Campbell Hausfeld Airbrush Kit (tested 4/22/18)

[pcm1977]

I went to my local Wal-mart (Oberlin, OH) today and found a cheap Campbell Hausfeld air brush kit.  I have been looking for a starter air brush for a while now.  I figured I would give it a try and could not beat the $20 price tag otherwise I would have walked right past it for many reasons, one of them that fact that Campbell Hausfeld is a Berkshire Hathaway company and I have seen first hand how they treat their employees.

The instructions are well written and even have a couple of pages of triggering exercises.

The airbrush does come in a nice plastic box that can be reused.  It is double action which I have never heard of in one this cheap.  The hose seems a bit cheap, but might work OK.  Those two bottles are glass, not plastic.  The bottle lids are plastic and I can see them breaking at some point.  Everything else seems pretty typical of an airbrush kit.

I know very little about ari brushes and have just begun to look into them.  My father had one for years he would paint military models with, but I never learned anything about it.  I inherited his old compressor (which still works), a Miller 2000, which I know he used for years.  I do need to by a regulator/water trap before I can test the air brush, but once I do I will be happy to report back if anyone would like to know how this airbrush works.  

Edited April 23, 2018 by pcm1977
Updated

[Snake45]

Wow! Looks like a copy of a Badger 150, which used to be a high-end airbrush. For $20, I think I'll get one of these myself and try it. Thanks! 

[Bainford]

I'm amused by the second photo where the box illustration shows a guy grasping the car body with his hand while he paints it, and is doing so at point blank range.

Edited April 13, 2018 by Bainford

[Don Wheeler]

That's interesting.  It appears very similar to the Harbor Freight Deluxe airbrush except for the handle.  But, it looks like it has a Badger size air connection rather than the more standard 1/8 inch connector of the Harbor Freight.  That might be so that they can include the thin vinyl hose in the box.  You could probably use a Badger to Iwata conversion adapter or a Badger hose if you want something heavier.  It doesn't say the nozzle size, but I'm going to guess it's .35mm like the Harbor Freight.  At that price, it must be Chinese.  I'd try it with plain water first to make sure it sprays OK before using paint.  If it's your first double action, practice on some junk plastic before trying it on a kit.  I hope it works well for you.  

Don

[pcm1977]

Thanks Don.

It is my first airbrush (single or double) action. Once I get a regulator/water trap for my compressor I might give your idea a try.

Personally I have no expectations since it is my first. I hope it works good.

[Don Wheeler]

If you have a problem, there's lots of help here.

Don

[High octane]

I agree with the Snake as the airbrush does look like a Badger as I've owned one before.

[Snake45]

I couldn't resist buying one today. $20 for a knockoff Badger 150? If it sprays at all, it's worth that. Hellsbells, I paid $30 or $35 for my "cheapie" Badger 350 in the early '80s!  (And I've gotten my money's worth out of it, too. Just used it about an hour ago.) 

[pcm1977]

UPDATE (4/22/18)

I finally got my regulator hooked to the compressor and then the airbrush to that tonight.  I took some tap water and ran it through the brush just as Don suggested.  It seemed to work good with the plain water, but in my messy booth it was hard to tell so I added a bit of Vallejo rust color to the water to give it a bit of color.  It seemed like there was a bit too much pressure in the brush.  I lowered the regulator pressure a bit and it still seemed to be too much.  My son heard the compressor running and came downstairs wanting to paint something with it.  We found an old body and thinned some red enamel (1 to 1 ratio).  He sprayed the body with the little bit of paint.  It still seemed a bit thin to me, because at first it seemed to be creating small circles like the pressure was still too much, or the paint was thinned too much.   As he moved back from the body (~6 inches) the rings became less noticeable, but the  width of the spray increases significantly.  Will getting a different tip for the airbrush fix this issue?

Below are the results after I let the body dry.  

[Snake45]

Used mine today for the first time. It exceeded my highest expectations (which were actually pretty low). It works better than a used Badger 150 I've been messing with off and on for 20 years!

I don't think I'd want to paint a whole model car body with it, as the pattern seems a bit small for that, but it's GREAT for detail work. 

I needed to touch up some paint on a glue bomb resto I'm doing, without repainting the whole body. The thing worked perfectly for what I needed. 

My trusty Badger 350 is my go-to airbrush, and I'll be going back to it, but when I need small area or details done, this thing is perfect! Thanks for telling us about it.