just got a airbrush


M

marriedshades

Member
Well i just bought my first airbrush a paasche single action with a conpresspr for 50 dollors now i need to get some paint and some thing to paint most likly start on a diveder and repaint some railcars
 
Shades get a qt or more of generic ( el cheapo ) lacquer thinner for cleaning solvent based paints like Testors enamels and lacquers, Floquil if you can still find some, and Tru Color just to name a few. Use a small metal dish or pan to wash the air and color mixing tip in the thinner. Most plastic dishes and cups will dissolve in no time when you add lacquer thinner. Windex, alcohol, or even soap & water will clean up most acrylics. Whatever system you choose for paint the main thing is to clean the airbrush as soon as you finish spraying.
 
Thanks for the advice i know the value in cleaning the airbrush its thining the paints that got me confessed get the right ratio for the paint to go through the airbrush and look good i figure a lot of that will come with practice
 
Practice on scrap bodies and such. Some people will tell you to just use a scrap of cardboard. I've never advised that as the cardboard will absorb some of the thinner, which plastic won't. The cardboard could lead you to trying what amounts to using too much thinner. My belief has always been to practice on material that you'll be painting for real. When practicing years ago to learn about brass, I always practiced on a 1" x 12" piece of brass. When I got through, I always just dropped that brass into lacquer thinner to remove the "practice" paint.

Many will tell you to mix the paint 50/50 with thinner. That's a good start, and I will guaranty that through your own experimentation that the ratio will change. You may fine a 60/40 or even a 40/60 paint to thinner ratio works better for you. But you won't know without practice.
 
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From the description of the airbrush, it sounds like a Passche H model. If it is, I bet it has a #3 tip on it. While this is considered a medium tip, might I suggest that you get a #1 tip. This is the tip I've had on my Passche for over 30 years. It sprays a finer pattern than the #3, and for years this was the only brush I used.
 
Carey,

I have a Talon airbrush that came with the following tips:

• 0.25mm Nickel Silver Tip and Needle
• 0.38mm Nickel Silver Tip and Needle
• 0.66mm Nickel Silver Tip and Needle

Which tip is which in terms of coverage please? The instructions say that it will spray from fine detail to a 3" spread.

Sorry for the hi-jack....
 
Carey i found a filer on it and its says it a hs and i lucked out it has the 1, 3, and5 tip light through heavy though i had to go online to find which was which and tony no problem i hope you get your answer. just a ideal have fun and try each on then measure.
 
The larger the number, the more paint that can pass through. Is there an adjustment on the airbrush to vary the spread? Haven't as yet used an airbrush, but have an auto touch-up gun (.035 tip), has an knob on the side to vary the width of the spray from narrow cone to fan shape.
 
Ahhh... sort of. It has a "[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Fan Air Cap" (so I just discovered) that can be adjusted to give a wide pattern, similar to a full size spray gun. Obviously MORE practice needed, on my part, to get familiar with the ins and outs of the thing. By the way, it is a Paasche Talon Gun.[/FONT]
 
That is correct, Tony. Start with the biggest in this case, and be sure to try different adjustments. Everything from paint/thinner ratio, how much the tip is open, compressor pressure, etc. You'll get the hang of it.
 
The fan air cap is for large area applications and will give you a lot of "throughput" I can't imagine using it on models smaller the G scale but it would work well on scenery applications. It also requires more air from the compressor to work properly. As for the three tips, the smaller the tip/needle, the finer the line you can spray. There is no adjustment once you pick a tip size other than to remember that the paint leaves the airbrush much like a flashlight beam: tight and bright at the tip and more diffuse further away. You can move the airbrush closer to the work for a finer line and further away for a broader one, to a point. Too close and too much feed and you'll get splatter, and too far away and you'll get dry spray.
 
Hello all.
I have two of the Paasche H Model single action Airbrushes. I keep one set up with the #1 tip and the other with a #3. I also have tried the #5 tip but it really puts too much paint out for me. I also have a double action airbrush that came with a Harbor Freight air compressor. It's OK but not any better than the Paasche. I'm aware that there are some expensive air brushes on the market but I get excellent results with my present complement.

I used to be into HO and I loved the Flo-Quil paints but they are not available anymore since they were bought out by Testors. Since I can't get Flo-Quil anymore, I have switched over completely to the inexpensive acrylic art paints that are available at most any art store. I thin them with 1/3 Isopropyl alcohol and 2/3 tap water and I get very nice results. I also notice that there is less tendency to clog when the acrylics are mixed properly.

I recently restored an LGB Furka Oberalp (2061) 0-4-0 Diesel that I bought on eBay. It needed a new motor and gears and some other missing parts replaced. There was a bad spot of paint on the hood and the color is Railroad Mineral Red. Unfortunately that color is not available anymore. I matched it rather nicely with a mixture of acrylic true burgundy and a dark red. It's not perfect but very close.

I've always enjoyed airbrushing. It's ideal for model railroading on rolling stock and buildings.
 
Finaly got to try out my airbrush the paint wasn't that good and it was just pratice items leason learned by better paint the stuff i had was designed for a brush and even thined it didn't spray very well. still had fun though
 
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