Airbrushing tips, tricks, techniques, best practice, tools

[crimsonfancy]

Thank you very much to @chevys10zr2003 for helping me get a grip on this. I would love it if everyone that knows could contribute to this thread as well if you're inclined. Maybe we can get an airbrush thread going that will help others with questions down the road. I really want to start painting bodies and imo, airbrush is the most versatile and has the greatest impact on final design composition. I've been intimidated by the tools needs but I figure once I get what I need, the rest is practice and practice.

I'm motivated to learn to airbrush and have had to compile advice here and there across many forums and online sources. Some of you guys are familiar and already doing it. I want to get the right equipment (least cost) and give it a shot. Maybe we can get some tips and tricks in one spot for others to go with.
I have a few questions that I can start with:

I have a pancake Harbor Freight 3 gallon compressor that I use to clean my vehicles. Is three gallons enough to keep spraying without engaging the motor and potentially messing up my spray?

I purchased a mini air filter / regulator combo that I assume is enough to remove moisture and regulate. Is this exactly what I need?

Do I need a secondary tank 5-7 gallon or is this overkill for 1:8 scale size bodies?

I've read .5mm is the spray needle size I need for Proline Paints. Is this kind of universal for all good quality paints? How do I use paint reducer or do I ever need to? What does it do?

What other tools do I need to be successful. I purchased the Harbor Freight $20 kit recommended from a video. Is this enough to get started for paint flow consistency? What's the best vessel to use as two are given in the kit? Cup and jar.

What other tips can we learn from other forum members willing to share?

Thank you to anyone willing to share their experiences. ???

 

[chevys10zr2003]

As I said in the other thread, I have a California Air Tools 1 gallon compressor. The compressor has a built in regulator. I also have a 20 foot air hose, another regulator and water filter like the one you have shown, and another 12' smaller diameter air hose that goes to my airbrush.

My compressor is quiet enough that I run it in my basement and my wife can sleep on the main floor. My setup is that I have the regulator on the compressor set to around 50psi and then I run the 20' hose into the moisture trap/regulator where I then reduce the pressure to 20-22psi for my final working pressure. Suction feeds, like the one you linked and my airbrush, take a little more pressure than a gravity feed as it needs to create a vacuum to siphon the paint up the tube.

I believe that my compressor fills the 1 gallon tank to 120psi and it kicks in when it is at 80psi. I'm not 100% sure on those numbers though but I know they are close. I made sure to set the regulator on the compressor to lower than the compressors lower kick in limit and honestly I don't notice any difference spraying while the compressor is running vs spraying when it's not running. The extra tank would be nice as it would allow you to spray longer before the compressor kicks in, but keep in mind that it will also take longer to fill up once it does kick in.

I've sprayed just fine with all three of the needles that came with my airbrush. I have a .22mm, .50mm and a .75mm and they all spray Mission Models and Proline paints well. The smaller needles are just more for fine detail work while the larger needles are for larger spray patterns and you may need to thin the paints down more for the thinner needles. I've been told my spraygunners.com and Badger airbrush company (both excellent companies by the way) that the paint should be thinned down to about the consistancy of 2% milk. Even the "ready to spray" paints from Mission Models and Proline I have added about 8% thinner (rough guess) to them to get it to spray to my liking. And from what I have read and experienced, the darker the color, the more thinner you want to add with the exception of black. Some companies blacks act like light colors where you don't need to add much thinner and some companies it acts like the darker colors where you need a bunch of thinner.

I really believe that you have everything that you need to get started and get learning and trying new things. Just remember that its something you are learning. I got really frustrated at first and almost gave up on it, but I figured out my issue and am very happy that I did.

Sorry for the long post, just trying to help out as much as I can as I'm not sure as to how many airbrushers we have in this forum.

 

[crimsonfancy]

As I said in the other thread, I have a California Air Tools 1 gallon compressor. The compressor has a built in regulator. I also have a 20 foot air hose, another regulator and water filter like the one you have shown, and another 12' smaller diameter air hose that goes to my airbrush.

My compressor is quiet enough that I run it in my basement and my wife can sleep on the main floor. My setup is that I have the regulator on the compressor set to around 50psi and then I run the 20' hose into the moisture trap/regulator where I then reduce the pressure to 20-22psi for my final working pressure. Suction feeds, like the one you linked and my airbrush, take a little more pressure than a gravity feed as it needs to create a vacuum to siphon the paint up the tube.

