Buying air brush

DMS General
1

Any recommendations on buying an Airbush and compressor?

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What’s the application? Small stuff? I was looking to buy one (didn’t) but read good things about various Paasche double-action airbrushes.

3

painting model homes, like model train size

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Paasche airbrushes would work well for that.

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It is worth checking to see whether the weekly discount coupons at arts and crafts stores apply to the brush or compressor…

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I tried several airbrushes when I was building scale models in the '80s/'90s. I had a Badger 350, “graduated” to a Badger 150, but it was always finicky. Or I’m just ham-fisted (guilty). I tried a Paasche VL and never looked back. It handles scale model work without difficulty, and lots of t-shirt artists use them too. Aside: There used to be a weird double-action airbrush made by Aztek that Testors sold under the Model-Master brand - I never liked it. My dad was a model-builder too and he got one, hated it, and tried to pawn it off on me.

Check the California Air Tools brand of compressors - their “thing” is they’re quieter and/or lighter than other brands.

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you seem to have made 2 or 3 different recommendations in this post, I need to just paint model homes, basically the snow globes, look in
show and tell OCT

What kind of paint should I use?

I need a good quality quiet compressor and I need to find good air brush and hoses, etc.

What do you think of these?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BMUH8L6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A23ADOZFIJNPFB&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082P6RMGL/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

what kind of airbrush should I buy Iwata? What paints for snow globes?

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@mreynolds @John_Marlow @HankCowdog

All Y’all work on miniatures, DD figures, dioramas, etc. In my mind regarding paint, it must be something that that will adhere well to the type plastic being used and have high resistivity to being submerged in water,

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9

I paint mostly with acrylic, by brush. However I do prime with an airbrush because it helps me keep all the tiny details. Typically, I go for Reapers MSP, Army Painter and Citadel paints.

Primer however, i use Vallejo Primer which is a blend of acrylic and polyurethane. I’ve used it on all brands of mini’s, as well as Resin, ABS, PETg and PLA 3D Prints.

Its pretty good stuff. There are other brands which are similar, and they’re good too though I have a big bottle of Vallejo so i’ll be with them a while.

Also yes, thats a good compressor. Take look at the Iwata Neo. Its not directly made by Iwata so its not as high quality, but its cheap and so long as you keep it clean and maintained, it’ll paint just dandy.

Hope that helps?

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If all you want to do is airbrush, that compressor will work. I’m not a fan (heh) of store bought spray booths but that one doesn’t look bad. All you need to make one is a squirrel cage fan (or an explosion proof fan) and a box. Lots of plans online, and DMS has lots of cool tools.

I never used an Iwata airbrush so I can’t advise there.

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I doubt that acrylic paints (e.g. Reaper, Army Painter, P3, Vallejo), being water based, would stand up to complete submersion with agitation like one would see inside a snow globe. If they were WELL cured, maybe, but I’d have reservations.

An enamel paint like Testors would likely hold up much better. I don’t know much about airbrushes, however, so I don’t know the suitability of enamels in an airbrush, even if thinned.

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Josh, I used a diaphragm pump in the past with good results. However my compressor I got for free.

This appears to pretty decent & pretty quiet

https://www.amazon.com/Paasche-D3000R-Compressor-Regulator-Moisture/dp/B001CJPWYM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=aguru-compressor-20&linkId=21cd796ed4837be1f5b913d090f02fd4&language=en_US

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Enamels airbrush ok if you thin them appropriately (and strain out the chunks). Acrylics are nicer to work with because cleanup usually only requires water-based solutions. Get your airbrush gunked up with Testor enamel and you’re spraying solvents to clean it (hence the need for an explosion-proof spray booth motor/fan).

Getting enamels mixed well enough for airbrushing can be a challenge. I liberated a laboratory vortex mixer from a junk pile at an old job and fixed a shorted wire. With a BB in the paint bottle it mixes model paint very well. Here’s something similar: INTLLAB Lab Vortex Mixer, Touch Function Lab Vortexer, Tattoo Ink, Gel Polish, Eyelash Adhesives, Acylic Paints, Test Tubes and Centrifuge Tubes: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

Edit: Martha Stewart has a snow globe “how to” article, and she’s using enamel paints on her miniatures: Our DIY Snow Globe Will Complete Your Holiday Décor

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