Air brush

Re: Air brush

Donna Banfield

Gary, the air brush you buy will depend on your intended purpose. If you are simply going to lay down color in large swaths, then any airbrush will do that.

If, however, you are looking to lay down colors in small areas, or paint fine details, then you should be looking at name brand brushes - Iwata and Grex are two that a very reliable. They are not cheap, and the entry level brush will set you back close to $100. Then you need the compressor, regulator, paints, cleaning fluid, frisket and a few other accessories that after a brief period, you will come to find as essential.

Below are several links that will give you some helpful information.

www.GrexUSA.com

www.Coastairbrush.com

www.Airbrushingwood.com (Joe Fleming's site)

www.Chicagoairbrush.com

www.airbrushtutor.com

Re: Air brush

John C Lucas

I.started with a worn out Passche. It wasnt bad for just laying down color. Then i bought a mid range Iwata, about $129 if i remember. Also bought their small.compressor. Not bad. Did a fair amont with it. Bought a grex pistol style airbrush from Joe flemming along with a Grex compressor. Way better. The brush was over $200 but worth every penny. Goes from a wide swath down to a.pen il line a d is a.lot more controllable. One thing ive learned in the last year that has made a huge difference is to use quality paint and paint thinner. Ignore the homemade mixes. I switched over to.Golden paints a d only thin with airbrush thinner.

Re: Air brush

Bill Blasic

If you know nothing about airbrushing I would try the Harbor Freight airbrush that sells for $19.99. We used these for three days of hands on with Nick Agar doing the Viking Sunset Bowl and other projects that Nick does. They worked fine then (and still do) and they gave everyone a good idea about airbrushing. I'm currently working on an article about airbrushes including the Grex. For $88 you can get the airbrush and compressor from HF or if you want one of the best you can get the Grex starter kit for $591. All depends on how serious you want to get.

Re: Air brush

John K Jordan

Harbor Freight ... For $88 you can get the airbrush and compressor from HF or if you want one of the best you can get the Grex starter kit for $591. All depends on how serious you want to get.

I'm also interested in learning airbrushing. I've played with several enough to feel the difference so I'm saving up to buy the Grex kit - that airbrush was SO much more controllable for my hand. After just a minute of playing it just felt right. I can't remember ever being sorry I bought a good tool.

JKJ

Re: Air brush

John C Lucas

It would probably depend on which HF air brush. I bought 2 of the cheaper ones and have stripped.the threads on the lids very easily a d the tips.require constant cleaning. The $19 one might be better. I will look at it. Ive been looking for a simple inexpensive unit to recommend.

Single action vs dual action

Dick Coers

Depending on what you plan on doing, I'd suggest a dual action airbrush. You can blend and control paint flow much easier. Especially nice if using masks and templates to do color fades. Work like Bihn Pho did. Single action is basically on and off, used to apply dyes in broader paths. Youtube videos will show you more easily than I can type the differences.

Re: Air brush

Robert Lalonde

Hi Gary.

I have the $20 Harbor Freight airbrush to apply diluted lacquer (50:50) to my work. It works very well especially after I learned how to use it properly. You can apply ten or more very thin coats in a hour or so and end up with a nice finish that buffs out to a smooth luster. Just be aware that lacquer and lacquer thinner will degrade plastic so make sure you add a glass vial if you intend on leaving the lacquer or thinner in it. Otherwise, just make sure it is dry before you put it away.

Bob.

Re: Air brush

Alan Zenreich

We have some very nice Iwata and Paasche airbrushes.

However, during Lauren's demo at the AAW symposium next Friday, she will be showing how to use the Copic airbrush system. It uses marker pens as an ink supply... very cool device. It's not a replacement for a conventional airbrush, but what it does, it does very well, so it's worth looking into when investigating airbrushes. After her rotations, we will have it set up in the Lucid Woodturners booth, so feel free to come by and play with it.

Re: Air brush

Dick Coers

Wouldn't marker pens be an expensive source of ink? Maybe I'm biased because I can rarely find a maker in the shop that isn't dried out.

Re: Air brush

Alan Zenreich

Dick,

Copic pens are alcohol based and have tight fitting caps. They are used by professional illustrators worldwide.

Changing colors in the airbrush, simple means swapping to a different marker. And you can create your own marker colors... a very well thought out system.

It's not for everyone, but worth investigating.

What about the cost?

Dick Coers

I was speculating you couldn't buy any more expensive source of ink. Has to be pretty high per ounce in marker form.

Re: Air brush

John K Jordan

This sounds incredibly convenient, especially to use a variety of colors on a woodturning, little or no cleanup I suspect. I also suspect the cost of the ink would be quite high relative to conventional ink but that might not be important for small work.

JKJ

Speaking of cost...

Clifton C

I have an 18x24 inch pad of newsprint to practice dots, lines, curves, shading etc. I don't mind paying for quality paints but as of now, two dollars an ounce seems to be the going rate for basic black. Is there a better option?

cc

Re: What about the cost?

Alan Zenreich

I don't know the cost... but there should be virtually no waste. No cup to empty/flush/clean.

Re: Speaking of cost...

Peter Hyde

Try food colouring from the local Dollar store.

Re: Speaking of cost...

John K Jordan



Try food colouring from the local Dollar store.

That sounds inexpensive. Is it permanent and lightfast? Bleed with finishes?

JKJ

Re: Speaking of cost...

Clifton C

My thought was an inexpensive "medium" I could practice with. Something I could spray squiggles, straight lines, curves etc. onto newsprint. I wasn't sure where or if viscosity came into play.

Re: Air brush

Joe Fleming

Dyes and paints behave differently from an airbrush. For practicing your airbrush skills, use paint, not dye or ink. You want a material that will lay down on the surface, not soak in and follow the grain.

I also recommend that you buy a good quality paint. The pigments in cheap paint are often not ground as uniformly as a quality paint. This can lead to poor performance, frustration, and excessive cleaning. Golden Hi Flow paints and Grex Private Stock paints are two brands that have consistent quality. I've used Createx paints too.

Joe

Re: Air brush

Steve Worcester

Iwata has a several different lines.

The NEO, pretty cheap, the Revolution, more expensive, and Eclipse series.

As you go up in price, you get better fit and finish, and usually smoother spray and upgraded features like MAC valve, better adjustability and solvent resistance. A good all around nozzle/needle size is a .35 or a .5mm. If you are going to use it as a spray gun, buy a spray gun, you will be happier with the results.

A good, fairly inexpensive paint ("water based" ) is Createx Autoair. Use their thinner too, makes it easier.

If you want to do solvent based, try House Of Kolor with their thinners.

Most paint problems are related to thinning, I usually start at 50% since airbrushes are designed to spray multiple very thin coats.

Checkout Coast Airbrush in California to poke around

http://coastairbrush.com/categories.asp?cat=26