What do I need to know to get started air brushing?


To start airbrushing, there are only a few things you need.
1. Obviously, you need an airbrush. You do not, however, need a $300 airbrush to start with. A decent airbrush can be had for well under $100. My recommendation would be the Badger 350. It's a good solid single action external mix airbrush, in fact it's the one Harbor Freight cloned for the airbrush Iron Horseman mentioned in his post. Parts are readily available if needed, although there's really not much that can go wrong with this airbrush. There is not much of a learning curve with it, and with practice you can do some really amazing work with it. Can you paint a fine line 1/64" wide with it? No, but that's not what it was designed to do. It's an excellent learning tool, though. It's also very easy to clean. Why do I recommend Badger? First, they are made right here in the USA. Second, the owner of Badger, Ken Schlotfeldt, is very passionate about what he does. He cares deeply about his product and his customers. I have seen him interviewed on more than one YouTube channel run by regular guys like you and me who build models. He also takes time to give seminars.
Introduction to Airbrushing with Ken Schlotfeldt - YouTube

There is nothing wrong with products from Iwata or Paasche, but I feel better about buying from a company whose owner takes time to mingle with the "little people", as Leona Helmsley once referred to the ordinary person as.

2. You will need a source of compressed air. The unit from Lowe's that Stumpy linked to would do you proud. I have a similar compressor I bought on clearance at Menards. One advantage of this type of compressor over a hobby type compressor is that they can be used for projects around the house, airing up the munchkin's bike tires, etc. They have a built in regulator, but you will need to purchase a

3. moisture trap. I bought this one from Harbor Freight, but similar units can be bought from any hardware store: 1/4 in. Air Line Filter/ Regulator with Gauge (harborfreight.com)

4. You will need a hose to go from the compressor to the moisture trap. I mounted the moisture trap to the side of my workbench. I did this for two reasons:
a. It's handy to adjust the air pressure. I have the regulator on the compressor set to about 60 PSI, which is much higher than you will ever want to use for airbrushing. I adjust the airbrush pressure with the regulator moisture trap at the workbench.
b. AS air is compressed, it heats up. This heat creates water vapor. While much of this water vapor will re-condense and be caught in the tank (another good reason to use a compressor with a tank), not all of it will. There will still be some water vapor in the air headed for your airbrush. By having a length of hose between the compressor and the regulator/moisture trap you have provided room for the remaining water vapor to fall out of suspension and be collected in the moisture trap. Professional automotive painters use a moisture trap just before the fitting where they hook up their spray gun for exactly this reason.

5. You will need a hose from the regulator to the airbrush. I recommend a braided hose, such as this one: 1/4 in. x 10 ft. Braided Nylon Airbrush Hose (harborfreight.com) They are strong, yet flexible. The flexibility is important as you don't want the hose interfering with your movement of the brush.

6. You will need a clean place to paint. A spray booth will be needed unless you can do your painting outside, which at this time of year would be inconvenient, to say the least. If you plan to spray enamels or lacquers, it is vital that the spray booth be vented to the outside. You do not want to be breathing those fumes! If you plan to restrict your painting to acrylics only, it would still be a good idea to vent the booth to the outside, but at least use a booth that can draw the overspray through a filter.

7. Protective equipment. A respirator is a really good idea. You can get them at a hardware store for under $50. Disposable gloves, of the powder free variety, will keep paint off of your hands. I have a long sleeved sweatshirt that I wear, along with nitrile rubber gloves, when airbrushing.

These are what I would consider the minimum for airbrushing. There are a lot of other niceties, but these will get you going. For practice, I would recommend using food coloring mixed with distilled water. You can learn how the airbrush behaves, and it will be very easy to clean the airbrush after a practice session. Get some paper towels with a design embossed in them, and practice coloring in the embossed areas with the food coloring/water mix.
Above all: Have fun! Airbrushing is not nearly as hard as some people think it is. It just takes practice.
 



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