Author Topic: Airbrush and compressor recommendations  (Read 3341 times)

Offline Ifor

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Airbrush and compressor recommendations
« on: January 27, 2015, 03:32:00 AM »
Could anyone recommend a medium priced airbrush and compressor. I'm not an accomplished modeller by any stretch of the imagine, so I don't want to spend hundreds of pounds. Any advice gratefully appreciated.

Offline Kerick

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Re: Airbrush and compressor recommendations
« Reply #1 on: January 27, 2015, 07:45:12 AM »
This is a topic that will get you many opinions. Everyone has a favorite. Here is a link to another site with a thread you may find useful.
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,26860.0.html
In stead of a compressor you could try a tank and a regulator and just fill the tank at a shop compressor somewhere. This is OK if you don't use it a lot. If you plan to use it frequently a compressor purchase might be better. I do recommend a regulator and moisture trap. You need to have good control of the pressure and no water in the lines. Do you use enamels or acrylics?

Offline Frank3k

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Re: Airbrush and compressor recommendations
« Reply #2 on: January 27, 2015, 09:32:58 AM »
I've used both compressors and CO2 tanks. The CO2 tank is cheap to refill and lasts a fairly long time. The CO2 is dry, so no issues with moisture. The disadvantage - and the main reason I don't use a tank anymore - is that it's an annoyance for me to get it refilled.

Instead, I got a cheap Chinese made compressor that is very quiet, like this one:

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-6-hp-40-psi-oilless-airbrush-compressor-93657.html

It comes with a water trap. An air  tank would be handy, but I use a long hose instead and that dampens out most of the pulsations from the compressor. The paint comes out in a steady stream.
I've had the compressor for a few years and the only issue has been that the nut that connects the piston to the drive shaft came loose. It took about 10 minutes to tear down, screw the nut back on and reassemble.

Offline Old Wombat

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Re: Airbrush and compressor recommendations
« Reply #3 on: January 27, 2015, 03:05:43 PM »
I'm not a great modeller & have only just got into airbrushing but I bought a compressor similar to Frank's with a tank for about $100 more, plus I bought an Iwata Neo (3.5mm???) double-action & a Badger (???) single-action airbrush.

Haven't used the Badger, yet, because it has a smaller fitting, so I need to buy a 1/4-to-1/8 adaptor (I think ... It may be 1/8-to-3/16)

So far I'm impressed with the Iwata - but I need some practice!

Iwata & Badger are both well respected brands & have a wide range of airbrushes over a fair price range.

Many good airbrush artists (including modellers) use really fine nozzles (1.5mm, etc) but the brushes tend to get expensive when you get into that range ($1500+).

I'd suggest that the compressor, at this stage, is the most important buy. It needs to be oil-less, have a pressure regulator & a moisture trap &, preferably, a tank. THIS is the one I bought.
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Offline Ifor

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Re: Airbrush and compressor recommendations
« Reply #4 on: January 27, 2015, 09:26:24 PM »
Thank for the replies, much appreciated.

Offline Frank3k

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Re: Airbrush and compressor recommendations
« Reply #5 on: January 27, 2015, 11:38:20 PM »
The advantage of a tank, besides smoothing out the airflow completely, is that it allows intermittent operation of the compressor.  It turns on to fill up the tank, then shuts off until the pressure drops below a set point, then turns on to fill it up again. It's great if you have a noisy compressor. Minor disadvantage is that you may have an extra water trap to empty (some tanks have a valve on the bottom to let out accumulated water) and it's easy to forget to empty it.