AIR BRUSHES

[NW Modeling List]

Ed, 



First, congratulations on taking the plunge to air brushing.  It is a wonderful skill, easily learned; once you begin, you will wonder why you delayed the plunge so long. 



Also, great idea on avoiding "sale items," especially on brands that may not be very familiar.  Of course, asking this question is like asking whether Ford or Chevy is better :-)  There are two major brands that are widely used, Badger and Pasche.  I have always used Badger, because that is what I started with and have found to be good quality.  Parts are readily available.  I presume the same with Pasche, and hopefully a Pasche user will chime in on this thread. 



When I started air brushing, there really were no acrylic paints to use (yes, Floquil made a Polly something that wasn't solvent based, but most model railroaders that I know didn't use it).  My original air brush purchase was a Badger single action; I bought this more than 30 years ago, I still have it, and it still works fine.  My next purchase was a dual action brush, a Badger 150; again I still have this. 



With the introduction of improved and state of the art acrylic paints, i.e. Polly Scale, Model Flex, Tamaya, Badger developed the Crescendo, which is the 175.  I don't know, and don't really care to know, all of the chemistry and manufacturing details, but apparently the acrylic paint is a bit "thicker" than solvent based paints.  The acrylic paints were a bit difficult to use with the 150 and others, so Badger developed the 175, which is a double action type .  I have had one for a number of years; again, it is a good tool and parts are available.  This has become my defacto tool for air brushing, even when I use solvent based paints.  I am very happy with it and have no reservations about recommending it. 



There are three tip/needle combinations available; heavy, medium, and fine.  I use the medium for post paintiing applications (i.e. applying a coat of primer, finish coat, clear coat, flat coat); I use the fine for weathering purposes; I have used the heavy when spraying a large surface. If you decide on Badger, I would recommend the 175; you can spray acrylic and solvent based paints with it. 



Remember, clean up is just as important as painting.  When  using acrylic paints, I keep an old plastic dishwashing tub half full with water and a little detergent.  Once finished spraying, I disconnect the paint bottle/cup from the brush, hold the brush in and under the soap water, and spray the water through the brush in the tub; I will also reconnect the paint cup and do likewise; after this, I spray air through the brush, removing as much of the soap water as possible; I then spray some windshield washer fluid through the brush; I keep a paint bottle filled with windshield washer fluid and make sure that I spray it through the air brush.  I do this everytime that I need to stop to mix more paint and/or to change colors. 



If using solvent paints, I use the recommended solvent to spray through and clean the components. 



Once I am finsihed painting and cleaning the air brush, I will remove the needle from the brush; I use a bit of lacquer thinner, on a paper towel, to wipe the needle and make sure it is clean. 



Don't be afraid of taking your brush apart; like air brushing, it is a skill that you learn; I am not mechanically inclined and had no problems taking apart, and reassembling, the components of my various air brushes.  You can use a pipe cleaner, dipped in lacquer thinner, to wipe off any paint that has hardened on the tip. 



A long time ago, I purchased an ultra sonic cleaner; it is large enough that I could put a steam loco boiler in it; (I no longer use the ultra sonic for cleaning or stripping paint) you don't need one that big; in fact, my wife purchased a small one at a jewelry store that she uses to clean her jewelry; every so often, I will disassemble the air brush and put most of the components into a large jar, filled with lacquer thinner; I'll then place this jar in the ultra sonic cleaner, which contains water; I turn it on and let it go for awhile; I'll also put some Pine Sol or other type of cleaner in the water, and put my mixing bottles and cups in there for cleaning. 



Again, I'm certain that Pasche is as good as Badger; I just haven't used one so I can't comment on them. 



Good luck and happy air brushing! 



Jim Brewer 

Glenwood MD 






----- Original Message ----- 
From: "NW Modeling List" <nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org> 
To: "NW Modeling" <nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org> 
Sent: Saturday, August 14, 2010 10:25:56 AM 
Subject: AIR BRUSHES 

Hi Guys 
  
Getting ready to take the plunge to air brushing.  Can anyone offer suggestions on makes/models?  I'd rather avoid the "sale items" at Hobby Lobby type places and the only name I've ever been familiar with is Paasche. 
  
Thanks for your advice... 

Ed Svitil 
Norfolk & Western Railway 
  
  




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