Redford73 Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 I'm taking the plunge and buying an airbrush. Main use will be for weathering, occasional painting of locos and rolling stock (probably only parts thereof). As a newbie I'll be taking it easy and probably wont use it all the time so don't really want to spend a fortune. Re airbrush my current choice is a NEO Iwata CN dual action, gravity feed. Re compressor a lot of advice on the web says spend more but I have seen the AF-186 which has all the bells and whistles as far as I can see (water filter, pressure regulator) and is less than most of the Iwata or other brands with similar features. Any advice? Does anyone use these products - if so how have you found them? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Deltic Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I use a Simair XL2000 double acting air brush which can be top fed via a hopper or side fed rom a bottle (which I prefer). Machine Mart do a good range of fairly cheap compressors, and although you can get reciprocating compressors fairly cheap from B & Q, etc, they are very noisy and no good late in the evening. I bought one of the silent refrigerator compressors from Machine Mart which was in the reduced to clear section. These come with an air reservior which is very important to maintain a constant steady pressure. A lot of the cheap airbrush compressors don't have a reservior, and they can only give bursts of steady pressure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Izzy Posted April 24, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 24, 2015 I have recently acquirec a Neo CN and would say that for small scale work it's a lovely little airbrush to use, small and well balanced. One of it's main advantages for me is that as it is gravity feed you only need to mix up small amounts of fluid (whatever medium you are using) which makes using it quick and easy, especially when, say, weathering, where you just want small amounts in differing shades/tones. I haven't used one of the cups yet. The body resovoiur being enough. I would also second what Baby Deltic has said about compressors. My silent air type weighs quite a bit -15kg - but is virtually silent, like a fridge, and the difference this makes is considerable. When spraying you aren't distracted/put off by the noise when working, and can concentrate on what you are doing. A constant, reliable, filtered, adjustable air source is also a boon in getting the best use and most reliable finish. One other point if I may. Could I suggest you also obtain one of the glass jar type cleaning stations. You can rest an airbrush on them between use and when loading etc, and cleaning the airbrush using them is quick and easy. All this makes using an airbrush a pleasure rather than a chore. Izzy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGC Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I was recently talking to a professional painter, and asked his opinion of the AS186. He replied that this is the compressor he uses. He rates them very highly and, because of the price of them, when it dies (which takes quite some time, apparently, even with a lot of day to day use) he just throws it away and buys another one rather than buy a far higher cost compressor which does no better job and may not last much longer than the AS186. That made me feel very glad about buying the AS186 myself! Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sp1 Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Another vote for the AS-186 (with reservoir) - the model with the reservoir is only a few pounds more expensive Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mick Bonwick Posted April 24, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 24, 2015 I'm taking the plunge and buying an airbrush. Main use will be for weathering, occasional painting of locos and rolling stock (probably only parts thereof). As a newbie I'll be taking it easy and probably wont use it all the time so don't really want to spend a fortune. Re airbrush my current choice is a NEO Iwata CN dual action, gravity feed. Re compressor a lot of advice on the web says spend more but I have seen the AF-186 which has all the bells and whistles as far as I can see (water filter, pressure regulator) and is less than most of the Iwata or other brands with similar features. Any advice? Does anyone use these products - if so how have you found them? I think your choice is spot on! The airbrush is perfect for a 'beginner' and the compressor works perfectly well for our type of application. Your reasons for the choices are perfectly valid - there's no point in spending large sums of money only to find that airbrushing is not for you. If it is for you, then you can always upgrade to something more sophisticated at a later date. You don't mention a spray booth or a mask in your post, and I recommend that you use one or the other if airbrushing indoors. Whether you use enamels or acrylics, you do not want to be breathing in the invisible particles of paint that the airbrush will produce. I use both of these and have had no trouble with either. Good luck with your weathering, assuming that's where you intend to start. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Lime Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 You might want to look at this thread as well for helpful advice... http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/93394-help-with-airbrushing/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redford73 Posted April 24, 2015 Author Share Posted April 24, 2015 Thanks for advice and yes I already have a proper paint mask to use with the right filters. I will look into a booth as well. Looks like I will be buying the Neo CN and the AN186 compressor with regulator. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mick Bonwick Posted April 24, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 24, 2015 Thanks for advice and yes I already have a proper paint mask to use with the right filters. I will look into a booth as well. Looks like I will be buying the Neo CN and the AN186 compressor with regulator. If you think you'll also need professional advice and a good after-sales service then you could try investigating Eileen's Emporium. I have no connection with the business, just aware of their reputation. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Torper Posted April 25, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 25, 2015 You may also want to consider which type of brush would be the most comfortable for you to operate. When I went on an airbrushing course a year or two ago I was introduced to one of the pistol grip trigger operated variety and I found it easier and more comfortable to use than the conventional push/pull button operated type. I think that the one I saw was an expensive Iwata that i could not afford, but I subsequently bought a Sparmax GP35 (current retail price about £90). Since then Iwata have brought out a Neo trigger action brush at about £30 more than that (there are rumours that much of it may in fact be made by Sparmax in Taiwan). These are both of course more expensive than the Neo CN, which on the face of it seems very good value indeed, but the ease of use makes the extra cost worthwhile for me. I should add that i use my airbrush for painting larger areas, eg sides of coaches, locos, wagons, etc., and tend to do fine work with an ordinary brush. I suspect that if one was to use an airbrush for fine work then the push/pull button variety, which can be held much like a pen, would be the better bet. DT Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Deltic Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 I started a thread a few years ago where I was going to do a video showing basic airbrush weathering techniqes: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/51109-baby-deltics-weathering-workbench/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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