DaveG
Airbush Analyst
Another brush being made by Gabbert in Germany, the PRS (or Precision Retouching Spray gun - as they call it). Available with many different size tips and needles, I chose one in .20 - although what came delivered from the store in the Netherlands I ordered from is actually the PRS25s, in .25. Parts can be ordered directly from Gabbert in Germany, so I think I will order the .20 set up, as well as perhaps a .15 that is also available.
I had seen this exact design on some older, vintage pieces, so looked into it a bit more. The information is written in German on Gabberts website, so this is a rough translation - The original design dates back to the mid to late 40's, and was produced under the name Hiekel. In the early 80's it passed to a company called Prinz, then Leipzig, and finally the brush was produced almost identically by Grafo in the late 80's. Any changes were made due to advances in technology, but many of the parts today still fit the original brushes.
The brush came delivered in a nice, wooden box with a flocked, fitted, plastic liner. Instruction sheet written in German, includes a spray test that is dated and initialed. The other item in the box is a "key", which looks like an aluminum billet with two chunks taken out of it - is actually a wrench for making adjustments, and taking the brush apart.
The brush features a fixed double action trigger. There is no pressing down with this sort of unit, simply drawing it back. The initial movement of the trigger starts air flow, and then at a preset distance, any further movement will initiate paint flow.
The brush is smaller than I had guessed simply by looking at photo's on the internet. It fits nicely in the hand, and while being a tad tall, the trigger does not feel as strange as it looks. The rounded top makes it easy to operate with just a finger tip, and some very minute movements. The brush does feel a little front heavy, due to the size of the head in conjunction with the very light, aluminum rear handle. Not so much so to be off-putting though.
I found the brush to operate quite nicely - atomization is very smooth, with little grianing within the spray pattern. The line width is not as fine as some other brushes that I use. Still adequately fine enough to be a brush I would not hesitate to use for most tasks of detail - except for the very finest bits. Part of the line width minimum is probably due to the two prongs that protrude from the air cap to protect the needle. They prevent you from getting any closer to the work surface, which limits how fine a line width you can pull. I think I can grind them down a little, to allow for tighter detail work, while still offering enough needle protection - I will hold off on this till I decide whether or not I am going to order additional parts.
Other thing I will mention is that the needle spring is quite stout for my liking. I will look into replacing it with something more compliant to accommodate my personal tastes.
I have some additional info on my FB page if interested - https://www.facebook.com/1063587837080137/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1496261633812753
I had seen this exact design on some older, vintage pieces, so looked into it a bit more. The information is written in German on Gabberts website, so this is a rough translation - The original design dates back to the mid to late 40's, and was produced under the name Hiekel. In the early 80's it passed to a company called Prinz, then Leipzig, and finally the brush was produced almost identically by Grafo in the late 80's. Any changes were made due to advances in technology, but many of the parts today still fit the original brushes.
The brush came delivered in a nice, wooden box with a flocked, fitted, plastic liner. Instruction sheet written in German, includes a spray test that is dated and initialed. The other item in the box is a "key", which looks like an aluminum billet with two chunks taken out of it - is actually a wrench for making adjustments, and taking the brush apart.
The brush features a fixed double action trigger. There is no pressing down with this sort of unit, simply drawing it back. The initial movement of the trigger starts air flow, and then at a preset distance, any further movement will initiate paint flow.
The brush is smaller than I had guessed simply by looking at photo's on the internet. It fits nicely in the hand, and while being a tad tall, the trigger does not feel as strange as it looks. The rounded top makes it easy to operate with just a finger tip, and some very minute movements. The brush does feel a little front heavy, due to the size of the head in conjunction with the very light, aluminum rear handle. Not so much so to be off-putting though.
I found the brush to operate quite nicely - atomization is very smooth, with little grianing within the spray pattern. The line width is not as fine as some other brushes that I use. Still adequately fine enough to be a brush I would not hesitate to use for most tasks of detail - except for the very finest bits. Part of the line width minimum is probably due to the two prongs that protrude from the air cap to protect the needle. They prevent you from getting any closer to the work surface, which limits how fine a line width you can pull. I think I can grind them down a little, to allow for tighter detail work, while still offering enough needle protection - I will hold off on this till I decide whether or not I am going to order additional parts.
Other thing I will mention is that the needle spring is quite stout for my liking. I will look into replacing it with something more compliant to accommodate my personal tastes.
I have some additional info on my FB page if interested - https://www.facebook.com/1063587837080137/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1496261633812753
