Airbrush/spray gun

[wrmnfzy]

I'm looking to get one of the above any recommendation as to what kind and will I need a compressor, I have a pancake compressor. It will be used mainly for small craft projects for the boss.

[ChrisNeilan]

I'm looking to get one of the above any recommendation as to what kind and will I need a compressor, I have a pancake compressor. It will be used mainly for small craft projects for the boss.

I have a Harbor Freigt tiny compressor made for airbrushes. Works quite well and is almost whisper quiet. Their air brushes are Ok, good for learning with. I ordeded some better ones from Amazon. There are some great how to videos on Youtube.

[everettdavis]

I had a friend who was a model railroader years ago who took an older CO2 bottle and used his air compressor to pressurize it.

He fed some sort of regulator and filter that went to his airbrush.

He just took the tank to the basement and had no noise to deal with from the compressor. He said other folks used portable air tanks or even old Freon Bottles to do the same thing.

His compressor was in his detached shop, and both he and his wife used the airbrush in the basement. He only needed to fill the bottle every few weeks based on their usage.

Other folks I know who do a bit more volume, ran air line from their shop to their airbrush station in the house which had no noise to deal with.

Using an automatic transmission cooler such as a B & M Oil Cooler #70266 as a pre-cooler / water extractor for your main compressor can prolong the life of the tank by cooling the compressed air before it goes into the tank with moisture laden hot air which condenses in the tank, corroding it.

Obviously, the down line piping also benefits from the much drier air distributed making the end station filtering more efficient.

The low noise compressors for air-brushes are very popular as well. Adapting what you have can present a host of ideas, and help keep end station costs and noise down.

Everett

[reible]

When my son was into this and still at home I had an eight gallon tank that he used. You can fill it with air and use it until its empty. That might be overkill but that is what I had and it worked. The tank also worked as added volume of air for my system so it was dual duty.

If you do go that way and depending on your compressor you may need to filter the oil out of the air when filling. If so you will want a set of "oil" things like hoses and a set of "clean" things.

Air brushes are a little sensitive to air pressure or at least the older ones were. A regulator will be needed as well as possibly a dryer depending on what you are spraying, especially if you are using a bulk tank. Added expenses. You will also need some sort of airbrush hose to a standard for your system.

I have a airbrush but it has been years since I used it. I got a cheap one that is more for models then anything. I'd like to get it out and play again sometime but too many other things with more priority. Not even sure if I remember how to use it anymore....

Ed

[Hobbyman2]

I had one years ago that I used a old 30 lbs freon can ,,I hated it, all ways messing with it and when the pressure dropped ya was up a creek,,I didnt have a pressure valve on it though so it was tough to tell when it was empty .

Have a buddy that has one from HF and like said sprung for several other guns, some use baby food bottles and some use plastic ,even gravity fed guns if I recall ,,he loves them.

A good regulator ,,a gage and a moisture release valve ,,,with some sort of filter just like the big stuff is a good idea.

[db5]

I have used an airbrush since 1979 and have three (all old Badger USA made). I don't use it much anymore but it is useful for when I need to do some fine work or blend paint. If you plan on any long term use then look on craigslist or elsewhere for a co2 tank and regulator. 3 tanks listed locally for $30 still in date. When I need to refill the tank I usually swap it out with one already filled that has a later date before the tank needs to be pressure checked (every 5 years). $10 for the refill and swap. You may need to weigh the empty tank and then the full one. Some places will give you 1/2 tank filled. Yes, there are unscrupulous people in this world who don't give honest weights. If you are looking for a quality airbrush I'd sell one of mine.

[everettdavis]

Check out this video on CO2 for airbrushing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FgC0JROHzY

CO2 gas is dry already so no filters etc. If you live in an apartment for example, the compressor is going to be noisy.

Hope it helps.

Everett

[db5]

Check out this video on CO2 for airbrushing

CO2 gas is dry already so no filters etc. If you live in an apartment for example, the compressor is going to be noisy.

Everett

Good video but he was intoxicated with the exuberance of his own verbosity.

Some recommendations:
Many tanks for sale are used by paintball players; hence they are aluminum and don't hold a lot of co2. Mine is 20 lbs vs. 5 lbs and refill is $10 with no charge for exchange. A tank test usually runs $25 so the exchange is the way to go. Check on prices. If they charge for an exchange look elsewhere. Buy the larger tank if you have the space. Build something to hold it with wheels so it doesn't tip over. You can't damage these things unless you drop them.

The regulator on mine was purchased used in 1984. USA stuff seldom if ever fails. You might have to pay extra for an aluminum exchange (or not). Older steel is fine. I'd stay away from HF for regulators. Try used from a gas supplier or look online.

[everettdavis]

He did talk a good bit.

I suspect that is much of what he does in his other model building videos, but I am not into modelling so I have no clue as I haven't watched them.

Your pictures alone save a thousand words.

Everett

[rlkeeney]

I own about 10 airbrushes. Badger and Chinese I use them to paint toys I make. The airbrush I recommend you start with is a Badger Anthem 155. It will spray anything you might want up to and including acrylic house paint and automotive paints. Badgers have seals that will stand up to lacquer thinners and other solvents. Parts are available cheap and Badger will rebuild your air bush for the cost of the parts out side the warranty period.

Chinese air brushes will work but parts are hard to come by and believe it or not expensive. I broke the tip in one of mine and the replacement cost more than I paid for the airbrush. In some of these lacquer thinners and other solvents will eat the seals. Good luck with finding the seals. Essentially they are disposables.

Badger is a US company and all their parts are made here.

I've had three airbrush compressors. They were all made in China. I don't know of any that are not. Parts for them are not available. I had one that could have easily been repaired but there were no parts.

I have one of the little Harbor Freight compressors. It works but I much prefer my shop compressor.

Most any compressor is adequate for airbrushing. I use a standard tank compressor almost all the time. You will need adapters, hoses, and a regulator with moisture filter. Harbor freight sells these. They are the same as everyone else sells. Their hoses come with some adapters.

The only time I use the airbrush compressor is when I need to paint some where my hose will not reach. Which is almost never.

I paint outdoors. The cheap collapsible spray booths that are available all over are junk. They are flimsy and only usable for tiny parts like plastic model parts. I tried spraying in the shop thinking its only acrylic and it drys very fast but even spraying with my homemade air filter there was pink dust every where.

I spent way more than I should have to to figure all of this out. What I ran into was that most of the information that was available on the internet was totally unrelated to what I wanted to do or posted by people that really did understand paints. So I spent money on things I didn't need just to try them for myself. I have lots of airbrush stuff that I will probably never use again.

Buy the Badger Anthem 155.