I'm just flogging off some of my redundant DCC gear as I've now converted to battery power and radio control. With the proceeds I thought I'd invest in an airbrush. Up to now I've just used rattle-cans but I realise that an airbrush would offer more flexibility. I just wondered if these cheapo kits on eBay are worth it. I'm thinking of going for the one with a 3L tank attached as I assume it is worth the extra investment.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/400488286503
Of course, in an ideal world I'd like to buy the most expensive airbrush equipment going, but I am working to a budget. Would it be worth just getting the compressor and investing in a more expensive airbrush for example?
Rik
Airbrush - advice needed
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andymctractor
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Perhaps, as you are not experienced in the use of airbrush equipment it might be better in the long run for you to buy from a respected airbrush dealership where you will get good advice even if what your pound gets you appears less initially.
A good book that would be of use, not just in your initial purchasing of equipment, but also in the development of your skills is -
Airbrushing for Railway Modellers by George Dent.
My copy cost me £18.99 and while that is £19 I can't spend on equipment it has already saved me more than that.
Good luck
A good book that would be of use, not just in your initial purchasing of equipment, but also in the development of your skills is -
Airbrushing for Railway Modellers by George Dent.
My copy cost me £18.99 and while that is £19 I can't spend on equipment it has already saved me more than that.
Good luck
Regards
Andy McMahon
If it moves, salute it. If it doesn't move, paint it. (RN sailors basic skills course 1968)
Andy McMahon
If it moves, salute it. If it doesn't move, paint it. (RN sailors basic skills course 1968)
Sorry about how long this ended up..... 
As always, you get what you pay for. I replaced my old airbrush compressor a couple of years ago and the new one is starting to wear already. The chinese ones seem to all be piston type pumps and the piston rings wear quickly. Like anything chinese, spares are difficult to get.
Personally I'd paint with a brush before I'd use a spray can, as I think they are an invention of the devil.
Anyway, I started airbrushing 40 odd years ago with a cheap Badger 250 and a can of propellant. It worked, but not much better than a spray can, the main advantage being that you weren't limited to whatever colour you could get in a spray can and there was some control over the amount of paint coming out of it.
That was replaced by a Badger 200 single action internal mix airbrush fairly quickly and then a Badger diaphragm compressor was added with the proceeds from exhibiting the HO layout I had at the time.
The compressor still works fine, but kicks up a real racket and runs continuously, as they didn't come with storage tanks back then.
The Badger 200 is like Grandpa's axe, with most parts except the body having been replaced over the years and parts from the current version still fit. It has probably painted over 400 HO models and a handful of ship models over the last 35 years.
I tried a double action airbrush a couple of times, but could never get the hang of it and always went back to the old Badger 200.
The only irritation I had with the Badger was the paint jar which tended to leak paint out of the vent hole if I wasn't careful of the angle. Eventually I went over to using a 5ml paint cup from a Badger 150, as it was easier to clean than the jar, although it sat at a strange angle and paint would slop over the top if I wasn't careful.
About 5 years ago I got tired of wiping paint off my shoes and supplemented the old airbrush with a Badger 200G with a built in 2ml paint cup, which worked at a much more comfortable angle and was very easy to clean.
When I took up large scale modelling, the 2ml and 5ml paint cups became a pain and I lashed out on a new chinese airbrush and a compressor with air tank.
The airbrush is an AB134B, which came in a kit with three sizes of paint cup and four needle/tip sizes. It is a double action brush, but has an adjustable stop in the body, which enables it to be set up as a single action brush, which I prefer. It also has an air flow control, which can be useful in some circumstances, but not a necessity.
The only problem I have with it is that it is a lot more touchy about the cleaning regime than the Badger brushes. If it isn't cleaned regularly it blocks, sticks, spits and generally sulks in the corner.... I now strip it down and clean it thoroughly after each colour change and/or every fill of paint. The Badger brushes just get a rinse with thinner after each colour and a strip down and clean at the end of the painting session.
The compressor is another matter and it needs new piston rings after only a couple of years. The supplier is trying to get me some spares, but I'm considering bolting the old Badger compressor in it's place on the tank and wiring it up to the pressure switch. That, or I'll start using the big compressor in the workshop.
Having bored you with history...
- get the best airbrush you can afford and consider using a workshop size compressor if you paint out in the shed. They are very noisy, so not a good option inside the house. They cost about the same as the little airbrush compressors, but seem to be more solidly built.
- for our sort of work, ie. large areas of a single colour, maybe with a second colour added after masking off, a single action internal mix type airbrush is quite adequate. Professional illustrators and military modellers will tell you you absolutely need a double action internal mix brush, but that sort of brush needs better motor skills than I have and we don't need the ability to do fine lines, shading, etc. A brush with alternative top mounted paint cups and an adjustable needle stop is my preference, but yours may vary.
