Air Brushing

[DPNM]

1 hour ago, bluestringer said:

I wonder if the bottle that came with the harbor freight brush will fit the Passche H. I'm sure the hose will. I can get the H brush only for 36 dollars, I don't need the hose and bottle if the ones I have will work with it. 

Without going into great detail I would find it highly unlikely that your hose will fit on an H without a couple of Paasche adapters. Looking at the specs on your brush it shows on the second line where it says Air Inlet Size as 1/8 inch. This is 1/8 BSP (British Standard Pipe). This is the standard size for most, if not all, Japanese and European ABs (and Chinese knock-offs).

https://www.harborfreight.com/34-and-3-oz-airbrush-kit-62294.html

American companies use 1/4 NPT (National Pipe Thread). If this is the kit you have, the adapter is probably 1/4 NPT female to 1/8 BSP male. The 1/4 is what you will need to hook to your compressor, assuming it is American and uses NPT threads. American companies also use a much smaller connection at the hose end that connects to the airbrush. Most American companies have a 1/4 NPT connection on the compressor end.

This is what I know first hand. Thayer and Chandler hoses will fit Badger airbrushes and vice versa. Paasche hoses will fit on Binks airbrushes and vice versa. A Paasche or Binks hose will not fit T&C or Badger airbrushes and vice versa.

What I would suggest, and it seems like you may have reached the same conclusion, is to get familiar with the one you have. It sounds like your issues have more to do with the paints you are using than it does with the airbrush itself. Once you get that sorted out you will then have a better understanding of the AB and will have had more practice. 

When you gain experience with it you may decide to get an H. Not a bad idea as they do have, as mentioned, three different needle/nozzle sizes that should spray just about anything in scale you'd choose to paint. And parts are relatively cheap and easy to find. Then again, by then you may decide to get a double action AB instead. Double action is a completely different animal. I would recommend that whatever AB you buy next, get the complete kit including hose and any adapter(s) you may need. It will save you money in the long run.

Although it is nice people have posted what airbrush is the best for them, you need to find the airbrush that is right for you. Chances are, the money for it is coming out of your pocket.

 

 

[bluestringer]

14 minutes ago, DPNM said:

Without going into great detail I would find it highly unlikely that your hose will fit on an H without a couple of Paasche adapters. Looking at the specs on your brush it shows on the second line where it says Air Inlet Size as 1/8 inch. This is 1/8 BSP (British Standard Pipe). This is the standard size for most, if not all, Japanese and European ABs (and Chinese knock-offs).

https://www.harborfreight.com/34-and-3-oz-airbrush-kit-62294.html

American companies use 1/4 NPT (National Pipe Thread). If this is the kit you have, the adapter is probably 1/4 NPT female to 1/8 BSP male. The 1/4 is what you will need to hook to your compressor, assuming it is American and uses NPT threads. American companies also use a much smaller connection at the hose end that connects to the airbrush. Most American companies have a 1/4 NPT connection on the compressor end.

This is what I know first hand. Thayer and Chandler hoses will fit Badger airbrushes and vice versa. Paasche hoses will fit on Binks airbrushes and vice versa. A Paasche or Binks hose will not fit T&C or Badger airbrushes and vice versa.

What I would suggest, and it seems like you may have reached the same conclusion, is to get familiar with the one you have. It sounds like your issues have more to do with the paints you are using than it does with the airbrush itself. Once you get that sorted out you will then have a better understanding of the AB and will have had more practice. 

When you gain experience with it you may decide to get an H. Not a bad idea as they do have, as mentioned, three different needle/nozzle sizes that should spray just about anything in scale you'd choose to paint. And parts are relatively cheap and easy to find. Then again, by then you may decide to get a double action AB instead. Double action is a completely different animal. I would recommend that whatever AB you buy next, get the complete kit including hose and any adapter(s) you may need. It will save you money in the long run.

Although it is nice people have posted what airbrush is the best for them, you need to find the airbrush that is right for you. Chances are, the money for it is coming out of your pocket.

