Airbrush purchase

[JohnRedpath1953]

Hello all. I thought this may be of interest. I needed to purchase a airbrush now that I have started refurbishing my locos but did not want to layout lots of dosh.  Purchased this from evil bay for £30.

Rechargeable airbrush. See how it performs

Ta john

[JohnRedpath1953]

 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DhVkJTHkWRQ

 

[ikcdab]

Phil's workbench did a review.

 

http://philsworkbench.blogspot.com/2021/02/mini-airbrush-with-compact-compressor.html?m=1

 

I am somewhat puzzled by this type of post and other similar ones.

We spend a lot of money on our locos which are usually the centrepiece of our layouts. 

With the huge investment being made in locos, it is worth that money to buy a decent airbrush to make the most of them. I bought a iwata Neo for around £80 and have never regretted it.

There was a similar post recently seeking the cheapest possible paint for locos. I think that if you have spent a lot of money on a loco or a kit then it serves you best to get the best airbrush and paint to finish it off.

Edited April 21, 2021 by ikcdab

[Pete the Elaner]

35 minutes ago, ikcdab said:

Phil's workbench did a review.

 

http://philsworkbench.blogspot.com/2021/02/mini-airbrush-with-compact-compressor.html?m=1

 

I am somewhat puzzled by this type of post and other similar ones.

We spend a lot of money on our locos which are usually the centrepiece of our layouts. 

With the huge investment being made in locos, it is worth that money to buy a decent airbrush to make the most of them. I bought a iwata Neo for around £80 and have never regretted it.

There was a similar post recently seeking the cheapest possible paint for locos. I think that if you have spent a lot of money on a loco or a kit then it serves you best to get the best airbrush and paint to finish it off.

 

I can understand that but there are reasons why I can understand somebody wanting a cheaper kit:

 

Some may be on a budget which will not stretch to something like a Neo. They may not have brand new models to repaint, but may instead have a few older models which cost little in the first place.

 

I have seen reviews of some budget airbrushes & they seem to do quite well. What lets them down is availability of spare parts.

 

Do you always know what airbrush will suit you? Some may buy a gravity feed & not get on with it. If the airbrush was cheap in the first place, what have you lost?

 

Airbrushes are also useful for weathering the layout as well as painting locos. While being ideal for locos & coaches because it is smooth, powerful & very quiet, my compressor weighs nearly 20kg. Hauling that around the layout to weather the track is a bit of a pain. I have searched for longer hoses but would still have to move the compressor to reach all parts of the layout. A small battery compressor seems like a neat solution for this & will still be useful with a better airbrush at a later date.

 

[ROSSPOP]

Already   ahead of the game .......

 

I`m planning to use mine on airbrushing scenic grass  and some weathering experiments ....  so far I`m  pleasantly impressed.

 

Scary business, as the following week I contracted Coronavirus ....but I don`t blame the airbrush !!!  

 

 

[Guy Rixon]

From what is it recharged? If you need a compressor anyway, it seems odd to have a tank on the brush. If one has no compressor, then I'd expect that little tank to run out quite quickly. Maybe it works with the low-output compressors used for inflatable toys?

[ROSSPOP]

13 minutes ago, Guy Rixon said:

From what is it recharged? If you need a compressor anyway, it seems odd to have a tank on the brush. If one has no compressor, then I'd expect that little tank to run out quite quickly. Maybe it works with the low-output compressors used for inflatable toys?

 

Three hours from the USB port on lap-top......

 

 

  IT`s a cordless airbrush with handheld compressor..... Freedom for those small air brushing tasks...

 

About 30 minutes continuous spraying  so plenty of time to even spray an O gauge Tank loco.

 

...and much better than those propellant cans ...

 

................... after about 10 minutes work using enamels....

 

Edited April 21, 2021 by ROSSPOP

[rob D2]

7 hours ago, ikcdab said:

Phil's workbench did a review.

 

http://philsworkbench.blogspot.com/2021/02/mini-airbrush-with-compact-compressor.html?m=1

 

I am somewhat puzzled by this type of post and other similar ones.

We spend a lot of money on our locos which are usually the centrepiece of our layouts. 

With the huge investment being made in locos, it is worth that money to buy a decent airbrush to make the most of them. I bought a iwata Neo for around £80 and have never regretted it.

There was a similar post recently seeking the cheapest possible paint for locos. I think that if you have spent a lot of money on a loco or a kit then it serves you best to get the best airbrush and paint to finish it off.

Because  of the huge investment in stock, don't have much left for the other bits and bobs really .

[JohnRedpath1953]

Interesting comments. ..

I purchased this to try and get better weathering effect.

I didn't want to mess about with cannisters or invest in a compressor or purchase a expensive airbrush.

 

Have been using it today and it does a good job. Charged up after 1 hour 20 mins.

Good for quick jobs

Ta john

[Chrisr40]

21 minutes ago, JohnRedpath1953 said:

Interesting comments. ..

I purchased this to try and get better weathering effect.

I didn't want to mess about with cannisters or invest in a compressor or purchase a expensive airbrush.

 

Have been using it today and it does a good job. Charged up after 1 hour 20 mins.

Good for quick jobs

Ta john

Hi  how controllable is the airbrush itself ? I saw these a while back and like the concept but was worried it would be a bit like a hose pipe.

