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

[Backbeach Jake]

My brush is an OSJL 6buck special.
Sears 99 dollah air squeezer with 2 regulators.
@ 30 psi works good
Traditions or Anita's from ACMoore latex acrylic, water thinner
Hot Water cleanup.
the fixture on the brushes where the paint comes out can be screwed in and out to vary the density of pattern, pressure can be varied for control, too.

[BigFish]

I have 3 Badger 360's......I like them! Gonna try a few other models though for finer detail! Compressor is a pancake compressor......more than I need but it works so why buy another? Water trap at the tank but I never get any! I spray Createx at about 30-35 psi.....15-20 for detail work.....I don't thin much but if I need to I just use water! Cleaning I use the water/simple green/windex mix! When I am spraying I keep a 5 gallon bucket handy and when I need to clean or color change I have 2 spray bottles...one with warm water and one with the cleaning mix! When I change colors I spray the water into the cup and spray it into the bucket! Depending on what color I am changing to (dark to light specifically) I will clean with the mixture and flush with the water before I change! End of painting I will disassemble and soak for an hour in the cleaning mixture and then clean the tip and needle quite well!

Best tip I can give is use the 5 gallon bucket and the 2 spray bottles.....its easy cleaning!

[gldnbear93]

What kind of brush?
Badger 155, now have a 3260 and an airbrush city top feed-have not tried either of the new ones yet
What kind of compressor?
Iwata airbrush compressor-constant run, but VERY quiet
Water trap? Remote Regulator?
yes on the water trap in the airhose-never any water in it though
What kind of paint?
createx and jaquard
What kind of thinner?
water
What pressure?
15-25lbs on the uooer end of that when shooting metalics
What cleaner?
the Bernzy special
Any tips?
keep them clean! the metallic particles build up fast so run a pipe cleaner or q tip through it after dissassembly

[spence]

I should find the old airbrush paintings I did in school. Geeky but cool..

-spence

[Woodbuster]

OK- Lets see if i can remember all those questions without looking.

I use an Iwata Eclipse and like it so much I got a 2nd.
I use Createx paints.
Compressor is a 10 gal unit I already had with a water trap & regulator. I spray around 25-30 psi.
Helpful note: If you hold your finger over the cap & spray just air the paint will flush out of the gun back into the bottle in theory. In actuality, you will have a very interesting color sampler on your ceiling!

I use airbrush cleaner after a painting session and just water in between colors. (neither of which will remove paint from the ceiling!)

I find that keeping the bottles in warm water as I'm painting eliminates the need for thinning most of the time.

I absolutley cant stand painting just one plug at a time due to changing colors so I made a stick that holds 12 plugs and each one can be individualy rotated. They all get white first to even out the primer color and then I make them whatever color I want.

[Charleston]

I have an Iwata

[Woodbuster]

Originally Posted by Charleston

I have an Iwata

Bill, I think the question was, "what do you USE"

[EricW]

Originally Posted by 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 have an Iwata Eclipse BCS, a badger 350 (Thanks Michaels 50% off coupon),1/2 a dozen single action Cal Hawk 5.00 specials, and a no name badger 150 style. If you play with them the 5.00 ones actually paint really well with unthinned thicker acrylic paint like folk art,l and anitas. Takes some tinkering with pressure etc but you can get a nice fine spray, no super fine lines but paint your basic plug pretty well. The badger bottles fit too,makes things easier.

I have a big oil type speed aire compressor in the man cave for summer time work and a campbell hausfeld small one in the basement for winter painting. Add a good regulator and those little ones work great. Although a little noisy.

I haven't tried a water trap yet. Will probably get one to see if it makes a difference.

I use Createx, Folk art, Anitas and some other acrylic paints.

I use liquitex medium to thin.

I spray between 15 and 40 lbs.

I have used createx and badger cleaner, as well as the Simple green, windex and water solution, that has been talked about here.

[Flaptail]

First up I use a Badger 155.

My favorite quote on airbrushes is from NIB,"It will shoot pebbles"

You have to have a steady hand and very fine touch control ( something I learned early with girls and now have been able to apply to airbrushing) Being ham handed (George ) will not serve you well with an airbrush.

I use Createx paints, thinned and un-thinned, Daler & Rowney Pearlescent inks, which some say are not for airbrushes but I have never had a problem with them both spraying or cleaning. I have also used Testor Oils and Luminaire pigments as well with no problems.

I have an old beat up compressor that sounds like a Model T but works fine and have not yet had the need for a water seperator, I have one but never installed it. The compressor has a built in pressure regulator which helps when doing fine or production painting.

I am looking for something which will give me more detail as I like to free hand effects like vermiculations and such.

I have serious trouble though scale painting with the 155 and that's a main reason why I would like a strictly detail oriented brush.

