# Air Brush Questions.



## BackYardHaunter (Nov 16, 2009)

Well i got a airbrush for christmas! im so happy but i have a few questions the maunal doesnt cover anything. its from habor freight btw.

1. Can you use water based acrylic paints? If not then what paints would i use?
2. i dont see how the air would shoot the paint.
3. Good cleaning tips?
4. A good PSI should run at (its says 15-50 PSI)
heres a picture. i can get more pictures









Thanks for any help! Merry Christmas!

-BYH


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## scourge999 (May 4, 2008)

I have never seen one like that before. It looks to be single action, syphon. My guess is that you will have to figure out what pressure will work best for each project you are doing. I imagine if you just keep your feeder nozzle clear you should be ok. I use Iwata's. They are dual action, I have both syphon and gravity feed. This looks like a good starter brush. You might have to upgrade as your skills improve. I would love to see what it's capabilities are. Please be sure to post some of your trials!


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

I've been invited to an air brush makeup demo in a couple of weeks. I just picked one up last week as recommended by the guy doing the demo. I've yet to use it, but here's what he said about it.


> the above airbrush set is one you should get for basing out actors (getting them to the base color)
> It is an external mix that means all the paint and air mixing happens at the nozzle as it is leaving the gun so no clogging. It is also single action (only one button/action push down for air and paint at the same time. This gun is crap for detail but it lays down a great base coat. I recommend having a second person do the basing out. They do not have to be trained as they are only using one button to make a person a different color. That way your artist does not waste precious detail time just applying a base color.
> 
> This airbrush set
> ...


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## BackYardHaunter (Nov 16, 2009)

scourge999 said:


> I have never seen one like that before. It looks to be single action, syphon. My guess is that you will have to figure out what pressure will work best for each project you are doing. I imagine if you just keep your feeder nozzle clear you should be ok. I use Iwata's. They are dual action, I have both syphon and gravity feed. This looks like a good starter brush. You might have to upgrade as your skills improve. I would love to see what it's capabilities are. Please be sure to post some of your trials!


yeah i saw one of those today at HF. i will post some of my trials since i have off next week. so stay tuned


joker said:


> I've been invited to an air brush makeup demo in a couple of weeks. I just picked one up last week as recommended by the guy doing the demo. I've yet to use it, but here's what he said about it.


i just saw this at HF today. its a little pricy for me that im not going to be using everyday. i would love to have it tho. lol

Thanks for everyones help!
-BYH


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## shadowopal (Aug 9, 2007)

BackYardHaunter said:


> 1. Can you use water based acrylic paints? If not then what paints would i use?


It's almost totally about thinning. Most likely if you can get your paint to the consistancy of thick milk, you can spray it. But, yes, water based acrylic will spray. However, they do make airbrush paints for almost ANY situation (makeup, graphic arts, latex masks, etc.)



BackYardHaunter said:


> 2. i dont see how the air would shoot the paint.


Looks like the air comes through the handle to the nozzle and uses air flow suction to suck the paint out of the jar. But, hard to say without seeing it in person.



BackYardHaunter said:


> 3. Good cleaning tips?


Do it often . Seriously, it depends on the paint. Water based, you can mostly just shoot distilled water through it until pure water comes out. The fact that it looks to be external mix will make things easy. Most likely the only cleaning you will need to do is the tip and the jar.



BackYardHaunter said:


> 4. A good PSI should run at (its says 15-50 PSI)


That will vary by the paint you use. You'll need to experiment each time you use it. You can adjust the airflow at the compressor. then you can adjust the paint flow at the airbrush nozzle.

So, you'll have to tweak it each time.

Have fun! They are a valuable tool. I would suggest looking up Airbrush Action Magazine ( http://www.airbrushaction.com/) for resources or BearAir ( www.bearair.com ).


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## DarkLore (Jan 25, 2009)

I used air brushes extensively through college (design degree). I've owned expensive ones and cheap ones. I'll bet the $20 air brush I bought at HF (different model than shown) can lay down paint just as well as badger, pache, or whatever. Basically...fancy features like dual action are for fine arts and people who extensively use air brushes. The hand and head control the tool. What you get from it comes from your learning, experience, and talent.

An air brush can paint with many mediums, but normally people use air brush ink or acrylic paint. The consistently is a matter of trial and error and depends upon the medium (paint).

A few pieces of advice - 

1. Learn to paint passed the object. Rarely should you move across left and right on top of the object. Paint across the object beyond its edges. Anywhere you pause, you will get an ambundance of paint. (Most people like air brushing because a practiced hand can give a nice even flow of paint from fine lines to heavy areas.)

2. Always clean the air brush after using. You can use fancy cleaners and distilled water. I don't. I'm normally using acrylic paint, which is water soluable. So I run basic tap water through it before I put it away.

3. Practice with light and heavy flows of paint (paint - not air). Move close, move away. Get a feel for how it paints before painting your object.

4. Use a filter to trap moisture and crap coming from your compressor.


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## trentsketch (Jul 27, 2009)

> 1. Can you use water based acrylic paints? If not then what paints would i use?


