Airbrush tips and tricks for a first timer!

talontree · Post by **talontree** » Wed Apr 18, 2012 1:56 pm

Hello everyone!

After holding back for several years, I decided to get an airbrush to learn a new skill for modeling. After a bad decision to buy a cheap brush at hobbylobby, I lucked out and got a 350 badger on clearance today!

I wanted to know are there good starter tips? The main questions I have are on paint thinning( the paint I have is enamel and I have got the thinner), small area painting, and mixing?

Thanks in advance!

-talontree

Joseph Osborn · Post by **Joseph Osborn** » Wed Apr 18, 2012 3:55 pm

The cheapest airbrush that Hobby Lobby sells is the Paasche plastic external mix, which is essentially the same operating qualities as a Badger 350. Whatever difficulties you had with the Paasche external-mix will probably carry over to the Badger external-mix. You'll need to thin your enamel roughly 2 parts paint to 1 part thinner for flats or 3 parts paint to 2 parts thinner for gloss. You can probably get away with 1:1 thinning if you want to get thinner coats. Make sure you keep the breather hole in the top of the paint jar clean and open, and you'll probably need at least 24 or 25 lbs of air to make the paint flow well. 30 or 32 is about ideal for those particular guns. Hope this helps

admiralcag · Post by **admiralcag** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 7:03 am

My Badger 350 was a prized possession until I upgraded to the Iwata Revolution. Be careful when cleaning it. The rubber O ring on the tip can be torn easily. Lacquer thinner will eat that and the rubber seal in the needle. You can get extra needles for it (H, M, F). I was able to do freehand camouflage on a 1/48 scale F-16 with the F needle.

Vern