[BigFish]

Gotta love a good vermiculation Flap!

Honey!! Where is the damn Websters???

[Backbeach Jake]

Originally Posted by BigFish

Gotta love a good vermiculation Flap!

Honey!! Where is the damn Websters???

It means that Flap has worms...

[BigFish]

[BigFish]

Best deal of the century is when you use those AC Moore/Michaels 40-50% off coupons to buy your airbrush!! You save a bundle!!

[Tagger]

Brush #1 ,,,, Badger 350 .. very inexpensive ,, I think about $40.00.. I started with one of these . I bought this one a few years ago because I was going to change to oil paints .. This syphon feed brush is the best choice for that because the paint doesn't go thru the brush .Just gets in syphon tube .. I bought quarts of paint in all the primary colors then never did it . Mac was doing it at the time and its still messier than the water base . I don't think oil paint is what it use to be either, say in the Pichney days . I think all the bad stuff that made it good has been removed .. " user freindly" ..

Brush #2 is a Badger 200 sg detail brush .. It has a very small reservoir at the top . Maybe its just me ... seems to be a clogfest with createx . I didn't try thinning .. I was thinking about inks lately ,, I'm glad I didn't dump the brush . I think it may be good for inks ..

Brush #3 is a Badger 155 Anthem ... served me very well .. used this one a ton . I rebuilt it once . Parts were inexpensive .. piece of cake .. But I wanted more detail .

Brush #4 is a Peak 3 .. Alot of Iwata guys are going to these because they are very inexspensive and seem to be the same brush as the Iwata Eclipse I think it is .. I get better detail but I seem to be developing a sticky spot right when the paint is about to spray .. I feel plunger sticking ..

My compressor is an old sears type laydown thats under the crawl space . It has a water trap but never any water in there. I set it at about 35 lbs. or what ever the kids left it on when they were filling thier car tires .. I would like to put a air pressure control where I'm working .. On the hose or something so I wouldn't have to crawl under there.

I hate cleaning my airbrush and will try to get thru a session with it sputtering and puking paint .

I work with a 5 gallon bucket of warm clean water next to me . I keep all my paints in 2 ounce glass bottles . Blast caps were expensive when I started and a glass jar was $.80.. In between colors I unscrew paint jar I've been using ,, take off tube from brush and blow the paint out .. Then submerse the whole thing in the bucket of water and blow water thru the brush until clean ,, then screw on next color ... Works for me .. I use airbrush cleaner at the very end ,, when finished .. I would like to try that airbrush lube ,, heard it was good..

I always spray bomb /rattle can a plugs base coat color first ... white/yellow/whatever ... I dot eyes ,,red chin,, with airbrush .. not as much into scale at the moment ... My paint has become very boring .. Not that the thrill is gone ,, but only trying to impress fish not fisherman .. white,,black,,yellow ,,olive,, blue/white... thats about it for me . some I leave naked and put a skin on .. sorry for late response .. looking for time to 2 finger type all this ..

[Slipknot]

What kind of brush?

I have 2 - a Peak and a Pasche VL

What kind of compressor?

Ingersol Rand Industrial 60 gal upright

Water trap? Remote Regulator?

Yes

What kind of paint?

createx over spray bomb primer

What kind of thinner?

createx thinner or distilled water


What pressure?

20 to 30 lbs depending on what I am doing


What cleaner?

createx cleaner, I have to mix up some bernzy cleaner someday and try it


Any tips?

I am a hack, I look for tips from you guys

[ProfessorM]

Here goes nutin
Brush- Iwata Eclipse BCS and a Peak
Compressor - Sears Compressor, oil , 12 gallon tank. I can usually paint everything on one power up. If you hate hearing them run the large storage tank is the way to go.
Water Trap- yes but never been any water in it. I run 2 dehumidifiers year round in my cellar so that must help. I also run a long, 50', length of hose to the water trap,. Helps in keeping steady pressure.
Regulator - Yes , not the boat, I wish
Paint - Createx, Wildlife, Golden, and anything that gets my fancy at Micheals
Thinner - would be Liquitex
Pressure - variable
Cleaner- the john huff special sauce
Tips - do the opposite of what I do

[NIB]

Originally Posted by Tagger

Brush #3 is a Badger 155 Anthem ... served me very well .. used this one a ton . I rebuilt it once . Parts were inexpensive .. piece of cake .. But I wanted more detail .

Brush #4 is a Peak 3 .. Alot of Iwata guys are going to these because they are very inexspensive and seem to be the same brush as the Iwata Eclipse I think it is .. I get better detail but I seem to be developing a sticky spot right when the paint is about to spray .. I feel plunger sticking ..

