airbrush tips

[maximusraylius]

hey guys .. i see alot of ppl been getting interested in airbrushing their own lids lately so i figured id make this thread to kinda help out . and maybe other ppl that know about airbrushing /brushes ect will chime in aswell cause I'm by far a pro at any of this but I'm learning as i go and self taught. any ways hope this will help out some of you thats interested in trying it out ..

I'm going to try to explain the different types of brushes and what i like to look for when buying them as well as what i like to use the different types for ..

a few things i look for when buying my air brushes ..

1..
i like to make sure its an internal mix... meaning the paint actually goes into the airbrush cavity where it then mixes with the air presure you have set your regulator at.. making it flow nice n smooth rather than an external mix type that basically blows air through the brush while the paint gets picked up by a syphon tube then blows off the tip of the pic up tube ..best way to explain it ... like haveing a cold drink with a straw in it blow real hard past the straw as if trying to make the straw whistle like a old moonshine jug.. it brings the fluid up to the tip of the straw then splaters it out... not a very acurate way to paint at all..

2..
i like to look for duel action rather than a single action... duel gives you the ability to adjust the amount of paint flow and the air flow depending on the fluids thickness. you are able to run low air presure with alot of fluid coming out or alot of air presure with little fluid coming out ..

single action only lets you adjust air flow ..i never use the single action ..

3..
i look for gravity feed over syphon feed .. gravity feed has the cup built into the top or side of the brush or a cavity you can fill inside the brush itself..
heres the one i use the most .. its the gravity feed..
http://images.tcpglobal.com/pas/PAS-TG3F-talonsprayfancap.jpg

the gravity feed takes less air presure and allows you more fluid control .
i use this for the fine lines and detail work .

this one has a nice added feature that to me makes it great for beginers .. it has a adjustment on the back that you turn to allow the needle inside to only move as much as you want it to ..like a stopper .. so you adjust the knob . till you get the line width you like then when painting you cant accadently pull back to far on the trigger and get a wide spot in the line you were painting .. kinda like a fail safe .lol.

4.. i look for around a .3 mm needle n tip.. it allows a nice pencil like line upto about 1 1/2 inch wide ..

so you can use it for detail aswell as full coverage if desired..

if I'm looking for a brush for heavy fluids and alot of coverage i typically look for the syphon feed with the glass jar on the bottom.. for my metal flakes and backing colors and sealers. generally i like .5mm tip n needle for this ..the metal flakes are hell on a .3mm tip n needle clogs so easy enless your using 120lbs of air presure lolnot good for the brush itll blow seals out.. i use this one for this application.
http://images.tcpglobal.com/pas/PASVL-SET.jpg



ill add more as ppl ask . i cant remember what all i was going to put .lol

heres a nice website that carrys everything youll need . from paints t brushes and mask .. stencils compressors and parts..
http://www.tcpglobal.com/airbrushdepot/.. hope this helps out... ill keep adding to it as i rem what i missed..

 

[maximusraylius]

ok got a phone call right in the middle of writing this up last time so got sidetracked n lost my train of thought.. witch isnt hard for me to do these days it seems .. so anyways i figured id add some more to this such as paints i use and things like that ...

i like to use the parma faskolor for airbrush... for the reason they are very easy to find .and are really cheap compared to some the others .. about twice the amount of paint for half the price.. they are in 2oz bottles for around 4 bucks. others gennerally come in 3/4 oz or 1 oz bottles for roughly same price.. .. they are water base so no need for a resporator when using them .. no need to buy special cleaners or thinners . and they are easy to fix blemishes with a wet q-tip.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/WTI0095P?FVSEARCH=parma+faskolor&search=Go

and for the metalic colors. just add the flake to the fascoat .. it looks white but dries clear n only leaves the flake showing then you spray the backing or main color over it to add the deep metalic flake look..

the flake..
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXBAX2&P=7

the fascoat
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXBAV6&P=7

i also use some laqures .. spazstix . but are getting harder n harder to order n find.

