Best Airbrush Questions

Paache is my choice but just about any will do fine if you learn how to use them and the paints that you spray through them. I use multiple brands of lacquer paints in mine but most have to be thinned and or retarded to get small crisp details as well as adjusting air pressure. The amount of thinning and or retarding can change from day to day even within the same brand.

 

I have a bunch of airbrushes but I do like my Paasche VISION.



Kerby...

 

It depends on what your looking for. Just painting or doing a higher quality job?
JMO Paache sucks JMO and I have three different one ( H, VL, VL jr) they never did what I wanted. Tried an aztec and for the price it worked great but once I used a high quality brush like Iwata that has a .2mm tip on it well my detail work rose to the top.
Now saying this their are other that have .2mm tip and they will do quality work(smoothness) but the difference is the way a product is made from pressed on parts to one that can be taken apart and be fixed with ease. Soft metals compared to harder ones.
Now badger has this in .2mm with soft metals and I dont know about the chrome as it may have machined and better smoothness but others can answer that. I like the Iwata for its quality. Remember one thing the cheap becomes the expensive here.

 

I agree with Frank about Paache. I have used my fair share of VL's over the years. I am a fan of most Badger airbrushes. A Vega (from Badger) is my go too favorite for general colors, they just keep going and going. Had good luck with chrome and renegade for detail work. I'm not taking anything away from Iwata and some of the other good ones out there. I just stick with what works for me.

 

I have a heck of a time getting Lifetone paints to run in my Paache (H1). No amount of cleaning or thinning seems to help. I got a bottle of Woods & Water and it worked beautifully. I don't discount that I am doing something wrong because so many others swear by it but for the life of me I cannot figure out what. The only way I seem to get it to work is to open it up wide then turn it down. Once I pause painting if I don't start painting it immediately I have the same problem all over again.

I have actually be considering getting a Badger just to try something new. Maybe it will work better?

 

Your paint is drying on the tip, changing airbrush won't do anything about that unless it has a larger tip in it. Use some retarder, that slows the speed at which the paint dries. Many folks would have less issues with airbrushing if they took the time to learn their tools and paints that they use. Paint very seldom, if ever comes out of the bottle ready to spray details through a small tip.
I may be wrong on this but, I feel that one reason why many swear by the more expensive brushes is because they actually take the time to figure them out as well as what is needed to make them work, just because they spent the extra money.

 

3Bears is 100% correct Vic. And don't be afraid to bump up the amount of retarder you use if it's still drying. I usually had a few drops to a decent squirt into my mixing cup depending on how much pigment is in the color I am using.

My two cents on the age old question of which airbrush? Especially looking at the awesome work some folks can do with just about any air brush is to pick one and stick with it. Like a puppy, you can mold any pup into a great dog by putting in the time. I would think switching or having 2-3 (or more) different types of airbrushes would get really confusing at least early on. Maybe through time one can master several, but early on giving up and trying another brand/type is a recipe for being a jack of all trades and a master of none. Most air brushes are very capable of achieving the results most of us are looking for in our business. It just takes lots of practice and then more practice. Isolating the problem(s) that can arise is typically the hardest part. And usually little to do directly because of the air brush. Sometimes having more than one issue compounds the learning curve as well.

I kind've feel like a an air brush is like a good fitting shotgun. If you don't feel comfortable with it, by all means try something else. But, not after you have given it a lot of time practicing. Then, once you feel comfortable with one, like a good shotgun, stick with it. Put the time in and you'll figure out ways to get the results you want YOUR way. I can't get the details with my H3(medium tip) that Frank can get with his detail brushes. But, I may switch to my number 1 tip set up or use hand/artists brushes for a lot of my detail work (my workaround). I use a number 3 tip for 95% or more of my air brush painting. On the flip side, if I want to shoot some metallic powders/gloss through my H3 I'm ready to go. Frank needs to go to a similar, wider tipped set-up to get those flakes through. He solves those problems by becoming a master of all of his brushes through many years of practice. I'm lazy and I don't like cleaning often so my H3 is my staple for getting the job done. It works for me. The trick is to find a brush that works for you and force yourself to stick with it before moving on to something else. Again, just my two cents...

