Airbrushing on the cheap!

Hello,
I'm a 29 year old airbrush enthousiast!
I had some lessons 12 year ago so I'm absolutely not experienced [emoji1]
In the meantime I'm stuck into 3d printing and want to spruce my models with some paint.
Since I know how quickly I aquire and lose intrest in hobby's, I want to start airbrushing on the cheap.
I've read that I can use cheap craft acrylics but I have a couple of questions about it.
If anyone wants to help me with some tips, feel free.

PS. I live in Belgium so English is not my native language, excuse me!


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hi TheDocy

Welcome Docy, I'm new Myself so cant help but I am sure some knowledgeable people will be here to offer advice soon

Firstly ... welcome.
while I understand you don't want to spend a lot of cash on something you may not continue with, if you go bargain hunting then you won't get a satisfactory result and you will be even more disappointed. But you also don't have to spend big bucks either. somewhere in the middle should be where you start.

you may have looked through the forums and seen talk about generic brand brushes - often called Chinese knock offs. while the cost is appealing they are a little hit and miss. you'll either get one that works ok or one that you do battle with daily to get it to spray well. I bought 2 'veda' when I started, they taught me enough to know how to totally tear them down to clean them (rough internal finish meant paint stuck often) and that airbrushing was something I wanted to continue with so I upgraded.

many here have great reviews of the 'Procon' and 'mr hobby' range of brushes so maybe look around locally for those brands. I'd suggest a .5 or a .35 needle size would suit your 3D models.
as for paint..... I don't think the cheap craft acrylics will work very well. get a basic set (red, blue, yellow, white, black) of 'Golden high flow' . while the cost per bottle may seem expensive the bottles last a long time because you use very little paint when airbrushing.

your other consideration is a compressor, hoses, a water trap, proper ventilation in the area you are going to be spraying in.

I'm not trying to discourage you, just let you know what to expect

I second everything Jackie said.

The craft acrylics can be sprayed, but they are very thick. You will spend more time trying to get the reduction right than you will painting. If you plan to spend any amount of time trying to airbrush, it's worth the money to get paint that is made for that purpose.

BTW, welcome to the forum!

Hi and welcome Docy. I think JackEb pretty much covered everything. Nice to have you join us. Show us some of your 3d projects.

Sorry to react this late. I haven't looked at the forum cause of work. My printer has broken down but the next one is on the way. If you'd like to see some prints (and maybe get a print for free of choice, let me know!)
For reference, constructed criticism is always welcome. I tried to paint something 12 year after my last practice.
PS. Thanks jackie for the input!!!



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Hello and welcome to the forum TheDocy.

Welcome to the forum from China!