Ok, this must be the most stupidest question ever askt, but … here it is.

I am now the proud owner of a Badger 150 - double action (Yahoo) and I can’t wait to give it a go …. But how?

The badger has 2 bottles and one cup (gravity?) container, witch should I use?

What is the best pressure to spray at?

How the hell should I mix my paint (oh jeh, forgot to mention, never painted before – just glued my models) I have read a tip that says that if I have my paint mixed and in 5 seconds there are 3 drops fallen of the brush then the paint is perfect (does this make sense or is it an “legend”) I also read about using 30% thinner for the paint, ok got that, but how do you measure this? Using a syringe or what??

Come to think of it, that is more than one stupid question …. But please, explain it if I was a 6 year old kid #:-)

Roadkill

Roadkill,

Personally I prefer the gravity feed cup because I've found it lets me thin the paint a little more. As far as pressure goes I like to use anywhere from as little as 10psi to around 25psi. As far as thinning the paint goes it all depends on the brand and type of paint. I suggest reading the painting and airbrush tips in the General Modeling Section of this web site for help also.

Well hope I've helped.
Stephen Magee

Roadkill,

Not asking something....that is stupid. Since you did ask something I'll try to help you out the best I can. I think the URL below can help you out a bit. The rest...well that's up to you. Practice, Practice, Practice. But most of all have fun.

Hope the URL helps you a bit.

http://www.finescale.com/fsm/Magazine/SampleFeatures/AirbrushABCs.pdf

Hi guys,

Tnx a lot for the tips and URL

It is a big help

Roaddie :-)

You have a fine airbrush on you!


I like to use the smallest, gravity feed cup for detail work, you can manage with smaller amount of paint with that. The mixture thickness depends on what you are trying to do. I usually test and test and test on paper to get the pressure right. I like to go for high pressure, it works for me and it´s possible to shoot quite thick paint through the airbrush. If the pressure is too low, the edge becomes easilly quite harsh and grainy.
Good luck in your work!
And ALWAYS take your time to clean the piece after painting! Like mentioned before in some topic, acrylics can be a killer to an airbrush if the paint dries in!



Toni

get an old peice of plywood and do a 1960s greatful dead thing

thats the best way to learn

You mean the Skull with the red and black with lighting flashing threw it killer ever see Jerry I did out in the Medow lands in New Jersey. one heck of a concert that was. Back in the day

excellent article from finescale. Im looking into buying an airbrush and this was a perfect starting point. Thanks for the tip.
/Frank

My two cents
For practicing definately practice practice. Try all kinds of different medium, wood, paper, cardboard, and plastic. Go get a sheet of styreen and practice on that.
I use the color cup exclusivly. I mix in a separate jar and pour into the cub. I like the smaller size and better control.
I have about 18lbs to 22lbs of pressure on my compressor depending on what I'm doing and what paint I use. Every kind of paint thins differently, airbrushes differently, and cleans up differently.