dalmer Posted April 14, 2018 Report Share Posted April 14, 2018 Hello there, Not a lot of background detail necessary, but after a two-year hiatus due to medical stuff I'm prepping to take the plunge to get back into some hobbies... and 40k / miniature painting is one that I'm wanting to do. I've painted on and off over the years and have used brushes and (Jim Graham will cringe) paint basically right out of the pot. But I did buy a wet palette, so there's hope. My wife has done TONS of art stuff over the years and is even contemplating getting into painting minis. Which leads to our question to the fine forum folks: is an airbrush pretty much the way to go now due to its efficiencies and abilities to blend smoothly? Don't get me wrong, I don't want to come across as snobby but up to this point I've thought that an airbrush was "cheating" somehow. No disrespect intended to those that do, for some reason that tossed into my head whenever I'd look at Golden Daemon-winning models or whatnot over the years. But on the other hand, I'm not a Golden Daemon-level painter so why the heck should I care if I can paint better and quicker using an airbrush? We'd really appreciate your insights, as I don't know if it's just some weird personal quirk I've had up until now that really only shows my ignorance on the topic, you know? I love to paint minis, but the time-sink for me just crushes me. Real life is pretty busy. Thank you in advance for any and all replies, we really appreciate it! Stay safe, don 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PourSpelur Posted April 14, 2018 Report Share Posted April 14, 2018 It's a great tool, but it's still a tool. No easy button, talent in a compressor or ancient mystical art. I get where people get the "cheating" vibe, I really do. It looks so simple to get that Golden Damon quality paint job. It's not. The "cheater" camp are the people that have never tried to airbrush. It's a skill, built up with time and practice. Some will have more or less natural aptitude with it, same with any tool. I highly recommend an inexpensive airbrush. I Loooove mine. Yes it takes practice. Yes the learning curve can be a bit daunting at times. Yes I think it's worth it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalmer Posted April 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2018 PourSpelur, Thank you very much for your reply, I appreciate it! Yeah, I don't for one moment think it'll be easy or "awesome painting in a can (or compressor or whatever)." I've heard that I can do a base coat for a unit a LOT quicker than just painting them out, etc. And certainly moreso on vehicles, etc. But having never used one or researched it, it's just a big ol' void for me... so I thought I'd ask here. I reckon that if I can save time simply by using an airbrush for base layers, then it's a huge win. Thank you again for your reply! Any recommendations as to makes/models? I need to look at compressors, too right? If I had to spend more on one component, would it be the compressor or the airbrush itself? Any "don't forget to make/buy an airbrush box" or whatever? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pretre Posted April 14, 2018 Report Share Posted April 14, 2018 I am certainly not a professional, but I love airbrushes for base layers/priming. It saves a lot of time and you never have to worry about fuzzy priming something ever again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalmer Posted April 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2018 pretre, Thank you for your post, we appreciate it! Yeah, I reckon that I struggle to get stuff painted in a timely fashion not in small part because I actually take a looooong time on priming and base layers. My priming is a rattle can and sometimes I get grainy, sometimes I get decent... a lot of variables when you cannot regulate temperature for sure. Any recommendations on set ups? Compressor? Airbrush? Or will Google-fu take me to the promised land and tell me what I should look at? Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PourSpelur Posted April 14, 2018 Report Share Posted April 14, 2018 My airbrush is, wow, 10 or 11 years old now. Still kicking. I got a $20 Chinese knock-off from eBay, it was labeled as a cake decorating airbrush. Same make and model number as the $45 "modelling" airbrush. I run a tankless compressor that's getting a little long in the tooth that I bought at the same time, think it ran about $60. If I were to do it again, I'd splurge a bit more on the compressor and get one with a tank. Did buy a better hose from Badger about a year in, the plastic tube brush came with was pretty lousy. Think the hose was in the 20-25 range. Biggest learning curve was paint consistency. What's too thick? Enough to clog. Too thin? Watery coverage and streaking. It's totally a trial by error and can be frustrating. With time you'll dial it in though. Short version: On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being the cheapest and 10 being the most expensive I'd shoot for... Airbrush, about a 3-4 Compressor, 4 pushing a 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottshoemaker Posted April 14, 2018 Report Share Posted April 14, 2018 I run a Harbor Freight tankless. Buy the moisture trap regulator. My first airbrushed were TCP Global master series at $30 for a kit. You want gravity feed, double action. I'd recommend a .03 needle as a general use. The .05 is great for base coating. Don't spend money on a badger until you get the hang of it. Practice with plain water on brown paper bags to learn the brush. I can do some short videos with tips if you think it would help. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swan-of-War Posted April 14, 2018 Report Share Posted April 14, 2018 Airbrushes are a rip off - I take a big swig of paint and spit on it like a fire breather. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottshoemaker Posted April 15, 2018 Report Share Posted April 15, 2018 5 hours ago, Swan-of-War said: Airbrushes are a rip off - I take a big swig of paint and spit on it like a fire breather. Manly! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalmer Posted April 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2018 PourSpelur, Thank you very much, sir... appreciate what you typed out! Helps immensely with figuring out a starting set-up. I hope to figure out the consistency issues by repeated priming and base layers... scottshoemaker, Very detailed, thank you very much! I'm sure everyone on the forums would appreciate videos... please just don't do it on my account though! I am excited to start delving into research but I have a little time... building up the crafting table now. Got the comic boxes all stacked and off to the side, my artist's desk (what I use to paint now) off to the side and hopefully a dedicated painting area will assist in motivating me (and keep things organized!). Swan-of-War, ha ha ha ha... the stippling effect I bet is magnificent! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalmer Posted April 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2018 Another question for those of you that airbrush: * Do you use one with a vent that funnels the fumes/etc. out a window or something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottshoemaker Posted April 21, 2018 Report Share Posted April 21, 2018 If you are only using acrylics then there are no fumes as such, only the particulate from the aresolized paint. If you have a large vented area like a workshop you really don't need anything other than good room airflow. However, for a workstation I bought this: It draws the particles into the filter at the back. They also come with a duct so you can vent the exhaust, but I haven't needed it. Search Spray Booth. Around $60 on amazon, but could easily be made with computer fans and plexiglass and wood. I wouldn't build the shroud out of wood as it'll block your working light 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted April 22, 2018 Report Share Posted April 22, 2018 I spray acrylics without a hood. If I'm batch painting, I'll put on a particulate filter mask (allergies in the NW are bad enough with aggravating them), but usually I just run a small fan in the room. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalmer Posted April 22, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2018 Appreciate it, folks! Looking at a Badger dual-stage, a lil' compressor and scottshoemaker's suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VonVilkee Posted April 22, 2018 Report Share Posted April 22, 2018 2 minutes ago, dalmer said: Appreciate it, folks! Looking at a Badger dual-stage, a lil' compressor and scottshoemaker's suggestion. Gimme over night on that hood thing. I had an Amazon miss delivery that actually showed up and might still have the second one of those... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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