressure valve / water trap thingie so I can control the pressure at my paint station. I’m not too sure how well using a larger compressor compares to using a dedicated machine but I have not had any problems with it and it saved on buying a separate compressor.

Okay, so your basic go-to airbrush should be a dual action gravity feed, probably with a 0.35mm nozzle. This can pretty much do everything you need it to, especially for a beginner. The exact brand isn't super important, just buy a brand you know you can get replacement parts for, rather than some nameless knock-off.

Any larger nozzle is good for basecoating or priming but not much else, but they don't clog as much and if it's a siphon feed you can really load up and work a long time. Any smaller and it's good for detail, but more liable to clog on you and learning how to thin your paints is probably the hardest learning curve you'll run into using the airbrush.

There are some supplies you can use to make life easier - cleaner, thinner and flow improver can all be useful. I like to drop in a few drops of thinner before I put paint in the cup, which helps avoid clogging right at the start. Clogging seems to be highly dependent on the formula/pigment of the paint, not the brand - so one GW paint might clog easily, while another runs fine. You can thin with just water, but in my experience actual thinners and flow improvers do help.

Cleaning the brush is basically a religion - flush between colors (mostly water), empty and clean between painting sessions. You'll still occasionally have to disassemble and soak the nozzle (the interior brass bit) in cleaner now and again. If you have an ultrasonic cleaner, cleaning small metal parts gets really easy, and the ultrasonic is really good for stripping minis as well.

You need flow improver, airbrush thinner, airbrush cleaner, a spray booth, a spray out pot, a good breathing mask (any color particles getting in your lungs will be there forever). Small plastic cups help mixing/thinning paints. A plastic pipette. I am very pleased with my Iwata HP-CS, expensive, but good. Maybe not a good choice as your first airbrush, if you screw up it will be expensive to fix.

Regarding ultrasonic cleaners, I saw one video suggesting that they can damage airbrushes. Given that they are intended to knock corrosion off metal.ibjects, and the nickel.or.chrome plating on the.airvrush body is essentially shiny corrosion, the guy made a lot of sense. Don't want to shake your new.toy to pieces.

 Flinty wrote:
Regarding ultrasonic cleaners, I saw one video suggesting that they can damage airbrushes. Given that they are intended to knock corrosion off metal.ibjects, and the nickel.or.chrome plating on the.airvrush body is essentially shiny corrosion, the guy made a lot of sense. Don't want to shake your new.toy to pieces.

It's a fair point, but really the only part you'd need to put in the cleaner is the brass nozzle - that's the part that gets clogged.

Perkele wrote:
One thing I would like to add is I use my air compressor in the garage for my airbrush. Ran an airline into the basement and attached a pressure valve / water trap thingie so I can control the pressure at my paint station. I’m not too sure how well using a larger compressor compares to using a dedicated machine but I have not had any problems with it and it saved on buying a separate compressor.

a compressor is a compressor.
main difference is that AB comps are small and silent running aslong as you dont buy the cheap stuff.

gravity fed AB runs on 20-30 psi, so aslong as you can regulate down to that, you are just fine.

Cool thanks. So I'm positive I'm looking for a brush not just for base coating but for shading. The top feed sounds great