Air Brush Recommendations

[Andy J]

Thinking of purchasing an air brush for general use. Any recommendations as to what to buy with a budget of around £100.  Happy to buy new or used. 

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

What sort of compressor do you have ?, a 20€ Badger single action will do most things, or a 30€ double action it you have a decent compressor with a reserve tank.https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/4001236204052.html?pdp_npi=2%40dis!EUR!€ 14%2C84!10%2C38 €!!!!!%400b0a133316754198858831613e9341!12000020812537580!btf&_t=pvid%3Adfaa80d3-077e-4351-888d-ff52e54e7384&afTraceInfo=4001236204052__pc__pcBridgePPC__xxxxxx__1675419886&spm=a2g0o.ppclist.product.mainProduct&gatewayAdapt=glo2fra

[Peter Wedlake]

I've recently bought one of these.. not used it anger but I've run a bit of paint through it as a test, all appears to work ok...

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Timbertech-Airbrush-Compressor-Accessories-Nozzles/dp/B00LO4PKY2

 

[Nigel Heather]

What is this for painting - you need a very different approach for painting an RC model compared with an Airfix model.

 

What is your air source, do you have a compressor or does that need to be included in the £100 budget - a compressor is the way to go, you can use canned air but that gets expensive very quickly.

 

The cheap generic airbrush’s that you see on eBay are a bit of a lottery - the quality control is practically non-existent, so two people buying the same airbrush can have two very different experiences, one gets a great airbrush, the other gets a nightmare.  Support, service and spares is practically non-existent for these.

 

If you let me know what you want to use it for, I’ll provide some suggestions.

 

Assuming that you want to paint RC aircraft, such as painting the camouflage of an RC Spitfire then when you need is a bigger nozzle (0.5mm as a minimum), be able to take bigger paint bottles, single-action would be fine, no need for double-action.  In this scenario, a spray gun would be best tool.

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

 

 

Edited February 3, 2023 by Nigel Heather

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

1 hour ago, Peter Wedlake said:

I've recently bought one of these.. not used it anger but I've run a bit of paint through it as a test, all appears to work ok...

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Timbertech-Airbrush-Compressor-Accessories-Nozzles/dp/B00LO4PKY2

 

I have one of those and I have added a Robart air tank to it to give it a constant airflow as it's only any good with a small airbrush as it struggles at 3 kilos pressure.

[Andy J]

Don't have any compressor at the moment so imagined I would match it to go with the gun.

 

Gun will be used for larger models wings etc rather than miniature detailing.

[Andy J]

Certainly the £100 budget has to cover the gun and the compressor.....or is this false economy as notice some two action guns are close to £100.  So do I need a two action gun?

[leccyflyer]

If you are mostly going to be painting larger model wings, you won't need a dual action airbrush, in fact a small touch up paint gun might be a better bet, than even a single action airbrush, depending on how large those large model wings are. 

[Andy J]

27 minutes ago, leccyflyer said:

If you are mostly going to be painting larger model wings, you won't need a dual action airbrush, in fact a small touch up paint gun might be a better bet, than even a single action airbrush, depending on how large those large model wings are. 

What is the difference of a touch up paint gun to a normal gun?  Guessing it is something to do with the size of the gun paint pot.

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

As I said if you need to do any serious painting small or large this will do it all as double the action as in my lien will do everything.

[Colin Low 2]

Hi,

I have one of the Timbertech guns and have had reasonable result with it. They also come with several needles and tips for various spray pattern sizes.

They do need the paint thinned correctly as they clog quick quickly. Or use something like Vallejo ModelAir colour which start off the correct 'thinness' to start with.

Couple of example attached...

Tony Nihjuis 72" Lanc and TN Mosquito

[leccyflyer]

1 hour ago, Andy Joyce said:

What is the difference of a touch up paint gun to a normal gun?  Guessing it is something to do with the size of the gun paint pot.

I think it's just a smaller gun, possibly with a narrower coverage pattern - I have one, but have not used it in anger. The size of models I favour a simple Badger 250 single action airbrush has sufficed, though I'm now using a double action budget airbrush for various model parts.

[Denis Watkins]

You will get a compressor and tank kit for £100 from a number of suppliers

But it does not end there.

Good paint and thinners is another worthwhile cost.

 

[Cuban8]

6 hours ago, leccyflyer said:

If you are mostly going to be painting larger model wings, you won't need a dual action airbrush, in fact a small touch up paint gun might be a better bet, than even a single action airbrush, depending on how large those large model wings are. 

I have a very nice Paashe dual action airbrush that I use for plastic modelling when the fancy takes me (won it in a model flying magazine good ideas column 30 years ago) but I also have a fairly inexpensive Machine Mart single action airbrush that could very easily be used for spraying medium sized models without difficulty. A small compressor is vital - don't even think of that silly canned air stuff, it's quite useless.

[Nigel Heather]

7 hours ago, Andy Joyce said:

Don't have any compressor at the moment so imagined I would match it to go with the gun.

