| Part Two Of The Airbrush Guide
Well we have discovered what an airbrush is and the types you can buy, now what can it do ????
First of all the question you should ask is what medium i need to spray?
The second question is what do i want to spray? Il assume this is models lol!
What are we spraying Acrylics,Enamels,ink Or cellulose! now that is a different kettle of fish!
What we need to look at first of all is paint thinning. For enamels acrylics the paint needs to be the consistency of milk this will allow you to spray a broad range of patterns from fine line to infill. Of course you can use a thicker mix with higher airpressure and a more open nozzle or a thinner mixture with less pressure and a more closed nozzle (gets simpler eh?) The thing is as you get more experienced you alter your mixes to accomodate the finish and the piece you are painting! For instance if you use too thick a mix with too much pressure the finish wil dry too quick or even dry before it hits the surface resulting in a coarse sandy texture on the surface this is bad!!! But if your painting a afv and you want a cast texture then this is good!!!! Too thin you will get paint runs or too much pressure, too close you will get spider legs.ut then again too thin is ok if you want a wash or tint. the secret is in the air pressure and paint flow. In other words practice experiment and be prepared to start again. Do not go out and buy a brush thinking it will give you a great finish !! it wont only you can do that with practice and perciverance. In the same thought if you buy a top of the range Iwata Micron be prepared for frustration It is an expensive bit of kit capable of producing lines a hairsbreadth thick, but totally impractical for painting a large scale model. Its like buying a 000 sable and trying to paint your model with that.(great for fine detail but sod all use for anything else). Once you are happy with a mix you are ready to start spraying. Before you approach your model try it out on a bit of paper first of all so you know you have the correct pressure and paint flow. Believe it or not i have a bit of wall next to my bench where much to the wifes displeasure i tune my brush. It is covered with squiggles and signatures where i get the pressure and flow right before i approach the model.(this is not a general recomendation though as it does cause extreme discomfort on occasions) Another important bit of advice is if you are about to spray your model, your brush is 2" from the surface , you press the trigger and pull slowly back to the point you set, and shock horror no paint flow!!!! DO NOT repeat DO NOT keep pulling the trigger back as if your lucky nothing will happen, if your not a huge wash of paint will erupt and ruin your day. If the paint doesnt flow its for three reasons
1 the paint is too thick
2 the air pressure is too low
3 your nozzle is blocked because of paint lumps or foreign bodies in the mix.
The only answer is to empty and clean out before restarting. Though you can minimise this by filtering your paint through the mesh on a pair of old tights. but make sure the mrs is not around before you liberate them.
Getting on to cellulose. this needs to be a really wet mix ie thinned really well as it is so volatile it has a tendancy to dry before it reaches the surface giving an orange peel effect to the finish, this can be countered by spraying thinners directly onto the surface to help even it out but it is not really recomended. Much better to use very thin coats and build up the colour gradually, this should be done using a really low pressure whilst keeping the brush moving all the time, and remembering to lift the finger from the air trigger before moving the brush away from the model.
Trying to tell people all this is probably very hit and miss! you see the important thing is to get used to your brush learn its limitations, its strengths, Is it happy spraying spraying ultra thin lines or lines perhaps a couple of mill wide will it be capable of large amounts of infill? Is the paint cup big enough not to have to refill it every 20 secs. Does it feel comfortable to hold. Does it make you want to paint??? All these points are something you may like to ponder, but in the end an experienced person with a cheap brush can produce work infinately beter than an inexperienced one with an expensive one. | 
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