- Badger airbrushes aren't as well made as they used to be, but are as good as anything else for the same price.
- some Chinese brushes are quite good, being copies of mid-range Iwata models, but the cheap plastic bodied external mix ones can be pretty dire. Iwata are very good, but expensive. There are other mid-range brands about such as Paasche and the better ones have their adherents.
- if at all possible try before you buy, either with a supplier, or a friend that has one. Even being able to hold one in your hand to see how it feels would be a help, as there are many variations in design and an uncomfortable one isn't desirable. Here in Oz, there is a supplier that allows you to try out his range of airbrushes at exhibitions and is a plastic kit modeller himself. That was where I got the chinese brush that I use for large models.
- when you get your first airbrush, the learning curve is steep, so you need to work out your technique by practicing on something that doesn't matter. Some people use a tin can, but an old scrap model is better. That way you can learn how to get paint into corners without runs, how to get an even coat over and around raised surface detail, how much thinning each brand of paint needs to get a smooth coat etc., etc. An old metal model of some sort would be best, as you can strip the paint off and start again until you are happy with the results.
- You'll find a lot of 'how to' videos on YouTube about airbrushing, which you might find useful.
Good Luck,
Graeme
As always, you get what you pay for. I replaced my old airbrush compressor a couple of years ago and the new one is starting to wear already. The chinese ones seem to all be piston type pumps and the piston rings wear quickly. Like anything chinese, spares are difficult to get.
Personally I'd paint with a brush before I'd use a spray can, as I think they are an invention of the devil.
Anyway, I started airbrushing 40 odd years ago with a cheap Badger 250 and a can of propellant. It worked, but not much better than a spray can, the main advantage being that you weren't limited to whatever colour you could get in a spray can and there was some control over the amount of paint coming out of it.
That was replaced by a Badger 200 single action internal mix airbrush fairly quickly and then a Badger diaphragm compressor was added with the proceeds from exhibiting the HO layout I had at the time.
The compressor still works fine, but kicks up a real racket and runs continuously, as they didn't come with storage tanks back then.
The Badger 200 is like Grandpa's axe, with most parts except the body having been replaced over the years and parts from the current version still fit. It has probably painted over 400 HO models and a handful of ship models over the last 35 years.
I tried a double action airbrush a couple of times, but could never get the hang of it and always went back to the old Badger 200.
The only irritation I had with the Badger was the paint jar which tended to leak paint out of the vent hole if I wasn't careful of the angle. Eventually I went over to using a 5ml paint cup from a Badger 150, as it was easier to clean than the jar, although it sat at a strange angle and paint would slop over the top if I wasn't careful.
About 5 years ago I got tired of wiping paint off my shoes and supplemented the old airbrush with a Badger 200G with a built in 2ml paint cup, which worked at a much more comfortable angle and was very easy to clean.
When I took up large scale modelling, the 2ml and 5ml paint cups became a pain and I lashed out on a new chinese airbrush and a compressor with air tank.
The airbrush is an AB134B, which came in a kit with three sizes of paint cup and four needle/tip sizes. It is a double action brush, but has an adjustable stop in the body, which enables it to be set up as a single action brush, which I prefer. It also has an air flow control, which can be useful in some circumstances, but not a necessity.
The only problem I have with it is that it is a lot more touchy about the cleaning regime than the Badger brushes. If it isn't cleaned regularly it blocks, sticks, spits and generally sulks in the corner.... I now strip it down and clean it thoroughly after each colour change and/or every fill of paint. The Badger brushes just get a rinse with thinner after each colour and a strip down and clean at the end of the painting session.
The compressor is another matter and it needs new piston rings after only a couple of years. The supplier is trying to get me some spares, but I'm considering bolting the old Badger compressor in it's place on the tank and wiring it up to the pressure switch. That, or I'll start using the big compressor in the workshop.
Having bored you with history...
- get the best airbrush you can afford and consider using a workshop size compressor if you paint out in the shed. They are very noisy, so not a good option inside the house. They cost about the same as the little airbrush compressors, but seem to be more solidly built.
- for our sort of work, ie. large areas of a single colour, maybe with a second colour added after masking off, a single action internal mix type airbrush is quite adequate. Professional illustrators and military modellers will tell you you absolutely need a double action internal mix brush, but that sort of brush needs better motor skills than I have and we don't need the ability to do fine lines, shading, etc. A brush with alternative top mounted paint cups and an adjustable needle stop is my preference, but yours may vary.
- Badger airbrushes aren't as well made as they used to be, but are as good as anything else for the same price.
- some Chinese brushes are quite good, being copies of mid-range Iwata models, but the cheap plastic bodied external mix ones can be pretty dire. Iwata are very good, but expensive. There are other mid-range brands about such as Paasche and the better ones have their adherents.
