Airbrush + compressor advise

[keveuh]

Hello everyone, I'm thinking about getting an airbrush for painting model cars. I would paint not only the body parts but also the interior parts and certainly engine parts as well.

I thought about getting the Neo for Iwata CN airbrush:
http://www.hiroboy.com/catalog/produ...oducts_id=4245

Would that airbrush be sufficient to paint all I want to paint with ? I know it's maybe not the best one but that would be my first airbrush for me to start and of course I'd like a decent, working one. According to some reviews on the web it does its job well...


For the compressor I'm much more lost, because there seems to be a lot of factors to consider, for exemple how much PSI will I need ?
But I found this compressor, which seems to be for airbrush use, at a local website here in Finland:
http://www.biltema.fi/sv-fi/Verktyg/...r-MC-90-17370/

Ok, so the page is in swedish, but that's what it says:
Oil-free piston compressor designed for airbrush paint sprayers.
Supplied with pressure regulator, pressure gauge and water separator.
Power: 90 W;
Automatic start / stop.
Maximum. 4 bar.
Airflow: 23 l / min.
Weight: 5 kg.
230 V.

Do you think this compressor would do its job ? Or should I need a more powerful one ?


That's about my hardware questions, first I'd like to know if these 2 products above are good enough for the job, and then later I might have few more questions about how to use paint and what kind of thinner for what paint etc...

Thanks a lot for your help !

[MidMazar]

The airbrush you picked out is a great starting brush IMO. Iwata make reliable brushes, only down fall is finding parts is a little tricky. I have a iwata HP and love it. As for the compressor, i would recommend a compressor that has a tank. That way your pressure will stay the same at all points of airbrushing. Compressors without tanks make the pressure go down once you press the trigger. So you almost have to feather the trigger. The compressor you picked out will work and i believe is a good starting one. But i would reccomend one with a tank.

For the pressure you will haveto see what works for you. So a lot of experimenting. Around 15-25 psi is what i spray at.

[935k3]

Try this link for good info and reviews on airbrushes(including the NEO).

https://sites.google.com/site/donsairbrushtips/

[keveuh]

Thanks for the answer MidMazar ! but how do you know that the compressor I chose doesn't have any tank ? (stupid question I guess).

And I'll check the link 935k3, thanks

[stevenoble]

The airbrush you chose is an excellent starter airbrush. The top mounted gravity feed cup is great for when you only want to mix small amounts of paint and also the fact that it's gravity fed means it will work with lower PSI/BAR so you won't need as powerful a compressor. The only thing I would say is that usually a 0.5mm tip is preferred for painting model car bodies and this one has a 0.35mm tip. But to start off with it seems like an excellent choice. You can always upgrade later and get a better airbrush to use for bodies and keep this one for painting all the smaller parts, like seats, engines, wheels etc..
The compressor stats read pretty good too. I would agree that the lack of a tank is a minus point (if indeed it has no tank) I would check that first. But the air displacement of 23 litres per minute and the 60 PSI pressure, are all good enough for airbrushing.

[Vric]

Iwata airbrush are among the best you can find. The Neo series although are made in China with lesser quality. I don't know how much better the iwata normal line are, but it might be something to consider.

I Personally have an Iwata HP-CP and loves it. I would suggest looking on ebay for an Iwata CR Revolution, which will run you not much more than the Neo (I have seen some for $90us)

As for the compressor, it should be ok. Enough power for modeling and a regulator. As for the tank suggestion, it's not a must have. Even with a tank, the airflow will go down once you press the trigger. It's normal for all compressor. Just be sure there's a coiled hose before the regulator or something to buffer the air or you might have pulse while spraying. After all, most airbrush compressor by Iwata and badger don't have a tank and are highly recommended. I personally use an Iwata Smartjet and love it more than my old 100psi with tank compressor.

[keveuh]

Thanks again for all the help.

Vric, you talk about a coiled hose, what's the purpose of it ? Can I get this at hobby website ? And where exactly should I pulg this ?

As for the lack of a tank and therefore the airflow not being continuous, and can this affect the use of the airbrush, I mean in practice ?

If I'm not mistaken, the Iwata CR Revolution, wouldn't it be also called HP-CR ? Cause in that case it costs twice as much as the Neo.

[stevenoble]

Originally Posted by keveuh

Thanks again for all the help.

Vric, you talk about a coiled hose, what's the purpose of it ? Can I get this at hobby website ? And where exactly should I pulg this ?

As for the lack of a tank and therefore the airflow not being continuous, and can this affect the use of the airbrush, I mean in practice ?

If I'm not mistaken, the Iwata CR Revolution, wouldn't it be also called HP-CR ? Cause in that case it costs twice as much as the Neo.