Yes. I almost always use acrylic paint in my air brush. You have to thin it down to get it to work properly and not destroy your airbrush. Some people use water. I prefer isopropyl alcohol. For me, I'm normally airbrushing at the last possible minute before testing lights and need to get the paint on there and dry. Acrylic can dry fast, but thinned with isopropyl alcohol, it dries much faster. That also means you must be vigilant in cleaning your airbrush because it can dry very quickly in the chamber and tip, as well.



> 2. i dont see how the air would shoot the paint.


I'm not familiar with your exact model, but it looks like a single-action bottom feed airbrush. In your case, that means the paint is sucked up into the airbrush from the cup below and shot out the front. That is why thinning is essential if you use acrylic paint. If it's too thick, it will either not come out or get stuck in the inner workings. Not a happy situation.


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## BackYardHaunter (Nov 16, 2009)

thanks for everyones help! i try it out last night i had a blast. it just uses a lot of paint.


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## haunted canuck (Feb 8, 2009)

this is totally a single action airbush, and by the looks of it you dont want to use any kind of solvents in this one ads it'll melt the plastic. to clean you can use a windex or a non cemical based cleaner will be good to clean with , these are probably the most tricky airbrushes out there I had to use one at first and when I got a dual action brush it was like day and night. single action aibrushes are touchy you always are ajusting the needle or the air or both to get the right thing to paint , good starter brush but if you are getting into details get a dual action, you'll have an easier time with it


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## steveshauntedyard (Nov 16, 2008)

I got some airbrush paint for Christmas to use with my airbrush I got last Christmas. Guess its time to start useing it. This info really helped. Thanks all


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## BackYardHaunter (Nov 16, 2009)

haunted canuck said:


> this is totally a single action airbush, and by the looks of it you dont want to use any kind of solvents in this one ads it'll melt the plastic. to clean you can use a windex or a non cemical based cleaner will be good to clean with , these are probably the most tricky airbrushes out there I had to use one at first and when I got a dual action brush it was like day and night. single action aibrushes are touchy you always are ajusting the needle or the air or both to get the right thing to paint , good starter brush but if you are getting into details get a dual action, you'll have an easier time with it


this is so true. its so touchy. i was always changing the needle

-BYH


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## Erebus (Jul 28, 2009)

joker said:


> I've been invited to an air brush makeup demo in a couple of weeks. I just picked one up last week as recommended by the guy doing the demo. I've yet to use it, but here's what he said about it.


Good, so when I come out your way, you can show me how to use mine?


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## DarkLore (Jan 25, 2009)

NTX JK said:


> Good, so when I come out your way, you can show me how to use mine?


Watch for the NTX/Okie M&T events. Yes - we'll show you.


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## Erebus (Jul 28, 2009)

I was looking at the recent post about that. I will go post in there.


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## HauntCast (Jul 25, 2008)

I bought one of those cheep CP Airbrushes last year, but haven't broken it in yet. I'll going to play around with it this summer though. I wish airbrush paint wasn't so expensive.


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## Howlinmadjack (Jul 20, 2009)

HauntCast said:


> I bought one of those cheep CP Airbrushes last year, but haven't broken it in yet. I'll going to play around with it this summer though. I wish airbrush paint wasn't so expensive.


HauntCast, acrylic paint thinned down works wonders. I've been airbrushing for years now, and I've used all kinds of paints, and I always come back to the acrylics. they're cheaper than airbrush paints, and you get the same results. As someone else pointed out though be diligent about cleaning them out or they'll get clogged with dry paint and you'll have to have it cleaned, or worse be totally useless.


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

Speaking as a long time airbrusher and teacher...
If you can make it a liquid it can be sprayed through an airbrush.
As to what you can and should spray through your brush, you need to look at what your needs are for the paint. The brush can probably handle water or petroleum based paints without any problems. A word of warning, Always wear a respirator when you airbrush, even if it's just something as simple as food coloring. Anything you take into your lungs other than clean air can and will cause problems.
Never use ammonia or ammonia based products in or on your brush.
Never submerge your airbrush in paints or solvents. Many areas of the airbrush were never intended to be exposed to those kinds of things, and they can stop functioning in a real hurry. 
The downside to the throw away brushes like the ones at Harbor freight is that you can't get replacement parts, they change specs and manufacturer's on a real regular basis, and the quality is generally so in consistent that you could buy 5 brushes at the same time and no two will perform the same way. In the end they end up being expensive paperweights or landfill.

Air doesn't push the paint it pull it by a suction/siphon action.
Single action brushes are okay for production work where you have to do the same stroke or volume of paint for long stretches, but if you want fluid control over the volume of paint you spray then a double action brush does a much better job for you.
For acrylic, by far the easiest to learn and paint with are Golden Airbrush Colors. They are ready to go from the bottle, no muss, no fuss.
IF you want your finished pieces to last you may want to cover them with a clear acrylic varnish or a clear enamel protective coating.


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## bentneedle (Sep 6, 2010)

I've found a lot of help from everyone at www.theairbrushforum.com. There's a TON of tut's and help for almost every kind of AB that has been produced. Fontgeek nailed just about every point, but more info can be found there. PLus, they're a group much like this forum, always willing to help out.


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## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

I haven't airbrushed in quite a few years, so I'm not sure if this is such an issue now, but it's probably not a bad idea to consider whether you prefer a paint cup on the top of the brush or attached to the bottom. Top cups used to be messy if loosely sealed and sometimes didn't hold as much paint, but they were my favorite once i got used to them.


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