advice on air brushes

[Malc-c]

I have a cheap Fobuy kit from Amazon



From memory it was around £70 - £80 at the time (three year ago) and for the amount of airbrushing I do it's been fine.  Painting wagons, trackwork, buildings without issue.  Whilst it comes with three brushes, I tend to use the one where the paint is gravity fed and there is a two way action trigger that can be pulled back as you press to adjust the spray mix.

I think if you were doing a lot of regular work then investing in one of the branded brushes, but for casual use this kit has been fantastic.

[RBTKraisee]

I *love* Vallejo paints in my Iwata Eclipse. They have quickly become my primary go-to paint - and I use both the Air and the Model variants - they're both great to spray.

I'm particularly impressed with how incredibly thin they dry. Every tiny spec of detail comes through, even after multiple coats. There's a world of difference between these and a rattle can. By my estimate, it would take more than six full-coverage built-up layers from my airbrush/Vallejo to end up as thick as a single layer from a rattle can.

Of particular interest; regardless of whether I use primer or not, Vallejo paints seem to grip really well to every surface I've tried them on, even here in always-humid Florida!


As for the airbrush itself, mine is the Iwata Eclipse HP-BCS version with the detachable bottle underneath, and that allows me to spray massive areas in one go, yet it can also do quite detailed spraying when needed.

Mine came with the 0.5mm needle/nozzle and that size is a bit more suited to medium and large coverage than fine, so I have been looking for options that can do extreme detailing work.

To get fine detailing, I can get replacement 0.3mm needle/nozzle/packing-screw that can be retro-fitted for about $40 all-in, and reports say that size is perfect for fingernail detail work.   I haven't tried it yet, but soon.   If that works I'd happily get a second Eclipse the HP-CS model has the upper fixed cup on it and the 0.3mm nozzle set.

Ross.

P.S. I also use a water trap on my compressor and a quick release on the airbrush - both of which are worth their weight in gold!

[Timbo66]

I bought a cheap cased set from Ebay years ago, marketed to nail technicians. Replaced the airbrush with a Noe by Iwata one. The compressor - marked Vogue AN -  still going strong.
 And nail varenish remover is a good, cheap alternative to expensive cleaning fluid - like 10% the price. Kepping it clean is key to airbrushing happiness.