The coiled hose replaces a straight hose. Both of them connect to the compressor at the air outlet and then your airbrush goes onto the other end. Rumour has it that a coiled hose will help to smooth the airflow to the airbrush. Sometimes when a compressor has no tank the air will come out with a pulsing effect. The coiled hose aims to eliminate this. Obviously an air tank will store the air and then you have plenty air in reserve so that you get a nice smooth flow of air and no pulsing.
The Iwata HP-C and Revolution CR are two different brushes. The Revolution CR is cheaper than the HP-C..

[keveuh]

Yes I was mixing names, sorry for that. So the Revolution CR is still twice as much expensive as a Neo.

I would buy it at hiroboy, they seem to have the best prices, at least in europe. And there the Neo is at around 50€ and the Revo CR is at 100€.

[stevenoble]

Originally Posted by keveuh

Yes I was mixing names, sorry for that. So the Revolution CR is still twice as much expensive as a Neo.

I would buy it at hiroboy, they seem to have the best prices, at least in europe. And there the Neo is at around 50€ and the Revo CR is at 100€.

I've just bought the Revo CR from Hiroboy and it's a great brush, really easy to use and simple to clean, I'd recommend it 100%. It is slightly more expensive though like you said, so you need to factor that in. I would just say best advice is to get the best one you can afford or you'll probably end up upgrading later anyway. Not to take anything away from the Neo though, it's still a great brush for the price..

[Vric]

Steve answered the questions. The coiled hose help eliminating the air pulse. Not sure if it really work, but it's what Iwata use for their own compressor.

As for the airbrush, I love HiroBoy (really) but his price on iwata product are quite high compared to US or Japan. Look around a bit, you will be able to get a Revolution for $20-$30 more I'm sure and shipping won't be much more. (I see many on ebay for $90 right now)

I got my HP-CP for about $170 a while ago (and it's a $400 airbrush here in Canada)

[keveuh]

Vric, I see your from Quebec, do you happen to speak french ?

Otherwise I thought about the Rev CR too, I've checked on ebay and yes they are cheaper from USA BUT as an european customer I need to think about customer taxes and these can be pretty high, so even if I bought one on ebay for 80€ I might en uo have to pay an extra 50€ of custom taxes and therefore I think I'll stick with hiroboy.


And I had another very important question, I wonder if using Tamiya acrylics/Revell-Humbrol enamels/Zero paints with an airbrush indoors will generate as much toxic fumes as Tamiya lacquers do ? Because the main reasons an airbrush is so interesting for me is that I could shoot paint indoors. Which is very hard to do for me right now with Tamiya lacquers and here in Finland it's already cold and it will just get colder and therefore not the best of option to spray outside.
So is toxic fumes a big issue with airbrush as well ?

Thank you very much !


EDIT: a little update, I have kept searching for compressors and I found this which offers a coiled hose:
http://tuontitukku.fi/tuote/kompress...6419773646195/
The specs seems to be a bit higher than the one I mentioned in my first post but still no tank and it looks a lot like an Iwata Sprint Jet. I'm also thinking about getting the Revo CR instead of the Neo, but I still need some questions answered like the toxicity of the fumes compared to Tamiya spray cans.

[Vric]

your last compressor looks like a copy of the iwata sprintjet with a Paasche regulator. Looks just like it.

As for fume, yes there's still some. Less than TS paint, but still make fumes. If it's a concern, I suggest you to make a DIY spray booth (look on ebay for some idea) I have made one with a plastic storage bins and a bathroom fan. Cost me about $40 to do. Similar to this: http://urightbrothers.blogspot.ca/20...ray-booth.html
That works really great even with harmful paint.

and yes, I'm french speaking

[keveuh]

Well since you're from Quebec you certainly understand my concern, if I make a spraybooth and let the fumes go out from a hose to an opened window, and if it's winter, meaning from -10C to -30C here, wouldn't that make the room very cold to paint in and then mess with the painting.

And I think it's pretty cold in winter in Quebec that's why you can relate to this issue I guess, how do you do yourself ?

et on pourrait parler francais alors

Oh yeah and before I forget you say that compressor looks like a iwata sprintjet with Paasche regulator, that means it looks good right ?

[Vric]

I can open the window just toe width of the fan exhaust. Since the air come out, it's not too bad. Sure at -30C you will be freezing after an hour, but for usual pait job, it's good. And a little chill is always better than having fume stuck in your home for hours.

And yea it's a good thing about the compressor. I don't know if it's better than the other one, but it looks like the Iwata one that cost much more.

Here's my setup:

Iwata SmartJet, Paasche regulator and Iwata HP-CP.. looks a lot like the one on your picture.