HELP!!! What airbrushes are what?

[rsecho24]

Okay, so I have been holding off on some kits because I have been wanting to buy an airbrush kit to have my paint jobs come out better. After doing some research on the good ol world-wide web, I still have questions.

Internal vs. External mixing... uhm what??? Which is better overall/better for a novice? What is it? Why does it matter? What other items will I need to purchase is a get the internal as opposed to the external and vice versa?

Single action vs. Dual action: Found some stuff on this question, but can't figure out what would be better. Single action seems to be better for first-timers, but seems a little limited on its ease of use for differenct types of spraying. Dual action seems better for finishing touches and better applications, but seems really confusing to use.

To get a compressor or to not get a compressor, that is my final question: They are expensive and there is the alternative which apparently is some sort of cartridges, which I can not seem to locate. If the cartridges are a better way to go, where to I get them? I have searched my local hobby shops, to no avail. Should I just spurge on the compressor and call it a day?

HELP!!!! Anyone willing to give their experiences/knowledge would be greatly appreciated.

[bhop73]

Double Action/Internal Mix, and yes get a compressor right away if you have the money for it, unless you like wasting money, because the air cans are a waste. You'll probably spend the cost of the compressor in 6 months on those cans..

So that's the simple answer. Here's a little more info.

Single action is like a spray can. Push the button = spray without any control over paint flow (other than from your compressor regulator)

Double action works like this: Push the button down and you control how much air is coming out. Push it a little, and a little air, a lot and more air.. the double part is when you pull it back, the paint comes out. You can pull it back some and a little paint will flow (for thin lines), or pull it back all the way if you want a full spray of paint (for wide coverage).

Those cans of air, as I mentioned are a waste of money. If you're really strapped for cash, you can get away with them, but a compressor will pay for itself within a year or less if you plan to build a lot.

As far as what's easier for beginners.. well, that's probably a subjective thing. Some people think beginners should learn the basics of single action first, then when they're ready, move onto a seemingly more complicated double action. I'm not one of those people. In my opinion, there's really no reason to start with the single. In the end, you'd just feel limited once you got used to it and have to spend more money to get a better double action. Double might be confusing at first, but it's easy to figure out once you actually have it in your hand and use it.

Now what to buy? I personally like Iwata gravity feed brushes (the paint cup is on top of the brush). That's what I have and it's a great brush that's served me well for 5+ years and is still going strong. If you want to spend a little less, the Paasche VL is a good choice.

[Gridgirl]

Originally Posted by bhop73

In my opinion, there's really no reason to start with the single. In the end, you'd just feel limited once you got used to it and have to spend more money to get a better double action. Double might be confusing at first, but it's easy to figure out once you actually have it in your hand and use it.

Now what to buy? I personally like Iwata gravity feed brushes (the paint cup is on top of the brush). That's what I have and it's a great brush that's served me well for 5+ years and is still going strong. If you want to spend a little less, the Paasche VL is a good choice.

I learned to paint on a double action airbrush and would agree that when you actually have it in your hand it's easy to figure out how to use it. One caveat that I would add to that is that unless you enjoy stripping paint, test spraying is a good thing. Practice how to use the double action on any sprayable material (I used the stacks of notecards I had from trying to learn student names back when I was teaching). Practice spraying paints of different thickness on scrap sprue or sheet styrene (since plastic absorbs the paint differently than paper). This will help you get a good feel for how thick you want the paint, and how the airbrush will work.

As far as what airbrush to buy, I really like my Badger 100 (which is a gravity feed like the Iwatas mentioned above, but priced similarly to the Paasche). Having recently borrowed an Iwata from a friend, I'd say it's very much a matter of personal preference - the Badger is just more comfortable for me, so I feel more in control. If you can, it might be a good idea to go to a local art supply store and at least hold a couple of different styles and see if you notice any preference.

[SteveK2003]

For the most part what the first two guys wrote was correct, but there are a few errors. Here's my 2 cents.

