Painting Questions

[GMahaffey]

I currently do not have an airbrush because I live in an apartment and don't have much money to invest in one, so I hand brush everything. What is your technique so that you don't get heavy on the paint on the model pieces? Also what suggestions would you give me for getting an airbrush in my circumstances?

[ForbesHutton]

There are a couple of brush-only painters around who can answer the first question better, but I think for the most part what they do is thin the paint and do a couple of very thin coats.
As for the airbrush:
1) spray only acrylics. There is basically no smell and you don't need smelly (and harsh) cleaners.
2) It seems the main issue with airbrushes in apartments is noise. The airbrush itself is silent, the compressor is the source of any noise. Compressors aren't any louder than things like vacuum cleaners, coffee grinders, blenders, etc, but it's the time of day and duration of use that get on the neighbours nerves, so using it in the early evening or on the weekend during the day is gong to be better than at 11pm. Keeping the compressor off a hard floor will stop the vibration from traveling, so put it on a soft chair or on top of a folded towel or old carpet to keep the vibrations isolated.
3) Ultimate's airbrush is a very good starter airbrush, along with the harder and Steenbeck Ultra or the Iwata Neo.

[Lysus]

Forbes covered it really well, on the compressor I'd add that you'll find some with air tanks and some without. If your budget allows try to get one with a tank.

Tankless compressors will be "on" the entire time you're using them making noise and vibrating, whereas the tanked compressors will have a reserve of compressed air to use until it needs to refill. Depending on how much you're using the airbrush this will cut down on the noise and vibration drastically. Most compressors made for hobby use aren't too overly loud and shakey (shop compressors are made for shops where noise isn't a problem) and as Forbes said, keeping them off the floor with something soft underneath will do 50% of the work on keeping them quiet.

NOTE: Something soft but not too soft; you don't want them shaking themselves over. A towel or shag carpet cutting like he said is fine.

There's also the issue of tankless compressors having a tendency to cause the airbrush to "spurt" a little for many of the cheaper models.

Airbrushing has a large upfront cost, but you'll be saving money down the line compared to buying rattle cans (and headache--rattle can spraying is a tricky endeavor as you have little control over the spray). I don't know where you are in the world, but if you set aside say $250-300 USD you should be able to get set up with a nice bit of kit plus some extra for incidentals.

Also think about an extraction booth to suck up the spray. If you stick with acrylics the fumes and smells won't be so severe, but you still want to keep atomized paint off your furniture. You can build your own for pretty cheap, or get a collapsible booth for about $80 USD that can be neatly stored away and comes with a hose to stick in a window during use.

Like I said, large upfront costs but for the most part once that's done, you're done and just buying paint.

[GMahaffey]

Thank you for the tips. I did find a airbrush kit on amazon.com for 80 USD new and 72 used. The compressor is a quiet model as well. I feel that would probably be better for apartment living and for people on a budget. One of my colleagues at work suggested that I look at craigslist as well. I mostly paint it with acrylics. The last time I used an airbrush was all the way back 17 years ago.

[Stokesy44]

Also think about an extraction booth to suck up the spray. If you stick with acrylics the fumes and smells won't be so severe, but you still want to keep atomized paint off your furniture. You can build your own for pretty cheap, or get a collapsible booth for about $80 USD that can be neatly stored away and comes with a hose to stick in a window during use.

Definitely. Look after yourself when spraying.

[digger303]

Nobody mentioned a compressed co2 bottle as the air source.....very quiet ! and doesn't need refilling that often.

[GMahaffey]

I am looking at a compressor and 3 airbrushes for 4o USD off craigslist.com. Not sure of the brand but I am going on today to look at it.