Airbrush Advice needed please?

[lukebremner]

Hay rob I have an Iwata air brush and compressor. With the compressor you wont it to have a stedy air flow, a cheap one will run for about an hour then should be turned off, the one that I have you can ajust the air preshure and it also has a moistur bolb. it cost me about £280 I think I;m not to sure now but you can run it allday long and you can also run a tuchup gun on it witch is probly better than a airbrush. My air brush was about £130 but it is the best of the best I think any way I used them at tech and they are all stainless steal and a very fine spray.

[Mike Grant]

You can use your normal compressor but turn the presure right down, start with very little and build up preasure slowly untill you find the correct level.
Buy a “Double action” gun this allows separate control of air and paint.
I have always used Devillbiss (sp) also look for one with two needle sizes, one for fine work and one for more course work.
A BIG word of advice, DON’T BUY CHEAP! pay at least a ton to get value for money, yes I know you can get large guns for £25 but the smaller you go the higher the price. 🙄

DID YOU KNOW…………….

That the airbrush hasn’t changed in design since it was invented in the early 1900’s 😀

Have fun it’s great when you get into it.

[Mike Grant]

Just to explain “double action” the spray button presses down for air and pulls back for paint so you have infinite control over your medium.
A single action gun releases air & paint at the same time. They are for useless cowboys 🙄

[Robert Lambie]

thanks luke, mike..

mike i use a large Devillbiss gun for panel work.. very light!
cost about £180.. so the smaller accurate ones ide have thought around the price you said..

where is the best place to buy them? online even?

[Mike Brown]

…just for reference Rob…

about three years ago I paid around £300 for a mear silent benchtop compressor with all the whistles and bells on it like Lukes and paid summut like £110 for the airbrush, a ‘Hansa Classic 301’…

the first thing I learned was clean, clean, clean, clean…every time you use it – clean it…lol

they’re great fun (though often a little frustrating to begin with) and if you get fed up at any point you can just take yourself into the booth, turn the extractors off and let rip with a loaded airbrush…within a few minutes you’ll feel great from the fumes and it’s a lot cheaper than Southern Comfort too!… 😛

more soon

mikethesign

[Robert Lambie]

now how did you know i drunk southern comfort (?) 🙄 🙄 🙄

[Steve Broughton]

Here you go Rob, top photos show my set up, big bloody noisy compressor for the bigger stuff, spraying fades on signboards etc. with moisture trap and decent regulator and little one for most of the vinyl effects, the airbrushes, the one sitting in the compressors holder is an Iwata Revolution with a fixed gravity cup and the one on the bench top is an Iwata Eclipse that takes small bottles fitted at the bottom, both double action and both excellent tools and cost less than £100 each and that includes vat and delivery from here, http://www.airbrushes.co.uk/

[Henry Barker]

Hi Rob,

As Mike G said you can use your workshop compressor, just set the output to a much lower psi, you wont have any compressor noise that way, using such a large tank.

I have Iwata double action airbrushes, a Custom Micron was about $250, and great if your into fine detailed work or custom painting. For most signmakers wanted to add bevel edges or fades to vinyl, an Iwata Eclipse would more than cover your needs and that is available in different types bottle fed from underneath and cup fed from above etc. Mine cost me about $75. I ordered my stuff from Bearair in the states, as the we have a better rate of exchange against the dollar than the pound, they ship fast reaching us in 4 days or so. http://www.bearair.com but you will probably have good sources in the UK too.

As for media I bought the whole Deka range of Sign Air and Sign Enamels some years back. It dries far to fast in the airbrushes, and you spend more time working to clean than airbrushing. I also bought all the Createx Autoair range, they have some nice irradescents, pearls, and chameleons etc, butalso fast drying in the brushes.

WAs lucky enough to get my hands on a Standox basecoat car paint carousel, fully stocked from a company that changed from Standox to Sikkens which is much better allround.

Years ago in school we had Devilbiss double action Aerograph 63’s don’t know if they are still made but you could check them out at your local Devillbiss dealer/ paint store.

[brian the brush]

Hi Rob, good advice here, you must also remember to install a water trap, this will stop water droplets from mixing with the paint in the gun and avoid lots of bad language !!!!!!! and a face mask !!!!

Brian.

[Robert Lambie]

excellent stuff guys.. thanks a mill… ill re-read this lot and check-out the links.. then come back to you all with some more questions lol 😉