 

What retarder do y'all recommend for water based Polytranspar paint? I haven't used any retarder, but I add clear gloss to my black paint to help prevent tip drying.

 

I use lacquer so I can't answer about water based

 

I have both the Hydromist and the Polytranspar retarder and both work most of the time. However, I have had some of the Polytranspar paint coagulate when using the Polytranspar retarder! Get the Hydromist Retarder.

P.S. Clear gloss? I'm guessing water based gloss hopefully? Lacquer based would be incompatible. And WB gloss isn't going to keep your tip from drying. You need retarder.

 

IMO ... Air Brushes are kinda like running a SR goose call .... If you can run one well ....doesn't MATTER if it's a 200.00 call or a 20.00 ....you will sound like a goose ... Same with an airbrush , once proficient you'll do fine with most any brand out there .. Then it comes to personal preference .. with SR calls I own a bunch all great , some better in different situations and used when needed .... Airbrushes , are kinda the same , I have a couple Iwata's (1 gravity feed , 1 siphon feed) that are stupid expensive [parts are even more expensive] and really nice , but they must be clean as a whistle to work well so I hardly use them ... to much trouble , also picked up a couple KKmoon (China brand Iwata clone) that are really cheap but darn near as nice as the actual Iwata's (parts are even interchangeable) not as finiky so far ...really nice for the 15.00 prices on eBay .... My go to brushes are still the Badger Anthem 155 and Vega 2000 (pretty much the same brush different color ) Badger owns them ... Was going to say Badger is your best bang for your buck as all their double actions are great less the 150 model , but price wise . .... for your money the KKmoon is a steal .... Badger"s can be had for around 70.00 at USA Airbrush supply ....
I'd ditch those old Pashaee"s for an upgrade ....much better out there ...
Also take into consideration ... Air pressure and paint mixtures are two of the most important things to get right while airbrushing ... because if your paint sucks .... No matter how great your airbrush is .... It won't come out right unless the paint flows smoothly ....
Sorry for the rambling ...

 

I disagree but I suppose that depends on one's definition of "better". For super fine detail work there certainly are many better choices. But, for what we do I would say the Single action cheapo Paasche is probably the most widely used air brush out there. A proven workhorse that I can neglect breaking apart and cleaning for dozens of fish. And, I can achieve most effects I need to in this business. For the other 5% of the time I would indeed recommend another detail air brush or hand paint (or other methods) for the finer details instead. IMO every shop should have a cheap workhorse like the Paasche Single action. There's many times you don't need that expensive air brush. It'll pay for itself in no time with the time you save not having to clean your airbrush. JMO..

 

Can't argue with what your saying here .... It's your Personal Prefrence .... Never laid my hands on a Paasche so I can't speak for them other than they are no cheaper than a Badger .... Just like goose calls .... For example the late great Tim Grounds (RIP gooseman)makes a great call and many guys love them .... Personally I can't run them due to the barrel not fitting me like I like so I run calls I turned myself and old Zink calls . Might not be for everyone but for me they work great ..... So I'm not knocking Paasche just noting the many options available...like the super cheap KKmoon Airbrushes ... Much cheaper than Badger or Paasche and perform as good if not better ...smoother trigger for sure ... Anyways ..
Yeah like in said it's up to the user and what they prefer ...

 

I’ve learned that just because I can’t do something with a particular tool or technique, doesn’t it mean it can’t be done. One of the top fish guys in the country uses a Paashe single action and does absolutely incredible work! Never say never.

 

Marty , looked at your site .... Awesome work man . Some really great mounts ... proof that when your good with an airbrush it doesn't matter what airbrush you use ... The end product is gonna be great ..... I've said it many time but ill say it again ...There are a bunch of Great taxidermist on these forums ..... Best part is most all are willing to help others , which isn't the norm ....
Thanks

 

Please guys
Get used to the brush yo need
Try differnt options i personally like badger have three differnt ones and does all I need , but that’s me
See what fits your needs
And what works with you
I watched a guy paint a magnificent painting in 4 minutes with a6” paint brush
It’s all in what fits you
CL