Getting started airbrushing?

[Amalynn]

So as you all have heard me mention in spots, I have recently moved though I’m still waiting on all of our belongings to arrive at the new place. Notably the old place did not really have any way for me to realistically do air brushing, but the new place does! The downside is that it has to be outside/in the garage, but it certainly opens up new options for me.

I bought the Model Railroader beginners guide to model painting book which had a lot of helpful advise on brush painting as well as airbrushing. I was hoping that maybe the kind folk here might be willing to show how they have things set up, recommend a brush, and answer a couple questions I have.

As far as my questions go, here they are:
1) I need some sort of spray booth type station. Something that can catch overspray and some means of holding the model. Any suggestions on how to set something like that up?
2) What is the difference between the “airbrush ready” paints like Vallejo Model Air and normal paints? Do you have any paint recommendations for paints currently in production?
3) Are there any issues I should be aware of when painting outside? Does it need to be especially warm out or just not freezing?

I appreciate the help.

[jim currie]

1 a heavy cardboard box will do till you have the time to build one, mine is a 2by2 frame covered with paneling for a vent i use a old blower motor if you're planning to use solvent paints make sure that the motor is a sealed type or a blower that the air doesn't flow over the motor.


2 airbrush paints are already thinned.


3 if using water-based paints it should be at least 40deg but I prefer 60. also to hot (over say 90) causes orange peel and solvent types of paint dry way to fast giving a powdery finish.

[Charlie B]

I have been playing with different paints, the big reason is price. The old floquil paints were IMHO the best for airbrushing and I used lacquer thinner to thin them (50-50). You get a better job with thinner paint and more coats. Using solvent based paints apply a thin coat and allow it to dry, usually 5 minutes is enough then apply more coats until you are satisfied with coverage then apply a wet even coat to finish off. Keep in mind that the difference between a perfect paint job and runs in the paint is a very fine line and you have to get the feel for that.  I have a harder time getting enough paint on most of the time, I have also found that the paint doesn't have to be perfect because you will be adding decals and then clear coating, either gloss or dull coat and the weathering your project,

     I have just started using the new paints and they seem to be alright but finding the correct thinner is a problem. Some use water or alcohol and some use thinner. I had some rustoleum acrylic enamel in green and I thinned it with alcohol and it sprayed beautifully. I tried the same brand and type in yellow and nothing I had would thin it so it would spray.  

      For your models I suggest you go to a hobby shop and get the colors and paint there. Do some practice first. Don't get crazy wild about color matching because paints, especially the ones used on railroad equipment in the 40's and 50's were prone to sun fading and chalking rapidly. 

      If you can find a small lazy susan to put your models on to paint that is a help,  even a larger plate that you can spin to get all sides. I start with my cars upside done and spray down so I get the bottoms and the undersides of beams and even the undersides of doors, then turn them over to finish 

     Ideal temperature is 68 to 70° but as you get the handle on it you won't find temperature  or anything else a problem because you get the feel and just do it when you feel like it. 

     I am playing with the acrylic paints made by Plaid and they have a lot of promise for airbrushing but so far the problems have been finding a suitable strainer and keeping the nozell clean because they dry so fast, but they do stick to plastic which was something I did not expect. I will try them on buildings. 

     Charlie

[Amalynn]

An update: I picked up an airbrush starter kit from Iwata as well as a couple of paint colours to use. I have a few models that will make for some good paint practice models. As Charlie recommended I found a cheap lazy susan to put models on and also found a book from Kalmbach by Jeff Wilson that looks to have some good information in it on both brush painting and airbrushing. Looking forward to giving this a go. I will post what I come up with here once I have a chance to give things a try.

[cnrglen]

Hi Amanda, Sorry I didn't see your postings before. I realize youmhave already bought your airbrush but I thought I'd show you my setup.

I've been airbrushing for over 30 years and was pretty much self-taught with the exception of an old Model railroader video done in the late eighties that got me started.

   

These are two of my thre airbrushes, a Pasche Model 'h' and a Badger 200. I use the Pasche for solvent-based paints and the Badger for water-based acrylics. I don't like to mix the two up in case there's some residue left behind in either airbrush. The Model H is a really good workhorse, easy to clean and fairly sturdy.. It's also an external mix airbrush. I keep a medium tip on it as it's mostly used for over-all coverage on a model, not weathering.

