Air brush for noob?

Director · Post by **Director** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 4:08 am

Hi guys,

What would be your recommendation for a compressor and airbursh for someone who hasn't used an airbrush before. Well OK I've played around with the cheapies but never got much mileage from the tin of compressed air so i didn't persevere. So anyway, what would be a good entry unit that will scale when my skillz improve? And ballpark prices?

Thanks

Zen-Builder · Post by **Zen-Builder** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 4:29 am

IMO, buy cheap now and you will end up paying triple as you will need to replace the current setup soon.

Airbrushes like compressors are very personal and really depend on your needs, environment and what is comfortable for you.

Myself living in an apartment so I can't use a noisy compressor and that means some major bucks. OTOH, if I had a garage and could make as much noise as I want to than a cheap compressor would work ok.

A good setup will happily last you 10~15+yrs, consider that too.

Again the perfect paintwork does not come from your AB but from your skill in handling your tools.
I have seen guys to sterling work using el-cheapo airbrushes and others that couldn't cut the mustard with an expensive top of the line AB.

HTH.

Director · Post by **Director** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 4:43 am

Cheers,

How about brand quality then? What brands should I stick to/avoid?

Zen-Builder · Post by **Zen-Builder** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 5:05 am

Director wrote:Cheers,
How about brand quality then? What brands should I stick to/avoid?

Badger, Iwata, Tamiya, Wave, Olympus, Gunze, etc are all good ones.
Actually most of them regardless of brand name come from the same factory. My friend owns Iwata brushes but uses Olympus spares I get for him at my LHS.

IMHO, get the AB that is locally supported and where you can get spare-parts at the LHS(especially needles and nozzles).
I tend to fix my my own brushes if anything goes wrong, my LHS carries all the parts I need.

Nothing worse than having your AB send away for repairs and waiting for weeks to get it back.

IMO, rather decide if you want a bottom-feed vs a gravity feed(again depending on your requirements) and single-action vs double-action AB.
My recommendation is always double-action, longer learning curve but worth it.

My best advice is try to handle as many AB as you can. If a shop does not allow me to handle an AB I am out of there.
MY LHS has a trial area with multiple compressors and AB.

Personally started of on a Badger 200NH some 20+yrs ago, now using Wave(Iwata) airbrushes as my LHS is the Wave shop and thus carries all the spares. I got 3 brushes(gravity feed and double action) all for different purposes.
FYI, was given an Aztek and we simply didn't get along, some guys I know do sterling work with those. Again personal preference.

Sorry, for not being more helpful.

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 11:19 am

Yes, a good compressor will last damned near forever. I've got a Badger that's close to 15 years old. My only complain is that it's on the noisy side.

Same with an airbrush. For some the feel between brushes is readily apparent, others, not so much. I love my Iwata but had to add some Aves to make the grip a little more friendly for long spray periods. But then I also perfer a heaier brush, more stable, better control, that kind a thing.

Director · Post by **Director** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 8:53 pm

Thanks for the replies.

I spotted this one on ebay : http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Airbrush-Starter ... dZViewItem

How's it look to you guys?

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 9:00 pm

Uhm...bad?

Post by **TER-OR** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 9:03 pm

It looks like a Peak or Tamiya airbrush, which should be good.

The compressor will get annoying after a while, without a reservior, but I used a similar one for about 15 years or so.

If you can ask exactly what the airbrush manufacturer and model are, it would help.

Director · Post by **Director** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 12:22 am

hehe, thanks, missed it anyway, so I'll do some research and see what I can come up with.