 

Gun will be used for larger models wings etc rather than miniature detailing.

For larger areas (like RC aircraft), ideally you’d want a spray gun.  Other than that an airbrush with a nozzle size no smaller than 0.5mm.

 

The cheap Chinese clones are okay, but quality control is iffy, luck of the draw, you can get excellent ones but you can get poor ones.

 

Another thing to watch out for is what the seals and o-rings are made of - important if you want to spray cellulose or enamels.  Some of the cheap Chinese clones use seals that can dissolve in certain solvents.

 

Personally, I’d recommend a proper brand but it will be over your budget.  A good budget brand is Sparmax (also called Premi-Air).

 

A suitable airbrush would be the DH-125 and a suitable spray gun would be GP-850.  But they are around your budget so you would need extra for the compressor.

 

These are both double-action, internal mix, which you don’t really need - you could manage with single action, even external mix which would be a lot cheaper, such as a Badger 350.

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

 

 

 

 

Edited February 3, 2023 by Nigel Heather

[Nigel Heather]

BTW

 

Internal mix - air and paint are mixed inside the airbrush before being shot out the nozzle.

External mix - air is shot out of the airbrush and sucks up paint as it exits the nozzle

 

Internal mix usually results in a better air/paint mix but are also more work to clean the airbrush because there is paint inside.

 

Single action - you press down for paint and air - there is sometimes a control to allow you to set how much paint/air, effectively the spray width.

Double action - press down for air, pull back for paint.  The ‘pull back’ is variable so you can control how much paint (how wide the spray pattern) by how much you pull back.

 

Single action is simpler to use, double action takes time to get used to.  Single action is good for putting solid uniform colour down, double action gives you much more control (once you have got the hang of it) so you can be much more artistic.

 

Two main designs

the traditional airbrush that you hold a bit like a pencil, the trigger is usually on the top, and if double action has two separate independent actions - press down for air and pull back for paint.

 

the trigger design.  More like a spray gun like you would see car painters use, but you can also get airbrushes like this.  Here the double action is with one movement, pulling the trigger - the first part of the pull turns on the air and then the rest of the pull turns on the paint, varying by how much you pull.

 

Paint cups - airbrushes often have a small fixed paint cups - these are suitable for plastic model making and artworks but not for big areas like RC aircraft as you would be constantly interrupting your work to refill the cup.  For RC planes you need to look for an airbrush or spray gun that takes bottles.

 

Suction versus gravity - this applies to internal mix, all external mix are suction - some have the cup or bottle on top, paint is drawn into the brush by gravity, usually thought to give a better paint flow but some don’t like that the cup/bottle obscures the view of your work and some don’t like the top-heavy balance.  Others have the bottle/cup below and the paint is sucked up into the brush - the supply of paint is not so good, but the balance and view of the work is better especially with bigger bottles.  You can also get side feed which is a compromise between gravity and suction as you can position the bottle above or below - these are a bit rarer.

 

Spray gun versus airbrush - it definition does blur in the middle.  At one end you have pencil like, internal mix, double action with small fixed paint cup, for small detail work - most definitely an airbrush.  At the other end you have the trigger gun with big bottle like you see car bodywork repairers use, for large areas - most definitely a spray gun.  But it blurs in the middle where you get tools that look and work like spray guns but work more like an airbrush for smaller areas.

 

Spray pattern - and airbrush spays a circular pattern.  Decent spray guns let you choose between a circular or flat (or sometimes oval) spray pattern.  The circular pattern is good where you are moving the paint round in all directions, the flat is best when you are putting paint down uniformly on big areas.

 

Even for RC aircraft which are relatively big, I’d say the circular pattern is still best - the flat pattern  really comes in when you are doing really big areas - like full size cars.

 

Nozzle size - this determines how fine and how wide your spray circle is.  You can get down as small as 0.1mm but you need extremely fine paint for that, and it is for very small work.  For plastic model making a good size is 0.3mm but for RC model painting I’d recommend a 0.5mm or bigger because you have a lot of area.

 

Nozzle size also dictates what paint you can spray - with small nozzles the paint has to have a very fine pigment and needs to be thinned down a lot, otherwise the nozzle will keep getting blocked.  But paints like primers and metallics tend to have much bigger pigments so will block smaller nozzles - use a 0.5mm or bigger even for small plastic models.

 

Seals - it is best to look for an airbrush that uses PTFE seals - these resist all sorts of solvents - some, especially the cheap eBay clones uses rubber seals and these can perish or deform on contact with certain solvents, like cellulose thinners or white spirit.

 

[Nigel Heather]

So in summary what would I recommend.

 

Top requirements

 

• 0.5mm or bigger nozzle
• not a fixed cup, must be able to use bottles
• PTFE seals would be desirable

 

External/Internal mix and Single/Double action doesn’t really matter, though it is pretty hard to buy anything that is not internal/double these days and after a bit of practice they are the most versatile.

 

Button/Trigger action - really down to your personal choice.

 

Recommendations

 

Budget - something like the Badger 350 - external/single airbrush.