My compressor is an old sears type laydown thats under the crawl space . It has a water trap but never any water in there. I set it at about 35 lbs. or what ever the kids left it on when they were filling thier car tires .. I would like to put a air pressure control where I'm working .. On the hose or something so I wouldn't have to crawl under there.

I hate cleaning my airbrush and will try to get thru a session with it sputtering and puking paint .

I work with a 5 gallon bucket of warm clean water next to me . I keep all my paints in 2 ounce glass bottles . Blast caps were expensive when I started and a glass jar was $.80.. In between colors I unscrew paint jar I've been using ,, take off tube from brush and blow the paint out .. Then submerse the whole thing in the bucket of water and blow water thru the brush until clean ,, then screw on next color ... Works for me .. I use airbrush cleaner at the very end ,, when finished .. I would like to try that airbrush lube ,, heard it was good..

I always spray bomb /rattle can a plugs base coat color first ... white/yellow/whatever ... I dot eyes ,,red chin,, with airbrush .. not as much into scale at the moment ... My paint has become very boring .. Not that the thrill is gone ,, but only trying to impress fish not fisherman .. white,,black,,yellow ,,olive,, blue/white... thats about it for me . some I leave naked and put a skin on .. sorry for late response .. looking for time to 2 finger type all this ..

I have the Anthem and the Iwata Eclipse.I get as about as fancy as I can with these.I like the Anthem for laying base an then I use the Eclipse for chins an eyes.I don't do scales an really don't see spots as making one hell of a difference either.
I pretty much set up to paint the same way.Spray,doosh,spray,sputter.
I still like painting..I takes me time to set it up an break it down.I can have fun with 3-6 plugs.It takes me forever to make that many.I have three to prime so I'm getting closer to another batch.I have a good selection of acrylic paints 80 percent createx.I have been using some liquitex on a suggestion and I like them also,. I like to mix colors up an I have lots of bottles with different colors in em.I like to spray them fancy ink paints.They are light.More money that the others an they don't seem to last as long.Proabaly because I fall in love when I'm spraying it an I use to much.I like interference or chameleon over everything.Not over darks.Mostly I use it over medium to light colors also..I love that iridescent pearlized fishy look.I have some when it's gone. I will have to try to find something else.duh..Other than that I just paint em in colors I like to use..Like Taggerman I stick to a few basic colors.Had some spike weakfish last fall I might make Something for them in the next batch so I will have something of my own to toss.Slip made me a real nice one.
I digress.
My compressor is a 1980 sears 2hp 5 gall electric.Used to lug it around for work now it is retired to the garage.I have Mac Tools commercial separator an pressure gage set up right at the end of the gun hose..with a splitter for both guns.I'm always loaded which is nice when one of the guns crap the bed.
I will spray from 30 down to 8 lbs..With all the different paints I use it nice to be able to dial around for the right pressure.More work.
I would have to say we are pretty similar..
Cept u make have made way more than I have...I kinda stumble through it and it comes out OK.

[numbskull]

One crucial accessory I forgot.........get a color wheel!

[ProfessorM]

When I mix up colors I like to write down the recipe with how many drops of each color to make the end result. I then take an index card and put those drops on it and mix up by hand. I then let it dry and file it away in a clear plastic folder so when ever I need it I have the script with a color blotch right there to see. Helps when you are forgetful like me. I can then make up a 2 oz bottle if I really use the color a lot by mathematically figuring out how much will fit into 2 "of the bottle so I'm not counting 200 drop here and 50 there. I know that description is vague but it is easy if you think about it.

[Tagger]

Originally Posted by ProfessorM

When I mix up colors I like to write down the recipe with how many drops of each color to make the end result. I then take an index card and put those drops on it and mix up by hand. I then let it dry and file it away in a clear plastic folder so when ever I need it I have the script with a color blotch right there to see. Helps when you are forgetful like me. I can then make up a 2 oz bottle if I really use the color a lot by mathematically figuring out how much will fit into 2 "of the bottle so I'm not counting 200 drop here and 50 there. I know that description is vague but it is easy if you think about it.

must suc being a machinist ,, too much thinking ... you guys ever just wing it ?

[ProfessorM]

All the time. Most of being a machinist is winging it and painting yourself into corners. You basically become a good machinist if you can get out of those predicaments. I screwup everyday, I just know lots of different ways to get out of them. Problem is when you think like I have to every day for 30 years it is hard to do things half assed. I sometimes envy people that can just say %$%$%$%$ it and do it just good enough.

[Bernzy]

I have 4 Iwata's, a Paashe VL, a Richpen Spectra and 2 Peaks.
For me, the Iwata's and the Peaks are interchangeable. Both fine brushes with the Peaks being more affordable.

They are all good brushes, but the best of the bunch might be the Richpen. It has some weight to it and feels good in my hand. It also has a pre-set feature that allows you to set your spray pattern as fine or as heavy as you like.
It also has a removable thumb screw on top for cleaning. I really like that.

