M
mejmea
Guest
Hopefully the level of detail in the following is not out of place in this "Introductions" forum. If there is a better place I'd be happy to move this thread there.
As the title implies, I have never picked up an airbrush in my life. I've been trying to educate myself through various sources but am at a bit of a wall in terms of what the best starting point is for an actual airbrush. I'm an engineer in real life so while I'm comfortable with the technical side of an air brushing system, I lack the insight to know how to pick the initial set-up that will be most likely to translate to my own success.
My journey started recently when I was working on an RC aircraft model, which is my main hobby. I used rattle cans to spray a base color but had to deal with the lack of a spray booth and being restricted to indoor settings due to it being winter. I got it done but, as I contemplated future work on this and other models I started thinking "there has to be a better way". In addition to base coating the entire air frame I intend to paint some level of detail such as various striping, canopy windows and framing, some panels, maybe some weathering etc. None of this is particularly small scale. We are talking an aircraft approximately 38ish inches long and the things I'm talking about COULD be painted by brush but it occurred to me that an airbrush might be better and, if I can learn how to use one, might give better results as well as developing a skill that I can use in the future and for smaller scale details. I don't ever expect to be able to paint at a competition grade (I don't think I have enough artistic genes), but I do enjoy developing new skills and simply want to have some fun trying to improve the looks of my models.
So, in my ideal world I would want to be able to apply a base coat and then add some level of details and accents. I recognize that those two things may require two different tools, perhaps the base coating isn't even a practical job for an airbrush (although I'm not usually in a hurry), but those are the kinds of things I'm hoping to learn from you all. I'd probably prefer to use water based paints simply because clean up up and odor is easier to deal with but I'm not locked into that. Often for this kind of thing people use latex exterior paints because they can get custom colors mixed at the local box store relatively inexpensively. Again, that might be ideal if it's possible, but I recognize that such paints may impossible to spray well through an airbrush no matter how you thin/prepare them because of pigment size or some other such issue.
Based on my research to date I was starting to think I was serious about an Iwata Eclipse HP-SBS Autographics with the thought that since it can be used as both a gravity feed and bottom feed it could perhaps serve dual roles in terms of base coating as well as detailing. I figured I would get a 0.5mm needle/nozzle set in addition to the stock 0.35mm size. Then I stumbled across this forum and saw the positive reviews of the Mr Airbrush line from Spraygunner so I started to wonder if getting two different airbrushes (perhaps a 0.5 such as a PS-290 or PS-266 plus a 0.3 PS-289) would be better than a single unit like the Iwata (for about the same money). Then, I watched the video in the "Beginners Airbrush Questions" forum here, thought "Maybe I should take a look at Badger.", and so found the BADGER 105-155BGF Two Airbrush Set at Spraygunner for slightly more than half the cost of either of the previous options. Now, I'm just confused....again... Would any of these do what I want? Do they handle various paints equally? Would any be significantly easier or harder to learn with, to maintain, etc...?
I am in a fortunate position where, while I'm not interested in being stupidly extravagant, I am able to spend what I'd like on a tool such as an airbrush. My personal experience is that I'm better off buying a quality tool rather than a cheap one even if it exceeds my current needs as long as it is something that I plan to keep/use long term because it allows me to improve my skills and it just makes life easier in the meantime. I don't need to own the best "just because" but I do prefer to own something that has practical value beyond simply the initial cost.
So, any thoughts, suggestions, pointing towards relevant resources etc. would be much appreciated . I am distinctly and consciously at a "I don't know what I don't know" part of the learning curve and the sooner I get past this one, the sooner I'll be able to, ummm, run headfirst into the next one.....
As the title implies, I have never picked up an airbrush in my life. I've been trying to educate myself through various sources but am at a bit of a wall in terms of what the best starting point is for an actual airbrush. I'm an engineer in real life so while I'm comfortable with the technical side of an air brushing system, I lack the insight to know how to pick the initial set-up that will be most likely to translate to my own success.
My journey started recently when I was working on an RC aircraft model, which is my main hobby. I used rattle cans to spray a base color but had to deal with the lack of a spray booth and being restricted to indoor settings due to it being winter. I got it done but, as I contemplated future work on this and other models I started thinking "there has to be a better way". In addition to base coating the entire air frame I intend to paint some level of detail such as various striping, canopy windows and framing, some panels, maybe some weathering etc. None of this is particularly small scale. We are talking an aircraft approximately 38ish inches long and the things I'm talking about COULD be painted by brush but it occurred to me that an airbrush might be better and, if I can learn how to use one, might give better results as well as developing a skill that I can use in the future and for smaller scale details. I don't ever expect to be able to paint at a competition grade (I don't think I have enough artistic genes), but I do enjoy developing new skills and simply want to have some fun trying to improve the looks of my models.
So, in my ideal world I would want to be able to apply a base coat and then add some level of details and accents. I recognize that those two things may require two different tools, perhaps the base coating isn't even a practical job for an airbrush (although I'm not usually in a hurry), but those are the kinds of things I'm hoping to learn from you all. I'd probably prefer to use water based paints simply because clean up up and odor is easier to deal with but I'm not locked into that. Often for this kind of thing people use latex exterior paints because they can get custom colors mixed at the local box store relatively inexpensively. Again, that might be ideal if it's possible, but I recognize that such paints may impossible to spray well through an airbrush no matter how you thin/prepare them because of pigment size or some other such issue.
Based on my research to date I was starting to think I was serious about an Iwata Eclipse HP-SBS Autographics with the thought that since it can be used as both a gravity feed and bottom feed it could perhaps serve dual roles in terms of base coating as well as detailing. I figured I would get a 0.5mm needle/nozzle set in addition to the stock 0.35mm size. Then I stumbled across this forum and saw the positive reviews of the Mr Airbrush line from Spraygunner so I started to wonder if getting two different airbrushes (perhaps a 0.5 such as a PS-290 or PS-266 plus a 0.3 PS-289) would be better than a single unit like the Iwata (for about the same money). Then, I watched the video in the "Beginners Airbrush Questions" forum here, thought "Maybe I should take a look at Badger.", and so found the BADGER 105-155BGF Two Airbrush Set at Spraygunner for slightly more than half the cost of either of the previous options. Now, I'm just confused....again... Would any of these do what I want? Do they handle various paints equally? Would any be significantly easier or harder to learn with, to maintain, etc...?
I am in a fortunate position where, while I'm not interested in being stupidly extravagant, I am able to spend what I'd like on a tool such as an airbrush. My personal experience is that I'm better off buying a quality tool rather than a cheap one even if it exceeds my current needs as long as it is something that I plan to keep/use long term because it allows me to improve my skills and it just makes life easier in the meantime. I don't need to own the best "just because" but I do prefer to own something that has practical value beyond simply the initial cost.
So, any thoughts, suggestions, pointing towards relevant resources etc. would be much appreciated . I am distinctly and consciously at a "I don't know what I don't know" part of the learning curve and the sooner I get past this one, the sooner I'll be able to, ummm, run headfirst into the next one.....