Thinking About Buying an Airbrush?

[Connectamabob]

I'll admit, I was guesstimating/collating from stuff I've read.

I imaging you can actually work it out pretty straightforwardly if you know the right maths to use. How many hours will it take to vent X volume of liquid CO2 at Y pressure?

*EDIT* With a little googling, it looks like a 20lb tank lasts approximately 30 hours when spraying at pressures below 20psi. I say "approximately", because the best resources I found had maths for the tank, but did not mention what pressure they were ABing at. I had to dig around to find what the usual PSI range was for their application (body and face painting, which uses low pressure for safety reasons).

[Mr. Peabody]

I think solvents and particulates remain the primary concerns when airbrushing.

If you are observing sensible safety precautions, and not working in a totally sealed environment, you are good to go with CO2.

You would have to be working in a very well sealed closet before you ran into issues with the CO2 at typical airbrush pressures and volumes.

[Blackwolf]

Great thread chaps; actually inspiring in a weird way,I guess because once one learns to use an airbrush it opens up so many possibilities( for instance; I paint horses with my Sotar,giving a very realistic appearance).I love my airbrush(es)

[Elk101]

Anyone any experience with this:

Airbrush Starter Set - Neo Iwata CN Airbrush + Neo Air Compressor

The ideal starter set for those wanting to get into Airbrushing, but want to do it on a budget.

This starter set features the Neo For Iwata Gravity CN Airbrush and The Neo For Iwata Neo Air - Air Compressor.

2 Fantastic pieces with a fatastic saving of just over 12% Off The RRP....

The Neo for Iwata CN gravity feed airbrush features:

A 0.35mm needle and nozzle combination for finer detail spraying and medium sized spray patterns
Interchangeable large 9ml (1/3oz) and medium 1.8ml (1/16oz) cups designed with a funnel shape, which makes for easy clean up and more efficient paint flow. (Both cups are included with airbrush).
Airbrush will hold 0.9ml (1/32oz) without a cup attached
Fine detail to 1" (0.3mm to 25mm) spray pattern with the one size nozzle
Dual-action
Internal-mix
Gravity feed
Air Pressure: Recommended operation is between 5 and 35 psi. Ideal for use with smaller air compressors.
The Neo Air features:

Low maintenance, oil-less miniature air compressor
Compact and portable – weighs less than a pound!
Air flow at 0 psi: 0.37 CFM (10.5 LPM)
Working pressure from 1 psi to 15 psi.
Comes with a vinyl hose
Manual On/Off and 3-speed control button
Built in airbrush holder
Size: H 13 x W 9.9 x H 6.5 cm (approx)
Weight: 0.43kg
Motor: DC 12V, 1.1A
Power Supply: 100V-240V 50/60Hz, 2.0A
Duty cycle: Will automatically shut-off after 10 minutes of continuous use to protect the motor. Please allow the motor to rest for at least 20 minutes after each cycle of use.

[Blackwolf]

Looks good,quality cannot be faulted; I have an Iwata compressor,very good it is too

[Connectamabob]

The Neo compressor is tiny diaphragm type. It wont get you very far. It's only good for very low pressure (and can't be adjusted/regulated, so you're stuck with a single pressure option regardless of what you're trying to paint), and like any compressor without a tank, will put out a pulsing instead of  steady airflow. It also needs to be run constantly instead of having a duty cycle, so it won't be long-lived. You'd be miles better off even just attaching a tire compressor to a cheap hardware store accessory tank.

Neo brushes are better than the no-name stuff, but still not really reliable enough for a newbie from all I've read. As a newbie the #1 thing you need is a brush that will give you as little grief as possible so you can focus on the actual work without getting bogged down, derailed, or discouraged. The need for a good airbrush is pretty much inversely proportional to skill: a really experienced ABer can use nearly anything for any job without experiencing much difference, but a noob is really best off getting the very best brush he/she can possibly swing. Trying to hedge your bets on the cheap stuff will only make it riskier for you in the beginning, not safer.

I'll reiterate again: you get what you pay for. Even the good companies sell super-low end stuff you're better off skipping because they feel like they have to compete with the Chinese crap for the newbie dollar. THIS DOES NOT MEAN ANY OF THIS IS ACTUALLY GOOD FOR THE NEWBIES THEMSELVES.

