Air Brush Practice

[m408]

Kids got me a paasche VL air brush set and D500 compressor for my "B" day in February. I'm now ready to try to figure it out. I've got the lesson booklet that came with it along with three different needle and tip combinations. I want to go through the lesson book to see just what does what, but don't want to go through a big cleaning routine every few minutes. My first thought was to shoot food coloring. I know, not like real paint, but easy clean up by just running water through the system. Not at all ready to paint any models yet, just want to get the feel of it. What do you guys recommend? Aren't acrylics water based? If so, could I use them with just the water flush for clean up?

[Lownslow]

Kids got me a paasche VL air brush set and D500 compressor for my "B" day in February. I'm now ready to try to figure it out. I've got the lesson booklet that came with it along with three different needle and tip combinations. I want to go through the lesson book to see just what does what, but don't want to go through a big cleaning routine every few minutes. My first thought was to shoot food coloring. I know, not like real paint, but easy clean up by just running water through the system. Not at all ready to paint any models yet, just want to get the feel of it. What do you guys recommend? Aren't acrylics water based? If so, could I use them with just the water flush for clean up?

use acrylics i started with createx then moved to faskcolor then autoair to now using laquers and tamiya

[Lownslow]

Kids got me a paasche VL air brush set and D500 compressor for my "B" day in February. I'm now ready to try to figure it out. I've got the lesson booklet that came with it along with three different needle and tip combinations. I want to go through the lesson book to see just what does what, but don't want to go through a big cleaning routine every few minutes. My first thought was to shoot food coloring. I know, not like real paint, but easy clean up by just running water through the system. Not at all ready to paint any models yet, just want to get the feel of it. What do you guys recommend? Aren't acrylics water based? If so, could I use them with just the water flush for clean up?

use acrylics i started with createx then moved to faskcolor then autoair to now using laquers and tamiya

[Guest Gramps-xrds]

You can use pretty much anything you want. What I do is keep an extra bottle full of thinner handy and flush the brush out by putting the thinner bottle on and covering the tip w/ a finger or paper towel and forcing thinner back and forth by covering and uncovering the tip while the air is on. I keep a bottle of thinner on all the time. It will keep the packing from drying out and sticking the needle. I use the VL5 needle for models but the #3 will work too. The #1 is a bit too fine for bodies. Good luck and I hope you enjoy your new toy. I say toy because like any toy the more you play w/ it the more you learn about it.

[m408]

You can use pretty much anything you want. What I do is keep an extra bottle full of thinner handy and flush the brush out by putting the thinner bottle on and covering the tip w/ a finger or paper towel and forcing thinner back and forth by covering and uncovering the tip while the air is on. I keep a bottle of thinner on all the time. It will keep the packing from drying out and sticking the needle. I use the VL5 needle for models but the #3 will work too. The #1 is a bit too fine for bodies. Good luck and I hope you enjoy your new toy. I say toy because like any toy the more you play w/ it the more you learn about it.

Thanks Bill, nice tips.

I think that it will be a lot of fun when I get it figured out. I can see where the #5 would be the choice for bodies, but just how fine can you get the #1? I try to do two tone interiors with a tiny brush and still can't get them decent. Tried masking etc... Still no luck. Will a #1 get that fine?

[m408]

use acrylics i started with createx then moved to faskcolor then autoair to now using laquers and tamiya

Thanks Luis,

Never heard of createx or faskcolor. Where are they available? Tamiya has a bunch of acrylics. Same water clean up?

[Lownslow]

Thanks Luis,

Never heard of createx or faskcolor. Where are they available? Tamiya has a bunch of acrylics. Same water clean up?

hobby shops with Rc lineups sell faskcolor i got createx at a hobby lobby. they do but i play it safe and use alcohol

[Lownslow]

Thanks Luis,

Never heard of createx or faskcolor. Where are they available? Tamiya has a bunch of acrylics. Same water clean up?

hobby shops with Rc lineups sell faskcolor i got createx at a hobby lobby. they do but i play it safe and use alcohol

[Guest Gramps-xrds]

The #1 will make a pretty fine line but you'd have to deal w/ the over spray, so you're still going to have to mask things. I've used something called Parafilm "M" on interiors. It will conform over the different surfaces in an interior and pulls right off without harming or pulling any paint. I think I bought it at a LHS yrs ago. Once you have it on, you cut it where you want and spray. I might add putting it on can sometimes be a pain in the butt.

[Cornpatch]

Try this site for anything you want in airbrush paints, they have it all, and are good people to deal with.

WWW.TCPGLOBAL.COM

Jeff

[Brendan]

Thanks Bill, nice tips.

I think that it will be a lot of fun when I get it figured out. I can see where the #5 would be the choice for bodies, but just how fine can you get the #1? I try to do two tone interiors with a tiny brush and still can't get them decent. Tried masking etc... Still no luck. Will a #1 get that fine?

Bill's tip is good. Be careful as the paint can get trapped on the back part of the needle. And it could affect some of the colors you're trying to use. I use that method all the time for going through multiple colors. Also to let you know, always start off with the light colors to darker colors and then to metallics. Metallics should always be sprayed though the airbrush last if you're spraying multiple colors.

With the Pasche airbrushes, don't throw away the older needles and cones when you replace them. They only have sizes 1,3 and 5. As you use those numbers, they will start getting wider so #1 will turn into a #2 size needle and cone. And #3 will turn into #4 and so on. They will give different spray patterns which can be nice to have. I mark them with the higher # once they start getting older.

The best advice I can give for airbrushing is prep and patience. The prep work is what will make the work look good. The painting is the easy part. Hope this helps.

