What airbrush and compressor?

[Rob G]

Hi everyone,

I'm just getting back into scale modelling after a long time and i'm looking into getting an airbrush and compressor but i'm really confused as to what to go for!

I've seen the following on eBay are they suitable/ any good? Would there be a better option/combo?

Neo for Iwata Modelling Airbrush Kit [Z-MODEL-NEO] | eBay

Scale Models Airbrush Kit,2 Airbrushe,compressor,Lifecolor paints.Iwata cleaner | eBay

Iwata Modeller Airbrush Kit with Silver Jet Compressor [Z-MODEL-SILVER] | eBay

I want to use it in the house when my son has gone to bed so ideally it needs to be fairly quiet.

Any help and advice would be great.

Many Thanks

 

[Boldman]

If you get a compressor with a tank - like the second link which I believe looks like the one I have, the motor is relatively quiet and only comes on when you need to re-pressurise the tank. The others might need to be on all the time while you are using them and it says their noise level is 55-57 decibels - that is the same amount of noise as you'd get in a normal office or form a conversation with normal pitched voices.

 

[john]

The silver jet is quieter then the ninja so if noise is an issue that would be a better choice.

 

[tecdes]

Not mine Andrew.

If we were talking you would not even notice it starting up. I have the radio on most of the time & I can listen normally with the motor on. If the decibel count is 50, does not say what distance, so it means very little. But significant is if you have a tank fitted on the compressor the noise level is actually the same. Plus it will start half way through brushing until the tank is full. Starting & stopping can be just as annoying as the brain is clever enough to shut out noise it does not want to here ie a continous compressor.

If noise is a nuisance the best is to fit a 2m lead & put it under the work top on the floor & on a foam base which will reduce the pounding.

Not to forget that airbrushing takes on a huge significance. Rightly so as the finish to a model is equal paramount to building the model. But you will spend more time cleaning the brush than using it. Spray a whole 1/48 Lancaster with primer & it will take you what 3 to 4 minutes. That is probably the longest spray job on this model. It takes me 4min plus to clean the brush.

 

[dubster72]

Any of those would be fine Rob, it's really a matter of your available budget. To my mind, there's not much difference between compressors at this level.

I personally use the cheap Chinese AS-18 set-up that cost £80 with 2 brushes about 3 years ago. I've never had a problem with my kit.

Noise levels of around 50 dB is pretty unobtrusive in actual use. I can have mine running in the flat late in the evening & no-one notices.

Cheers

Patrick

 

[stona]

I've got one of the AS something or the other (the one with twin cylinders and 3 litre tank) and find quiet enough. Once the tank is charged up the compressor rarely cuts in when spraying as it takes a while to use enough air to lower the pressure to the point where it needs to re-charge. It cost about 100 quid,delivered.

I have it on the floor,under my spray station and can barely hear it over my extractor which itself is not that noisy. I can hold a conversation with both running without recourse to raised voices.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Rob G]

What about the likes of

Mini Airbrush Compressor Kit - AS18-2 Kit 1 | eBay

Would it be worth then going and buying a good airbrush such as

IWATA Airbrush Revolution CR-0.5mm+10yr warranty | eBay

or

Neo for Iwata CN gravity feed airbrush - 5 Year Warranty | eBay

Thanks

 

[phalinmegob]

sorry for jumping on this thread but maybe you guys can help me,i have recently got the as-186 with the tank (very quiet by the way, £70 on e-bay brand new)) and if i want to spray at say 15 psi i loosen the red ring and twist the black knob,am i right that the compressor will not turn itself off because the tank never fills up to full presure but only till it reaches 15psi in the tank and then the air leaks out from the valve so it will run constantly or am i doing something wrong.

 

[dubster72]

The 1st link is the same as mine & works well for me. I use the double-action AB supplied & have never bothered with a fancier one as I only spray acrylics.

Andy, I think the red ring shouldn't be touched as it's part of the housing for the adjustment knob. ( knob haha! always gets me! ). To adjust the pressure, you pull the black knob (!) up & twist, then release.

Cheers

Patrick

 

[Cooperman69]

I've got one of the AS something or the other (the one with twin cylinders and 3 litre tank) and find quiet enough. Once the tank is charged up the compressor rarely cuts in when spraying as it takes a while to use enough air to lower the pressure to the point where it needs to re-charge. It cost about 100 quid,delivered. I have it on the floor,under my spray station and can barely hear it over my extractor which itself is not that noisy. I can hold a conversation with both running without recourse to raised voices.

Cheers

Steve

Hi Steve,

I was only looking last night at getting one of these dual compressor 3L cylinder types.

You seem happy with it is that right?

Is it any louder than the single compressor type do you know?

Cheers,

Colin.

 

[tecdes]

Interesting reading about your twin cylinders Steve. Does this help in some way to give a better paint finish performance ?

Also interested to hear from any one who has tried a tankless & a tank compressor. What difference does it make if any to again the paint performance.