Your brain is trying very, very hard to weasel you down the wrong path because "the price is right". Swat it with a rolled up newspaper. There are reasons why decent airbrushes (and compressors) aren't that cheap. If you want to bargain hunt, choose a specific brush model first, and then go looking for a good bargain on that specific brush. Don't go looking for deals while keeping the actual brush negotiable in your head "if the price is right". Gamers are an instinctively frugal lot, but those instincts will be working against you here, so you need to resist them.

[Mr. Peabody]

The need for a good airbrush is pretty much inversely proportional to skill: a really experienced ABer can use nearly anything for any job without experiencing much difference, but a noob is really best off getting the very best brush he/she can possibly swing. Trying to hedge your bets on the cheap stuff will only make it riskier for you in the beginning, not safer.

Good point.
Take into account the fact that most of us aren't airbrushing all the time; we will pick up our airbrush when we need to, or want to and at that point we need it to do the job. A good airbrush will have you painting right away, not doing doing warm-up exercises or getting frustrated refamiliarising yourself with the thing.

If you want to bargain hunt, choose a specific brush model first, and then go looking for a good bargain on that specific brush. Don't go looking for deals while keeping the actual brush negotiable in your head "if the price is right". Gamers are an instinctively frugal lot, but those instincts will be working against you here, so you need to resist them.

There are few things as nice as owning and using quality tools. Set your mind on the airbrush you want and shop diligently for it. Put aside a bit of cash for it on a regular basis and soon enough you will own it.

 

[Elk101]

Ok, thanks for the advice. It's not so much a case of being cheap it's more a case of what I can physically afford and still pay bills! 

Any recommendations for the UK market up to, say £200? That will probably be a long term save up job.

[Elk101]

This doesn't look too bad for a compressor :
The Silver Jet is suitable for mobile or occasional use for up to half hour sessions. If you need a compressor for heavier use, please see the other Iwata Studio Series compressors.

Click here to view a guide to which applications this compressor is best suited for.

The Silver Jet features:

Low maintenance, oil-less single piston air compressor
Quiet running 110W shaded-coil motor
Air flow at 0 psi: 0.33 CFM (9 l/min)
Working pressure from 0 psi to 18 psi
Comes with 3m (10') coiled vinyl hose and free Iwata Pistol Grip Moisture Filter
Pressure gauge
Pressure Adjustment knob
One 1/4 BSP outlet
Manual on/off switch
Built in airbrush holder
Cord wrap
Size: H 15 x W 15 x H 18 cm (approx including handle and fittings)
Weight: 2.9kg
Voltage: 220-240V 50Hz
Noise level: 55 - 57 decibels
Duty cycle: 30 minutes continuous use. Please allow the motor to rest for at least 20 minutes after each cycle of continuous use.

[Elk101]

Looking at images of the silver jet it does look slightly like it's geared to nails and cake decorating! If it does the job though.

[OSHIROmodels]

Very useful thread chaps 

I would personally go with Iwata and will do when Santa calls around in a few months 

I do have the £50 set from Lidl and for terrain it's great. There's no tank and the paint is air-fed but for large areas and simple blending it does the job. I did the Dorset cliffs with it 

cheers

James

[Elk101]

Very useful thread chaps 

I would personally go with Iwata and will do when Santa calls around in a few months 

I do have the £50 set from Lidl and for terrain it's great. There's no tank and the paint is air-fed but for large areas and simple blending it does the job. I did the Dorset cliffs with it 

cheers

James

Which Iwata are you looking at James?

[OSHIROmodels]

Which Iwata are you looking at James?

Not sure yet. We went to a model show in Tokyo and they had a stand there so we came away with as much literature as possible but I think the ranges are less comprehensive in the UK. Don't quote me on that though as I haven't had a proper look yet.

It might be a case of getting the brush and accoutrements from over there and the compressor from over here 

cheers

James

[Elk101]

Looking at the Iwata Silver there seems to be limitations on which airbrushes are compatible. It suggests that models like the Iwata Revolution CR is only usable at low pressure (the compressor only goes as high as 18 psi), but reading posts above it sounds like most modelling work would be within that parameter. I'm assuming that that doesn't make the CR incompatible,  it just means you can't use the CR up to its design capacity,  no?

Sorry for the dumb ass questions but it's a lot of money not to understand and get right!

[Mr. Peabody]

Well, as an example, the excellent and versatile Vallejo Surface Primers spray best at a higher pressure than that.
I spray them at 30 psi. However the majority of the time I'm working between 7psi and 15psi, sometimes 20psi.

If the silverjet only goes as high as 18psi, then it sounds like a bit of a dog to me.