 

 

Actually, I'm not using the hose that came with the kit. I bought a 10 foot one. The 1/4 in-18 NPT fits my compressor and the 1/8 in-28 NPS fits the brush.

https://www.harborfreight.com/14-in-x-10-ft-braided-nylon-airbrush-hose-69578.html?_br_psugg_q=airbrush+hose

 

Yes I'm going to use this one for a while until I get more practice in mixing and spraying. And you are right the money will be coming out of my pocket and I'm retired living on a fixed income so I have to watch how I spend it. 

[DPNM]

Just so you know, that hose will not fit directly on a Paasche H either. You would need a 1/8 male BSP to Paasche female adapter, which they do make.

As I suggested, when you buy another AB, get the complete kit. That way you should need nothing else and you would know everything would fit correctly.

Looking forward to your progress with getting it sorted out.

[bluestringer]

10 hours ago, DPNM said:

Just so you know, that hose will not fit directly on a Paasche H either. You would need a 1/8 male BSP to Paasche female adapter, which they do make.

As I suggested, when you buy another AB, get the complete kit. That way you should need nothing else and you would know everything would fit correctly.

Looking forward to your progress with getting it sorted out.

I thought Paasche was made in USA, is it not just standard 1/8 fitting or is it a special made fit only on the Paasche. I can get a adapter if needed, in fact I probably got one, that would be cheaper than getting the complete kit. 

[Dave G.]

13 hours ago, bluestringer said:

Thanks. I did test with water and it sprays fine. I'm getting there, I mixed some with washer fluid and it seems to work better. I think I just need to get my paint thinned correctly and get my air set right. Some of the paint I got at Walmart was just no good, bad lumpy and would not mix well. I tried some more I had bought and it did much better. I will still get the Paasche H, but I'm going to keep practicing with this one. I may do some small parts with it and maybe an interior, but I don't think I will try it on a body right until I get better with it. 

Somewhere out there in youtube land is a video on fine tuning those airbrushes like you have, a good part of it is polishing the needle, so nothing drastic. I polish my needles on internal mix airbrushes anyway, it tends to smooth out droplet uniformity and pattern. Air pressure for craft paint 20-25 psi with properly thinned paint. I mentioned in my last post proper thinning by viscosity. Also while washer fluid is an improvement over water my thinner will be better with small details. Just sayin. Whatever you use  I encourage thinning outside the airbrush in a mixing bottle or cup, then transfer.

The H is a good all round model car airbrush if you go that route.

[bluestringer]

I did a lot of practice last night and this morning and got it performing fairly well. I had also bought some fresh craft paints from Walmart yesterday. Also I had forgot to install the moisture filter I had bought at Harbor Freight so got that installed this morning. After shooting some test pieces I got brave and shot the interior of the kit I'm working on. Looks ok, I'll post some pictures later. I was probably shooting a little too thick because it only took a couple of coats to get good coverage. Some things I like about air brushing and some things I don't compared to using rattle cans like I had been. I like the way it leaves more of the detail without covering up things, and the cost after initial setup will be less, the rattle cans being 5 dollars a pop at Walmart. Of course there is more clean up than with cans, but that's not a problem. I did not prime the pieces I painted, do you guys prime before shooting these craft acrylics? 

[NOBLNG]

37 minutes ago, bluestringer said:

I did not prime the pieces I painted, do you guys prime before shooting these craft acrylics? 

Glad to hear you are getting it sorted out. I have very little experience with craft paints, but I believe a good primer is essential since they will not bite into the plastic the way a laquer and maybe enamel would.

[John Pol]

If you put primer under the folk art paint makes the paint more durable

[bluestringer]

1 hour ago, NOBLNG said:

Glad to hear you are getting it sorted out. I have very little experience with craft paints, but I believe a good primer is essential since they will not bite into the plastic the way a laquer and maybe enamel would.

Thanks. 

[bluestringer]

1 hour ago, John Pol said:

If you put primer under the folk art paint makes the paint more durable

Thanks. I will do that.

[bluestringer]

Ok, here are the interior parts I did with AB. The color is Lite Mocha, but in the pictures it looks more yellow. I think the light made it look that way, it' more of a light brown. 

 

 

[TransAmMike]

You did good James👌

[bluestringer]

45 minutes ago, TransAmMike said:

You did good James👌

Thanks. I moved it out from under the shop light, this is the real color.