http://www.spazstix.com/xcart/home.php

love the mirror chrome by spazstix... looks as real as it gets . like the chrome on a 1:1 bumper.. good stuff ...

i also wanted to post a few compressors to.. they dnt have to be expensive for what we do on these bodies and wont be used alot I'm assuming.. so cheap ones will do ... what i like to look for is quietness.. and a tank on it so it don't have air surges. a 1/3 hp is decent n works great . they are easy to find on ebay or the link i posted above . tcpglobal.com

heres just a few simple but effective compressors n combos.

this one has it all ..
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-3-DUAL-ACTI...765?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b30d2cb5

this one don't have a tank but has the regulator on it and isnt supposed to have pulse in air..
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-3-AIRBRUSH-...762?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item25650441d2

these are just a few samples on some cheap nes that i think would suite the beginner fine...


ill add mre as i go .. and try answering any questions any one might have .. hope this helps out some of you wanting to try it...

 

[cross]

Max, ive got a question for yourself, I'm not sure if you worked with the different kinds of Paints/projects but what kind do you use for certain things ( like flames? )
As youve seen Createx has all these types, Iridescent Colors, Fluorescent Colors, Opaque Colors, Pearlized Colors, Transparent Colors,

So another question, could you use one of those types for a project or would it be better if you used transparent for blending, or something like that.

Another ? -> I'm not looking forward to doing things backwards on the inside of the lid, so can i do it on the outside and just put a hard clear coat on the final paint?

- So if you ever do try out Createx do you mind if you can show some pictures of each kind on plastic, maybe put them all byside each other.

Thanks.

 

[maximusraylius]

good questions platchy . what i was wanting ppl to do so we can build a thread to shed some light on this matter..

1. i generally use the opaque colors for everything . if i want a light see through area i just adjust the brush to throw lil paint and keep going over the area till its the shade or density that I'm looking for .

ive used pearls and floresents as well... same method.. adjust brush to throw very little paint then go over the area entill the desired shade or mount of coverage is desired..

never really used the transparent colors . cause if i want it somewhat see through all you do is spray the other colors thin.

2
as for painting on the outside of the body.. you can do it but it scratches off fairly easy . thats why they are clear so you can paint them on the inside . its not as hard as it seems .. just keep in mind . what colors show up first in the paint scheme . making sure you layer each color in the right order as youll see it on the finished result..

3.
as for the createx paint I'm so going to try them out . and i always spray samples on the scrap pieces of lexan ive cut off the trimmings of a body. so i know what color itll actually be .. and when i get the createx ill spray it on some scrap plastic so i can give it the flex test.( paint the plastic let dry then bend and twist n hit to see if the paint chips off.) some paints don't have a flex agent so they dry real stiff n chip off on impact or when a body flexes.

illl get samples of some the different paints ect on plastic and get pics added as i go .. thx platchy good questions . hope this helps ..

 

[frddyj]

great thread lyle. i got the airbrush set up and just checked the compressor, its extremely quiet.


do you know any reasonably-priced brushes that shoot and extremely thin line? i haven't tested mine out yet, but the air flow through it seems a little fatter than id like.

i seen the badgers that are for ultra precision but theyre over 1 hungie.

*** or better yet, can i adjust the thickness of the paint coming out of the brush?

 

[maximusraylius]

the ones i posted work great ... and the air might feel fat when you feel it on your hand but the paint only will come out as much as you adjust it for or pull back on the trigger ... youll see.... and to make a line even thinner .. get the tip even closer to the surface.. the closer you get the smaller the line will be...

and thx for the input on the compressor .. thats exactly what I'm looking for..going to get one like it myself now...thx ... try the brushes out with water n food coloring to see how they work .. easy to clean out that way you atleast see how they work....
good luck

 

[maximusraylius]

Any feedback on your brushes yet Freddy? I'm curious as how they do. Curious if its worth the whole set up or better to just get the compressor alone.

 

[frddyj]

hi lyle, not yet i been busy with my baja and my son's needs a complete tear down. also putting a fence in my yard so I'm not sure i'll get to painting for a bit.