Airbrushing Beginner

[John J.]

Hey fellow tacklemakers, I have a question for those experienced with airbrushes.

I am thinking about investing in an airbrush to paint my lures that I make, but I'm stumped on something. I am thinking about getting the paasche airbrush kit from barlowstackle.com

http://www.barlowstackle.com/Paasche-Airbrush-Kit-P1013C134.aspx

and I have a problem with understanding something. The kit comes with the 1oz and 3oz can with the airbrush adapter, does this mean I have to buy separate bottles of vinyl lure paint and pour them into the jars provided, and if I want more colors I have to buy more jars with the adapter AND the paint separately?

Or are 1oz and 3oz bottles of paint available WITH the airbrush adapter? and where?

and another thing, is it better to use the paasche airbush with the propellant can or with a compressor? And can any compressor (we have a pancake compressor; this exact model: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000N5UHK0/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00004U0SW&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=19X8KX7J71HT31VZ368Y) work with it?

And when switching paints how do you guys clean out the hose and spray adapter from the old paint so that the two colors; the old paint in the gun and hose with the new color, don't mix?

Thanks! Sorry that these are noobish questions :-/

[Fishwhittler]

If you can afford it, by all means get a compressor. The can of propellant won't last long, and you will eventually spend more purchasing propellant cans than you would if you get a compressor now.

Here's an inexpensive airbrush/compressor combo that includes everything except paint. I have the same setup, and it works very well. I think the airbrush in this kit would also be easier and simpler to use than the Paasche brush.

I don't have any experience using vinyl paint, but I would recommend using Createx paint instead. Createx is water-based, so you don't have to use any special solvents to clean your brush. Plus it's non-toxic, so you can paint just about anywhere without worrying about paint fumes. You can get Createx paint from Chicago Airbrush Supply or Jann's Netcraft.

Another nice thing about Createx is it's much cheaper than the vinyl paint.

Hope this helps.

Ben

[John J.]

If you can afford it, by all means get a compressor. The can of propellant won't last long, and you will eventually spend more purchasing propellant cans than you would if you get a compressor now.

Here's an inexpensive airbrush/compressor combo that includes everything except paint. I have the same setup, and it works very well. I think the airbrush in this kit would also be easier and simpler to use than the Paasche brush.

I don't have any experience using vinyl paint, but I would recommend using Createx paint instead. Createx is water-based, so you don't have to use any special solvents to clean your brush. Plus it's non-toxic, so you can paint just about anywhere without worrying about paint fumes. You can get Createx paint from Chicago Airbrush Supply or Jann's Netcraft.

Another nice thing about Createx is it's much cheaper than the vinyl paint.

Hope this helps.

Ben

For one thanks for the reply and two, a big thanks for the info! 72 bucks for both the airbrush and the compressor is a great deal!

So with the paint bottles you just attach the head of the bottle to the feeder at the top of the airbrush?

[Fishwhittler]

The paint bottles do not attach to the brush; you pour paint into the bowl on top of the brush and spray.

[John J.]

oh ok, thanks! Yeah I'm new at this  ;D :-[

[.dsaavedra.]

the compressor you currently have will be perfect for airbrushing. it has a mid sized storage tank for compressed air (so the motor isn't constantly running like it would be if you bought an airbrush specific compressor).

like Ben said, you pour the paint (which just comes in a plastic flip top bottle) into either one those two glass jars (the 1oz jar is the one attached to the airbrush in the picture on the box, the 3oz one is the bigger non-cylindrical one) or the metal paint cup. all three of this fit into the bottom of that paasche airbrush. you don't need to keep buying these jars (unless you want to), you can just clean them out and use new colors.

the paasche airbrush you linked to is single action meaning when you operate it, you can only push the trigger (on top of the brush) down, and this releases a steady stream of air at whatever psi you have your compressor set to. to adjust paint flow, you turn that little cone that is located under the tip of the brush (kind of at a 45° angle) to allow more or less paint to flow through and mix with your air. when the air shoots through the brush, it passes across the tube leading into your paint cup/jar, and by means of the Venturi effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venturi_effect), paint is sucked up the tube and mixes with the air, forming the "atomized" spray which evenly coats your lure.

that said...

it would be of your best interest to look for an inexpensive dual action gravity fed airbrush to start with. a dual action brush has a trigger that allows you to press down to allow air flow, and then you can gradually pull the trigger back to allow more paint to flow through. if you just push the trigger down, only air comes out of the brush, if you pull the trigger all the way back, a lot of paint sprays out. this dual action is better for two reasons 1.) it allows you to control paint flow on the fly more easily and 2.) it allows you greater control of detail with the brush.

gravity fed means that the paint cup is fixed (though sometimes they are removable) on top of the brush, like the one Ben linked you to. this has a few advantages as well. 1.) you can shoot very small amounts of paint, like one or two drops at a time, and minimize wasted paint, 2.) it is easier to clean because there isn't a little tube that transfers the paint to the airstream (on a gravity fed brush you need to clean the inside of this tube or your colors will mix or it gets clogged).

like Ben said, you should probably start with Createx or any other water based airbrush-specific paint (Smith Wildlife Colors, Poly Transpar, Auto Airs are a few others). its just simple water cleanup and there are no hazardous solvents and fumes to worry about.

And when switching paints how do you guys clean out the hose and spray adapter from the old paint so that the two colors; the old paint in the gun and hose with the new color, don't mix?

paint never gets in the hose, that only transfers air from your compressor to your brush. to clean out the paint cup and the tube that transfers paint to the brush, use water in a little squirt bottle and a small gentle brush. they sell airbrush cleaning brushes.

thats about all i can think of at the moment. hope i didn't bore you or tl;dr. airbrushes are simple machines once you understand them.

[John J.]

Nope you didn't bore me. No matter the length of a post, information always helps 

So the one fishwhittler suggested is good?

[.dsaavedra.]

i've never used it so i couldn't really say.

but since you already have a better air compressor than the one that comes with that set, you'd probably be better off spending ~70 bucks on just the airbrush.

the Iwata Revolution BR is a very good airbrush that can be found for about 72 bucks 

[Fishwhittler]

I didn't realize you already had a compressor.  In that case, all you need is an airbrush, air hose, and possibly an adapter for attaching the air hose to the compressor.  I don't know if you'll need an adapter or not, as the only compressor I've used is the one in the kit.

I use a Master G22, which is the airbrush in the kit.  I've had mine since the middle of last year, and I really like it.