foamboardflyer
Active member
?Link, Bitte?
Help! Affordable airbrush
- Thread starter foamboardflyer
- Start date
PsyBorg
Wake up! Time to fly!
Link, Bitte?
Have not posted anything as of yet. I been lazy and have not taken the pictures from my phone yet.
EDIT: here is what it sits at today. I decided to use up the paint I had mixed. I thought.. hrmm trainer craft.. (AKA kiddie plane
) Should look like a kid made it so I brushed the remaining paint on intentionally leaving dark and light splotches to look more like a child finger painted it rather then airbrushed it.But the nose is all airbrush in the actual mixed color. It did darken when I applied more with the brushes but I had not mixed a lot of it. I didnt feel like trying to color match on something I will probably kill first toss in the air
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Tc Concepts
Member
If I was painting 1 to 5 ft wingspan planes I wouldn't use an airbrush, I would be using a regular paint gun or a spray paint can. (((Use the Rostellum 2X spray paint to paint foam board))) The 2x is a Low VOC paint... Meaning it has much lower solvents then the normal and to much solvents will attack the foamboard and delaminate the paper.
As far as paint to use in an airbrush. This is my personal preference. I do not use acrylic water based paint. Creatix / Wicked colors, claims that their airbrush paint is KING. Complete BS!!!! Most serious Airbrush artist use Solvent based paints. The way it flows through the airbrush is 10 times smoother and more consistent then Water Based paint. Solvent Based paint hardly ever clogs the airbrush and you can get super repetitive results over and over. With that said. You can use Spray paint out of the Spray paint can in an airbrush with amazing results.
Oils are also a great option for the airbrush, as they are solvent based. The down side!!!!! They take forever to dry.
Hope this answers some of your questions
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Tc Concepts
Member
Great choice. I start my students out on this gun. It is easy to use rebuild and maintain.
foamboardflyer
Active member
So if I do any airbrushing on medium to large aircraft it should be mostly painted with rattle canes and then weathering and detailing should be done with a airbrush?
Baron VonHelton
Elite member
foamboardflyer
Active member
I’m sorry, I didn’t know what “bitte” meant, but I looked it up and now I know, (that it is German for please)The link to "airbrush asylums".......
skymaster
Elite member
So everyone has a air brush, but what is the best or decent paint to use. can u use the paint they sell at the dollar store or the one from wallmart or do i need a special airbrush paint. I looked at some you tube vids and some one suggested to use windex to thin out the paint is this correct and what type of paint are u guys using?
foamboardflyer
Active member
Very good question.
foamboardflyer
Active member
I found this for connecting your airbrush to a construction compressor.Have not posted anything as of yet. I been lazy and have not taken the pictures from my phone yet.
EDIT: here is what it sits at today. I decided to use up the paint I had mixed. I thought.. hrmm trainer craft.. (AKA kiddie plane
But the nose is all airbrush in the actual mixed color. It did darken when I applied more with the brushes but I had not mixed a lot of it. I didnt feel like trying to color match on something I will probably kill first toss in the air
View attachment 211274
PsyBorg
Wake up! Time to fly!
For foamboard the water based craft paints at Walmart are fine. You can get a 12 pack of two ounce bottles for like $10. That's what I am currently using. I thin them using reducer as that helps with applying it more dry they when thinned with water so the paper doesn't lift or bubble. Then just clean the airbrush really good with warm water an eye dropper and some paper napkins.
The trick is learning to mix where its not too thin the colors get weak or too thick where you need high pressure to apply it. the windex trick is ok for like plastics n such Would not recommend it for paper on foamboard as it may immediately separate the glue bond. Also to get really good application I prime every thing (inmost cases as I am testing methods atm) so there is less chance of flaking or if you use tapes for patterning or pinstriping so it will stick. I use the Krylon rust colored sanding primer after sealing all exposed foam edges with white gorilla wood glue to prevent peeling and moisture wicking into the paper over time.
PsyBorg
Wake up! Time to fly!
synjin
Elite member
I like Badger airbrushes, and the Patriot is my favorite. I've used it for RC plane and wargame figures. They run about $80. I bought a compressor with a tank a long time ago and I rarely use it. Most of the time I use a compressor similar to this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006ACCPQ4/?tag=lstir-20
Depends on how much you want to invest.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006ACCPQ4/?tag=lstir-20
Depends on how much you want to invest.
leaded50
Legendary member
my beloved airbrush compressor! This was from a "dentist chair" that ive used for painting (also pro) in 35y+ without any problems! Its even pretty quiet. Yes, new it was more expencive than any compressor for painting, but quality is also a lot better! On all this years ive changed one valve, and airfilters now and then, thats it! This is of course coupled to aircontroller and moisture filter. Even quite small, easy to take with you .
Attachments
Tc Concepts
Member
Back when I had no money for an air compressor for a Paasche airbrush that was a Christmas gift.
Old refrigerator compressor works extremely well
Matthewdupreez
Legendary member
I've got an "airless" paint gun, that I'm planning on using to paint my planes.
It was used for painting our walls and is basically a giant airbrush
It was used for painting our walls and is basically a giant airbrush
Bricks
Legendary member
Just an FYI air less sprayers use pressure in the cup to force paint out an air brush aka spray gun uses vacuum to pull paint out. There are some bigger pressurized air guns of which I own one of those to. Pressurized paint guns are designed to handle very viscous paints ( heavy ). This is the reason getting the paint- thinner mixture correct is so important in air spray guns.
foamboardflyer
Active member
My father has a painting company and he has several airless sprayers and a cup gun I wouldn’t bother with ether. the airless just puts on too much and too thick of a paint job, I asked my dad if it would work and he said maybe with a fine tip and fine paint but you would still have to be very carful not to put on too much paint, the cup gun is pretty much just a glorified airbrush but you don’t have any control over the flow of the paint and you would only be able to paint the main color with a cup gun. You could just use rattle canes for that. Unless you can’t get spray paint in the exact color or it’s cheaper to get paint for the cup gun. Also the difference between a airless and a cup gun is the verity of paints you can use with a cup gun is much more than what you can use with a airless.
Tench745
Master member
I have used the cheap craft-store/dollar store acrylic paints. They work. That's about all I can say for them.
Actual airbrush paints are usually pre-thinned so you can just dump them in the cup and spray them. Airbrush paints also usually have much better pigment density, so they cover better in fewer coats.
You can thin acrylic paints with water and/or denatured alcohol (isopropyl alcohol works too) If you thin with water the paint takes longer to dry than using alcohol. If you use a thinner like alcohol the paint can dry too fast, sometimes even before it reaches the surface of the model, so you need to tailor your thinner to the paint and application. You're trying to thin to the consistency of milk and use whatever thinners will let you spray a coat that sprays nicely, flows out evenly but doesn't run.
Actual airbrush paints are usually pre-thinned so you can just dump them in the cup and spray them. Airbrush paints also usually have much better pigment density, so they cover better in fewer coats.
You can thin acrylic paints with water and/or denatured alcohol (isopropyl alcohol works too) If you thin with water the paint takes longer to dry than using alcohol. If you use a thinner like alcohol the paint can dry too fast, sometimes even before it reaches the surface of the model, so you need to tailor your thinner to the paint and application. You're trying to thin to the consistency of milk and use whatever thinners will let you spray a coat that sprays nicely, flows out evenly but doesn't run.
Bricks
Legendary member
^^^^ Dead nuts on but you can thin using some water and Isopropyl to help with the drying and water to help the paint flow.