Up to now all information I have received or read says that the tank does not make any difference to paint performance. That is until last week a so called expert, there are so many of us !, told me that I would get a better paint finish using a compressor coupled to a tank. He also stated a good size tank as a small tank would give an up & down performance.

Laurie

 

[andygh]

sorry for jumping on this thread but maybe you guys can help me,i have recently got the as-186 with the tank (very quiet by the way, £70 on e-bay brand new)) and if i want to spray at say 15 psi i loosen the red ring and twist the black knob,am i right that the compressor will not turn itself off because the tank never fills up to full presure but only till it reaches 15psi in the tank and then the air leaks out from the valve so it will run constantly or am i doing something wrong.

The tank fills up to max pressure of the cut-off valve. The regulator you are adjusting just affects the output pressure, at least that's how it should work

 

[stona]

Laurie the twin piston compressor doesn't make any difference to the airflow from the tank. It's just easier to top the tank up and I figure the compressor isn't having to work so hard.

I have used a tankless compressor and would not go back to one. The air definitely pulsed,if I removed the airbrush from the hose I could easily feel this,and I do think this effects the consistency of the spray. My current set up has a three litre tank and is set so that the pressure in the tank never drops below 35 psi (or thereabouts). I spray at 15-20 psi for most paints and varnishes and this provides a constant and smooth flow of air to the airbrush. I agree with your "expert" that this gives a better finish.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Cooperman69]

I know what your saying about the pulsing on a tankless compressor Steve.

I've been using one for about 6 months without any problems, but yesterday I changed from the coiled vinyl hose it came with to a nice flexi braided hose and the pulsing was certainly noticable without the airbrush attached. To be honest I'm not good or experienced enough yet to notice any changes it would make to my paint finish, but I will for the time being be using the coiled hose. I guess the coils dampen any pulsing from the compressor.

 

[phalinmegob]

The 1st link is the same as mine & works well for me. I use the double-action AB supplied & have never bothered with a fancier one as I only spray acrylics.Andy, I think the red ring shouldn't be touched as it's part of the housing for the adjustment knob. ( knob haha! always gets me! ). To adjust the pressure, you pull the black knob (!) up & twist, then release.

Cheers

Patrick

patrick you are a star....pull the black knob UP and twist, why the hell does it not say that in the farting bloody manual that came with it, i was just twisting the whole black knob after undoing the red ring and the pressure on the dial dropped so i presumed that was right but the compressor was just running constantly,twisted it back to its original place and followed your advice and it does work like it should.......couldnt understand why it was so bloody hard to turn. thanks

 

[stona]

sorry for jumping on this thread but maybe you guys can help me,i have recently got the as-186 with the tank (very quiet by the way, £70 on e-bay brand new)) and if i want to spray at say 15 psi i loosen the red ring and twist the black knob,am i right that the compressor will not turn itself off because the tank never fills up to full presure but only till it reaches 15psi in the tank and then the air leaks out from the valve so it will run constantly or am i doing something wrong.

Your system is similar to mine,though I'm not sure if yours has the two position switch.

In the mode I use,which is the default mode on the single position type,the compressor should run until the tank is charged to a pre-set pressure at which the compressor will turn itself off.

There shouldn't be any air leaking from anywhere. I can charge mine and leave it overnight and then start spraying in the morning,only when I have used some air will the compressor kick in again.

The compressor should only start again when the pressure in the tank has dropped to another pre set level,as you use the air.

The others are right about your regulator. That valve only controls the output to your airbrush. The pressure in your tank will be 50-70psi (depending on those presets) which is far too much for your airbrush which will typically need 15-20psi,everyone develops their own favourite settings.

To adjust the output pressure simply pull up on the BLACK knob and turn it to screw the valve in or out. I adjust the pressure with an airbrush passing air,one finger on the airbrush trigger and one hand on the knob!

Cheers

Steve

Edit. I see you are already sorted,happy spraying

 

[stona]

Hi Steve, I was only looking last night at getting one of these dual compressor 3L cylinder types.

You seem happy with it is that right?

Is it any louder than the single compressor type do you know?

Cheers,

Colin.

Hi Colin, I've had my current compressor for a couple of years (I think) and am perfectly happy with it.

I've had a couple of single piston compressors in the past but they were from different manufacturers so I can't really make a comparison. I don't feel that my current system is significantly louder than the others.

The quietest one I ever had,years ago,was the little one that pulsed like mad and eventually burnt itself out! I wouldn't recommend it,except to an arsonist, even if I could remember who made it

Cheers

Steve

 

[tecdes]

O my God I can see this article is going to be expensive.

Any body want a single piston compressor, avec tank, first class condition, no scratches, produces immaculate paint finishes but is now obsolete but worth, as it is now vintage, a small fortune.

Laurie

 

[Adrian "Marvel" Reynolds]

I had one of the AS tanks with two airbrushes for Christmas the top feed airbrush is excellent, I can hardley tell when its on and had no issues spraying whether it be base coats or finer detailing, although I have to say once I get a little cash behind me I will be upgrading my airbrush to something in the Iwata range purely as I need to get a greater detail as I am progressing and learning as I go.