airbrush help needed

[forrestb]

Ouch! Sorry about this post. I had bad information on the price of the Badger. Not $40; try $250. Looking elsewhere but thanks for the responses.

I need a compressor (and airbrush) to put milk paint on some Christmas gifts but have no experience with airbrushing.

My local Michael's has a Bqdger 1/6hp "Aspire Pro" compressor for sale at $40 after 40% off coupon.

Does anyone have experience with this brand? or can anyone recommend a better brand?

While I'm at it, any recommendations on the airbrush?

These are minor projects but will probably be done next year, too.

Thanks

Forrest

[ryanbp01]

I have the Testors Aztek system. It has everything you would need for airbrush work (Compressor, cleaning station, double action airbrush, etc.) The compressor is very quiet and has served me well for model railroading. It is a quality system.
BPR

[Ed in Tampa]

Badger is a leading name in airbrust equipment. I used Badger equip in High School almost 50 years ago so they have been around. Are they the same quality they were 50 years ago? I don't know.

$40 is not that big of experiment.

However you can use airbrush technology with compress air sold in cans for the purpose. You also can use much bigger compressors that would probably only have to run 1/10 the time of a small compressor to meet air needs.

As for the spray gun. Airbrushes are not all the complicated. A paint hoider, a ventura, a needle valve to adjust material flow and perhaps a regulator to adjust air pressure and of course a nozzle.

Again you can always replace the airbrush as you see need.

[recurvearcher]

I have a Badger compressor and brush kit. Both are about 10 years old and have given me good, if infrequent service. The quality at that time was good, I hope it's the same now. My brush is the "Pro 150" and the compressor model "1801" is the base model with auto shut off. I purchased mine via a 70% off coupon too. I noticed all subsequent coupons at my craft store excluded Badger products! I wouldn't hesitate to purchase them again.

[reible]

Hi,

When my son was in HS he wanted a Paasche air brush as the instructor felt that was a decent model for students. OK that was some years ago. I did buy him one and he had a ball using it. He has a talent for art, not passed on by me....

What we did for him at home was to buy a 3 gallon air tank and we filled it from my air compressor. I had a good filter, and condenser and a pressure regulator. The tank could be filled to 90 psi and regulated to the required pressure for the air brush. This was a lot cheaper then the cans of air.

What you my find is that you may want several guns, each with the colors in use in your project. So keep that in mind when pricing them, having all the same model makes the system interchangeable.

I found they were not as easy to use at it looked. Yea something were a snap and other things I guess I just didn't have the talent for. I never could picture the steps to get from point A to point Z....

I ended up getting myself a Testors Model Master Professional. That is not a current model, maybe 15 years old or so. Just noticed the date of 1991 on my information, where has the time gone, make that 22 years old.

Ed

[Ed in Tampa]

Was in Harbor Freight yesterday. The had a cheap airbrush set for $10 and went up. At the high end, don't remember exact prices, they had a set up with 6 brushes (spray guns) a compatible compressor and all needed accessories to start painting.

If I remember correctly Paasche that Reible mentioned was top of the line and Badger one step down. Have no idea about quality today.

My wife wanted the $10 setup to play with, so we got it but it will be someday project. (not used until I need to airbrush something):D

[db5]

My two cents:

Badger today is not what it was. Quality has dropped off on almost all airbrushes which are now made in China. Don't even think about one from Harbor Freight. I have three older Badgers that I bought around 1980. The two most expensive were around $100 each then. These are for very fine work and have s small cup with a top feed. Several cups make it easy to change colors. The least expensive feeds from a small bottle at the bottom. This is for broad spraying (what some auto retouchers use to cover several inches with paint).

You will need an airtank or co2 tank or air compressor along with a pressure regulator. If you use an air compressor or tank you need a filter to remove moisture. The process of using the airbrush is easily mastered if you spend some time, move slowly and use a light touch.

My recommendation is to look on Craigslist or eBay for used equipment. It likely will be better than what you can get new and will cost much less. Look for a Badger or Paasche. I also have a Paasche but those are hard to find used.

What you buy depends on what you want to do - fine, detailed work or broad airbrushing.

You might talk to someone at Aaron Brothers who does airbrush. I know there is a store in Huntington Beach.

[db5]

I should have mentioned that you want a dual-action airbrush. Single actions don’t allow for paint volume control.

Also, stay away from the “kits”. They are cheap junk designed for someone who just wants to try it on the cheap.

I didn’t mention what is probably the best airbrush and has been for years; the Iwata. You don’t want to spend that kind of money.

I had forgotten about the Thayer and Chandler Airbrush – This is one of the best ever made. If I was in the market for one of these I’d buy them both. When I first got into airbrushing a Thayer and Chandler cost around $300 and that was 35 years ago.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Thayer-and-Chandler-Artists-Air-Brush-/300969747347?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item461331e393

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Thayer-and-Chandler-Artists-Air-Brush-/300969747347?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item461331e393

I also noticed a compressor and there may be more.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Thayer-and-Chandler-Artists-Air-Brush-/300969747347?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item461331e393

[TheBigE]

+1 on the Iwata. But for just starting out that might be a little spendy. I have a badger 170 I believe. I also have a compressor for airbrushing. It is diaphragm type. Very very quiet. You do want to have an air moisture trap. The badger is single action. I also have a testors dual-action that works well. With dual-action you push down for air and pull back to control paint volume. Takes some getting used to. If you use a regular compressor you need to dial down the pressure for what you are doing. Also the badger I have has seals that can handle solvents. Something else to think about. I use my setup for model cars. Even have a booth to vent fumes in the basement. Good luck in your search!

[themox]

Check out Don's airbrush reviews for a number of airbrush reviews including the Harbor Frieght guns. The HB airbrushs apparently give decent results if carefully tuned.
https://sites.google.com/site/donsairbrushtips/

I have a Paasche, Grex and a Badger. Different brushes for different uses. Badger does give a lifetime warranty on their guns. The Grex are quite pricey and are not widely distributed.

I don't have a dedicate compressor. I just use the shop compressor with the appropriate moisture trap and filter.