- if at all possible try before you buy, either with a supplier, or a friend that has one. Even being able to hold one in your hand to see how it feels would be a help, as there are many variations in design and an uncomfortable one isn't desirable. Here in Oz, there is a supplier that allows you to try out his range of airbrushes at exhibitions and is a plastic kit modeller himself. That was where I got the chinese brush that I use for large models.
- when you get your first airbrush, the learning curve is steep, so you need to work out your technique by practicing on something that doesn't matter. Some people use a tin can, but an old scrap model is better. That way you can learn how to get paint into corners without runs, how to get an even coat over and around raised surface detail, how much thinning each brand of paint needs to get a smooth coat etc., etc. An old metal model of some sort would be best, as you can strip the paint off and start again until you are happy with the results.
- You'll find a lot of 'how to' videos on YouTube about airbrushing, which you might find useful.
Good Luck,
Graeme
Thanks Graeme
Wow - a far more comprehensive answer than I deserve - but illuminating - thanks. Just a couple of questions (hopefully not too naive).
1. When you say the Chinese one's piston rings have worn out after a couple of years - how much use has it had? I don't envisage doing an enormous amount of spraying - I probably make no more than two or three models a year. Is that less or about the same amount of spraying as you?
2. What's the difference between double- and single-action? I just assumed (in my ignorance) that you just press the button and the paint comes out. Presumably there's a bit more to it than that?
Thanks again for your excellent reply - hope you don't mind a couple of supplementaries?
Rik
Wow - a far more comprehensive answer than I deserve - but illuminating - thanks. Just a couple of questions (hopefully not too naive).
1. When you say the Chinese one's piston rings have worn out after a couple of years - how much use has it had? I don't envisage doing an enormous amount of spraying - I probably make no more than two or three models a year. Is that less or about the same amount of spraying as you?
2. What's the difference between double- and single-action? I just assumed (in my ignorance) that you just press the button and the paint comes out. Presumably there's a bit more to it than that?
Thanks again for your excellent reply - hope you don't mind a couple of supplementaries?
Rik
If you don't ask, you don't learn.......... 
This one has probably done about 20 hrs of running since I bought it, not sure how many models that is, maybe 30 or so, some in HO and some in 15mm scale (Fn3). There are two issues with it, the head has corroded internally from condensation and the seal has crud from the corrosion embedded in it. It could keep up with the airbrush when new, but now it slowly loses pressure, as it can no longer supply quite enough air.
The old Badger compressor was made in the US. It cost me a fortune at the time, but has never missed a beat and still produces more air than the airbrush can use. It would have run hundreds of hours by now, but is noisy enough to wake the dead......
Double action brushes have a single control for both air and paint, push the button down for air and simultaneously pull back on the button to control the amount of paint.
The better Chinese and Taiwanese brushes are based on Iwata designs and some have a variable needle stop control on the end of the handle that allows you to set the maximum paint setting. Some also have a control for air flow, which doesn't really do anything you can't do with the pressure regulator on the compressor.
The separate paint control allows the brush to be used in pseudo single action mode, which is why they are my choice. Much easier to control the paint flow for even coverage.
On top of that, airbrushes come in either external mix or internal mix design.
External mix ones are cheap and don't give results much better than an aerosol can, they are single action only.
Internal mix ones creat a much finer droplet and are controllable over a wide range of spray pattern and volume. They are mostly double action, but a few are single action.
Then there is paint feed type to consider. Syphon feed brushes suck the paint up a tube, usually from a jar. They need thinner paint and are a royal pain to clean. Gravity fed brushes have a paint cup on the top and can handle thicker liquids, so the paint doesn't need to be thinned as much. They are the easiest to clean. There are also a few with side feed, but I've never used one of them. I do prefer gravity feed over syphon feed, having used both.
I was looking for something on the net today and RDG Tools turned up in the search. They sell an airbrush (their Model BD-180K) similar to the one I use, although looking at the price I think it's the Chinese version, rather than the Taiwanese one I have. Their AS186 compressor would do the job as well, from the look of the specs. I've never dealt with them, but it gives you an example of what I'd be spending my money on.
Graeme
They don't have pistons and rings like a car. The 'piston' is just a flat plate with some sort of rubbery seal and a simple flap valve for the air inlet. There's no wrist pin, so the plate has to wobble as it goes up and down.ge_rik:105250 wrote: 1. When you say the Chinese one's piston rings have worn out after a couple of years - how much use has it had?
This one has probably done about 20 hrs of running since I bought it, not sure how many models that is, maybe 30 or so, some in HO and some in 15mm scale (Fn3). There are two issues with it, the head has corroded internally from condensation and the seal has crud from the corrosion embedded in it. It could keep up with the airbrush when new, but now it slowly loses pressure, as it can no longer supply quite enough air.
