I am looking at buying an airbrush. Being a beginner at the art, I want one that will be fairly easy to operate but still good enough to use for a while. Also one that could be used for all aspects - fish and mammal - if possible. I read many posts using the orange button and am a little confused. I was looking at the Paasche VSR-90. From what I gathered from the posts, gravity feed is better - I think. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
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It boils down to what you want to spend. Whatever brand you get, you will learn and get use to it just like riding a bike. The cheaper the airbrush, the less quality you will get. Iwata is a very high quality brand; Paasche is a medium quality mid range brush. They are the most used or preferred. The gravity feed is very nice as you get paint to the tip with out delay with the smallest of pressure. A side or bottom feed style brush needs a flow of air to draw the paint up to the tip. With the gravity feed, you use one color at a time, with a side/bottom feed, you can have different colors in cups that you can swap in midstream and jump colors. The gravity feed will need to be cleaned before the next color. Single action controls the flow of air and the needle will be regulated with an adjustment knob behind the trigger. A double action controls the feed of air and paint at the same time. Push the flow button down for air and backwards for paint. Because this is your first brush, it is like dating girls, you will learn to handle it as you go with who ever you pick. A double action is not that hard to run, although some guys have a hard time with them. But you have to be very klutzy not to run one, sorry to some folks out there.
Tried them all and I kept coming back to the single action, H-3, Paasche. For a beginner, it's cheap enough and sufficient to last some of us forever. What I like especially in fish work is that I can preset a spot pattern and have every single spot the exact same size. That push/pull method of the double action just isn't for me as I could never duplicate spots. Having said all of that, I don't know of a single, top end fish guy who uses the H series. I forget if Cecil does or not. He may be the exception.
Cecil uses a Paasche H-3 and I know of two other fish taxidermists who use one with excellent results. I use the VL and have for years, but I really like the one function button of the H-3 also. Paul B. will kill me for saying that so I'll close by saying the Iwata is a great airbrush...eh?(grin)
single action, H-3, Paasche for me too. My first airbrush.
I have a drawer full of airbrushes, but the single action H-3 is the only one I use. I prefer laquer paint over water based also. I used the H today to re-paint a 1951 auto tag, and do finish work on deer geese, and ducks!
I appreciate you guys taking the time to offer these tips. I am in Iraq right now with about 5 months to go. But I did see on the Dixie Art Supplies website that they have the Paasche H model set complete with 3 tip sizes for $50. I am trying to order some tools to get set up when I get home. Again, thanks for the tips!