Double action:
Push the trigger down and the air comes out, pull the trigger back and the paint comes out. Here is a tutorial on how the double-action airbrushes work:
http://www.fichtenfoo.com/02GiantRob...c-abflash.html
You can vary the amount of paint instantly, from a tiny amount to full flow, while you are spraying, which allows for some very neat effects. Airflow is the same way, constantly variable depending on how far you move the trigger.

Single action:
Basically the same as double action, only the volume of paint is fixed while you are spraying. You can adjust it using some sort of dial on the airbrush, but not it's not as seamless as on a double-action. It depends on the design, but sometimes the trigger allows you to adjust the airflow like on a double-action, and some are just 'on/off'. In that case, you adjust the airflow at the supply.

There are many different levels of single-action airbrush, from cheap plastic models with very poor control, to high-quality metal models which are on a par with many double-action airbrushes.

Air supply:
Cans are worthless really, forget them: They are expensive, pressure is not easily or accurately adjusted, and they lose pressure in a painting session. A small 'hobby' compressor is nice because it's small and relatively quiet, but they can be expensive. A bigger 'garage' compressor can be bought at Home Depot of Wal-Mart for $100 or less, and it will work well but they can be pretty big and VERY loud. You could buy an 5-10 gallon air tank at Home Depot and use the larger compressor or a gas station tire pump to fill it, and use that like a big air can. Most of the bigger compressors have an air tank on them, but it's usually only a couple of gallons.

Whichever air supply you get (Big compressor, small compressor, or air tank), get yourself a regulator and gauge from a hobby airbrush company: These have much finer pressure scales than the ones from the hardware store (Mine is from Paasche). It's a lot easier to dial in 17 psi on a gauge that goes from 0 to 60psi than on a gauge that goes from 0 to 150 or 200psi. Also get a water trap, as compressing air can 'wring' the water out of the air and if it flows through the lines it can affect your paint job.

Using an airbrush is all about just using it as much as possible and getting used to using it. You will soon get used to how much paint to spray, how to mix the paint, how to clean the airbrush after to use it, etc. Double-action airbrushes aren't really that hard to use, but you don't really NEED one: I know lots of long-time modelers that use single-action airbrushes and swear by them (The Paasche H especially, which has been around for DECADES). Once you adjust the air and paint flow, you don't have to change it much. With some maneuvering and hand-work you can emulate most tricks that you can do with a single-action.

Buy Robert Downie's book How To Use an Airbrush, it's helps explain a lot.

[cyberkid]

Like everyone else has said, don't bother with the gas cans. One other thing about them that hasn't been mentioned is that they tend to run out of gas at the most cruicial moment, ie: doing the last wet coat of your car body, resulting in spluttering, or an uneven coat to say the least. So, if you have the money just get a compressor.
I started out with a Tamiya single action HG gravity feed AB, it was pretty good, but honestly, I bought Tamiya's double action HG gravity feed within a few months. The single action made me feel extremely limited in what I could do, while the double action gave me the hardware to pretty much do what I wanted to.
The difference between double and single action ab's is: location of paint flow control. Single Action: a knob at the end of the counter wieght.(Very back of the AB) This makes it hard to adjust paint flow in the middle of spraying. Double Action: Same trigger you press to spray air.
Which-ever you decide to get, you'll need some time to get used to.

HTH,
Steve

[rsecho24]

Thank you soo much everyone for all of your advice and tips. From the sounds of it, I should just get myself into a double-action, internal mix, gravity fed (thats one that I didn't even think about) with the compressor. Again, thank you soo much for the advice, I do greatly appreciate it. For those of you that already have one, you can understand that this is a pretty significant purchase!

[MPWR]

Right in one- dual action, gravity feed (all dual actions are internal mix- only lower end single actions are external mix).

Passche, Badger, and Iwata all make great airbrushes. I've used Badger and Iwata gravity feeds, and can't say one is better than the other- but I do find the Badger is easier to clean.

A place I've had good experiences buying from is Dixie Art.