The old Badger compressor was made in the US. It cost me a fortune at the time, but has never missed a beat and still produces more air than the airbrush can use. It would have run hundreds of hours by now, but is noisy enough to wake the dead......
Single action brushes have a button for air control and a separate control to set the paint flow.ge_rik:105250 wrote: 2. What's the difference between double- and single-action?
Double action brushes have a single control for both air and paint, push the button down for air and simultaneously pull back on the button to control the amount of paint.
The better Chinese and Taiwanese brushes are based on Iwata designs and some have a variable needle stop control on the end of the handle that allows you to set the maximum paint setting. Some also have a control for air flow, which doesn't really do anything you can't do with the pressure regulator on the compressor.
The separate paint control allows the brush to be used in pseudo single action mode, which is why they are my choice. Much easier to control the paint flow for even coverage.
On top of that, airbrushes come in either external mix or internal mix design.
External mix ones are cheap and don't give results much better than an aerosol can, they are single action only.
Internal mix ones creat a much finer droplet and are controllable over a wide range of spray pattern and volume. They are mostly double action, but a few are single action.
Then there is paint feed type to consider. Syphon feed brushes suck the paint up a tube, usually from a jar. They need thinner paint and are a royal pain to clean. Gravity fed brushes have a paint cup on the top and can handle thicker liquids, so the paint doesn't need to be thinned as much. They are the easiest to clean. There are also a few with side feed, but I've never used one of them. I do prefer gravity feed over syphon feed, having used both.
I was looking for something on the net today and RDG Tools turned up in the search. They sell an airbrush (their Model BD-180K) similar to the one I use, although looking at the price I think it's the Chinese version, rather than the Taiwanese one I have. Their AS186 compressor would do the job as well, from the look of the specs. I've never dealt with them, but it gives you an example of what I'd be spending my money on.
Graeme
Thanks again Graeme
That RDG website looks very useful - and the airbrush you've suggested looks just the business. Getting the hang of it now. I think a single-action sounds more in my line - I'd imagine a double-action would take quite a while to master and would prove difficult to get an even spread.
The airbrush kits on their website look very much like the ones on eBay - though maybe the compressor which you've pointed out is a higher spec.
I've also bought a copy of Model Rail and the booklet and articles in there on airbrushing are really helpful too. I'm beginning to gain more confidence in what I'm looking for and at
Thanks chaps
Rik
That RDG website looks very useful - and the airbrush you've suggested looks just the business. Getting the hang of it now. I think a single-action sounds more in my line - I'd imagine a double-action would take quite a while to master and would prove difficult to get an even spread.
The airbrush kits on their website look very much like the ones on eBay - though maybe the compressor which you've pointed out is a higher spec.
I've also bought a copy of Model Rail and the booklet and articles in there on airbrushing are really helpful too. I'm beginning to gain more confidence in what I'm looking for and at
Thanks chaps
Rik
My compressor is giving me problems again, which reminded me to post this.......ge_rik:105275 wrote:- though maybe the compressor which you've pointed out is a higher spec.
Anyone buying a compressor for airbrush work, make sure the air flow rating is high enough. My airbrushes need a compressor rated at least 28 l/min, to maintain pressure and flow.
Avoid like the plague the little compressors you often see in airbrush kits. They aren't always named, but common labels are 'Aeolian Pixie', or 'Silver Jet'. They are in a small sloping face case with a black handle on top and an aluminium finish.
They are rated at only 20-23 l/min and while they might manage ink for illustration work, paint is thicker and needs higher air pressures. As working pressure is raised, flow rate drops. I tried one of these a couple of years ago and it was light and very quiet, but rapidly ran out of puff, especially when it was expected to push enamel paint through a Badger airbrush.
Regards,
Graeme
I've had several airbrushes over the years, some I spent more time cleaning, unblocking than spraying with. One was a chinese copy of a badger, not great but they may be better now. I have an Iwata, badger and Pasche and although I've never needed any can get spare parts for all of them. I very much doubt you will with a cheap chinese unit, they only want to sell sets.
I have dealt with this company http://www.airbrushes.co.uk/
they have been around many years and give unbiased advice.
can be a bit of a mine field
I have dealt with this company http://www.airbrushes.co.uk/
they have been around many years and give unbiased advice.
can be a bit of a mine field
Very helpful, thanks.Gremlin:105550 wrote:I've had several airbrushes over the years, some I spent more time cleaning, unblocking than spraying with. One was a chinese copy of a badger, not great but they may be better now. I have an Iwata, badger and Pasche and although I've never needed any can get spare parts for all of them. I very much doubt you will with a cheap chinese unit, they only want to sell sets.
I have dealt with this company http://www.airbrushes.co.uk/
they have been around many years and give unbiased advice.
can be a bit of a mine field
Rik
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