Learning how to Airbrush..Got a quick question ;)

[Jinxed]

Wal-Mart has a $39.99 Airbrush kit, I didn't look too much into it because I wasn't interested at the time. I am not sure what kinda it is, but really don't care. I wan't to use it as a learner and around X-mas buy a more expensive/better one. Would this $39.99 be good for learning? I mean, I don't to buy this cheap one and have it break or not work very good. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

[djmr2]

i've seen the kit
it's probably the dual action airbrush one.

the airbrush is crap but i mean the kit is cheap, and it includes all the paints and stuff right?

it's pretty straight forward, push down and u shoot air, pull back and the paint comes out..

try it out and see if u like it or not, ibought it and tried it out and i didn't like it. but then i went out and bought a comparessor and a dual action iwata airbrush and am loving it since

using the cheap stuff sometimes makes u not like it at all..
but go ahead and try it out

[Jinxed]

Thank you for the responce, I am just looking for a decent Airbrush so I can paint my bodies til X-mas when I can afford a better one. $39.99 sounds pretty good for me for the time being. When I can afford a much better one I will get more serious with my work which will demand a better airbrush. I think what I am getting at here is..Will this airbrush work for the time being? If I adjust to using it, will it suffice for the time being?

[daggerlee]

For car modelling any old airbrush should work fine, so for $40 I think you can get a much better deal at www.dixieart.com

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

Cheap airbrushes may or may not work well. It's a roll of the dice. I own six airbrushes, and the cheapies never come near the quality of the good ones.

The best workhorse airbrush that can do practically everything is the Badger 175 Crescendo. It can cost as little as $70 from internet sites, so spending $40 on a cheapie isn't necessarily doing you much good. You'll also want to get some sort of compressor, there is a good one I've heard of at Wal Mart for about $100 that's supposedly very quiet and has an air tank too.

Another good airbrush is the Paasche VL. Both it and the Crescendo are dual-action, internal mix. These give you the most control. If you learn on this type of airbrush, and take care of it, it'll last you a lifetime.

Unless you're really dying to learn airbrushing (it's really pretty straightforward) I'd save up for a good airbrush and compressor, and use Tamiya sprays in the meantime.

When you get an airbrush, you may enjoy reading a book I wrote on the subject. It's called "How to use an Airbrush" and it will give you gobs of information and how-to's that you can use to learn/master your airbrush. The book was written specifically for model makers, from beginners through seasoned experts.

Good luck!

[Jay!]

Originally posted by ZoomZoomMX-5
When you get an airbrush, you may enjoy reading a book I wrote on the subject. It's called "How to use an Airbrush" and it will give you gobs of information and how-to's that you can use to learn/master your airbrush. The book was written specifically for model makers, from beginners through seasoned experts.

Ha, ha! Shameless plug!

[935k3]

Originally posted by ZoomZoomMX-5
Cheap airbrushes may or may not work well. It's a roll of the dice. I own six airbrushes, and the cheapies never come near the quality of the good ones.

The best workhorse airbrush that can do practically everything is the Badger 175 Crescendo. It can cost as little as $70 from internet sites, so spending $40 on a cheapie isn't necessarily doing you much good. You'll also want to get some sort of compressor, there is a good one I've heard of at Wal Mart for about $100 that's supposedly very quiet and has an air tank too.

Another good airbrush is the Paasche VL. Both it and the Crescendo are dual-action, internal mix. These give you the most control. If you learn on this type of airbrush, and take care of it, it'll last you a lifetime.

Unless you're really dying to learn airbrushing (it's really pretty straightforward) I'd save up for a good airbrush and compressor, and use Tamiya sprays in the meantime.

When you get an airbrush, you may enjoy reading a book I wrote on the subject. It's called "How to use an Airbrush" and it will give you gobs of information and how-to's that you can use to learn/master your airbrush. The book was written specifically for model makers, from beginners through seasoned experts.

Good luck!

I am with you Bob the Crescendo is the best all around workhorse airbrush. I also have the Paasche VL, VLST-PRO and H models but I hardly use them. If you have Wal-Mart nearby they havea nice Campfield Hause(I think that's the name)with a 2 gallon air tank and also it is quieter than my Paasche compressor for $99.00.

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

Ha, ha! Shameless plug!

But of course

If you have Wal-Mart nearby they havea nice Campfield Hause(I think that's the name)with a 2 gallon air tank and also it is quieter than my Paasche compressor for $99.00.

That's the one I was talking about-it's a Campbell-Hausfeld. Lots of people are very happy w/them.

[935k3]

Originally posted by ZoomZoomMX-5


That's the one I was talking about-it's a Campbell-Hausfeld. Lots of people are very happy w/them.

I sure got that name goofed up. My brother in law has one and I was amazed at how quiet it runs for that type of compressor. It comes with a regulator and gauges.

[Jinxed]

Thank you guys for such detailed instructions! I know now what I am gonna buy next. I wen't and looked at the kit at Wal-Mart tonight when I got off of work, and its made by testors..it comes with everything, I am gonna buy it just to get the feel for airbrushes. X-mas I will purchase the better one

[hirofkd]

Car modeling doesn't require delicate hair line type application of paint, so almost any airbrush should work.
And you still need to know the basics such as the relationship between the paint mixing ratio, distance to the object and strength of air, and that applies to more expensive airbrush anyway, so I think $40 airbrush should just work alright.
However, X-mas is only a few months away, so I would recommend to use spray can for the current project, then buy more expensive double action in x-mas. It would probably last longer, and it's got more solid feeling compared to a cheap airbrush with a lot of plastic parts.