RMweb Premium M.I.B Posted October 4, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 4, 2011 Thirty years ago I hankered for an airbrush - the only vaguely affordable ones were those by Badger or DeVilbiss - fed by screwing on a can of pressured air, which were not that affordable. A couple of months ago, just prior to a house move, I was given one such airbrush, requiring the purchase of said cans of air. I am sure it is a Devilbiss - small glass jar (the size of hotel marmalade jars) with what looks like a fountain pen with one valve knob on top (sorry but need to hunt it out). I have a compressor with a small tank and regulator on for doing small jobs on the cars, and I also have a supply of argon welding gas (again with a regulator on the feed). I was wondering if either were suitable for connecting to said airbrush if they were regulated down. Just wondering before I go to the trouble of hunting the brush out. Not looking to paint coach lines on N guage, just to do some weathering on chassis etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 Thirty years ago I hankered for an airbrush - the only vaguely affordable ones were those by Badger or DeVilbiss - fed by screwing on a can of pressured air, which were not that affordable. A couple of months ago, just prior to a house move, I was given one such airbrush, requiring the purchase of said cans of air. I am sure it is a Devilbiss - small glass jar (the size of hotel marmalade jars) with what looks like a fountain pen with one valve knob on top (sorry but need to hunt it out). I have a compressor with a small tank and regulator on for doing small jobs on the cars, and I also have a supply of argon welding gas (again with a regulator on the feed). I was wondering if either were suitable for connecting to said airbrush if they were regulated down. Just wondering before I go to the trouble of hunting the brush out. Not looking to paint coach lines on N guage, just to do some weathering on chassis etc. Quite a few of us over the past 2 years have brought those compressors with 2 airbrushes off Ebay with excellent results, they are about £70 search the site as there are at least 2 threads Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris g Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 I'm not an expert but the compressor with a reservoir is worth trying. (Argon scares me.) Generally an airbrush doesn't need very high pressure or high volumes of air compared to a spray gun for cars. If you have a compressor that can be used for car jobs then my guess is that it will be ok provided you can control the pressure to something between 10 - 20 psi. (don't know what the devibliss gun requires) You may need an adapter to connect the airbrush to the compressor, (the hose diameter for airbrushes is much smaller than for spray guns, should be easy to get). I would give it a try using something like watered down ink on card / paper to start with just to check it's working ok, Ink is cheap and will let you get the feel of the airbrush / pressure settings. If it seems to be working ok you should fit an oil / moisture trap, (these are readily available), to make sue that oily moist air doesn't get from the compressor to the airbrush to spoil the paint finish. Then try spraying thinned enamels or acrylics (some acrylics need propriety thinners, i.e. you can't just use water). Devilbliss have a god reputation for commercial work and the gun may be ok for weathering but you will need to try it to see what you can achieve. Its worth a try, if you can spray cars then I'm sure you will get the hang of it. Chris g Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 Quite a few of us on this site have brought these http://www.ebay.co.u...=item5635b6fe82 (I got mine from a different supplier). I have a Humbrol (Badger type) airbrush which many years ago was as dear as the airbrush / compresser set. Both the airbrushes supplied and the Humbrol/Badger work fine off the compresser. Another £20 will get you one with a tank, though I and others have had no problems with the no-tank version. One problem with the cans is they stop working properly when they get very cold with extended use and you have to wait for them to warm up. No such problem with the compresser, and you do not need to watch how much air you use / waste. Like others never looked back Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
westie7 Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 Quite a few of us on this site have brought these http://www.ebay.co.u...=item5635b6fe82 (I got mine from a different supplier). Just ordered one with the tank, from the other supplier and it arrived in under 48hrs, Looking forward to giving it an "airing" this weekend Rgds Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris g Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Having an air reservoir, (tank), eliminates pulsing from the compressor and gives a 'continuous' supply of air to the airbrush. Although for small jobs it probably won't be significant, I think its better to have a tank as it will give a better regulated supply of air to the airbrush and so more consistent results. One tip for using cans is to stand them in a bowl of warm water to reduce the effect of cooling. Have fun with your new kit. Chris g Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium M.I.B Posted October 9, 2011 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 9, 2011 Thanks for the extra replies. No scares with argon or CO2 - it's inert. Moisture traps and oil traps are a definite with any compressor - as is the ability to drain off excess water from the tank - otherwise over time tanks rot out from the inside and then fail catastrophically. Always leave air tanks empty and drained of water. