Can you control air pressure by trigger?,

Than

Young Tutorling
I heard someone told that. He can control air pressure by pressing on trigger. If he want light air flow, he press trigger little bit. I think it isn’t comfort. Then I adjust a valve on compressor. What do you think about this?
 
I usually do this - control air pressure with my trigger. Not on every brush, but on many of them I can get away with doing it. There are easier ways to do it, however. A MAC valve with a quick connect is probably the easiest.

Getting back to the trigger thing - some brushes just do not lend themselves to it. The trigger operates like an on/off switch with nothing in between. The Badger for instance, has a very short throw, with a fairly stiff, tiny spring. I modify mine, and use a longer, softer spring, so I have a little wiggle room there. Most Japanese brushes respond well to a trigger spring softening that allows a quite good feel of the trigger if you look for it. There are more... Most people don't bother - they mash the trigger, and carry on.
 
Like what Dave said the trigger is an on off type trigger if you try to use it as anything but that your looking for trouble as you won't be able to tell how much pressure your using from one trigger pull to the next and one or two pounds of pressure will make a difference in the spray patterns from the nozzle so you get different sized lines/spray
 
I used to think one was supposed to do this back when I started airbrushing. And for along time after, actually. Didn't have access to people I could Q&A with, so bad info could stick around if it wasn't explicitly mentioned in the stuff I found to read.

Based on that experience, Id say the same as others here: it's technically possible, but the margin for control is so fine (because of the tiny travel of the air valve) that it's extremely difficult. Back when I used to do this, I had to use a non-standard grip to do so. Basically the only way to control the super fine increments of valve pressure was for me to pinch the trigger between thumb and index finger. Trying to do this again now, I find I can't because all my brushes I actually use have soft springs now, so there's no tactile feedback to help me find and hold a given position.

In practice it overcomplicates your finger technique and acts as a stumbling block to slow down learning. In theory one could design an airbrush to be used this way, but normal airbrushes aren't, so the difficulty is so high that it's not worth it. A mac valve or benchtop regulator will give you much better control.

TBH, as I've gotten more experienced, I've found there isn't a need for that sort of thing anyway. If I've got things reduced and dialed in for fine lines, I can still do broad strokes, just with maybe extra passes. And if I can't, it's usually changing reduction rather than pressure that makes the better difference. I rarely fiddle with pressure once I've got my start-of-session calibration over with, and I have no idea what others are doing or why that they feel they need this ability.
 
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On one of my super 63's the trigger is quite stiff and I can do it with that but other airbrushes I would say no, its too hit and miss plus I have soft springs in so pretty much instantly on. I use an inline mac valve to control my pressure which works extremely well.

Lee
 
I have only find success in doing so with the H&S airbrushes (Infinity & Evolution). With Japanese airbrushes I can either have low airflow or full blown, pretty useless.

H&S on the other hand actually increases airflow in relation to how much I suppress the trigger. As a modeler, I usually have to hold the part in one hand and my airbrush in the other, so the MAC valve is just frustrating to use. Parts also comes in all shape and sizes, sometimes I just need to reduce airflow and get into some odd place on the piece, putting the part down then playing with the MAC valve is just not practical when you consider painting >50 pieces. It is even harder to maintain different airflows as I will need to remember how much I turn the thing...

The way I use to practice is with water, minimum airflow, slowly pull back trigger (rolling the tip of my finger off the trigger) and listen to the hissing of the Airbrush. Adjust the trigger tension if needs be. Softer tension for easier control in the beginning but makes maintaining airflow harder as you pull the trigger back. When you are more comfortable, increase the spring tension for better control as you pull trigger back. Roll finger tip over trigger, not pressing it down with finger. You can also blow air on to a piece of paper by slowly suppressing the trigger to see how much air is coming out.

Is it useful if you are painting drawings with your AB? I don't know, probably not. For modelling? I say yes. I find it frustrating not being able to do this when painting my models.
 
I have only find success in doing so with the H&S airbrushes (Infinity & Evolution). With Japanese airbrushes I can either have low airflow or full blown, pretty useless.

H&S on the other hand actually increases airflow in relation to how much I suppress the trigger. As a modeler, I usually have to hold the part in one hand and my airbrush in the other, so the MAC valve is just frustrating to use. Parts also comes in all shape and sizes, sometimes I just need to reduce airflow and get into some odd place on the piece, putting the part down then playing with the MAC valve is just not practical when you consider painting >50 pieces. It is even harder to maintain different airflows as I will need to remember how much I turn the thing...

The way I use to practice is with water, minimum airflow, slowly pull back trigger (rolling the tip of my finger off the trigger) and listen to the hissing of the Airbrush. Adjust the trigger tension if needs be. Softer tension for easier control in the beginning but makes maintaining airflow harder as you pull the trigger back. When you are more comfortable, increase the spring tension for better control as you pull trigger back. Roll finger tip over trigger, not pressing it down with finger. You can also blow air on to a piece of paper by slowly suppressing the trigger to see how much air is coming out.

