Hello from Iowa!

H

Hvstle

Guest
Good morning, Airbrush Forum!

My journey into AB started at Christmas when I received a set of paintbrushes to paint miniatures I have a ton of from various boardgames. I had never done this before, but I have painted a couple things in my day. Well, the paintbrushes were pointless on their own so I bought a bunch of paints, then a station, then tools. Then I bought basing materials for the minis.. then I wanted a dedicated spot, so I bought a table and stool for my area. THEN i decided to buy my first Warhammer Age of Sigmar (Anvilgard) to put together. Bought all the tools, glues, etc.

Fast forward 13 minis. Here is my first: https://photos.app.goo.gl/HJTHAn6p8WhnL6Et8
Here is my latest: https://photos.app.goo.gl/uyTshYB9S2A6Q1GD6 , https://photos.app.goo.gl/Eb6PH8bzcv56RZcK9

Now, anyone from the Midwest can appreciate my pain right now. It's either too cold, or in the summer too humid to prime outside so I started toying with the idea of an AB. Putting parts of this set together, then going outside to prime, back and forth, cut, sand, glue, prime, repeat. It was getting old, especially at the mercy of the weather.

So I did it. I bought what I needed to get started:
Iwata HP CS
California Air Tools 2010A Ultra Quiet and Oil-Free 1.0 HP 2.0-Gallon Aluminum Tank Air Compressor
3M Paint Project Respirator, Medium - R6211
Then various stuff to make this all work.

Need to move my paint area to a back room. I'm painting in the basement so I am moving to a back area with a window. I plan on putting paint cloth up, hanging it around the area and making a little painters booth.

I am SUPER excited to get everything setup, and I think my gf is excited for my spending to cease. I'm at least around $1k spent since Christmas on everything so far and I truly think I am about out of what else I need to buy. LOL

Cheers!
Hvstle
 
Welcome to the forum from China! ABing is indeed a costly hobby (and the spending will continue on a rolling basis), but as you will see from many of the forum members here, it’s an activity and artform that is highly addictive.
 
Thank you, Franc! What are some of the rolling costs?

Once I get enough practice with my minis I would like to learn to airbrush on my longboard/snowboard helmets.
 
Welcome to our community! Looks like you’ve got yourself started on the right foot with some good equipment. Those are some good looking miniatures too, thanks for sharing.


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Welcome aboard. You got a great gun there, give some thought to what paints to use, how to reduce them, (an art, and no magic recipe, due to too many variables, incl weather/conditions etc but plenty of folks to help with that) to keep it flowing. As AB' s go it's pretty bulletproof, however needles and nozzles can be easy to damaged if dropped, or through mishandling during cleaning. So that can be a cost to consider. Over time as AB' s are a precision tool, wear can cause loss off performance too. But this is one of the hardest working/wearing brushes there is so shouldn't be much of an issue.

Paints can seem expensive, but do get proper AB paint as the pigment is finer ground and other paints will clog. It does last forever though if stored correctly, as only a few drops are needed at a time. Learn to mix colours and you will only need the primaries, black and white, which keeps costs down.
 
SiRoxx, appreciate it!! It's a work in progress, obviously, but I am really enjoying the hobby. It's nice to have something outside of video games that once done, I can walk away from it and see something tangible.

Squishy, thank you! I'm glad to have found you all. I'm a pretty darn careful and OCD person. I think I will take good care of my stuff, especially with how much I've spent. However, you never know. Something I have seen from the videos and guides is that the needles and nozzles are pretty fragile.

I am going to post my purchase list down here and then if anyone could tell me if I am missing anything - or, worse, bought the wrong thing??

Purchase list:
Airbrush: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BQKFAI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Compressor: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TDNKBMC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Respirator: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004Z4EB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I also got extra filters for the respirator
Will this work for a moisture trap?: https://www.harborfreight.com/inline-desiccant-dryerfilter-68215.html
If not, any suggestions? I will have to wait until the 15th before I spend any more money or my gf will kill me.
Cleaning Kit: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y3MG6Z4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Cleaner: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TJA0S6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Thinner: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QXXNDFC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00__o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
14 Pc Coupler/Connect Kit (Really hope this will work for what I need it for): https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TFE7WK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Airbrush Hose: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BF7NJ78/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Paints:
Primer: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B004BMZVMK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02__o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
50pc set: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0714QL55V/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Bunch of Citadel paints as well.

I know plenty of people use these paints for miniatures just fine, so I'm not super concerned with that.

Thank you all so much for the warm welcome and sharing the knowledge.
 
:) I have on a lot of things. Still unsure about the moisture trap piece.

I’m no expert, but I will give you my thoughts on the moisture trap you linked to. It’s not a moisture trap. It’s a disposable air dryer. It seems to have gotten good reviews. In one of the customer pictures it was shown in combination with an inline moisture “trap” (the red thing):
17925ED6-BF2C-4AFF-BCD9-EB45BD879C1A.jpeg

I am only familiar with wall mounted air dryers that have moisture trap then desiccant dryer:

E60BC8BE-00B0-41AF-93F1-31E9CC8DB201.jpeg

The one you listed uses silica and when they turn pink you throw it away. Seems to be a cheap alternative for an air dryer. I may try one out!