Airbrush - something like the Sparmax/Premi-Air DH-125 - internal/double, side-feed, top-button, takes bottles and cups - very versatile, could be used for finer detail, or small stuff (like Airfix models)

Spray Gun - something like the Sparmax/Premi-Air GP-850 - internal/double, top-feed, trigger, different spray patterns, takes big bottles - more suited to big jobs, less so far smaller work

 

If you are really desperate to save money then look on eBay as there are Chinese clones of most designs.  But bear in mind that Quality Control is iffy and you often can’t get spare parts.

 

Compressor - less critical, cheap clones are fine.  Ideally look for one with a tank and moisture trap.  The tank stores air and buffer to stop pulsing of air.  When air is compressed any moisture in the air condenses, the moisture trap stops that water from getting into your sprayed paint.

 

Do you need to buy a compressor - does anyone at the club have one that they can lend - for the most part they sit unused, I know mine does so if someone from my club wanted to borrow mine I’d be happy to oblige.

[Bruce Collinson]

Really useful informative info.

[Andy J]

Thanks all for the advice.

[Stuart Z]

Just my thoughts.  The Iwata Neo CN is what I use but this can be greater or less than £100 depending on where you go.  You can easily get a full range of spares as well.  You can get relatively cheap compressors but you have to remember the cost of hoses and adaptors.  It is a fair investment but there are a few complete sets about.  
 

I personally have gone for the airbrush rather than a gun (I have a couple of guns for laying on primer) A gun can lay a lot of paint on big areas but the airbrush can do the same, just takes longer.  The paint is a key matter to consider.  I use acrylics by Vallejo Model Air.  But others are others out there.  
 

It’s largely a matter of choice but it might be worth getting Ian Peacocks Airbrush book, several copies on eBay to give a broad understanding- yes it’s very dated but a quick cheap way of getting some knowledge.

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

Don't forget the smaller the gun the narrower the pass the more the overspray, which will show a mile away !.

[Stuart Z]

Paul

 

I use my airbrush quite happily on funfighter size models.  Needs more passes  but little or no overspray, I keep the pressure around 20psi or lower.  Never really look at dial but keep it low.  The guns need about double the pressure.  More concerned about how much airborne spray occurs as I have asthma and emphysema. Even with a mask (Force8), it still depends on what equipment/media you use. 
 

S

[Nigel Heather]

This is the Sparmax DH-125 that I suggested

 

https://www.graphicsdirect.co.uk/products/sparmax-dh-125-airbrush?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlcDN54H9_AIVuYxoCR3zcgrVEAQYASABEgL8hPD_BwE

 

As you can see it can be had for around £55

 

Sparmax are very good quality - they actually make stuff for Iwata - and have full spares and support.

 

And it comes with a paint cup for small jobs and a couple of different sized bottles for bigger jobs.

 

But the cheapest compressor with a tank and moisture trap will be around £100.

 

So over budget at £155, but you could look out for second hand compressors or see if you can borrow one when the need arises.

 

Don’t be tempted to buy a cheap compressor without a tank as the air supply pulses as the piston moves back and forth - a tank buffers the air supply so there is no pulsation.
 

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

 

Edited February 4, 2023 by Nigel Heather

[Engine Doctor]

On 03/02/2023 at 14:42, Andy Joyce said:

What is the difference of a touch up paint gun to a normal gun?  Guessing it is something to do with the size of the gun paint pot.

Hi Andy . A touch up gun as it's name implies is used for touching up or small paint repairs and painting door shuts etc in the motor trade. They are capable of spraying most paints including two pack paints. Read up on H and S before spraying two packs. Touch up guns dont use as much air as the bigger guns and are ideal for model work like spraying wings and fuselage where a decent spray coverage is needed. A small gravity fed gun as pictured in an earlier post is ideal. Mine is a simple gravity fed gun with a round pattern spray . Never needed a fan pattern for my models but a fan pattern might be handy for very large models. Compressors sold at Aldi and lidl are  more than enough for these guns supplying more than enough air. More air is better than just enough so if possible  buy a compressor that will give enough capacity to catch up with the guns air usage and switch off while spraying .When buying a spray gun think about buying one suitable for water based paints   . Not a lot of difference but made from rust/corrosion resistant metals. 

An air rush is purely for fine work and small areas or weathering a model. No good for spraying complete models.

A decent car paint factors will usually supply a range of these guns and offer advice on air requirements ( CFM of free air) . 

Good luck and enjoy but remember that paint is heavy so keep coats light.

Edited February 5, 2023 by Engine Doctor

[Stuart Z]

Hi

You will need to make sure with a touch up gun that you have a big enough compressor.  As an example the Clarke one (quite cheap) requires around 8 cfm - my compressor will just about get there but will be running non stop.  I also have an issue with airborne paint vapour when working at high pressures so am happy at lower pressure and lower cfm.  I can spray a whole wing on 1 tank of air quite easily. 
 

S

Edited February 5, 2023 by Stuart Z