Airbrush, oh yeah!

[cliffm]

I can't help it I've got to tell someone. All these years that I have used brushes are gone! Using amix of 50% accrylic 25% water and 25% isopropyl alcohol with the first time use of an airbrush gave me beautiful results. I did try it out in the garage,but, it's really not necessary. There is no mess to it at all. There's got to be a bunch of people out there using this little painting tool and than guy's like me who were completely unaware of how easy and simple this little tool is. Mine cost me 75$ with shipping and I already have an air compressor. I know,not every body can just go out and buy one, but it needs to go on your wish list because it's simply a must have for painting! Coffee's done, I'm going painting.

[earlhouse]

Windex works very good as a thinner in all the acrylic paints I have tried it with. Seems to flow very well and hardly ever any stoppage in the airbrush. Windex works very well to clean the airbrush when changing colors or when finished painting.

[flash52]

For years I sprayed enamels outside due to the odor. Last Feb I used acrylics in the kitchen with no complaints. Windex cleaned up the airbrush real nice. Even removed some old dried on enamel from the old Badger 200. I'm a acrylic ,Windex convert. My enamel days are over.

[thymekiller]

Truth be told, I never really did understand the differance in enamel vs acrylic paint. Can someone enlighten me?
This thread has moved my airbrush purchase up alot closer on "the list".

Windex? Really? I have heard alot about it being used as a stress relief agent on bent wood.

thymekiller

[cliffm]

I was just browsing thru my Northern Tool & Equip. catalog and found the airbrush I have for 69.99. Their toll free # is 1-800-533-5545. This kit comes with a lesson pamphlet, 2 paint bottles and a rinse cup, it reminds me of a well crafted fountain pen of by-gone years. I still get a smile when I think of the convenience,versatility,and ease it puts in the painting tasks. My apologies if I sound like a salesman,but those of you that have one know what I'm talking about, and to those that get one will be smiling along with the rest of us. Later.

[Anders]

Just done painting my 400 series Me 109.
first time i use an airbrush, i bought the airbrush at a local store for 15 us dollars.
amacing how much faster you can paint with an airbrush.

[cliffm]

Anders, as the Germans would say "KAPUT" ! Nice looking 109. Is the flying wedge a glider or powered with something?

[Anders]

if you mean the one you see if you follow the link, its an glider made of foam.
it flies because of the wind who hits the mountain and goes upward into and simply pushes the aircraft up. You can loock at it as if its going down to the ground and the wind is pushing it up.
It was made for an engine and you can`t land it when using it as an glider. but the fligt time is around 8 hours
it flew after some glue but thats it

[kittyfritters]

Testor's makes an inexpensive, all plastic, internal mix airbrush that retails at full list for about $50. You can occasionally find it for a lot less at discount stores. It comes with two nozzles, wide and detail, a paint pot, a hose, a can of CO2 propellant, and a little squeeze bulb for loading the paint pot. Two other pattern nozzles are available and you can order more paint pots. Don't let the fact that it's all plastic deter you from getting one. It has full professional airbrush capability. You just have to be careful cleaning it. I used it for some time with a modified Black and Decker tire inflator (used, freebe, 25 p.s.i. pressure regulator, an in-line gasoline filter in the hose as a water trap, and a $2.00 hose adapter) as an air compressor. My daughter gave me a Paasche airbrush compressor for Christmas, so I use that now. Much quieter!

I spray acrylics and acrylic ink with the Testor's airbrush and clean with water, but others have told me that they spray dope with it and clean it with dope thinner without damaging it. Windex, as thinner, serves the same purpose as the variously named "surface tension reliever" or "surface tension killer" that is sold in art supply stores for spraying the ink. You use only a drop of surface tension killer in a paint pot. I have a suspicion that it is nothing more than a strong detergent.

I find that thinning acrylics with rubbing alcohol works very well. Rubbing alcohol is 30 percent water, 70 percent isopropyl alcohol. I also use it for shrinking tissue when I "dry cover". I fix my tissue with Krylon Crystal Clear (#1303). The load of water in thinned acrylics causes tissue fixed with Krylon to sag, but it tightens right back up when dry. Be careful that masking of adjacent areas is tight when spraying on tissue or any overspray hitting the temporary sag can cause painted on wrinkles. With alcohol thinning, out in the garage on a warm day, the tissue will be dry and tight almost before you put the airbrush down.

Airbrushing certainly is fast! you will definitely spend far more time masking than spraying. I use friskit (clear, low tack airbrush masking film available in art supply stores) for some masking. For most of it I use domestic tissue, sprayed with a couple of coats of Krylon, and attached with a 3M Repositionable Glue Stick (Post-It note glue). The tissue works very well, is cheap, and is a good use for the tissue that comes in the Guillow's kits. (Credit Orv Olm for that trick.)

Gentlemen, let us spray!