The Badger is an internal mix with a fine tip. I also have a second Model 200 with a medium tip. I use the fine tip for weathering and blending in colors. You can almost draw with it.
However, it requires a bit more care with cleaning as you have to dissassemble it to clean it properly.

You might notice that I don't have a double action airbrush. I personally don't like them too much. I don't need to change the paint flow mid-spray and they are comlicated to clean afterwards.

   

My airbrush compressor. I bought it off Ebay about 6 years ago. It will maintain 30psi while I'm spraying and has both a regulator and water trap. I live in a near desert environment so I've never had any water in my lines but in my humid climates, you'd want one.

   

My paint booth. I inherited it for another modeller so I don't know it's make. it has a squirel cage fan in the back with sucks air out through a furnace filter. Sorry for the mess, I'm in the middle of a project.
You can see that I have a lazy susan on the bottom of the booth.

   

Attached to the outlet of the fan is a dryer hose that runs to my basement window. I have an older window with two sliders. I cut a piece of 3/4" plywood that rests in the tracks on tinner slider. There is a hole that the dryer hose inserts and when I paint I simply open the outer winder slider and the fumes vent to the outside. 
   

This is a paint stand made by Tamiya. It's go alot of miles on it. you can either rest a model on the wire holers or you can wedge the wire holders inside a model (like a boxcar)

   

This is my other holder. I bought it at Princess Auto, the Canadian Version of Harbour Freight.

Now I did mention that I have airbrushes for both solvent bases and acrylic based paints. The Vast majority of my painting is done with acrylics as  I have developed some mild asthma and the acyrils are easier on me. The water bases acrylics are also much easier for cleanup.
I hope this helps.

[cnrglen]

Just another note on Vallejo 'airbrush ready' paints. I add just a bit more thinner as it seems to make the paint flow a bit better.

Since I'm airbrushing inside I don't have tempuature issues but I've found that acrylics dry very fast and don't often have the 'running' problems that solvent bases paints do.

[Amalynn]

I really appreciate the response glen, it’s super helpful. It seems the brush I bought is a double action airbrush. So we’ll see what I think about that but worst case I can always get a single action. The coupling for the brush to the air line isn’t proprietary is it?

As far as my paints I have Vallejo and Tru Colour already. Both are acrylics but I think the tru colour is solvent based rather than water based. I also have cheap craft store acrylics that I bought for weathering and some primer so I should be pretty well set. Most of what I need is to just cover large spaces like you were saying, so I should be set to get started at least.

[jim currie]

I really appreciate the response glen, it’s super helpful. It seems the brush I bought is a double action airbrush. So we’ll see what I think about that but worst case I can always get a single action. The coupling for the brush to the air line isn’t proprietary is it?

As far as my paints I have Vallejo and Tru Colour already. Both are acrylics but I think the tru colour is solvent based rather than water based. I also have cheap craft store acrylics that I bought for weathering and some primer so I should be pretty well set. Most of what I need is to just cover large spaces like you were saying, so I should be set to get started at least.

another source of better-quality paints are automotive some colors are a good match for rr colors, and they come as both solvent based and water based you can get i think 4 oz cans of premixed. as for the coupling the ones i have are 1/8th pipe.
Jim

[cnrglen]

All of my new paint purchases have been Vallejo, including my weathering paints. I still have a fairly decent stash of Polly-s and Model Master RR colors. If I can't find the colors that I need in the water bases acrylics I dive into my Floquil and Scalecoat collection.
I have tried to airbrush with the cheaper craft store acryils but haven'r had alot of luck with them. They either seem to have too coarse of pigment or they don't flow onto the model I'm painting as well as my current go-tos.

I actually have a different airline/hose for the Pasche and the Badger as they have different conections. I do have an adapter fitting on my compressor that fits both airlines though.

[Amalynn]

Oh that’s good to know, I thought the air connections were standardized.

[BR60103]

Comment from the computer world: The nice thing about standards is that there are so many of them.

[Amalynn]

That is an excellent point ?

[jim currie]

Oh that’s good to know, I thought the air connections were standardized.

are you talking about the connecter on the airbrush end or compressor end?
jim

[Amalynn]

The connection of the airbrush to the air hose.

[jim currie]

The connection of the airbrush to the air hose.

ok there all different i have 4 brushes and they all connect to the brush differently the compressor connection is the same on all 4.
jim