There are four possiblities here:
1. Hobby Compressors. Prices start at about $100 and up. Pros: cheap; no maintenance required. Cons: unregulated air, pulsing air supply, noise,need for moisture trap. Higher-end hobby compressors
come with air reserve tank and built-in regulators, but you'll still have the noise and the need for a moisture trap.
2. Regular, Sears-type Compressors. Starts at about $180+. Pros: most come with air reservoir tanks and pressure regulator. You can also find other household applications for it; no maintenance
required. Cons: Will still need a moisture trap. NOISE. Size if you don't live in a big place.
3. CO2 tank. Available at industrial gas/fire safety businesses. A 15-lb tank with a regulator (0-60 psi) runs about $150+, depending on where you live. Pros: totally quiet, no need for moisture
trap, always consistent air supply. Cheap refills (about $1 per lb. of the cylinder). Cons: need some maintenance (that is, refill when the CO2 runs out)
4. 5-Gallon Air Tank. The kind you can get at K-Mart or Sears. You'll also need to get 1/4" adaptor for the airbrush, pressure regulator and a moisture trap. The whole setup should run about $60-80.
Pros: Least expensive of the lot. Quiet. Cons: a full tank lasts only enough for one average-sized model; need for constant refill at a gas station or a car/home air compressor.
I personally have a CO2 system, and like it a lot. Very handy until the CO2 runs out, but even then it's just a 10-minute trip to the local air supply store and I have a couple of cans of propellant
air for such cases to hold me over.
Hyun.YU
What about using cans of air? Actually, I ordered two cans of air for now. I'll probably get a compressor in a month or so.
Well don't be too dissapointed... the cans will only last a minute or two not a month or two... they freeze up (same basic stuff as "dust off") within seconds and the pressure drops from about 40 psi
to nothing well before you'll get anything painted. But don't worry, airbrushing doesn't suck... just the air cans :-) The canned air is correctly called a "travelers kit".. useful for VERY small,
short jobs and handily portable, but not useful for "normal" painting at all.
Andy
How do you guys get the paint INTO the little airbrush cups or bottles? Most of the paint containers I have aren't really conducive to pouring the paint in. I thought about an eyedropper, but then
wouldn't the inside get coated with paint?
With an eyedropper.and it does, but I use glass ones and toss them in a jar of appropriate thinners, swirl them around and clean them out with pipe cleaners doubled over. Brings them up as good as
new.
Take a plastic drinking straw - they're available in the supermarket in packs of about a hundred or so. Dip it in the paint and hold your finger over the other end, then transfer it to your color
cup. Using this method, you can pull out as much paint as you need and never make a mess, except for the odd drip off the end of the straw. When you're done, just snip off the used end of the straw
into the trash. It gets shorter, but one straw can last through several color changes or uses. The fact that they are so cheap and never need cleaning makes them a great method of choice.
Is it safe to return the paint to the bottles after airbrushing? Or should it be disposed of, since it's had the thinner added?
Discard it or keep it in a small paint jar, don't mix it back in with the unthinned paint.
I understand that for models I should apply a gloss coat before applying the decals. If the final model is to be flat, do I then apply a flat coat over that? Or more gloss, then flat?
Some people do both gloss and matt, but I'd imagine most just apply the final matt coat after the decals
Sure, the paint gets on the threads of the bottle, so eventually I have to open old bottles with pliers, then with pliers while bottle is held in vise, then- the bottle breaks!
An easier way around this is to turn the bottle upside down and add a few drops of thinner. Let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes and the lid should come of as easy as pie.
Another method is to place the bottle in some hot tap water (not boiling) let it sit a few minutes and then remove it (use a towel or rag) and the top should come off easy. This usually loosened them
up. Might burn your fingers a little, but I couldn't wait 5-10 minutes for the thinner to loosen things up - too impatient.