Airbrush Dilemma.

Mascaw · Post by **Mascaw** » Thu Feb 18, 2016 8:51 am

Was curious as to what folks here thought of these two airbrushes, getting a new one and its down to these two....if it matters I build fighter planes, Star Trek,Star wars etc type kits. Ultimately I know it comes down to personal preference and I've never used an airbrush that has a pistol style trigger, but I'm curious to see what folks here may recommend.

Grex Tritium.TS3 Double Action Pistol Style Trigger Side Feed Airbrush, 0.3mm Nozzle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002XQ2K66/re ... XwbBVNE412

Iwata-Medea High Performance Hi Line CH Dual Action Large Gravity Feed Cup https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CRV14Y/re ... XwbP6C5DXX

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Thu Feb 18, 2016 1:40 pm

The Iwata will give you a finer line and better atomization but the Grex may be easier to learn to use.

Rocketeer · Post by **Rocketeer** » Fri Feb 19, 2016 1:33 am

I have a Grex side-feed. It's very easy to use, and a thousand times better than my old Badger. The only comment I have is that if I were doing it again, I'd go for the top feed, because it looks just a smidgen easier to clean.

Mark Yungblut · Post by **Mark Yungblut** » Fri Feb 19, 2016 1:39 pm

I've been using Airbrushes both for hobby and commercial illustration purposes for well over 30 years. If you are looking to spend the kind of money that they charge for that Grex I'd recommend getting a Harder & Steenbeck Infinity. I replaced all of my regular double action AB with these two years ago. The 1.5 mm tip will give a super fine line and they a SUPER easy to clean.

Just my 2 cents

Cheers,

Mark

http://www.amazon.com/Harder-Steenbeck- ... k+airbrush

CaptBillD · Post by **CaptBillD** » Mon Feb 22, 2016 10:17 pm

The problem with going tiny on the needle for your paint line thickness isn't the needle size, but the paint viscosity. A 1.5 mm needle is designed for nail polishes or water dyes. The Grex will do a nice fine line at a larger needle size with enamel and acrylic flats.

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Mon Feb 22, 2016 10:30 pm

Nail polishes are typically very thick unless thinned... which is just what you do with most paints when using an airbrush.

Rocketeer · Post by **Rocketeer** » Tue Feb 23, 2016 12:48 pm

I can supply one more data point: At the Wonderfest painting class a year or two ago, my friends were having lots of clogging problems shooting acrylics through Harder-Steenbecks, perhaps due to the humidity. I had brought my Grex and it did just fine with very few clogs.

Mark Yungblut · Post by **Mark Yungblut** » Tue Feb 23, 2016 1:35 pm

CaptBillD wrote:The problem with going tiny on the needle for your paint line thickness isn't the needle size, but the paint viscosity. A 1.5 mm needle is designed for nail polishes or water dyes. The Grex will do a nice fine line at a larger needle size with enamel and acrylic flats.

I am sorry but I am going to have to disagree with you on this subject. I paint all manner of paint types through my H&S airbrushes. The key is to know just how much to thin the paint being used and adjusting the air pressure to get the results you desire. Most modern paints that are designed for models have SUPER fine pigments and can easily be thinned to flow through a tip as small as a 1.5mm.

Vallejo, Reaper, Andrea Colors and Scale 75 acrylic paints are all formulated to be able to be thinned and painted in a glazing/ watercolor style. This makes them quite compatible for thinning to use through an AB. I usually thin these paints with a water mix that contains 50% water, 25% alcohol (91%) and 25% blending medium (Like Winsor & Newton's for water color).

Additionally I paint enamels (both Testor’s Model Masters and Humbrols) through that fine a tip all the time. All that needs to be done is to work on a thinner to paint mix that gives a good flow.

The key to any fine airbrushed work is make sure it is properly sealed when the initial painting is done, as the fine detail work tends to lay down in a very thin layer. Additionally, you should make sure to have a test part or sheet upon which you are applying the colors in the same manner as the model. That test sheet can then be used to test the clear coat to make sure that nothing will orange peel or get damaged by the clear.

karim · Post by **karim** » Tue Feb 23, 2016 4:38 pm

Mark Yungblut wrote:If you are looking to spend the kind of money that they charge for that Grex I'd recommend getting a Harder & Steenbeck Infinity. I replaced all of my regular double action AB with these two years ago. The 1.5 mm tip will give a super fine line and they a SUPER easy to clean.

I absolutely 100% second this. H&S is the best brush I've ever used, full-stop.

Targallian · Post by **Targallian** » Mon Feb 29, 2016 11:18 pm

I own both, and I use the Grex all of the time and haven't used the Iwata in a couple of years.

I know a lot of great modelers that use the Iwata and some that use Badgers, etc. They are both great brushes. If you can, try both of them to find which one you are more comfortable with.

NCC1966 · Post by **NCC1966** » Sat Aug 20, 2016 1:52 pm

I would go for Iwata. This other make I never heard of.

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Sat Aug 20, 2016 2:01 pm

Depending on your hand size you may also want to fill the body of the brush out with some Sugru or Aves. Gives you the change for a more comfortable grip and can help stop you from gripping too hard.

gsb5w · Post by **gsb5w** » Sat Aug 20, 2016 2:50 pm

I would recommend two airbrushes. One for general coverage of large areas and one for finer stuff. I own a siphon fed Iwata DA that sprays beautifully and an Aztec DA that has interchangeable tips for larger projects.

The key is the thinness of the paint and air pressure.

I did play with a Grex pistol grip AB and it was extremely ergonomic.

Thomas E. Johnson · Post by **Thomas E. Johnson** » Sat Aug 20, 2016 5:16 pm

I have the Iwata-Medea High Performance Hi Line CH Dual Action Large Gravity Feed Cup airbrush that is listed in the initial posted question. It is the brush that I use for medium areas and fine detail work. I have never had any issues with using ANY type of paint through it. Cleaning it is also incredibly simple and quick.

I also have the Iwata Eclipse G6 Pistol Grip Airbrush for painting really large models that require greater amount of paint and a higher paint volume. Again, super reliable and have never had any issues.

I have had both of these airbrushes now for about six years and they are used regularly, and they have never worn out, still perform like new, never had to replace any components (I do want to add to the optional large capacity gravity feed color cup that is available for the G6, because I think it would be easier to empty out and quicker to clean then the gravity feed bottles are), and I could not be happier with them. With general airbrush maintenance, it seems like Iwata airbrushes are made to last forever.