Until now I have been using brushes and Acrylic paint to color in my vcarving box tops. I went to a artistic turning class at Craft Supply USA in Provo, UT back in May and we used Airbrush for stenciling and coloring in large areas of wood turning projects. I enjoyed the class but they had some expensive units.
I was thinking about buying an airbursh kit from Amazon to try out. They run from $69.00 to $150.00 for compressor and usually multiple air brushes. My thoughts were that the airbrush would spray less paint compared to brushes and I would not have such a problem with the wood soaking up paint and muddying up my detail on the vcarving.
How many of you use airbrush and what airbrush system would you recommend. I am not a pro shop but am building inventory to possibly sell at craft shows or festivals that are local. Even though it is only July I have learned that you must start early for Christmas if you want to give or sell projects. If you wait till Thanksgiving to start projects you will likely not have some finished by Christmas.
Let me know your thoughts about Airbrushing in general and what equipment would you recommend for a hobby level shop.
I have 4 airbrushes, one Iwata that’s pretty nice and 3 other no-name generics and an Iwata compressor. Between the two the Iwata is a little nicer, but cost about 4X as much. If you’re just trying to get your feet wet and understand that you may upgrade in the future then the lower end may be better. I’d only suggest getting a compressor rather than doing the CO2 route. Get a moisture trap too.
I bought this a few tears ago - cheap and cheerful - but works perfectly well
The compressor is quiet and works well - the brush is cheap - but also works well since I have no need to do spectacular airbrush artwork!
Bear in mind you have to thin the acrylic paint a lot to spray - and it is better with some alcohol too - for faster drying.and smoother finishes So you would expect it to penetrate more if the wood is poorly sealed.
Bought a few from here over the years, You can pick and choose packages, Better/quiter compressor or better airbrush, gravity vs siphen. Even have abrasive kits
Go for a better compressor… not the best nor the cheapest… start in between.
If going to use multiple colors, invest in more air brushes. Less down time… Just swap brush for diff. color…
Intermidiate hobby section, many come with multiple brushes.
I’ll second vote TCP Global. I couldn’t remember when I first answered, but that’s where my 3 generics came from. I also bought several airbrush specific paints, but cheap hobby acrylic thinned down with water works pretty good too, I’ve never tried alcohol but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work also. Make sure you clean them well after every use!
I ordered a TCP Global kit from Amazon. I ordered the compressor that has a tank. Some reviews I saw complained about the air pulsing without the tank. I have plenty of room and the tank seemed to make sense to smooth out the air supply and make the delivery smooth. I went to Houston Thursday and Friday and picked up some airbrush specific paint at Hobby Lobby. I just got black, red and white so I can test out the gun. We have a tropical storm heading near me so maybe I will get to the airbrushing tomorrow but it depends on electricity and the weather conditions. I seem to be on the west side of the storm. I live on the border of Texas and Louisiana in Texas. The storm called Barry is going right up the center of Louisiana. Still I am excited to use the airbrush.
The airbrush is a Master Airbrush SB88. It is a dual action gravity feed type. It came with 3 needle sets. I have an Earlex HVLP spray system for finishing and am familiar with the techniques needed to apply finish with even strokes and setting up the air cap. I hope the airbrush will be similar just on a smaller scale. I had bought a small cabinet at Habitat for Humanity resale store in Nacgodoches about a week ago and made a mobile base for it today. I put the compressor on top and have storage in the drawers for the paint and other accessories. I also ordered a cleaning pot, cleaner and brushes but of course that has not come yet. I started to buy a spray booth that has a filter and fan but put that off to see if it is needed. I have a large covered patio that I can roll equipment outside to work and will most likely use the airbrush outside first to see how much over spray I get. If I think the small booth is necessary I will order one. I use the large Spray Shelter to spray finish in and can set that up if required. They also sell a table top model that helps to contain over spray. The Spray Shelter is similar to a camping tent with fiberglass poles and a roll up flap in the front. The Spray Shelter helps keep finishes contained and dust out.