[curt raitz]

Great tips...I've got an old #5 that must be a #10 by now

When I've completed an airbrush session, I remove the needle, nozzle and tip, clean thouroughly with appropiate thinner, rub the needle with just a wee bit of vaseline and reassemble lightly (do not tighten anything til next session)

be careful when the needle is not in the brush...the inards (spring & valve) can pop out - easy to put back in place

play around with different settings/air pressure/distance, etc...nothing can replace experience - the more you play, the better you get!

have fun

c'ya on the 20th

[Guest Gramps-xrds]

With the Pasche airbrushes, don't throw away the older needles and cones when you replace them. They only have sizes 1,3 and 5. As you use those numbers, they will start getting wider so #1 will turn into a #2 size needle and cone. And #3 will turn into #4 and so on. They will give different spray patterns which can be nice to have. I mark them with the higher # once they start getting older.

That's not a bad idea if you want to buy new needles, but the only needles that I've ever had change are the ones I re-ground. (Ya I've done it, along w/ alot of other things over the yrs) That's not to say they can't. I just never noticed any changes. Now cones are a different story. Their brass and will stretch and crack. I've tried just about any modification you can think of over the yrs. Cone distance, nozzle changes, dif cone and needle mixes. You name it I've prob tried it. I once totally destroyed a badger 150 body by trying to drill the packing area out and making a threaded packing like Paasche has. The bad thing was I was in the middle of a motorcycle job and really needed it. Luckily I drove about 35 mls. to an auto parts store to buy a new airbrush and while looking through their parts box I found a new 150 body that they only wanted $17 for. Really cheap and it saved my bacon. To this day I still think it can be done. Since I rarely use them anymore, it's not important. Still it's not a bad idea if you have access to new stuff and can afford them.

[m408]

Great tips...I've got an old #5 that must be a #10 by now

When I've completed an airbrush session, I remove the needle, nozzle and tip, clean thouroughly with appropiate thinner, rub the needle with just a wee bit of vaseline and reassemble lightly (do not tighten anything til next session)

be careful when the needle is not in the brush...the inards (spring & valve) can pop out - easy to put back in place

play around with different settings/air pressure/distance, etc...nothing can replace experience - the more you play, the better you get!

have fun

c'ya on the 20th

Thanks Curt,

Gonna be a new experiance and fun.

Can't believe the response to the get together. Guys comming from miles around. Now if I can only get some local interest.

Milt

[m408]

You can use pretty much anything you want. What I do is keep an extra bottle full of thinner handy and flush the brush out by putting the thinner bottle on and covering the tip w/ a finger or paper towel and forcing thinner back and forth by covering and uncovering the tip while the air is on. I keep a bottle of thinner on all the time. It will keep the packing from drying out and sticking the needle. I use the VL5 needle for models but the #3 will work too. The #1 is a bit too fine for bodies. Good luck and I hope you enjoy your new toy. I say toy because like any toy the more you play w/ it the more you learn about it.

Is the idea of keeping thinner on all the time related to the fumes? If so, wont that effect any neoprene parts?

[Guest Gramps-xrds]

Nah, the only place on an airbrush that has any thing that might be affected by the thinner is in the air valve and it can't get there unless you submerge the whole thing in thinner. When I tear one down to do a good cleaning I always remove the air valve first, then you can soak the rest. The packing in the Paasche you have, could be made of teflon braid or possibly leather. I doubt they still use leather. older guns used it. I changed mine to virgin teflon strand yrs ago but most ppl don't have access to to like I did. Just remember to take the air valve off before you drop it in thinner. If they started using Viton "O" rings, thinner won't bother it at all, but I'd say their still neoprene or butyl.

[m408]

Nah, the only place on an airbrush that has any thing that might be affected by the thinner is in the air valve and it can't get there unless you submerge the whole thing in thinner. When I tear one down to do a good cleaning I always remove the air valve first, then you can soak the rest. The packing in the Paasche you have, could be made of teflon braid or possibly leather. I doubt they still use leather. older guns used it. I changed mine to virgin teflon strand yrs ago but most ppl don't have access to to like I did. Just remember to take the air valve off before you drop it in thinner. If they started using Viton "O" rings, thinner won't bother it at all, but I'd say their still neoprene or butyl.

Thanks Bill.

[Guest Gramps-xrds]

Any time bud. Just glad I could help.

[m408]

The #1 will make a pretty fine line but you'd have to deal w/ the over spray, so you're still going to have to mask things. I've used something called Parafilm "M" on interiors. It will conform over the different surfaces in an interior and pulls right off without harming or pulling any paint. I think I bought it at a LHS yrs ago. Once you have it on, you cut it where you want and spray. I might add putting it on can sometimes be a pain in the butt.

Hi Bill,

Tried to get some parafilm m at my LHS. They hadn't heard of it. I found it at Micro-Mark. Also a great "how to" article by Dave Aungst at HyperScale.com.

[Guest Gramps-xrds]

Good deal. Ive had mine for yrs. It's a little difficult to use but it works. I'll have to check that site out. Maybe I've been using it wrong all these yrs.lol.

[m408]

Good deal. Ive had mine for yrs. It's a little difficult to use but it works. I'll have to check that site out. Maybe I've been using it wrong all these yrs.lol.

Seems to be a fairly complicated procedure, but, it might be the magic elixer of masking. I'm putting all large part painting on hold until I get some to try.

[Guest Gramps-xrds]

Well I just read his article and evidently he's no smarter than I am. Corners are something of a small problem, but not not near as bad as trying to get it to stick in places you can't get your finger into. It seems the heat from your finger softens the stuff and causes it to adhere. I have used pieces of balsa to push it into tight places w/ some success. Like I said before, It's a pain in the butt. lol