Air Brush Recommendations

[SolarYellow]

This may be a perfectly capable airbrush, but one ugly reality about these little beasties is that you will need spare parts at some point in the future, usually replacement needles. The traditional brands such as Paasche, Iwata, Badger, and a handful of others all have great aftermarket support. Low cost brands such as Master or the stuff sold at Harbor Freight seem to have spotty or non-existent parts support. (A quick check of Amazon indicates that Master does seem to have some limited parts availability, which is good.)

On the other hand the initial price is low enough that one can consider the brush to be disposable. Should the need for new needles, tips, triggers, etc. arise, one can simply replace the entire unit.

I'll make another pitch for the single-action Paasche SI as a great entry level brush that has the potential to last a lifetime.

https://www.amazon.com/Paasche-SI-SET-Single-Internal-Airbrush/dp/B003AA2N48

You talked me into it. $71 shipped.

Paasche SI-SET Single Action Internal Mix Airbrush Set

<p>Features:<br />The SI airbrush is single action but also internal mix which keeps operation simple but allows for better detail than external mix models. Included with the airbrush are all three available spray heads, which allow the SI airbrush to be used in a wide range of application. <br...

www.toucheairbrush.com

 

[Dad of Sapling]

Thanks for all of the great information and opinions. Almost as many as a glue thread. I agree with the thought of getting best you can afford but also thinking about how frequently I would be using it. So much of the info out there centers around graphic arts. Let's face it, I'm mostly going to be putting on a flat color on a small rocket. I haven't decided yet but leaning towards a mid priced airbrush.

 

[Jerry F.]

I am also contemplating getting into airbrushing, (I think I like the gravity fed idea so far) and have a couple of questions…
What is the difference between single and dual action?
And where would y use each one?
What are the benefits/drawbacks of the internal mix?

thx for any insights

 

[waltr]

I am also contemplating getting into airbrushing, (I think I like the gravity fed idea so far) and have a couple of questions…
What is the difference between single and dual action?
And where would y use each one?
What are the benefits/drawbacks of the internal mix?

thx for any insights

Airbrush Info

Single action you pre-set amount of paint flow.
Double action you control amount of paint flow with the trigger.

Draw back of internal mix is cleaning. The paint goes through the internals so must take apart to clean properly. How hard this is depends on which airbrush you buy.
Internal mix & dual action provides the greatest amount of control. Also requires the most practice to learn to control.
This is the choice of artists.

 

[hobie1dog]

Single action is all you need to spray small rockets. and start watching this guys videos

 

[hobie1dog]

I'm now building an airbrush spray booth out of lightweight foam boards that I got at Hobby Lobby. the panels come in 20 inch by 30 in pieces which are going to be perfect for the countertop I have in one room. I have gotten a laptop fan so that I can put it on the back wall of the airbrush booth and put a filter in front of it and that should allow me to spray all the colors that are water-based from createx that I'm going to be using.

 

[waltr]

I'm now building an airbrush spray booth out of lightweight foam boards that I got at Hobby Lobby. the panels come in 20 inch by 30 in pieces which are going to be perfect for the countertop I have in one room. I have gotten a laptop fan so that I can put it on the back wall of the airbrush booth and put a filter in front of it and that should allow me to spray all the colors that are water-based from createx that I'm going to be using.

Sounds like a good plan.
This will be fine for water based paints.

If you do go with any volatile solvents then a dryer duct to the outside works well to extract the fumes.

 

[gsitexas]

In case you are looking for a nice paint spray booth to go with that new airbrush you might want to check out the DIY paint booth on the Vent Works website.

Lots of good info provided at the following link:

DIY Hobby Spray Booth

Build Your Own Spray Booth If you are a hands-on do it yourselfer, or just want a high quality spray booth, creating a spray booth yourself might be the right route for you. All you need are some basic tools, common materials, and at least a few hours.We recently created our own hobby spray...

vent-works.com

I'm slowly gathering the components to build this hobby spray booth.

 

[hobie1dog]

I went to Hobby Lobby and bought the 8-in thick white foam core boards and they happen to be 20 in by 30 in so I had to cut the two sides basically down to 20 inch so they were 20 by 20. then I put clear packaging tape as hinges on the bottom left and bottom right sides and then used the 90° clear corner protectors that you put on drywall up at the top so that the top piece would rest up on the clear portion.

 

[hobie1dog]

I found a laptop cooling fan on Amazon for $12 that flowed 70 CFM and it was very thin so it would work perfect on the back wall as the exhaust fan.

 

[hobie1dog]

the 20x30 panels work perfect for the depths and the heights of my closet/desk area. so now I need to add a light and a pleated filter.

 

[augendoc]

Other materials that work well for a small spray booth are coroplast polyethylene corrugated sheets and edge connections using FRP moulding from Home Depot or equivalnt. The paint doesn't stick to the coroplast and you can pretty much wipe or dust it off when dry.