I believe that my compressor fills the 1 gallon tank to 120psi and it kicks in when it is at 80psi. I'm not 100% sure on those numbers though but I know they are close. I made sure to set the regulator on the compressor to lower than the compressors lower kick in limit and honestly I don't notice any difference spraying while the compressor is running vs spraying when it's not running. The extra tank would be nice as it would allow you to spray longer before the compressor kicks in, but keep in mind that it will also take longer to fill up once it does kick in.

I've sprayed just fine with all three of the needles that came with my airbrush. I have a .22mm, .50mm and a .75mm and they all spray Mission Models and Proline paints well. The smaller needles are just more for fine detail work while the larger needles are for larger spray patterns and you may need to thin the paints down more for the thinner needles. I've been told my spraygunners.com and Badger airbrush company (both excellent companies by the way) that the paint should be thinned down to about the consistancy of 2% milk. Even the "ready to spray" paints from Mission Models and Proline I have added about 8% thinner (rough guess) to them to get it to spray to my liking. And from what I have read and experienced, the darker the color, the more thinner you want to add with the exception of black. Some companies blacks act like light colors where you don't need to add much thinner and some companies it acts like the darker colors where you need a bunch of thinner.

I really believe that you have everything that you need to get started and get learning and trying new things. Just remember that its something you are learning. I got really frustrated at first and almost gave up on it, but I figured out my issue and am very happy that I did.

Sorry for the long post, just trying to help out as much as I can as I'm not sure as to how many airbrushers we have in this forum.

Wow, excellent. I really appreciate everything you've written. Thank you so much for your time.
I don't mind some practice or study and I like to work with ratio and %. I do understand the 2% milk.
Thank you very much

 

[Sledgehog]

Ryan Harris has a decent vid with some tips tricks in there, plus I just like his channel a lot

 

[Lazy Bushman]

I’m keen to learn. I have a compressor and larger spray guns for furniture and houses etc, but i’m as creative as a besser block. I’ve never painted an RC body yet. I have one I need to paint up for my Stampede but still can’t come up with either a colour scheme or the time.

Looking forward to how this thread progresses??

 

[chevys10zr2003]

Also maybe check out this thread. There may be some information in it that may help you out.

https://www.teknoforums.com/threads/airbrushing-for-a-newbie.104/#post-7863

 

[crimsonfancy]

No window masks? No problem. Simple and self-explanatory but something thinking "simple" is hardest to achieve.

 

[crimsonfancy]

The only reason to visit Facebook imo is to learn something useful. I've been involved in countless groups there but am not so impressed at how the groups organize or function for searching etc. I prefer forums and especially this one for RC.
Anyway, here's a RC painting group that appears to answer lots of questions I'm having. I joined, spent 20 minutes reading and already learned a bunch.
RC Paint Chat
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1476256932410289/

 

[Sledgehog]

The only reason to visit Facebook imo is to learn something useful. I've been involved in countless groups there but am not so impressed at how the groups organize or function for searching etc. I prefer forums and especially this one for RC.
Anyway, here's a RC painting group that appears to answer lots of questions I'm having. I joined, spent 20 minutes reading and already learned a bunch.
RC Paint Chat
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1476256932410289/

To be honest if it weren't for my rc track groups so i can keep up on the schedules and events, I wouldn't even be on facebook anymore, or any form of anti-social media.

 

[crimsonfancy]

To be honest if it weren't for my rc track groups so i can keep up on the schedules and events, I wouldn't even be on facebook anymore, or any form of anti-social media.

I couldn't agree more. Just a couple things left I can find use of.

 

[crimsonfancy]

Here's the liquid mask I'm reading is best. Too thin with any liquid mask is bad so put it on a bit thicker

http://www.bittydesign.net/en/liquid-mask

 

[chevys10zr2003]

Here's the liquid mask I'm reading is best. Too thin with any liquid mask is bad so put it on a bit thicker

http://www.bittydesign.net/en/liquid-mask

That's what I have been using and I've found that using 3-4 thin layers works a lot better for me than using 1 or 2 really heavy layers. The issue that I had with using a few thick layers was that it would tear or lift up the area that you want to stay and would let some paint leak under.