Airbrush Question

[waltr]

I finally bought an airbrush. After reading and researching I chose the Badger 155 Anthem (double action, siphon feed). From the research I found that Badger parts are readily available and reasonably priced (bought an extra needle, tip & regulator for $13.30 since I read on how easy it is for beginners to break or loose these).
I may buy the Badger 105 gravity feed in the future.

The airbrush itself is really the smaller part of the cost (if you don't have a compressor and place to use it). Since the compressor can be used with any airbrush don't skimp the the quality. I bought a Silentaire with a tank (regulator & moisture trap included) and a Paasche paint booth. I work in my basement so I wanted the compressor to be fairly quiet and needed to exhaust fumes to the outside (through a dryer vent).

I've had these for a week now and after practicing with the airbrush almost every night I'm happy with the setup. Last night I sprayed some Testor's gloss coat to prepare for decaling and there weren't any fumes in the house. The exhaust fan and compressor are quieter than the furnace so it doesn't disturb my wife upstairs.

 

[cdouglas]

I bought a 155 recently but haven't had a chance to try it out. I was trying an old HF single action and a Thayer and Chandler double and didn't like those. I will have mine hooked to my 25 gal compressor in my garage with a separate regulator and dryer.

 

[Espeefan]

Excellent advice, but let me tweak it a little if I may

Personally I would recommend getting a Badger dual action brush. http://www.tcpglobal.com/airbrushdepot/b-renegade-sets.aspx The Renegade series is by far the best brushes Badger makes. If you check them out you can get all 3 for around $300 The Velocity is only $103. Where as Iwata is around $180- $200.

I've used quite a bit of Badger and Paasche as well but we should compare apples to apples. I say this because when I first discovered Iwata my initial impression was: "pheww...expensive! True your HP-C goes for $180-200.00. but it's in the middle to upper middle price range of the Iwata line. You can get a nice Eclipse for around $125-135.00 or even a Renegade for around $80.00 that are both as capable or more so than the equivalent Badger offerings. True the parts are more expensive, but there is a reason for that...for the most part, they are made of better materials. I have an Eclipse that is 5 years old and it still has all of the original parts. It is a demonstrator, and gets handled by John Q Ten Thumbs pretty regularly at shows, and does yeoman service. Chances are, unless you drop it, you won't be buying many parts for your Iwata. Also, the Velocity's .21 mm needle/nozzle might be a little fine for general model painting. For model railroading I would recommend a minimum needle/nozzle size of .35 mm or even .5 mm depending on what paints you'd be shooting. Lots of us use enamels and thicker mediums. For a train guy, I'd recommend the Rage, or get the larger needle & nozzle for the Velocity. Even better, the Patriot 105-1. I don't care for that blackened finish on the Renegades, but that's just me. I spray too much Scalecoat Loco Black!

The Dagr is also a very good brush but I'm told it's becoming a thing of the past no longer being marketed.

I hadn't heard this. I have not used a DAGR but it has a good rep as a rugged capable gun, and anyone who's been around the automotive business knows the DeVilbiss name. Too Bad!

Just remember that you get what you pay for. If it's cheap then most likely it's junk. Finally Do Not under any circumstance buy the NEO which is an Iwata knock off
made in china. It is totally junk.

Just a quick word on the Neo. It's an entry level offering. If you are an accomplished airbrusher, and have used high quality equipment, you will not like it. I've tried it and I don't. Compared to your HP-C and my Eclipses and Hi-Lines, it's, well, not in the same universe. OTOH it isn't intended for accomplished artists. It's for first time users and/or folks on a budget. It's made in Taiwan for Iwata and is targeted at those who would buy something like the Harbor Freight cheapie. It costs a little more than $15-20.00, but less than the $80-90.00 threshold where the better quality equipment prices start. You can get it at shows for less than $50.00, or at Hobby Lobby with one of their famous 40% off coupons. I would still rather put a Neo in a student's hand than the HF unit, FWIW. It will do basic model painting just fine, though I would not try and do fine detail work with one. It really depends on the hobbyist. How much do you paint? Is an airbrush a vital tool in your work, or something you use once in a while because every now & then you just have to paint something? Do buy something good quality. I prefer to buy a good one of anything once rather than a cheapie three or four times, and the cheap stuff always seems to crap out in the middle of a project!