How much do I need to spend on a compressor?

[john]

I thought the Neo was the cheapest brush?

It is, if your just going to spray acrylics and enamels then the Neo is fine, if in the future then the CR would be a better choice as it has a teflon coated needle, also between the 2 the CR is much easier to take apart and clean

I was going to spend over £100 on a brush, is that too much?

Depends on you, mine retails at £215 (HI-Line HP-BH) doesn't mean it's any better than the Neo or CR, I think a lot of it is down to the user, I've seen some brilliant results with cheap £10 airbrushes.

 

[Ian M]

I use Sparmax airbrushes, a good brush for a good price, not sure about the availability of them in the UK, but I paid around £70 -£80 for mine and am pleased with them. They have safe washers suitable for "Hot" paints. Use mine for Alclad/cellulose lacquers without issues.

Ian M

 

[tecdes]

Well that has really & truly confused you Doggy. Sort that lot.

And they are all right otherwise they would not be happy with their lot.

Laurie

 

[GazB]

I started out with a cheap AB130 airbrush from Everything Airbrush for £20 and it was useless.

I next purchased a £90 Iwata CR from John and it's very, very good.

For backup I purchased the £5 "gold" airbrush which several people mentioned on here and hand on heart it's the best of the lot, sadly they don't appear to be available anymore.

Work that out.....

However, If i was starting again I would always go for a well known brand, and do as you are and gather opinions from those that have used them..truth is that any of the Harder & Steenbeck / Iwata / Sparmax suggested above will probably give you good service, but If you buy a cheap generic then it's pot luck as to whether you get a gem or a dog.

 

[Doggy]

Lol. Thanks guys. Yes Laurie Im really confused.

I gave in earlier and bought a cheap set up from ebay. it might be crap but the way things are right now I couldnt justify the money.

The comp came with a hose, brush, cleaning pot and I bought a spare sparmax dh2 brush for £12.50. Everything cost me less than £90, not sure exactly.

The comp is in a case, has a handle and a brush holder. It might be a copy or a rebadge, who knows. But its a starting point to learn.

 

[Doggy]

It's supposed to look like this and it has auto on/off.

I won't know till I use it.View attachment 52032

View attachment 54592

 

[Doggy]

Well my comp came yesterday along with a brush, cleaning pot, air hose and a drying filter.

i couldnt wait to use it so I dug out a Zero and tried painting white with my starter set paints.

Firstly the white was greenish, so I'll need to buy better paint. Secondly I was unsure of how to mix it or what ratio to use.

I felt the paint was a bit watery and as such I was prone to put too much on. I struggled with my othe airbrush, a Sparmax DH2.

I don't like the pull back action, I found it difficult to apply light paint. it was almost on or off.

I will also need to figure out how to paint thinner lines.

 

[Stevekir]

I (a beginner) have bought:

airbrush-pro.co.uk

Click on "Air Brush Compressors" on the left and go down to model "AS186 with free gift". I haven't used it yet but it seems suitable, having a tank, pressure reg. and water trap, and piston-operat3d instead of a diaphragm, and quiet. The hose is separate.

 

[backonthecase]

Well my comp came yesterday along with a brush, cleaning pot, air hose and a drying filter.i couldnt wait to use it so I dug out a Zero and tried painting white with my starter set paints.

Firstly the white was greenish, so I'll need to buy better paint. Secondly I was unsure of how to mix it or what ratio to use.

I felt the paint was a bit watery and as such I was prone to put too much on. I struggled with my othe airbrush, a Sparmax DH2.

I don't like the pull back action, I found it difficult to apply light paint. it was almost on or off.

I will also need to figure out how to paint thinner lines.

Things like the pull back action and thin lines will come with practice and experience. I use a similar ratio for my humbrol enamels and tamiya/lifecolor/xtracrylix acrylic paints - 1/3 thinner 2/3 paint (or 2:1 paint to thinner ratio). But with practice you'll find the setup that's right for you. Have a go on a beat up model or cereal box til you get the hang of it. The worst thing you can do is put too much on. If you put too little on you can go over it with another coat.

Hope this helps

Stuart

 

[backonthecase]

Oh and by the way, I use a Tiger compressor from MachineMart I paid £85 for a few years ago but are currently about £115