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Moss Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 DOn't use Argon. If its in a confined space you'll end up drowning in it! Remember, if you go to a garage and find a welder passed out in a pit don't climb down and help them. Chances are that if its due to a shielding gas leak you'll drown too as argon is heavier than air. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Saunders Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Years ago I had an adaptor to run one off a Car wheel/Tyre! However never got to try it as my parents did not have a car at the time! Mark Saunders Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium M.I.B Posted October 10, 2011 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 10, 2011 DOn't use Argon. If its in a confined space you'll end up drowning in it! If you are spraying solvents, then the room should be ventilated - top and bottom. Therefore using argon shouldn't be an issue for small spray jobs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Years ago I had an adaptor to run one off a Car wheel/Tyre! However never got to try it as my parents did not have a car at the time! Mark Saunders I had one of those, got a spare wheel into the loft with difficulty and leg ache pumping it up. Having said that it worked better than the cans and would be much easier now to inflate with the electric tyre pumps. Still these compressers are smaller, cleaner and easier to use than a car tyre. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
westie7 Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Have fun with your new kit. Chris g Well after a slight delay of work getting in the way! I'm running this up and testing the compressor, tank and cut-in/outs. Now for a really basic question, there are two adjustments as I see it, Back of the airbrush handle and the regulator itself. As these have no gauged output, has anyone an experience of getting optimum settings? I have posted a message back to the suppliers but as its the weekend I dont expect an instant reply Rgds Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium M.I.B Posted October 16, 2011 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 16, 2011 Just like their bigger brothers in the car body world, I could be spraying perfectly, hand you my gun, and you struggle because you paint differently - pass speed, distance, technique etc. I tend to spray cars quite dry, where as my mate Sam lobs it on very wet. Put the finished panels side by side and you can't tell the difference when they have been flatted and finished. So any recommended settings will only be very ballpark. Try different settings and mixtures on bits of cardboard box. When I am setting up bodyshop guns, I often use gunwash or panel wipe thru the gun just to get the pattern right. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruciethefish Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 The Devillbis airbrushes were very good;- I've only stopped using mine due to not being able to source a suitable 'O' ring for the needle valve.. I think the Devillbis hoses use a 1/4" bsp fitting, & you should be able to get adaptors to marry these up to standard compressor output threads.. If you have the dual-action airbrush, there aren't really any 'settings'... Unscrew the handle, & you'll find the locking nut for the needle;- adjust this so the needle tip closes the paint nozzle completely when the trigger is fully forward. You then adjust pattern & output by pushing down for air, & pulling back for paint, so it's all down to getting the 'feel', & finding what suits you... One thing I would suggest, if you can find one, is getting a small 'side cup' to use instead of the jar.. Much easier to clean....... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris g Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 I don't know this particular airbush but would agree with Bruciethefish that the bit at the back of the dual action airbrush is to adjust the needle's closure in th nozzel against the spring, noting to do with pressure. Because pressure, temperature, paint viscosity, to name but three things, all have an effect, there is no easy way of saying you should set you kit to 'x'. From the web page, the regulator on the compressor should be set between 15 and 30 PSI for the dual action airbrush. Unfortunately, its a bit of trial and error, but its all good practice. Try watering down some ink, (so you don't have to worry about getting the paint thinned right), and spraying onto some cardboard. Start at 15 PSI. Press lightly down on the airbrush trigger and gradually pull it back to see the effect of changing the air and 'paint' flow though the airbrush. Try spraying dots, lines joining the dots, and curves of different thincknesses and shades. Gradually increase the pressure in steps up to 30 PSI repeating the dots, lines etc, to get a feel of how the presssue affects the flow of air and paint through the airbrush. This will let you find the 'best' pressure where you can easily control the flow of paint and air to give the spay pattern you want. When you are comfortable with the airbrush and the best pressure for the ink / water mix, thin some paint to a 'milky' consistency and try again at different pressures from 15 to 30 PSI, repeat the dot / line drawing using the trigger to change the air/paint flow through the airbrush to get consistent results. You will then start to get a feel for what's right in terms of pressure and paint flow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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