I am about to purchase an airbrush and air-compressor. The little $15 simple one coat airbrush just doesn't cut it anymore. I am US military stationed in the UK so I am buying mail order to avoid the Pound-to-dollar thing. The problem is I really do not know what to get and help is hard to find. I build/paint mostly armor with an occasional aircraft to mix it up a bit. What is the best type of airbrush to get. I have been looking at Badger and Iwata's. Do I need a aingle or double action airbrush, gravity or siphon feed, and how do I know how fine the lines I can spray will be. Next I am cluless on compressors. What is a good PSI rating, do I need a water trap and all that kind of stuff? Any help you guys could give me would be greatly appreciated. Sorry if these questions sound out there. I am a computer geek by profession so the mechanics of airbrushing and it's equipment are new to me. If anyone has any computer questions let me know.....



Thanks,
Salvo

Hello mate,
I recently went through the same thing so although no expert I can give you some advise.
Definately get a double action airbrush. This keeps the air flowing while allowing you to adjust the amount of paint you apply as a seperate action of the trigger. i.e. you push down to start the air and then pull back to apply paint. This gives a much nicer finish.

Compressors. Well I had to buy a silent compressor as I live in a flat. It is a wonderful thing though. Water trap, pressure down to next to nothing or about 150. p.s.i. I mostly use mine at about 10p.s.i. though and only turn it up when cleaning through, about 45 p.s.i. for that.

The water trap is useful as it gives clean air through your brush. I guess it all depends on your budget really. My compressor cost £150.00 and that was with a hefty discount.

I am sure others will advise you more.
Good luck.
Tony.

I use a Silentair Compressor - very quiet, but was not cheap. Worth it IMO. For air brushes I use an Aztec 470 dbl action for general use, and an Iwata Submicron C with a matched needle and nozzle for detail work. I have used Single action badgers and Pasche's in the past. I prefere siphon feed so I can look down over the top of the AB and not have the view obscured by the paint cup.

HTH.

I just recently went through the same and ended up with a purchase from this company .

The service was good and I was plesently surprised with the product. The compressor is really silent, small (will litturally fit in a shoebox) and has a water trap.

Welcome to Armorama !

All armorama mates here give you some good opinions.
There is also a lot of airbrushing articles written by our Armorama mates in General Modeling -> Tools & Supplies,
it's worth well to read some articles here:
Tools & Supplies - Airbrushing

For purchasing your airbrush/compressor, here is a web shop that I recommended:

BearAir web shop

Be careful about the voltage for Airbrush Compressor, most compessor in UK use 220-240 volts and in USA use 110 volts and the plug is not the same.


HTH.

Just Remember this ! when you rotate back to the US the compressor isn't wired for US AC/DC electricle home use so you will have to buy another compressor when you come home.

Thanks everyone for the inputs. I went a head and bought a Badger Anthem 155 Double action internal mix siphon feed air brush with a decent compressor. I got a 110V compressor so I can take it back to the states with me. My base house has 110V so it shouldn't be a problem. THanks again for all the help and inputs. Hopefully the brush I got will server it's purpose well.

Cheers,
Salvo

I went to this site and looked around. Whats the difference between a normal compressor and one with an air tank?

If you hook your airbrush directly to your compressor, the "pulsing" that the compressor makes as it works leads to uneven pressure and "pulsing" when you paint. This can often cause problems like big blobs of paint coming out when you don't want it.


If you run your airbrush from a tank instead, with a "regulator" to set the pressure, you'll get a nice steady flow. If your tank is large enough you can work while the compressor runs and you won't notice the pulsing.


I found a suplus valve with a pressure gage, and made a home made tank out of 6" diameter PVC pipe, about 4 feet long capped at both ends with round caps, and I tapped some holes and added some small diameter pipe with quick disconnect fittings I got at Home Depot. The supply from the compressor goes in one side, and the valve is on the other. I put a "drain valve at the bottom and mounted it on the wall with brackets. Works great!

Tom