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A few airbrush questions


hughwyeth

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Hi everyone!

I have a big paint job to get through (2,400pts of nurgle and 60 plaguebearers!) and considering how I need to base them all (probably white) and how cold it is outside, with my experience trying to base with white spray, I'm really not wanting to do it! (Chalky, sandy texture from the spray is main issue!). 

So i was looking at getting an airbrush as a way to base the lot in white. I found a couple of bundles on element games that look good: Cheaper Bundle or More Expensive Bundle.

What do you guys think of these? I've also read in a few places that airbrushes need face masks and ventilation, which sort of makes the whole "you can base coat in winter indoors with an airbrush in winter!" blogs i've seen nonsense. I thought airbrushing was literally pushing out the usual paint (citadel or vallejo for example) through a nozzle with air- where's the noxious fumes come from? Can i really do it indoors fine?

Finally I was wandering how difficult it would be to get to basecoating nicely with an airbrush- is it something I'd need weeks of practice or should it be pretty simple to do after a few test models?

 

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You do not need a mask.  Don't point the thing at your face.  Just open a window.  If you are using acrylic paint there are no concerns for health.  It's just paint and water.

The concern is overspray.  That's why many use a ventilation system.  So you don't get paint all over your area.  A ventilation hood just filters it and sucks it out the window for you so the overspray doesn't get kicked up later.

You will need a bit of practice to get good coats.  You'll have to try a few times to get the paint the proper consistency, just as when learning it with a brush.  I recommend taking the airbrush completely apart and putting it back together again.  This gives you a good idea of how the machine functions.

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22 minutes ago, hughwyeth said:

Do you do anything beforehand? I know some people submerge the can in warm water for a few minutes beforehand.

I don't do anything extra besides shake it.  Coincidentally I primed a model last night no worries.  In Milwaukee here.

I don't stay outside for more than 5 minutes at a time.  But that's more than enough time to get the army primed.  Do in batches if you have to.

Don't let the models dry outside though.  Put them in the basement or if your bathroom has a fan just put it in  there for an hour.

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If your idea is to prime the models with Surface primer, say Vellejo, then you don't need to get either of those compressors. I'd strongly advice you not to use the table top one, as you want at least 20 PSI to push the type of acrylic paint you'll use out of it. But you don't have to get a super expensive one.

I'm using one of these compressors with an Iwata Eclipse, and its great: http://www.tcpglobal.com/ABD-KIT-SP18-20.html?gclid=CjwKCAiA07PRBRBJEiwAS20SIE30FEnrdfKNvRgfWbKzwb6tN0IauyPCb8RuA-gxupLgO3xUhpjCCBoCZq8QAvD_BwE#.Wi2_j0trwWo

I can push anything through there and I can control the PSI. So for Priming, I do closer to 30 PSI, and when I am doing more detailed work I'm closer to 20. But I never go under 20 PSI as it will clog most airbrushes and splatter paint on your miniature.

I've never had an issue with rattlecan during winter (Umea, Sweden was my test climate). Humidity here in Virginia, US makes rattlecan useless 4 months out the year.

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17 minutes ago, Lysandestolpe said:

If your idea is to prime the models with Surface primer, say Vellejo, then you don't need to get either of those compressors. I'd strongly advice you not to use the table top one, as you want at least 20 PSI to push the type of acrylic paint you'll use out of it. But you don't have to get a super expensive one.

I'm using one of these compressors with an Iwata Eclipse, and its great: http://www.tcpglobal.com/ABD-KIT-SP18-20.html?gclid=CjwKCAiA07PRBRBJEiwAS20SIE30FEnrdfKNvRgfWbKzwb6tN0IauyPCb8RuA-gxupLgO3xUhpjCCBoCZq8QAvD_BwE#.Wi2_j0trwWo

I can push anything through there and I can control the PSI. So for Priming, I do closer to 30 PSI, and when I am doing more detailed work I'm closer to 20. But I never go under 20 PSI as it will clog most airbrushes and splatter paint on your miniature.

I've never had an issue with rattlecan during winter (Umea, Sweden was my test climate). Humidity here in Virginia, US makes rattlecan useless 4 months out the year.

Yes for priming and base coating I like about 35.  Detail is lighter.  Maybe 25

I use the master compressor.  I've gone for about two hours without any signs of losing pressure or overheating.

Also as advice starting an airbrush, it is not magic.  It's like any other tool.  It will be annoying and you will ruin things on your first attempt and get tip dry and make a mess, but a bit of practice and it's a wonderful device.

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9 hours ago, tolstedt said:

I don't do anything extra besides shake it.  Coincidentally I primed a model last night no worries.  In Milwaukee here.

I don't stay outside for more than 5 minutes at a time.  But that's more than enough time to get the army primed.  Do in batches if you have to.

Don't let the models dry outside though.  Put them in the basement or if your bathroom has a fan just put it in  there for an hour.

Do you use GW sprays?

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9 hours ago, tolstedt said:

I don't do anything extra besides shake it.  Coincidentally I primed a model last night no worries.  In Milwaukee here.

I don't stay outside for more than 5 minutes at a time.  But that's more than enough time to get the army primed.  Do in batches if you have to.

Don't let the models dry outside though.  Put them in the basement or if your bathroom has a fan just put it in  there for an hour.

I'd say this was the best advice about!  Also don't store your spray cans outside in the garage/shed, they (and your models) need to be room temperature when you use them.  Womble out, do a few minutes of undercoating and then womble back in.  I tend to dry my models in the living room which is a fairly dry heat.  If you dry them somewhere with moisture in the air, the finish may well go glossy.  It will stink the room out when it dries though ;)

GW sprays have one big benefit over airbrush undercoating in that the paint is an "etching paint", so bonds more solidly to a plastic model.

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3 minutes ago, RuneBrush said:

 It will stink the room out when it dries though ;)

GW sprays have one big benefit over airbrush undercoating in that the paint is an "etching paint", so bonds more solidly to a plastic model.

If by stink you mean "smell like delicious chemicals", i look forward to it! 

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I use gw and army painter. Citadel sprays are definitely of higher quality. Something about the propellent is supreme.

It's easier to mess up a prime with army painter rattlesnake but they are still a quality product.

Also I wouldn't store any of my supplies in the cold. Except the beers of course.

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