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Made in us
Mutilatin' Mad Dok





Medford Oregon

I am thinking of trying air brushing for tanks and other stuff in the future. What do I need to look for when deciding on what kind of air brush to get, and is there a good low cost one that isn't that crappy GW one that doesn't work that I can get somewhere?

   
Made in gb
Stalwart Ultramarine Tactical Marine





Stevenage, UK

The key thing to look for is that you get a "Dual Action Airbrush", this means that you control the airflow with downward pressure on the trigger while paint flow is controlled separately by the pull back on the trigger.

This will let you regulate the flow of paint and air to get the mix you need for the task you're doing.

From here look at the needle/aperture size, for most of the "bulk" style work you describe a 0.4mm or 0.5mm set up would be ideal. People doing detail work with them go right down to 0.15mm or even smaller. However when you get smaller there is more regular cleaning and maintenance required and a much finer level of control needed.

You will hear lots of view points on brands of Airbrush, the big variation between the expensive brands (eg. Badger, Iwata, Paasche and Harder & Steenbeck) and the cheaper "knock-off" brands will be durability. Don't expect the cheap ones to last and expect to occasionally get a duff one, if you're happy with that, go cheap. I have cheap ones for base coating and varnishing and an expensive one for the other stuff.

Next thing to look at is your compressor, and the key requirements for this are that it has:

a) a tank
b) a pressure regualor
c) a moisture trap

There's little to choose between the options out there at sensible price points once you've ticked these boxes. As with all things there are expensive options, but unless you're painting full time, they're unlikely to justify themselves.

Hope that helps.

Rik
   
Made in gb
Moustache-twirling Princeps





Gone-to-ground in the craters of Coventry

Besides the trigger Rik mentions, there are also types of feed:
https://spraygunner.com/blog/types-of-airbrushes-few-things-you-should-know-before-buying-your-first-airbrush/
I use only gravity feed brushes, which don't tip well. Side- and siphon-feed have their own uses, but I don't remember anyone here recommending either of them.

This is a common topic, and there are lots of links to recommended kits and stockists here on Dakka. Throw brand names and such into Dakka's search for more info.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/08/30 10:30:24


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