Question about airbrushes!

[Shawna]

I asked Santa for a new airbrush for Xmas, I need advice on a good one. I would like one that you can load the paint from the top like I see you use. What would you recommend? Thanks!

Kyrin

[Melody]

I asked Santa for a new airbrush for Xmas, I need advice on a good one. I would like one that you can load the paint from the top like I see you use. What would you recommend? Thanks!

Kyrin

Since we have used the same airbrushes for, like, 25 years, I am not an expert about the brands that are currently out there! I always recommend Iwatas. They are very precisely machined and seem to work really well, but I bet there are other brands available today that are just as good.
Get a model with a removable side cup. The top-cup ones are usually for very very fine work with dyes or water colors. These tiny aperture airbrushes won’t spray pigment very well.
The bottom-jar kind allow you to switch colors, so don’t rule them out, though I have only used those for dyes, not pigmented paint. I don’t think they would work too well with acrylic paint, but who knows, maybe they would be fine.

You will also need to ask Santa for an air supply and a way to dry the air as it comes through the hose.

Anybody have any suggestions? Have you used a bottom cup model with acrylics?

[Sikek]

I use an iwata too, but it’s the only brand I’ve owned so I can’t compare. It’s a bottom feed that I use with acrylics fine with, it’s not so good on particular angles though where the paint can’t get sucked up efficiently.
I’m guessing some gravity feeds are capped? I think the gravity feed is better but I never got one because I use to tilt too much and spill the paint everywhere. I don’t really know that much about airbrushes nor do I use mine as often as I should.

[Shawna]

I have a great little air compressor, just my airbrush gun is a cheap pile of crap with the bottom feed & I have a lot of issues with it getting blocked up, then I have to stop, rip it all apart, send a bunch of thinner through, reassemble, still fight with it, gah. So I was thinking a top feed might work better. I am considering a Badger, but not sure about those either, Iwata is out of Santa’s price range, the best we have found is $130. 🙁

Anyway, thanks for the advice & info about how the different feeds work, I really appreciate that very much.

Kyrin

[Erika]

I got a ‘Neo by Iwata’ this past summer, which I think means Iwata doesn’t make it but backs it up. It was about $100 (but I used a %40 off one item coupon at Hobby Lobby for it }:) ), and works great so far. It’s top loading/ gravity feed, but I’ve been using it with my normal painting acrylics just fine with very little clogging issues–I just water down the paint to the consistency of 2% milk-ish. They make it in both single and double action models (I got the double action, though I can tell you if you don’t have hands like a surgeon you’d probably be happier with a single action…I’ve got pretty steady hands but it still takes me a pretty good warm up to get my lines under control)

I suppose it depends on what you want to do with it, but I’m guessing it has something to do with painting certain addictive gypsum-hearted companions. I’ve yet to do a PYO with mine yet, but it’s done fantastically on both Breyer traditionals and stablemates. If you’re doing one model at a time, the quick paint changes are handy: you can put just one or two drops into the cup, use them for your three dapples in just the right place, then take two seconds to flush it, and load a new color. I’ve been keeping colors in those little paper cups, then loading and reloading as much as I please without too much hassle, and actually use the tiny 1 oz. cup more than the bigger one that comes with it (which I pretty much just use for a base coat now then switch out)

Hope that’s of help.

[Trava]

I have a GREX Tritium TG. I LOVE it for tiny details. I played with several at a show before I picked it, but I don’t remember the names of the others.

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