[bluestringer]

17 hours ago, DPNM said:

Just so you know, that hose will not fit directly on a Paasche H either. You would need a 1/8 male BSP to Paasche female adapter, which they do make.

As I suggested, when you buy another AB, get the complete kit. That way you should need nothing else and you would know everything would fit correctly.

Looking forward to your progress with getting it sorted out.

 

The hose actually came with an adapter. It would not fit my AB without it. I think it's the same adapter as the Paasche since this AB is a clone of the Passche starter brush sold at Hobby Lobby. 

[DPNM]

 

8 hours ago, bluestringer said:

I thought Paasche was made in USA, is it not just standard 1/8 fitting or is it a special made fit only on the Paasche. I can get a adapter if needed, in fact I probably got one, that would be cheaper than getting the complete kit. 

 

1 hour ago, bluestringer said:

 

The hose actually came with an adapter. It would not fit my AB without it. I think it's the same adapter as the Paasche since this AB is a clone of the Passche starter brush sold at Hobby Lobby. 

I will try to explain this again with pictures.

Paasche is American. 1/8 fittings are not. They are the British standard that most foreign AB companies use.

Paasche and Badger have their own threads and each has as different pitch so one will not fit the other.

Hopefully you can see the hose inlet size difference between these two ABs. Paasche on left Iwata on right. Paasche connection is much smaller. To use your hose you need the adapter on the bag. This screws into your hose (male end) then it will attach the hose to a Paasche AB.

Not to add confusion, the two brass fittings are for Badger hoses. Their hoses have two small ends so they can be used on a compressed air propellant can. These adapters screw on the hose end for a 1/4" air compressor fitting. One has a hole drilled in it for compressors without an automatic shut off to let off pressure to not damage the compressor. The one with no hole attaches to compressors with a shut off valve.

Hopefully this 2nd pic will clarify things a bit too. The red hose is Paasche. It has their AB connection on one end and a 1/4 fitting on the other. The dark blue one  is Badger. Both ends are small. Light blue one is 1/8.

Yours is similar in design to both the Paasche EZ starter and a Badger 350. Both are made of plastic. The air inlets on US brushes is not 1/8.

Edited July 13, 2021 by DPNM

[DPNM]

Here's one more pic that hopefully helps too. Paasche VL on bottom showing the Paasche air inlet size. Iwata on top with the 1/8 BSP fitting. The 1/8 is what yours has.

The Paasche inlet will just about go inside the 1/8 inlet.

I used the screwdrivers to try to make the ABs level.

Edited July 13, 2021 by DPNM

[bluestringer]

46 minutes ago, DPNM said:

Here's one more pic that hopefully helps too. Paasche VL on bottom showing the Paasche air inlet size. Iwata on top with the 1/8 BSP fitting. The 1/8 is what yours has.

The Paasche inlet will just about go inside the 1/8 inlet.

I used the screwdrivers to try to make the ABs level.

I'm not trying to dispute what you are saying. If and when I get the Paasche, if I need an adapter I will get it. Or I will get the complete Paasche hose. Or I may decide to get the complete kit. But the inlet on my AB looks to be the same as the one on the Paasche in the photos. I have the adapter that is shown on the plastic bag that says Paasche. The hose I got fits on the compressor end, but on the AB inlet I had to install that adapter for it to fit. The inlet on my AB was much smaller than the inlet end of the hose. The adapter came with the hose. I assume it was designed to fit both types of AB inlets. The thread pitch may be different and maybe that's what you are referring to. I have a little experience with air lines/fittings and adapters, but you probably know more about these AB's than I do so I will just wait and see when/if I get the Paasche if it will work. If not, no problem, I'll get the Paasche adapter or hose. I did see a carded version of the H that comes with a hose and bottle and is only a few dollars more than the AB alone. Maybe that would be the way to go. I appreciate your time and effort in explaining this to me. 

[DPNM]

I hope it helps you. I didn't intend to offend you and I hope I didn't. I do not have a HF airbrush so I was going by what was listed in the specifications.

Get what you want when you can.

The interior you painted looks good to me. You're headed in the right direction.

