Airbrushes

[Fenside MF]

Do any members of the forum use airbrushes at all? I'm asking as I have been thinking of getting a mini air compressor and airbrush for painting/spraying for a while,I've looked online and the cheapest I've found was around £80 for a starter kit and I'm thinking it will save money in the long run by me not having to buy cans of spray paint and then I can use the small pots of humbrol/revell paint.

I've just seen lidl will be selling these next week

http://www.lidl.co.u...index_34555.htm

So I'm thinking of getting one,I accept that the airbrush may not be that good as I know you can spend upwards of £40 just to get a good one,but it seems not a bad price considering a compressor can cost double that.

Your thoughts would be well appreciated please.

Edited September 21, 2012 by Fenside MF

[Barry]

I'm in the same mind set as you Jamie, I really want to start using an airbrush, but there is so much that you can get wrong.....but then I guess that is the best way to learn.

My main problem at the moment is knowing which/what to buy to get me started.

The one that you have found from Lidl looks fantastic value and I am very tempted to get one myself to start off with, and then hopefully as I get used to using the tool, buy a better one.

Anyway, Maybe someone with some knowledge will see this and give a little advise on the Lidl machine, and if it is a good product to start of with.

I assume that you can put all types of paint into the jar and the air blows it out however thick you adjust it too?!?!

[Fenside MF]

Im sure you can use oil or water based paints thinned Barry,but its important you clean the the nozzles properly after each use so no paint is left inside to dry and block it as the part where the paint is released from is the size of a needle.

So i guess using water based paints is easier for cleaning parts of the airbrush but what is the coverage like?

Another question would be what primers to use?

[PDH]

This is a complex subject which would take a lot to adequately respond to.

Quick, short advice from me. I have three air brushes all of which cost north of £150 each and two compressors that cost even more!

The Lidl set up is fine but won't be good for fine work. It'll do big areas, scenic bases etc but not much more. It's a single action brush so all you can affect is the amount of air through the brush. Double action is a lot better

You can spray anything but cleaning the brush is paramount. Acrylic paint is the easiest to clean up but is fragile and easily marked. Usually requires a final protective coat of varnish or similar.

The thinness of the paint and air pressure are very important. Thin paint is good but the results will vary with pressure used.

Practice practice practice and experiment are the way to learn how to airbrush. The are plenty of videos on YouTube showing techniques, watch them and follow the exercises. The Lidl setup will be a good starter to learn but I suspect you will want to spend more money on better kit to spray models. You will also probably need a better compressor.

Airbrush manufacturers I would recommend are Iwata and Harder & Steenbeck, they do a complete range at prices starting not much more than the Lidl set up.

Go and buy and try. Just keep practicing and experimenting till you find what suits you.

One last thing always thin the paint with the paint manufacturers own thinner products.

Ask questions, I'll try and answer them.

[PDH]

One other thing...spraying gloss through an airbrush is probably one of the most difficult things.

[Barry]

I'll stick to the 400ml aerosol cans then