new to Airbrushing advice needed

mandalorian01

Active Hunter
I have been a member on the boards for sometime and i have a couple of projects that ive been working on for quite sometime including a ANH stormtrooper and a ROTJ Fett. it has come time for me to paint the helmet but i have never air brushed before and im not sure how to go about it? i have looked a a few air brush kits at hobby lobby but i dont know what is a good brand and what isnt. My question is what is a good setup to learn how to airbrush? my helmet is a annimefan CC and its been prepped for a while but i am for lack of a better term "scared" to dive in head first on the whole air brush thing. any advice on which gun to buy/ compressors v.s. compressed air cans, would be appreciated. thanks!
 
I started learning to airbrush with an iwata hp cs and a sprint jet compressor. It's all personal preference, I wanted something that was gravity fed and also good quality.
 
go with air compressor stay away from cans. you only get limited time of air to use. where with a compressor you can paint for hours and not run out of air coz you will need to practice a good bit before you want to tackle a fett helmet.
 
I started on a tamiya hobbie airbrush kit, it's a diaphragm compressor with a trigger style airbrush (gravity feed). That I now use as a portable or weathering brush. It's also perfect for covering larger areas.
i also have a iwata gravity feed which is great, a cheap generic one which is okay (can't remember name) and then a fine detailing brush that is just awesome but cost me the earth.
i would suggest getting a mid range to cheap, if your nervousness about it. But if you feel you may like it and get lots more use aim a bit higher iwata have a great range for all levels. You will also get a finer spray than you would from a tamiya, the trade of with tamiya is they are great to learn on as they are easier to use and clean up is a breeze.
if you walk the compressor route, which is less hassle than buying compressed air all the time, start with a single action. You could even use a shop compress, just keep the regulator on low e.g start around 10 psi and work your way up till you understand how air pressure changes how the air gun and paint react.
 
ok. thanks for the input. is this what you guys where talking about?
IWA4207-EclipseHP-CSw1200_zpsq0e3cv0w.jpg




now whats the process in choosing a compressor?
 
Greetings! I am in exactly the same boat and rowing to catch up! I just ordered a FettPride RotJ FPH2 and have decided to try airbrushing it when it gets here. I too am scared to death that I might ruin it. As it won't be here until October I intend to practice in the meantime. Here's the kit I have asked for for my approaching birthday...Iwata-Medea Deluxe Airbrush Set
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000R04R2A/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_4T0Ivb1X8F1JH
image.jpg
 
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-ThezeroEffect. - thanks for the article it was a good read,

-catbread- the link to that site is very helpful. is that where you order your equipment from? i will mostlikley be purchasing a iwata brush. whats your preferences on top vs bottom feed? Also, although im sure that is a great compressor i cannot afford a 200+ compresor so i will look at the others on the site and hopefully find a decent quality one there
 
I haven't ordered too much from them, just my airbrush and compressor. I got a nice combo deal for ordering both at the same time from them. I bought a back up compressor when my sprint jet crapped out on my for a week (somehow fixed itself...) from Harbor Freight for about 60 dollars. Just make sure it has a good PSI range, as I understand it, generally for airbrushing you don't really need to go over 30 PSI. I think Terminal Fettler here on the forums sprays at around 20 PSI.

I prefer the top feeding (gravity fed) brushes more. I feel like it provides a more consistent spray as it doesn't rely on extra suction (?) to pull the paint out of the siphon from the bottom feeding brushes. I'm not entirely sure if that's exactly how it works but I'm PRETTY sure lol.

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Here's the compressor I got: http://www.harborfreight.com/1-6-hp-40-psi-oilless-airbrush-compressor-93657.html
 
+1 on the iwata, I've got a Sparmax gravity feed brush, and compressor. The compressor is quite nice, though since it's a cheap system it doesn't come with a moisture trap.

When I started out I practiced on a piece of paper or foamcore just to get a feel of the airbrush before I start spraying on something I cared about. Also I would recommend you go through the cleaning process just to familiarize yourself with your new brush. Good luck and have fun!
 
This is my favorite airbrush I've had so far, It's a Harder & Steenbeck, super easy to clean and spray/flow adjustment is a dream.... it should be though for the price I paid:p
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Harder-Steenbeck-Infinity.jpg
 
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