Air brushes

Re: Air brushes

John lucas

I have had the Iwata eclipse for about 5 years. I liked it and did a lot of work with it. I have now upgraded to a Grex with their compressor. I do like it better but it's kind of like switching from a HSS bowl gouge to a Thompson. Both do the job, one just works a little better.

I started with a badger it it was used and may have needed a tune up to do quality work. I was too new to even know that. Now you can go on YouTube and learn how to improve the performance of a cheap.brush. I would go.with the Iwata. That's what Binh Pho recommended and why I bought one.

Re: Air brushes

Donna Banfield

I have 3 brushes. The Iwata, purchased from Binh Pho, the Grex TG3, purchased from the late David Nittmann, (and now sold by Joe Fleming www.airbrushingwood.com) and a Master (cheap).

Of the three, I use the Grex the most. It has a 'gun trigger' that makes operation easier and more controllable. I could never get used to the top of the finger control that dominated most airbrushes. Since Grex started a line of brushes with the 'gun trigger' mechanism, I'm seeing a lot more manufacturers creating a line of brushes with this, including Iwata.

Re: Air brushes

Damon McLaughlin

Thank you John and Donna. I had not considered the Grex but it looks like a great brush. Joe Flemming and I have been in contact with each other and he's provided some very helpful information on the Grex.

Re: Air brushes

John Jordan

You can get a decent siphon brush for cheap at harbor freight. They are good for spraying something like clear lacquer with a fairly large pattern, and nothing to clean but the jar. I use one a fair amount, and apply my graphite finishes with it. I would never do that with a dual-action or high $$$ airbrush.

I have several good dual-action airbrushes that I use on motorcycle stuff, but I don't have enough experience to pick one. John has the experience with use on wood. I like the look of the GREX that Joe sells.

Re: Air brushes

John K Jordan

I tried both the Grex trigger and top-button air brushes in Jow Flemming's booth at a symposium. When I can save up the money I plan to buy the trigger model. I immediately found it easier to control.

Re: Air brushes

john lucas

I have 2 of the HF air brushes and they work great for just applying larger areas of dye or finish. I purchased one specifically to spray on masking film because if I ruin it I'm only out a few dollars. They are also great for blowing the Irridescent paints around when all you need is air.

Re: Air brushes Needles

Don Evans

When this subject is discussed no one mentions spraying patterns. This is something I did not know when I was first in the market looking at brushes. I just though the brushes were all the same except some were better built for some reason unknown to me.

So just FYi the needles that come with what you purchase (the needle siize) will determine the pattern that the brush will spray.

The finest one I have purchased is .2mm and they go up in size from there.

My original purchase was a Paasche VL brush and I can not remember (they are out in the shop) but I think it has a .5mm smallest, it came with 2 more courser needles.

The smaller the number the finer it will spray, this of course is related to how good you can get with the trigger.

You will just have to go through the learning curve but don't get discouraged if you cannot get the fine detail you want if the smallest needle it comes with is .5 or .7mm

Other things involved is distance from object and front of the brush but the amount of paint coming out related to the amount of the trigger pull is also involved.

Single and double action - both mine are double action, this means the amount of air and the amount of paint coming out is controlled by the trigger. Pressing down on the trigger determines the air, pulling back on the trigger determines the amount of paint.

Purchasing a book to learn, there are several fairly new things to airbrushes so try to find a book that is from the previous 5 years or so. I cannot recommend one. I wish I have the shop time to get really good with min. I may get good enough some day that I will post something I've done but not there yet.

Don

Re: Airbrush books

Joe Fleming

Two books I have found very good:

All About Techniques in Airbrush (All About Techniques Series)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764155091/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Airbrush: The Complete Studio Handbook

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0823001695/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Re: Air brushes

Damon McLaughlin

Thanks for your feedback John (times 3). I just made a major purchase for my small shop and have decided to hold off on the airbrush for the time being. Everyone's input has been very helpful and will be remembered when its time to finally buy an airbrush.