[bluestringer]

2 hours ago, DPNM said:

I hope it helps you. I didn't intend to offend you and I hope I didn't. I do not have a HF airbrush so I was going by what was listed in the specifications.

Get what you want when you can.

The interior you painted looks good to me. You're headed in the right direction.

 

No sir, I'm not offended at all. I appreciate the help, and yes it has helped me. At first I was sure it would fit, but I know now that may not be the case. After seeing the carded version with the hose and bottle I will probably get it when I can. I'm not sure the bottle with the HF one would work and the paasche bottle has a metal tube instead of plastic, I like that better. 

[DPNM]

Good plan James.

I started 40 years ago with a Binks Wren model B. Similar to the H. I have not used the H I had shown in a pic but when I get back into spraying, I'm trying to build a good spray booth, I will be using it. I have a ton of extras to go with it.

[bluestringer]

After painting the cuda a few weeks ago and it turned out ok, I thought I would try it again on the GMC truck I'm working on. After 3 attempts to get the interior air brushed It still looks crappy. Can't seem to get it right. I haven't sprayed the body yet, but now I'm thinking I will just use a rattle can. I had been practicing with it on an old body and some spoons, but I guess I need more practice. I seemed to do good on flat smooth surfaces, but when trying to spray something detailed, I get pools in the low spots and no coverage in the high spots. 

[Dave G.]

2 hours ago, bluestringer said:

After painting the cuda a few weeks ago and it turned out ok, I thought I would try it again on the GMC truck I'm working on. After 3 attempts to get the interior air brushed It still looks crappy. Can't seem to get it right. I haven't sprayed the body yet, but now I'm thinking I will just use a rattle can. I had been practicing with it on an old body and some spoons, but I guess I need more practice. I seemed to do good on flat smooth surfaces, but when trying to spray something detailed, I get pools in the low spots and no coverage in the high spots. 

If this is craft paint you are still working with then what are you thinning it with ?

[bluestringer]

2 hours ago, Dave G. said:

If this is craft paint you are still working with then what are you thinning it with ?

Yes, craft paint. The interior for the Cuda done in the tan above was craft acrylic flat. This I'm working with now is a gloss. I wonder if that is the difference. I may have thinned it too much. Using windshield wiper fluid to thin with. 

[Dave G.]

11 hours ago, bluestringer said:

Yes, craft paint. The interior for the Cuda done in the tan above was craft acrylic flat. This I'm working with now is a gloss. I wonder if that is the difference. I may have thinned it too much. Using windshield wiper fluid to thin with. 

A little too much washer fluid will do it,the paint will pool and such. Washer fluid is a bit more runny than a blend of isopropyl and water will be. Gloss too might flow a bit more than matte or satin. For most craft paints I prefer a blend I make up of iso, water,retarder and a flow aid. It sprays a bit more like solvent paints IMO. I have washer fluid too, it woks but is a second choice, like in DecoArt for instance, that paint doesn't like iso and can even gel up but you can use washer fluid which has methanol in it not iso. Or in DecoArt you can use a mix of airbrush medium and water. Actually you can use that in any craft paint . Just for some, like Apple Barrel, FolkArt ,Craft Smart, Delta Ceramcoat, I've found basically superior results with the iso blend.

I have three airbrushes, my car stuff and primers I mostly use the Paasche H. Fine stuff I tend to go with my pushing 50 yo Badger 200 with the .25 tip on it. I like it for metalizer type paints too. Got that as a gift back around 1975, had been using a Badger starter airbrush before that. Then my double action is an Iwata knock off , once I polished up all the needles to that one it shoots nearly as nice as my Badger, if I only had it I could live with it fine but the tips are tiny, very fussy on being clean, the 200 and H are better suited to my 71 yo eyes and dexterity lol. But it does work, well plus I'm not a big fan of double action except in 1/1 spray guns with triggers and in firearms. Just sayin.

 

[bluestringer]

The washer fluid worked good when I did the cuda, I was mixing at about a 50/50 ratio. Didn't seem to work as good this time, may have to play around with it some. I don't try for a show quality paint job, just something that looks nice. I am looking at getting a Paasche H later on. The 10 dollar harbor freight AB is probably not going to give me good consistent results.