Airbrushing?

[Alan 45]

I've been giving it a lot of thought just lately and I want to start airbrushing my builds but it's a pricey game what with compressors and such but I came across a starter pack that uses an aerosol can of air as a propellant ,

What I would like to ask is are these any good ? I don't want to find out I'm no good at it and have wasted a lot of money.

Any help is much appreciated

[eddiesolo]

With you on this one Alan, wanting to start up doing this myself, most of my models are brushed or rattle canned so would like to get into AB. Price + quality is the key here, cheapness on equipment but without the cheapness of quality.

Si

[papa 695]

You can produce some good results with an Aerosol airbrush but the problem is with the aerosol itself they cost a lot of money for what you get, they don't last that long also prone to not giving even amounts of air so you get a spluttering effect. So if you are serious about getting an airbrush try one of the stater set for around the £50 to £70 mark from some of the airbrush dealers or Ebay also just take a look in John shop he as some nicely priced kits

Hope this helps Alan but most of all shop around and have a look

[stona]

This is a bit of a conundrum that many people looking to have a go at airbrushing face.

A starter kit, with canned air, will give you an idea of how you might get on with an airbrush. The problem is that such a set up is a long way from a more sophisticated airbrush and compressor set up. The biggest problem with canned air is the lack of control and inconsistency of the pressure delivered to the airbrush. Ultimately it's also a very expensive way to buy compressed air!

The conundrum is that if you do eventually decide to invest in an airbrush set up a starter kit like this will end up at the bottom of a cupboard never to see the light of day again. Would it not be better to put that money towards a "proper" set up? The Chinese compressors are now relatively inexpensive (compared to even a few years ago) and a quality starter brush will definitely work better than the sort of thing you'll get in a kit like that.

Only you know whether you will continue modelling and air brushing! Only you know what your budget is. The sort of quality set up I mentioned above will set you back a couple of hundred quid which for most of us (including me!) is a lot of money. On the bright side it is a one off investment that should last for years.

I'm sure some of the others will be along and maybe have some other options to offer you.

Cheers

Steve

[Alan 45]

Thanks for the input guys , the way I'm looking at it is cheques and balances , I know that the full spraying kit is better but a little expencive if I'm no good at it , cheepest compressor I've seen is £70 , cheepest spray gun with all the nozzles is £30 , that's £100 wasted if I'm no good , the aerosol airbrush kit is £50 although £50 is still a lot of money to lose but if it is my thing then I will go out and buy a compressor and do it properly

[Vaughan]

Alan I'd go with what Steve has said. I have a compressor with a tank that set me back £90 and has worked fine for 2 years now. I own 2 airbrushes an Iwata Revolution CR and BR but one would do. John sells the Iwata Neo range which at £50 is a good starter brush, and not too expensive, but still a quality brush. I was in the same position as you a few years back wondering if I would get on with an airbrush, it takes practice and I'm no expert but it certainly ups the level of your modelling.

[Alan 45]

Alan I'd go with what Steve has said. I have a compressor with a tank that set me back £90 and has worked fine for 2 years now. I own 2 airbrushes an Iwata Revolution CR and BR but one would do. John sells the Iwata Neo range which at £50 is a good starter brush, and not too expensive, but still a quality brush. I was in the same position as you a few years back wondering if I would get on with an airbrush, it takes practice and I'm no expert but it certainly ups the level of your modelling.

I can see what you and Steve are saying it's just its a lot of money to lose if I'm no good at it, you see I'm not an impulsive person, oh I don't know what to do

[Vaughan]

I think you have to go with your own instincts on this one Alan, all I can say is the first time I used an airbrush I was amazed at the difference it made to using a brush. It is a lot of money to spend but I think it's worth the investment, take a look at some of the many builds on the forum and you will see what results you can achieve. As I said I'm no expert and I'm learning all the time but it definitely ups your level.

[Guest]

From the accounts just recently, Alan, if you do not get on with airbrushing you can re-sell on Ebay.

Somebody last week sold an Airbrush, in the region of £180 new, & got the greater percentage back. Think it was about £160.

Laurie

[Guest]

Agree with Vaughan. Tried a bit of hand brushing but if I had not bought an airbrush I would not have carried on model making.

I know there are great hand brush model makers but I am not one of them. I also just like the concept of airbrushing. Find it a lot of pleasure, although there are moments of down right frustration when nothing seems to go right. I even airbrush small bits & pieces now as I find more pleasure than hand brushing.

Laurie

[Alan 45]

Thank you Laurie and Vaughan for your input I'm going to get the aerosol starter kit to practice with then if after a few little builds I'm no good I haven't spent too much money on it

I'll let you lot decide if there is a future in it for me

[Guest]

Hi Alan i went onto everything airbrush, they do a Diaphragm compressor for as little as £50.00 and including the AB130 airbrushes i picked up one-bay two of them including hose and conectors came in at a grand total of £90.00, this is a good starter set for the money and will last a few years until you have the money for somthing better.

scott

[Guest]

Hi Alan I started with the sort of set up you are looking at getting and I would think a lot on here did. I wouldn't waste your money and just go for one of the cheeaper starter packs compressor ect. The amount of money I spent on the cans over a short period I could have had a very nice set up out of. I ended up getting the sort of thing you are looking wanting to get compressor and x2 brushes wich do me fine. As I think Laurie said if you don't get on with it you can sell it on ebay.

Terry

[Gern]

Got to agree with the guys here Alan. You should go for the best set-up you can afford. Like anything else, airbrushing can be tricky to master - I know I've got lots and lots still to learn - so you don't want to add to the problems by trying to use stuff that will add further complications such as irregular pressure and poor seals.

If it turns out you don't like it or can't master the techniques, you can always sell on what you've bought. The difference between what you pay for good stuff and what you get when you sell will probably be around what you want to spend on cheap gear anyway; so your costs if it doesn't work for you will be about the same either way. At least you're giving yourself the best chance of it working and, if it does work out, you'll have stuff that will last a long time and therefore be cheaper in the long run.

Gern

PS Seems to me I said something similar about added complications yesterday!

[Guest]

Have just seen a tank compressor with two airbrushes on eBay for under £70. Perhaps a good way to start? Here's the link

Obviously I can't say whether this is any good...! Others may have opinions...

Edit: Just seen the same compressor on everythingAirbrush.com too - only there it's a touch over £90 but maybe has better accessories? Not sure.