Nuke and other modelers - airbrush questions

[Tarmac]

After a looong break from model building, I'm going to get back into it, and hopefully do it the right way.  I've got all of my old supplies, and the next step is to get an airbrush so I can paint all those cool LW schemes.  

For an airbrush I think I'm going to go with an Iwata Eclipse, based on the opinion of the guy at the hobby store.  For a compressor, I'm not sure what's best though.  Does a regular shop compressor work well?  Or is there something special about those little hobby compressors?  I'd like to have something that I can charge up and then run off stored pressure late at night, without the noise of the compressor itself running.

Any thoughts or recommendations?

[Shane]

avoid the over-priced "little hobby shop compressors" they're way over-rated, basically you're just paying for the "hobby" name/cachet.

use a regular shop compressor, make sure you have a regulator, a moisture trap (2 would be best, one at tank, one inline) and in the best of all worlds a reserve tank of 2-8lbs. of course for what you're describing you're gonna want one with as big a reserve tank as you can manage.

the reason for the regulator is simple, most airbrushing is done between 10 - 30psi depending on the viscosity of the paint you're using and the task you're performing with it.

walmart usually has a decent small-ish sized compressor for around $80.

as for the airbursh itself, people all have their favorites they swear by.  i've read good things about iwata. i have a badger double-action adjustable nozzle (anthem model) that i'm pretty happy with.

have fun.

as for other things related to modeling... whew... hehe...

try these as a good start:

http://www.hyperscale.com/
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/  (esp the tool/tips)
http://modelingmadness.com/
http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/

[NUKE]

That's a great airbrush. I have one by the same company.

Like shane said: don't buy the little hobby compressor but also,  you  don't need some 5hp monster either. Also, like Shane said, you need a regulater and a moisture trap.

Usually, you will pay more if you want a super quiet one. The one I have is a little on the noisy side and only has a 2 gallon tank, so it will power on about every 30 mins or while in use.

[Simaril]

I got a sears ?5gal one years ago, and picked up the regulator separately. I charge it when needed, and can silently use in when family members are asleep. Can get 3-4 moderate sessions out of one pump run, using a separate electric air pump to get the tank pressure up to >50 PSI. My pump is almsot intolerably noisy, though -- would have done that differently. I use a Badger single action for large areas, and an Aztek double action that I honestly regret getting. Their nozzle system is a pain, and the brush is ahrd to clean.

Paul Boyer at FSM is an advocate of getting standard compressed CO2 cannisters charged at an industrial supplier. Says he can get weeks worth of silent use out of one charge, and the cost is negligible once you've got the cannister.  Never looked into that, though.





Truthfully, AH has pulled me away from modelling for a good while -- you're getting the guilt meter rising, all those boxes in the closet....

[Tarmac]

Originally posted by Simaril
Paul Boyer at FSM is an advocate of getting standard compressed CO2 cannisters charged at an industrial supplier. Says he can get weeks worth of silent use out of one charge, and the cost is negligible once you've got the cannister.  Never looked into that, though.

Never thought about that.  What kind of adapters and appliances would you need for that?  I have a ton of paintball CO2 cylinders lying around and I can get supercheap refills.  

I'd be worried about sucking liquid CO2 through the airbrush, though.

[Pongo]

I like shanes idea on the compressor. Most hobby ones suck.

[Heretic]

Do NOT get a hobby shop compressor.  

I have a Campbell Hausfield 2 Gal. that I bought at Wal-Mart for like $80.   It works great for my Iwata Eclipse HP-CS blowgun.

I use mine for my own handcarved cork duck decoys.   I use Chroma airbrush paint.  Water based.


Make sure you airbrush in a very well ventilated area if using laquers.   IE........Testors model paints.

[NUKE]

Tarmac, you have to try the Tamiya acrylic paints.....just great paint. The only thing is that you need to mix them to get a lot of colors you need......but luckily, there is a Tamiya paint conversion/mix chart on the internet for that.

The stuff cleans easy and you can remove a whole paintjob with rubbing alcohol if needed.

[indy007]

Originally posted by Tarmac
Never thought about that.  What kind of adapters and appliances would you need for that?  I have a ton of paintball CO2 cylinders lying around and I can get supercheap refills.  

I'd be worried about sucking liquid CO2 through the airbrush, though.

You can get a bulk tank without a siphon tube I believe. Just keep it chained to the wall or whatever standing upright and you'll be fine. If you're still concerned, add an expansion valve inline. For normal paintball co2 tanks, make sure they don't have an anti-siphon tube and leave them standing upright. An anti-siphon tube runs from the valve to the "top" of the tank. The top being whatever side is on top when the tank is completely screwed into your marker.

I'd recommand nitrogen or HPA myself, simply because it only has 2 downsides & alot of benefits over co2 (it expands faster, doesn't get affected by temperatures like co2, no liqud, etc, etc). The downsides are initial cost of the bottle. Glass-wrapped nitro bottles aren't cheap, and you also don't get the same PE from a 68ci 4500psi nitrogen or HPA as you would a 20oz co2 bottle.

[ChickenHawk]

Can you use a shop compressor in the house or do you need to set up a work area in a garage/shop?  

Someone gave me a small pump that used to be used to blow up soccer balls and it just doesn't give me enough pressure for my airbrush.

Need something I can use in my study though.

[Gunthr]

Something else to consider if you  are a diver - you can buy components that allow you to use your scuba tank. You can do it for about $160. I don't know how well it would work in your application, but I would think it would be no problem. And silent. But if you don't own a scuba tank already, or plan to buy one anyway, forget it.

http://www.saltypig.com/scuba/

[capt. apathy]

for any kind of painting you want to buy an oil-less compressor.  they wear out faster but are much cheaper and won't contaminate your paint.  

that CO2 idea is pretty cool.  you shouldn't have to worry about blowing CO2 vapor at the draw an airbrush would pull, as long as you keep the bottle up-right.

[NUTTZ]

Since I Arbrush for a living I could give you some advice.  The smaller air compressers suck. you can use CO2 tanks w/ a regulator, I use old CO2 tanks that carbonate the soda. You can get them refilled for like 10 bucks.

IF the compressor is in the  same room they have compressors that work like a refigerator compressor they are really quiet and work well ( non piston) but they are pretty pricey. You don't want canned air they sell in the hobbie shops. Sears has some pretty cheap piston type compressors that will do a hobbiest well.

You want a compressor with a storage tank, they come in many size tanks.

NUTTZ

[Tarmac]

Originally posted by NUKE
Tarmac, you have to try the Tamiya acrylic paints.....just great paint. The only thing is that you need to mix them to get a lot of colors you need......but luckily, there is a Tamiya paint conversion/mix chart on the internet for that.

The stuff cleans easy and you can remove a whole paintjob with rubbing alcohol if needed.

I've been using the Tamiya acrylics ever since I graduated from the Testor's enamels.  I use them mostly for pewter miniatures.  Of course, I've never used them in an airbrush, but I understand they're the way to go.  Do you have a link for that mix chart?

As for a compressor, I think I'll head down to Sears and see how much a Craftsman compressor would be with all the moisture traps and stuff.

[Sixpence]

Would this compressor work? http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00915310000&subcat=Portable+Tank+Compressors