Is it useful if you are painting drawings with your AB? I don't know, probably not. For modelling? I say yes. I find it frustrating not being able to do this when painting my models.
Welcome dragon.jpg
 
hmm, that's what the trigger is for ,,, on a dual action airbrush,,, you control air and paint flow,, i have my pressure set at about 30 psi all the time
i learned to use the trigger when i started 20+ yrs ago,,,
i suggest that you practise that technique it will make it more fun and you'll paint with more self confidence
 
hmm, that's what the trigger is for ,,, on a dual action airbrush,,, you control air and paint flow,, i have my pressure set at about 30 psi all the time
i learned to use the trigger when i started 20+ yrs ago,,,
i suggest that you practise that technique it will make it more fun and you'll paint with more self confidence

Me (non professional) and just about every professional you can find demonstrating an airbrush say the exact opposite. If you wanna control pressure use a mac valve. If you wanna make just about every newb quit in frustration, tell them to control both pressure and paint flow.
 
I have only find success in doing so with the H&S airbrushes (Infinity & Evolution). With Japanese airbrushes I can either have low airflow or full blown, pretty useless.

H&S on the other hand actually increases airflow in relation to how much I suppress the trigger. As a modeler, I usually have to hold the part in one hand and my airbrush in the other, so the MAC valve is just frustrating to use. Parts also comes in all shape and sizes, sometimes I just need to reduce airflow and get into some odd place on the piece, putting the part down then playing with the MAC valve is just not practical when you consider painting >50 pieces. It is even harder to maintain different airflows as I will need to remember how much I turn the thing...

The way I use to practice is with water, minimum airflow, slowly pull back trigger (rolling the tip of my finger off the trigger) and listen to the hissing of the Airbrush. Adjust the trigger tension if needs be. Softer tension for easier control in the beginning but makes maintaining airflow harder as you pull the trigger back. When you are more comfortable, increase the spring tension for better control as you pull trigger back. Roll finger tip over trigger, not pressing it down with finger. You can also blow air on to a piece of paper by slowly suppressing the trigger to see how much air is coming out.

Is it useful if you are painting drawings with your AB? I don't know, probably not. For modelling? I say yes. I find it frustrating not being able to do this when painting my models.

Controlling air is really supposed to be a Boolean thing, It’s either on or off.
In the end, your best bet is practice and learning your paint reduction ratios to where you can paint for both scenarios with trigger control.
 
Controlling air is really supposed to be a Boolean thing, It’s either on or off.
In the end, your best bet is practice and learning your paint reduction ratios to where you can paint for both scenarios with trigger control.

I exclusively paint models so... trigger control and paint reduction only goes so far. I don't need to do the likes of dagger strokes, all I need to do is to "put" the paint onto the model in certain ways. I can totally understand why this wont be practical to airbrush artists who is making paintings.

Sometimes I want to splatter paints to create random spots. Sometimes I want to do "sandy" effects but the paint must be wet when it hits the surface otherwise it wont bind well with the undercoat. Sometimes I need to slap a wet coat in odd tight parts. I can go to the MAC valve and turn airflow down to accomplish that or I can just do it with the trigger. I can also try to change the distance from where I spray but many times it is impossible to do that because of the shape and size of the parts I am painting.

Due to the fact that parts comes in all shapes and sizes, I simply find controlling airflow with the trigger more seamless and fluid than say going back and fourth with the MAC valve. Since I need to hold the part with one hand, going to the MAC valve means putting the piece down... troublesome. Also, been doing it too long, I don't think I can unlearn it now :D
 
I exclusively paint models so... trigger control and paint reduction only goes so far. I don't need to do the likes of dagger strokes, all I need to do is to "put" the paint onto the model in certain ways. I can totally understand why this wont be practical to airbrush artists who is making paintings.

Sometimes I want to splatter paints to create random spots. Sometimes I want to do "sandy" effects but the paint must be wet when it hits the surface otherwise it wont bind well with the undercoat. Sometimes I need to slap a wet coat in odd tight parts. I can go to the MAC valve and turn airflow down to accomplish that or I can just do it with the trigger. I can also try to change the distance from where I spray but many times it is impossible to do that because of the shape and size of the parts I am painting.

Due to the fact that parts comes in all shapes and sizes, I simply find controlling airflow with the trigger more seamless and fluid than say going back and fourth with the MAC valve. Since I need to hold the part with one hand, going to the MAC valve means putting the piece down... troublesome. Also, been doing it too long, I don't think I can unlearn it now :D
If it works for you, then that’s great.
Another possible option is to have multiple brushes with different settings for what you are looking to accomplish.
I tend to use an Eclipse SBS for the bulk of my work, H&S Evo AL for detail, and an H&S Infinity with the .4 nozzle with the spatter cap(assuming need that type of texture for a painting)
 
Since I need to hold the part with one hand

oh, you don't use spiderman thingy -.-

41h6IGH44-L._AC_.jpg
 
oh, you don't use spiderman thingy -.-

41h6IGH44-L._AC_.jpg

I don't have that :(. Also, I cannot rotate the parts with that... not suitable for gunpla but that LED + Magnifying Glass thingy looks useful!

p/s: And I am pretty sure that is a Dr. Octopus thingy not Spiderman thingy. :p
 
Due to the fact that parts comes in all shapes and sizes, I simply find controlling airflow with the trigger more seamless and fluid than say going back and fourth with the MAC valve. Since I need to hold the part with one hand, going to the MAC valve means putting the piece down... troublesome. Also, been doing it too long, I don't think I can unlearn it now :D

Do you paint different parts of the model with different air pressures? You mix your paint, you get it to flow and you don't touch it again until you mess with the paint again. You don't test flow and pressure on the model, you do it on the side.
 
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