Airbrushing

Airbrushing produces a very good finish when done well. It is
a skill that needs to be learned. Don’t expect to get a good finish first
time. My first experience with an air brush was a £14 Revell starter air
brush which consisted of a very cheap crude air brush with a length of
tubing and a small can of butane gas which is used in stead of the air
compressor.

My experience:
So I have built my model and I am eager to
use the airbrush. I have read the instructions and connected it all up. I put
the colour of paint that I wanted in to the jar and what a surprise it didn’t
work. With some adjustment it suddenly burst into life. Half way through the
painting it starts to splutter larger drops on to the model ruining the look. If
only I stopped before that. What I didn’t know was that the paint was too thick.
All the thin paint had came out leaving all the thick stuff. At this point I
stopped. I poured the paint back in the tin losing loads and then started to
clean the air brush. This was a nightmare paint got everywhere. I now own a
green airbrush. So I putt it away for ages, before having the bright idea of
bringing it out again only to find that it can’t be adjusted because the paint
has stuck it solid. I had to brake it to be able to put it into a vice to then
work it lose and glue it back together. It now works again. Then I tried the
Revell paint especially for airbrushes and it works great.
So my advice is as follows:
1.
Use air brush paint or thin the paint with thinners, to make a more watery
consistency.
2.
Buying a cheep airbrush is a good idea to see if you like it, but you will
have less problems with a more expensive models. I have read in forums of
experienced modellers trying air brushing and then putting it away never to
use it again.
3.
Only use in a well ventilated area. This is a must when using the butane
power cans.
4.
Build up the layers slowly for the best effect. The finish should be
flawless.
5.
Masking is essential as the airbrush is difficult to use precisely. Also
best to build a spray box to avoid painting the whole area behind your
model. See below
6.
Use a large box and cut off the top and one side.
7.
Cleaning the airbrush is very important. Clean it immediately after use. 5
minutes is too long as I found out. After cleaning it is best to keep all
the parts separate so if there is any paint left it will not glue them
together like it did on mine.
8.
I can’t say this enough read the instructions they should be a great help.
Main Airbrush Uses
1. Airbrushes are ideally used for
large areas. For example spraying your baseboard or a large model.
2. Airbrushing produces a brush
stroke free flawless finish. So if this kind of finish is required it is the
only way to go. Brush strokes on a model can look awful if you have used too
much paint and in scale terms could be 10cm high.
3. Because of the small amount of paint
(vaporised) that comes out of an airbrush it is good at creating weathered
effects. I would not try this on your expensive models until you have had
some practice. Best to practice on buildings that you have built yourself. |