Airbrush questions

I've been thinking of getting myself an airbrush to use to paint basecoats and similar things with. I would for instance use it with iyanden darksun and the yellow color after that to give my imperial fists a good basic look without having to slave with the layer upon layer of paint that is the norm now. So I have some questions.

Which colors can you use with an airbrush? I've read that the foundation colors from GW should work well. Will the other GW colors work too? P3? Valejo? Also do you guys have any suggestions on what to get that works for our hobby. I would go for a compressor that isn't weedy but I am unsure about the airbrush. Also I wouldn't mind getting a good price :)

Do any of you guys use an airbrush? Like it?

For the last year or so I have been using a cheap Badger airbrush to do all my base coating. I have been using canned air with it. Recently I bought a little airbrush compressor off of amazon but the verdict is out on it till I do some more testing.

I have really liked the badger gun because it will spit out a lot of paint - great for basecoating. The secret that I have found for using GW paints through it is to mix them 50/50 with rubbing alcohol. This makes it dry faster and doesn't 'water down' the colors.

As far as using foundation paints I have had mixed results. Using a straight 50/50 foundation to alcohol rate makes it 'glob' on the model - not good. So what I do now is mix 25% Foundation, 25% Regular paint of the same color, and 50% Alcohol - this gives it a much smoother coat.

The only bad thing about using canned air is that it gets expensive - about $10 - $15 a can. The little compressor I bought was about $80 and came with an airbrush. The compressor seems fine but the brush doesn't put out much paint - I might be using it wrong though, I've only used it once so far.

I used a double action Paasche for years and then got out of airbrushing because of some spatter frustration. I recently bought a double action Aztec (MSRP $169, I got it for $110) and it is awesome. It mixes paint in the nozzle instead of the airbrush body so you don't have to strip the airbrush down after you get done with a heavy dose of painting. You just twist the nozzle off, dunk it in a cup of hot water, and run a pipe cleaner through the side vent of where the paint mixing bottle goes. While the first tip is getting rinsed in the hot water you can twist on a different head and be off airbrushing with it.

Clean up is such a breeze and I painted several coats of paint, wash, paint again and then dry brushed with no loss of detail at all. It works well with all GW paint types; foundation, wash and regular.

I am impressed with the Aztec since it has been 5 years since I touched an airbrush and it was easy to use once I got over my initial fear of how to use it. (I have the same fears regarding firing my Ruger .45 since it has been about 8 years since I fired it) The Aztec comes with several tips and more are available for purchase. I am even tempted to try to actually detail paint some minis one day with it. Lines should be easy to do with the fine detail tip.

If you get an airbrush buy some Testors Model Master Universal acrylic thinner. It is designed for use with Model Master acrylics, Pactra acrylics, and Polly S acrylics but I have found it to work well with GW paints so far. Application wise I use about 6 to 8 drops per paint pot of GW paint with it but my paints are old as well. A newer pot of paint probably needs much less, more like 4 drops. I have no idea how the alcohol does but I would think it would dry up the paint too quick. If you don't like Testors, I am sure there are other brand names out there that would work with an airbrush.

The compressor is the achilles' heel of the air brush. You have to have a good compressor to push the paint for an airbrush. I can't advise you on an air gun; have never used one. An airbrush needs a good compressor; I have two that I paid around $250 for each. Each compressor also needs a water trap (around $20) that is easily attached in the middle of the air hose. You simply cut the hose near the middle, attach the water trap to one end of the hose, and twist the hose back on the other end of the water trap. You do have to pay attention to the instructions on the water trap to see which end goes towards the airbrush and which end goes towards the compressor.

That's the extent of my advice as far as what type of brush to get; I went to the store to buy a Paasche, they didn't have one and didn't know when they would get one in so I got the Aztec double action brush and am glad it turned out this way.

I am going over to Michael's right now to see what they have. Sounds like the general idea is a big compressor, thin the paint with something better than water, and get a water trap. I'll report what I'll find:)

Btw, how do you drybrush with an airbrush? And can you basecoat with an airbrush? Can I use chaos black for basecoating then?

