Air Brush / Paint brush

[Roger Pellett]

As a direct descendant of the Peanuts comic strip character “Pigpen” I fully understand that the sage advice given above about buying a precision instrument and keeping it squeaky clean is not going to work for some people. I also suspect that many forum members just want to spray an even coat of paint.

Badger does make a very simple paint sprayer. Unlike their air brushes this has a relatively large paint jar that screws directly to the body of the sprayer. Here in the USA, I believe that one sells for about $25.00. Easy to keep clean and for me at least, easier to hold on to with one hand. An air source would be separate.

Roger

 

[Chelseafan]

Folks,
I am seeking your knowledge re: using an air brush against using paint brushes please.
I am about to embark on building Artesania Latinas Sopwith Camel biplane which has some parts that will need painting.
Do I purchase an Air Brush kit to carry out the painting or do I stick to conventional paint brushes. I believe an air brush kit can be bought at a reasonable price on eBay.
But I have never used one before so would need a bit of practice before committing to paint the aircraft parts, plus I would imagine it uses a lot more paint and you would get a lot of wastage therefore I would need to purchase more paint.
Maybe I am wrong.
What are your thoughts please.
Dennis

I was a 50 year plastic modeler before I tried my hand at the wonderful world of ship modeling. I did my share of world war one models, too.
Some of the best work I ever did and saw others do was achieved with a brush, after all, the originals were brush painted.
However, there were times when an airbrush carried the day....when shading faded colors on say a red baron Fokker or simulating the translucency of the under wing linen to reveal the ribs. Not impossible with a brush but much easier with an airbrush.
The greatest builder I ever saw with world War one laughed when I said I'd carved a wooden proper made form wooden layers. He then showed me how to do exactly that effect using brushes on plastic!
I say that because with a little practice on scrap, you can dry brush almost any effect you want. Including pristine wood, aged wood, oil stained linen....well you get the picture.
It's certainly quicker and easier using an airbrush and there are countless tutorials on how to use one for weathering etc on YouTube. They make myriad washes and stains premixed too. It's very easy.
But you don't need one. It can all be done with a regular paint brush with some practice
Good luck!

 

[Jim Fortnam]

The one thing that is seemingly most ignored is paint. If one masters conditioning their own paints and other coatings, they can easily get as good a brushed finish as they can a sprayed one

So true, automobile quality finishes are possible with a good brush, and some knowledge of how to mix and thin the paint. And as someone mentioned, maintain the brushes. I have brushes over40 years old still in good condition.
Buy plenty of thinners, and use it!

J

 

[Chelseafan]

So true, automobile quality finishes are possible with a good brush, and some knowledge of how to mix and thin the paint. And as someone mentioned, maintain the brushes. I have brushes over40 years old still in good condition.
Buy plenty of thinners, and use it!

J

When I used an airbrush I always aimed for paint with the consistency of whole milk. It's a pretty good litmus test.

 

[Orlop]

I started airbrushing properly with a 2nd hand Iwata Neo. It was great for learning the technique and it works very well provided you keep it clean. It's a low pressure brush which is good for basic compressors. It came with a simple one with no tank, but its very quiet. Just a low hum. Other writers are correct, canned air is a waste of time. I tried this when I was a kid before youtube and really struggled! I don't even count that as useful experience! I now have a H&S Evolution, the new release. And I have a basic compressor but with a tank. The Evolution drains that tank quite fast cos its a higher pressure brush. But I love it! It's partly because it works really well and I have 2 nozzle/needle combos for a variety of work. But its also because its so easy to clean, which makes it less hassle, so you want to use it more. I will tend to use it for things I don't strictly need to, and for acrylics, enamels and lacquers. The latter 2 are great btw. I heard some very cheap airbrushes have seals that will get damaged by lacquer thinner but my 2 seem fine, except some chrome came off the outside of the Iwata, but its only cosmetic. Airbrushes are awesome for car bodies but also for colour variation on military models and camo.

Look up the H&S release videos for their new brushes. They are very proud of them and that's what convinced me to try them and I wouldn't go elsewhere now. If you're in the US there may be better value alternatives of course. We're lucky in the UK, there is a company called Everything Airbrush that sell really good bundles and sometimes have special offers.

Having said that, you can do a lot with brushes, especially oils for weathering. I've found a cheap set of oils (about £5 in Hobbycraft UK, with all the colours you'll need) is great for all kinds of filters, rust effects, water and dirt effects, you name it. Look up dot filters, they're really easy, just need some odorless thinner and to keep your brush almost dry when blending.

Anyway, if you're going airbrush, you can get away with a cheap compressor provided it has a tank and a moisture trap. Get a quality brush, try some of the many online tutorials and you'll have fun.

Sorry for the long ramble. I do love a bit of airbrushing!

 

[DerekC62]

If the only part you really need to paint is the engine cowling then I would forego the expense and learning curve of the airbrush and stick to either regular brushes or a rattle can of paint.

 

[Smithy]

A question for all of those who said a brush is all that you need. Do you use any electrically powered tools on your models? Because all you need are simple hand tools and a lot more time. But most of us are tool collectors, aren’t we?

The real question that only Dennis can answer is “do I want another tool to play with?”

Well, do ya?

 

[MisterCA]

Rattle can that cowling and you will not be disappointed. Dollars and Cents decision.

 

[tball4217]

Rattle can that cowling and you will not be disappointed. Dollars and Cents decision.

I dont trust the rattle can.

I dont think I would have trusted the rattle can powered air brush system that testors? used to make.

The nozzle has no quality to it, the quality of output changes with internal pressure change, internal temperature change, and volume of propellant. Ill tell you a story on how i KNOW..

Few years ago, i decided id get back into modelling via plastic air planes. I got myself something special. A Curtis Goshawk kit made in the 1960s. It was a beautiful kit. I had it assembled and needed to paint the fueselage with primer. I used Tamiya grey primer in a rattle can.

Well after reading forums, and Tamiya data sheets, I prepared the can for use. I even primed a few plastic cups to figure out the spray pattern and equalize the can out. Then I painted the fueselage. It went well.

Then I hung it to dry. Thats when the shit happened. for some reason the can had left some areas thin, and some areas THICK. and I actually watched as the thicker areas acted like self leveling concrete and ran down the plane. In the end, I started crying because pretty much all detail was lost. Kit got ruined. And I havent even tried to do anything with it, as I tried sanding a few spots down..

That stuff is harder then the epoxy paint they use to seal cracks in a basement wall

 

[Roger Pellett]

My problem with rattle cans is not knowing when to throw a used one away. When the can is new it works fine but down the road it stops laying an even coat of paint or worse begins to sputter. So, if Dennis does not want to spend the
££ for an air brush set up and the time learning to use it, I suggest that he buy a new rattle can of quality paint. I have had good luck with Tamiya rattle cans until they begin to get old. Don’t use that old can on the shelf used last summer for the garden furniture!

Roger

 

[Dave @W]

The replies above are all great though if you do decide to use rattle can paint, my history with Rustoleum is that it takes too long to dry hence dust spots. Krylon is my usual choice with their Fusion line being the toughest.

As to an air brush - a great tool which can always be used in many endeavors. I even painted an after market small car frame and suspension parts using a siphon feed air brush.