Thanks

[Torper]

Well, if it does what it's required to do at a price that's acceptable, why not?

 

DT

[JohnRedpath1953]

2 hours ago, Chrisr40 said:

Hi  how controllable is the airbrush itself ? I saw these a while back and like the concept but was worried it would be a bit like a hose pipe.

Thanks

Its definitely not like a hosepipe. As long as the paint is of the right consistency it works fine.  You can do some fine detail with the airbrush. I've been using it on and off all day getting use to handling it and it works a treat.  One major good point is that the setup does not take up much room. 

Ta john

[JohnRedpath1953]

Hello again.

I watched phils workbench video and was quite shocked at his results.

This is my 2nd day using this and I think I ve cracked it.

It works flawless as long as your paint is thin. Good control and no sign of spattering. 

Chuffed John

[Nile]

Looks like Phil may have got a duff sample example. I've found these 0.3mm nozzles clog up very easily, these cheap brushes work better with a 0.5mm nozzle.

Edited April 23, 2021 by Nile
edited for clarity

[Phil Parker]

4 minutes ago, Nile said:

Looks like Phil may have got a duff sample. I've found these 0.3mm nozzles clog up very easily, these cheap brushes work better with a 0.5mm nozzle.

 

Phil didn't get a sample, I bought it with my own money. 

 

There's a followup post where I put an Iwata on the compressor (good) and the supplied on of the airline from a Sparmax compressor (still rubbish). 

[JohnRedpath1953]

I'm still very happy with the results.. I use a piece of card to check output before spraying locomotive.   Main benefit is that it's quick to use for small jobs then clean.  I'm 68 years old and doddery but have lots of modelling experience which helps. Raw beginners may struggle a bit. But overall not bad for £30.

Ta john

[rob D2]

Seems to be working fine.

I’m attempting a first full respray using a cheap chinese airbrush (£80) , once i have a suitable thinner and got the dilution right it seems to work ok.

 

Horses for courses.....i don't need anything more expensive.

 

Now all they have to  do is invent one that cleans  itself as that is still a massive P.I.T.A

Edited April 23, 2021 by rob D2

[Nile]

9 hours ago, Phil Parker said:

 

Phil didn't get a sample, I bought it with my own money. 

I wasn't implying that, so I've edited my post accordingly.

I shall try and find your follow up post when I get home, the firewall here at work blocks your blog.

[ikcdab]

2 hours ago, rob D2 said:

Seems to be working fine.

I’m attempting a first full respray using a cheap chinese airbrush (£80) , once i have

I'm surprised that you think £80 is a cheap airbrush. I would consider it mid-range. I have the iwata Neo that is around £75 and is excellent. Maybe your £80 includes a compressor or other bits?

[Nile]

A cheap chinese airbrush should be less than £30, some are less than half that. It depends on what extra bits it comes with.

[Pete the Elaner]

36 minutes ago, ikcdab said:

I'm surprised that you think £80 is a cheap airbrush. I would consider it mid-range. I have the iwata Neo that is around £75 and is excellent. Maybe your £80 includes a compressor or other bits?

 

It depends what circles you are in.

I agree with you that £80 should get you a decent airbrush. My first was a Badger 200 & it still works very well (although it is not mine any more).

I have seen some refer to an Iwata Revolution as 'budget' & claim an Eclipse is 'the minimum I would settle for'. These are about twice the price of a Neo.

[Phil Parker]

1 hour ago, Nile said:

I wasn't implying that, so I've edited my post accordingly.

I shall try and find your follow up post when I get home, the firewall here at work blocks your blog.

 

No problem - I just don't want anyone thinking I live in a paradise of free toy train stuff. I'm enough of a nerd that I do this for fun too!

 

The follow-up is here: https://philsworkbench.blogspot.com/2021/02/airbrush-test-part-2.html

 

you need to have a word with your IT department and tell them they are blocking vital information!

 

 

 

 

[rob D2]

2 hours ago, ikcdab said:

I'm surprised that you think £80 is a cheap airbrush. I would consider it mid-range. I have the iwata Neo that is around £75 and is excellent. Maybe your £80 includes a compressor or other bits?

Indeed, I meant the full package as it comes with compressor and two airbrushes 

[hayfield]

Like many others I bought a cheap compressor and airbrush set for about £60. In the main its been fine, I don't use it much just a few times a year. One of the airbrushes stopped working quite quickly, the second lasted a few years, but the performance seemed to drop off. In hindsight this is probably down to me and learning both how to use it and keep it clean

 

I bought a new airbrush from https://www.everythingairbrush.com/ for about £30 inc postage and its of far better quality than the ones supplied with the compressor, I guess if I was using it regularly a dearer one might be better, however to date I am extremely pleased with the airbrush and sales advice I received from the company.

 

Cheap may be bad, but inexpensive can be very rewarding. 

 

Edit

 

I have found that by using the same paint (Phoenix Precision enamel) and using the companies recommended thinners works for me. chopping and changing or using inferior or different products could affect the performance 

Edited April 23, 2021 by hayfield

[Pete the Elaner]

7 minutes ago, hayfield said:

 

Cheap may be bad, but inexpensive can be very rewarding. 

 

 

I wonder how often people buy expensive items because they have 'all the features I may need' then discover that they only paid extra for features which they never end up using, or for 'better' components which provide no advantage.