For cleaning I use 25% Windex, 25% Simple Green and 50% water.
I mix 1 gallon at a time. I always flush with plain water after cleaning.

For paints, I use them all. I custom mix most of my paints. As Numbskull said "Get a color wheel".

For thinning of thicker paints like Delta Ceramcoat or Golden I use approx. 50% water and 50% liquitex airbrush Medium to get your paints to a milk like consistancy

Hug your airbrush today!!!!!

Bernzy

[Diggin Jiggin]

I'm pretty boring when it comes to painting. Most of the colors I spray are straight out of the bottle createx.

I do mix 3 colors. White pearl with a few drops of opaque red makes a nice pink pearl, I like to shoot this down the side of a pearl white plugs.

A couple drops of red in opaque yellow gives you a nice school bus color that I really like on topwater and danny's.

A few drops of black in some yellow gives you an olive.

I have one brush, an iwata eclipse bcs. For cleaner I just pour about an inch of windex in a empty gallon water jug and fill up with water. I break the brush down and try and clean it pretty well each time I use it. I try to organize a few groups of plugs so that they are primed at the same time so I can just get the paint stuff out once and then paint em all in one marathon session.

When painting I keep one of the bottles with a blast cap full of the cleaner. I set an upside down trashcan lid on a 5 gallon bucket where I paint. It catches the overspray and its where I spray water when I clean the brush by spraying the water between colors. In between colors I spray the water, then remove the water bottle from the gun, put my finger over the tip and shoot, and that backflushes the color out of the port and into the lid. Then i do the water again. Do this 2 or 3 times, takes like 20 seconds, then start with the next color.

I haven't been thinning the paints. My yellow and pearls are sometimes thick and don't shoot well. Old paint also tends to get thicker. When I spray thicker paint like those I back the nut off that holds the needle and I slide the needle back from the cone a tiny bit and tighten it back up. This makes a wider opening so the thicker paint shoots ok at a lighter pressure.

When the gun gets gunked up in the middle of a session, I just put the water bottle on and crank the pressure up to like 40-50 lbs, and spray the water till it comes clean, then backflush it a few times, it usually only takes a few seconds. if the tip gets gunked up, I have a coffee can of water next to me and I just submerge the tip and blow bubbles. That seems to help too.

I have a regulator right at the end of the hose where I work, when I change colors I turn the pressure down and just turn it up until it sprays that color ok. Seems like different colors sometimes need more or less pressure and I make less of a mess when I use low pressure so I start low each time...

[Rockfish9]

I hate painting... one of these days, I'm gonna stop painting and just seal 'em!


I have 3 Brushes... The "starter" brush I bought when I decided to give up rattle cans, is a Badger 350...I like to lay a white base over my primer ( Binz shelac based) to start the process...I still use this for that.

I have a badger Anthem 175... It's a good gun, a little heavy but it will do fine detail, it's biggest draw back is the external needle point.. the damn thing always finds a way to find a hunk of clothing or your hide, thus bending the needle...if paint begins to dry on the tip, it's a simple matter to "pinch " the paint ball off with your finger nail...

My third brush is a Badger 150, it's OK but extremly fussy about paint mix.. the other thing I dis like about it is the "O" ring that seals the tip... too easy to loose....

I run an Ingersol Rand pancake compressor, I have built a sound reducing box around it and hooked a computer fan into the pressure switch, when the compressor turns on, so does the fan, fresh air is provided by a pair of screen/filters in front to the box, it is hard piped through the shop, there is a water trap ( never an issue in the winter) mounted on the wall... at the painting station, there are two regulated ports, run through true pressure regulators ( no drop across the control ports).. atached to each of these is a disposable . micron filter... over kill but I get them from work

For paint I use mostly Delta Ceramacoat, I've marked all my paint jars with tape, I use a 50/50 mix of paint and water, I've never had a real issue witht the plain water... I think I have every color Delta makes( always looking for the perfect color).. but pobably use maybe 6 different ones...with pearl white and black the most popular.

I keep a bucket of warm soapy( lemon Joy) water near the bench
this is for rinsing the paint cups and jars, final cleaning is with the lemon joy and fresh water......

[patswin]

I would like to thank Tagger for recomending the Peak air brush to me, I spoke to you at M&D's one Sat morning in the fall and you recomended the Peak air brush. It is a cool little brush now I need to stop painting my bench and finish some plugs so I can paint them.
Thanks again.

[Mugz]

Wow.......great thread.

[WoodyCT]

TTT

[blondterror]

thanks for bumping this...

[stripermaineiac]

To all of you that put this info up. Thank You Thanks You Thank You.The number of questions you've answered is unbeleivable. The books I've been pawing through don't even touch on a lot of this. Thanks again Ron