Mother of all Airbrush threads

[numbskull]

OK bigshots, lets hear how you do it (will help guys starting out)
What kind of brush?
What kind of compressor?
Water trap? Remote Regulator?
What kind of paint?
What kind of thinner?
What pressure?
What cleaner?
Any tips?

I'll go first (only had one 2 years).
Got a Badger 150. Works OK, have to clean it often (easy to do), lousy for detail work (in my hands). Needs some kind of lubricant, but I'm afraid of contaminating the paint and causing more epoxy nightmares.

Got a Makita MAC700 compressor. Like it a lot. Doesn't run too much.

Got a water trap...unnecessary as far as I can see. Use a remote regulator so I can adjust pressure while I work.

Use Createx....so so. Thin with Liquidtex airbrush medium, because I couldn't find Createx's equivalent. Thinner is better. You need to cook this paint in the oven (180-200 degrees for 20"??) to set it.

Blow it at 15-25lbs, usually@20, less for detail

Keep the brush wet while working by using a paint bottle with water in it and flushing the brush between colors. If you leave the brush unflushed while you mix a new color it will dry in the gun and clog. At the end I use Bernzy's cleaner mix (water, simple green, and ammonia) and blow some through the gun and flush with water (makes me wheeze). Don't use in the middle of painting because again I fear epoxy problems. Means I have to waste some paint to fully clear the last color (still diluted in the water) before spraying the plug. End up having to break down the gun and clean it every 2 sessions. Buy some cleaner brushes.

That's all I know. Lets here what you do. Thanks