Air Brush!

24 October 2024

We decided that normal paint brushing meets with our needs. What kind of brush?

22 October 2024

Air Brush!

Painting aircraft models, flying or non-flying, do not require airbrushing. We are interested in applying an even coat of paint, or multiple thin coats, with the details, accents and lines so normal paint brushes are actually sufficient.

Airbrushing is the next level up, it promises thinner coats and therefore a lighter paint job, there is no brush marks and you don't get brush bristles stuck on the model. All sounds promising but the initial outlay is higher and it will be a new learning experience. You could just buy spray cans and leave it as that, but then you will convince yourself that you require a particular tone that you simply have to mix the paint yourself. Another reason to convince yourself is to be able to apply shading, not so much as to blending.

Having convinced yourself that you need to airbrush when you actually don't, you decided to invest in airbrushing equipment and paint. As mentioned, you need airbrushing equipment. The most expensive equipment is a steady supply of air, here you need to consider the capabilities of the air compressor. You want one that can provide enough PSI and volume of air to supply to your airbrush. You must also realise that air compressor are noisy, you can't just use it anytime you wish.

There are basically two types of airbrushes: gravity fed and syphon fed. On your internet trawling you will decide that gravity fed dual control is the way to go. Not only you get to control the amount of air but you get to control the amount of paint as well! And all those nice images off the internet confirms that this must be the choice. Well, not so fast, you should seriously consider the syphon fed type. Not only that it is cheaper, it is so much easier to clean and there are less parts to clean. Syphon fed airbrush, or spray guns, are easier to operate, you blast the air over the tiny paint nozzle and the air and paint mixes itself outside the airbrush. Remember that you are primarily interested in getting even coats? You can still achieve that with syphon fed airbrushes. The main down side of the syphon fed type is that the air supply needs to be of higher psi. I cannot over emphasized the clean up needs of airbrushes. You can only get satisfactory results if your airbrushes are cleaned and maintained.

Remember, airbrushing is a skill that takes time and practice to master. By starting with a syphon fed airbrush and focusing on basic techniques, you can achieve impressive results and enjoy the process. I still have an air compressor and dual control gravity fed airbrush that I have zero confidence in but reluctant to throw away. I am convincing myself that it is the equipment fault.