There’s also refrigerant air dryers:

8DE7889B-89B8-4025-B56D-F43EBBBAA2CB.jpeg

Anyways, you may still want a moisture trap instead of or in addition to the one you listed. I use the Iwata pistol grip at the end of my air hose

89781527-F05A-4486-97BD-4B17C770A3A6.jpeg


And another moisture trap at my air regulator

93E41854-ADF4-477A-A161-68E0F385D30F.jpeg

There are some threads on this forum discussing moisture traps. Lots of options out there. Others may be able to offer their opinions or advice also. Hope this helps
 
I’m no expert, but I will give you my thoughts on the moisture trap you linked to. It’s not a moisture trap. It’s a disposable air dryer. It seems to have gotten good reviews. In one of the customer pictures it was shown in combination with an inline moisture “trap” (the red thing):

Anyways, you may still want a moisture trap instead of or in addition to the one you listed. I use the Iwata pistol grip at the end of my air hose

And another moisture trap at my air regulator

There are some threads on this forum discussing moisture traps. Lots of options out there. Others may be able to offer their opinions or advice also. Hope this helps

My man, this is really helpful.

So I want to go from my Compressor to a moisture trap - Then to my hose - Then to this: https://smile.amazon.com/Iwata-Medea-Pistol-Grip-Moisture-Filter/dp/B000BQO8WY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1549639925&sr=8-2&keywords=Iwata pistol grip - Then to my Airbrush?

Will this work for the compressor side? https://smile.amazon.com/PointZero-...640303&sr=8-5&keywords=airbrush+moisture+trap
 
My man, this is really helpful.

So I want to go from my Compressor to a moisture trap - Then to my hose - Then to this: https://smile.amazon.com/Iwata-Medea-Pistol-Grip-Moisture-Filter/dp/B000BQO8WY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1549639925&sr=8-2&keywords=Iwata pistol grip - Then to my Airbrush?

Will this work for the compressor side? https://smile.amazon.com/PointZero-...640303&sr=8-5&keywords=airbrush+moisture+trap
That should work fine. One end of it will be larger than the other, so it’s easy to tell how it installs.


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Cheers. I think I will order that today. If that's all I need to get going I don't want to wait hehe.
Good stuff Buddy. I recently had to put together a shopping list to be able to run a mini spray gun from my compressor. Even though I had an ok understanding of how it all works together, I still had to draw the whole thing out to make sure I had the right number of fittings in the right sizes lol.


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The first one (pistol grip moisture filter) will work fine with your airbrush, I think most of us have one like that or similar. The second one is a regulator ok if you don't have a regulator already but there is one built in to your CA compressor. You could use that moisture trap you first listed inline as well as the pistol grip one if you wanted to but you should be ok. Paints i'm not sure about (ok for miniatures) I believe, everything else is good.
I would get a set of Createx Wicked for paintings, you can get them in various sets from Michael's or Hobby Lobby and don't forget to use a 40% off coupon of course. Wicked paints are good all rounders and can be used on pretty much anything.

Lee
 
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13D88ACA-A716-476E-982E-2EA125178E66.jpeg

That’s the setup I’m using but I also use a quick connect. I have my compressor out of the way set at 50psi and regulator next to me with a 0-30 psi gauge. Most of my airbrushing is between 10-25 psi.

Some people adjust psi at the compressor, or with a “MAC” valve, etc. You will learn your own preferences with time.
 
The first one (pistol grip moisture filter) will work fine with your airbrush, I think most of us have one like that or similar. The second one is a regulator ok if you don't have a regulator already but there is one built in to your CA compressor. You could use that moisture trap you first listed inline as well as the pistol grip one if you wanted to but you should be ok. Paints i'm not sure about (ok for miniatures) I believe, everything else is good.
I would get a set of Createx Wicked for paintings, you can get them in various sets from Michael's or Hobby Lobby and don't forget to use a 40% off coupon of course. Wicked paints are good all rounders and can be used on pretty much anything.

Lee
Wait, so should I return/cancel the one with the regulator on it? What moisture trap should I get instead?
 
You dont need this one, you should have a regulator already built in on the compressor.

https://www.amazon.com/PointZero-Ai...-5&keywords=airbrush+moisture+trap&pldnSite=1

If you have this compressor https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...n_title_o02__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1&pldnSite=1

You will see the regulator / moisture trap in the middle with the big red knob on it.

The other one https://smile.amazon.com/Iwata-Mede...=1549639925&sr=8-2&keywords=Iwata+pistol+grip will work fine and i think pretty much all of us use one or similar. Although you can get cheaper ones.


Lee
 
You dont need this one, you should have a regulator already built in on the compressor.

https://www.amazon.com/PointZero-Airbrush-Compressor-Regulator-Water-Trap/dp/B004KNAHF6/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1549640303&sr=8-5&keywords=airbrush moisture trap&pldnSite=1

If you have this compressor https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...n_title_o02__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1&pldnSite=1

You will see the regulator / moisture trap in the middle with the big red knob on it.

The other one https://smile.amazon.com/Iwata-Medea-Pistol-Grip-Moisture-Filter/dp/B000BQO8WY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1549639925&sr=8-2&keywords=Iwata pistol grip will work fine and i think pretty much all of us use one or similar. Although you can get cheaper ones.


Lee


Great timing!! I just canceled the one thank you so much!! So, I knew it had a built in regulator but I didn't realize it had moisture built into it as well. You just saved me some money. As for the iwata pistol grip, I've already spent so much damn money - what's another 20 something lol.
 
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