Sorry, by dry brushing I meant with a regular flat paint brush, not an airbrush.

Absolutely with the base coating. You can use Chaos Black for your darker minis or Skull White for your lighter colored minis. That's how I choose to do my base coating; depends on whether it will be an evil or dark looking mini or something light and fluffy looking such as a High Elf or something.

At Michael's and the selection was a bit sparse. Couldn't find a water trap at all:/ Anyone got a tip on good stores around the twin cities, or on the Internet?

I can't advise you on where in the Twin Cities area to look, as the only Twin Cities near me are Fayetteville and Springdale (they are adjacent to each other and both have Bulldogs as High School mascots) Arkansas. But I am sure you didn't meant those two. You probably have small malls bigger than those two towns put together.

Decide on an airbrush and then go with a water trap that is made specifically for it.

Do as much research as possible before making a decision on an airbrush since it can be an expensive mistake if you leap before you look.

I knew before I went looking at what type (double action) and brand (Badger, Testors, Paasche) I would settle for. And those are all personal choices; it doesn't make any of them right or wrong. I have own all three brands and my personal choice is the Aztec.

While you are looking at the airbrushes, make sure you look to see what sort of compressor it will work best with.

Last but not least:

USE THE FORCE, LUKE!

Twin cities Minnesota yes, and the mall of America is freakin' huge:) But not that much mini-love there.

I've been looking at Testors Aztec as well as their own compressors. They have compressors with built in moisture trap. I also like the amount of extras they have for their products. I gotta look into their stuff further.

And I am probably going for buying from the internets. Seems to be the cheapest and easiest. If/when I get them I will be sure to give a report. I am imagining myself starting out with vehicles.

Mall of America... is that the one that has a giant lego store in the middle of a huge atrium and it's own indoor amusement park? If so then I think I've been there. If not, I must be thinking of that OTHER eff'n huge mall they have up north.
And I think Bentonville/Rogers would count as twin cities. No decent malls though...
To stay on subject though, does it actually save a worthwhile amount of money to do your basecoating with an airbrush as opposed to buying spray-cans of primer if your going to be painting a lot of minis?

That's the mall of America for you:) Very large but very much without fun hobby stuff. Some good eating though.

The idea, for me, with the airbrush is a better result. I don't think that it will be cheaper, not with 400+ bucks of equipment. I want it primarily for basecoating, priming would be a bonus (been having though of using grey for primer) and I would also use it for yellows. I still don't know at what skill level I will be able to wield it. I also hope to improve speed by using it.

Is there anyone around that fully paints minis with airbrushes? Could be some pretty smooth results in theory:)

DerangedFerret wrote:

To stay on subject though, does it actually save a worthwhile amount of money to do your basecoating with an airbrush as opposed to buying spray-cans of primer if your going to be painting a lot of minis?

You will achieve far better control with an airbrush. Cheaper; not equipment wise. Better satisfaction with your minis? Yes, in my humble opinion. You will have crisper looking minis with an airbrush as opposed to using a can to do a base coat and then a brush to paint detail.

There are people that use an airbrush to paint details on minis; a google check about airbrushing minis should provide you with lots of examples and methods.

flekkzo wrote:

I've been looking at Testors Aztec as well as their own compressors. They have compressors with built in moisture trap. I also like the amount of extras they have for their products. I gotta look into their stuff further.

Excellent choice, this is the airbrush I just bought and I love it. I am doing my Ultra Marines with it and am having great luck after a five year absence from airbrushing.

gamewizard wrote:

flekkzo wrote:

I've been looking at Testors Aztec as well as their own compressors. They have compressors with built in moisture trap. I also like the amount of extras they have for their products. I gotta look into their stuff further.

Excellent choice, this is the airbrush I just bought and I love it. I am doing my Ultra Marines with it and am having great luck after a five year absence from airbrushing.

Are there any pictures of your airbrushed ultras? I am curious:) Also it seems like stuff like weathering would be a good candidate.

I'll get some pics tomorrow and post them; after I figure out how to do that.