discussion What pressure do you get from a Revell propellant can?

[Guest]

Hello everyone, my first post. I want to buy my first airbrush and am sorely tempted by a dirt cheap Revell bottle kit. Anyone know what psi they deliver? Is it adjustable? Revell say a 750 ml can allows 28 mins of painting. What do you reckon?

 

[Guest]

You can get regulators for propellant cans Nick, but how good they are I don't know.

Before I got my compressor, I used to very carefully adjust the screw on the adapter which helped give a small amount of control.

Compared to a double action airbrush / compressor setup, it was like a firehouse though!

Cheers

Patrick

 

[Guest]

Thanks. This Revell kit includes a regulator, but I've no idea what it's like. These kits seem to get generally OK reviews, so hopefully the regulator can't be that bad? The paint I want to use has a recommended pressure of 12 - 15 psi. Does that sound doable? Is it a bit on the low side?

 

[Guest]

You'll struggle to get the pressure that low! And don't forget it's not consistent as the available pressure drops as the can empties.

I think you'll be disappointed if you use special paints with a very basic setup.

 

[Guest]

The big problem with gas canisters is related to the effects of evaporation of a gas. If you use a lot of gas quickly you will find that the temperature of the gas falls and the pressure in the bottle falls. The upshot of this is the fact that the pressure at the brush can vary as you are using it making it difficult to regulate.

Small airbrush compressors are getting pretty cheap nowadays and a much better proposition and ultimately a lot cheaper than gas canisters. I would always recommend one though with a reservoir again to ensure a consistent pressure at the brush.

 

[Guest]

OK, thanks. What's the minimum spec I need for an airbrush? I'm a bit perplexed about gravity feed vs siphon etc. I find it hard to tell the difference between cheap stuff on ebay which is rubbish and cheap stuff which works. There seems to be a lot of unbranded Chinese stuff on ebay. Is it useable?

 

[Guest]

The main difference between airbrushes are whether they're single of double action. Single action will invariably be syphon fed from a glass pot under the airbrush whereas double actions have an integral cup in the top & are gravity fed.

I bought my kit which is a compressor & both single plus double action airbrushes for less than £90. They're the cheap Chinese stuff but 2 years on, they're still working fine.

Cheers

Patrick

 

[stona]

Many people,as Patrick, find the Chinese airbrushes very effective. Ultimately they are going to contain components which are not of the same quality as a better known branded tool but they obviously work well and are adequate as you introduce yourself to airbrushing.

I'd suggest going for a double action airbrush directly.

The double action is not as complicated as it sounds. The first action is depressing the trigger to allow air to flow. It should always be fully depressed,don't try to control the air flow with this function,that's what a regulater is for.

The second action is pulling the trigger back to introduce the paint. This can be done incrementally.

You will waste a lot less paint with a gravity feed airbrush and there are less tubes etc to get blocked. Siphon feeds tend to have larger paint reservoirs and there always has to be enough paint in the bottle to allow the siphon tube to suck paint rather than air!

Bunkerbarge has explained the draw backs of canned air very well above. It doesn't take many cans to pay for a modest compressor. A can may give a 28 minute supply of air but I guarantee that a significant proportion of that will be used flushing and cleaning the airbrush rather than actually painting.

It's a lot to take in but I wish you the best of luck whichever options you go for.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Guest]

I use a cheapo Humbrol airbrush just for applying washes as even as possible to large areas, on a full can you get about 30 seconds of even pressured spraying before you will notice a difference with pressure fluctuation and occasional splattering. On a half empty can about 20 - 25 seconds later there's the pressure problem again but more intense.

I have used the airbrush for painting large areas of green and brown for base coats before adding diorama material (grass, soil etc) but this is as far as i would go with this, as i said above i only use for washes normally so it's not that much of a problem when the airbrush splatters, and believe me it will do at some time.

Save up the money you will probably waste on the cheap AB, gas, the odd ruined model and the time it takes you to calm down when it all goes nipples skywards and then get yourself a decent AB thats reccomended for your ability and usage by the knowledgeable chaps on here (that ain't me by the way and i'll be using this thread as reference for when i take the plunge and buy a decent AB, maybe, possibly)

 

[Guest]

Hmm. OK, I won't buy a cheap bottle kit! How about this AS186 kit? £76 for a kit with two brushes and a tank seems too good to be true - does it look OK? AS 186 Complete Airbrush Kit + Compressor With Tank | eBay

 

[Guest]

Thats good - I got one of those a couple of months ago. The airbrushes are nothing special but will do the job. Thats actually a better deal than I got back in February I only got 1 airbrush and it was about £89.

 

[Guest]

That looks pretty much the same as what I have Nick. The only difference is my airbrush has the cup built-in on the top.

Cheers

Patrick

 

[HAWKERHUNTER]

Hey Nick

I started off with a Revell Standard airbrush and thought I could save money using the air cans...bad decision. I was going through at least two cans a model and trying to get the pressure right was near on impossible. Many a time, when the can was getting low I had to put the thing in warm water just to get some pressure up. I eventually treated myself to a compressor which has already paid for itself twice over. I also use a cheap and cheerful duel action airbrush,£12 new off that site and its fantastic. Moral of this story, bite the bullet and treat yourself to a compressor straight away. You will save in the long run and get far better results.