I need some advice from experienced airbrushers

[jakenold]

Hi all,

I've read some of the topics regarding this subject, as I have looked around the local community, but I'm still kinda confused.

I live in a two bedroom apartment in Copenhagen, Denmark. Living here is very expensive, and as I am studying I haven't got the time for a job, other than the 8 hr/week thing I have, so I can't afford to rent a small workshop or something like that to make my effects. Therefore, I've furnished my walk in closet (170x60x220cm) to be used as my workshop, and it actually works quite great - I can snap some photo's, if people are interested. Anyhow, my landlord was so kind as to let me use my portion of the backstairs for a table, where I paint my boxes. I use spray paint, and have put together a card board box with fans, directing most of the nasty fumes through a hose outside the window. I live on the 5th floor, so nobody's annoyed by the odor and I get to keep a couple of braincells (I do use a respirator).

Now to my question:

I'd like to replace my spraycans with an airbrush setup, as I feel it's easier to work with in the way that you can sit in close quarters and work, instead of having to stand and "spray away" like I am doing now. Therefore, what equipment do you guys recommend?

For starters, I'm not looking for anything other than getting my boxes in a nice, solid color, so I guess that might save me some money on the brush itself. I want something that's good quality, which will give me a good result. Is Badger 250 the one to go for? And how about compressors - which models do people recommend? I want one as silent as possible, even though I know that might be me being naive again.

Thank you so much in advance!

Jake

[dxm1]

Compressors are LOUD. Unless you want to spend a a lot of cash, most hobby compressors will seriously annoy your neighbors. In your situation, you may want to consider just getting an air tank with the appropriate fittings for your brush. You can fill it at an automobile service station, or somewhere that compressed air is available. a 7.5 Gal. (~30 L) tank should cost about 1/2 the price of a compressor.

A single action brush would be fine for simple, solid color applications. Once you have experience with it, you can do some amazing things. A good quality single action brush is limited only by it's smallest line size and the talent of the user.

[jakenold]

The appartments in the building I live in are all part-owned by the people who live in them. I don't know the english word.

This means, that I can get by with being a little noisy. I study, so I have some spare time midday when everyone's at work, and that's where I do most of my noisy things. I have a drillpress and my neighbours aren't bothered by that.

What about paint - I see that airbrush colors are sold in small quantities. Are larger available?

[axg20202]

The generic, cheap, DIY compressors available from home improvement stores are usually very noisy (90+ dB) and will drive you and your neighbours nuts. In an apartment you not only have to consider the noise of the compressor motor, but also the vibrational energy that a standard DIY-type compressor will produce. If you are on a very tight bugget, you can get cheap, small, airbrush-specific compressors. Because you only plan to do straight coats, you wont need a pro setup, so you could probably get by with one of those mini, oil-free, piston compressors that has no tank - at least to start off with. Should be OK for what you plan to do and will certainly be better than wasting money on the aerosol CO2 cans, which are expensive and pretty useless anyway. As already said, a single action airbrush will be fine for this kind of work. Something you should do before buying any kit is research the paints you intend to use, as this could affect the appropriate needle size of the airbrush. You will also need to make sure the paint is compatible with a metal substrate and you will need to use a primer of some sort. I use Autoair paint because it is designed for automotive use i.e. on metal (among other materials), but getting the paint consistency and finish right will take practice and a lot of mistakes, so be prepared for having to remove all the paint and start again while you're learning. Lastly, a tricky part in the process is clear coating. All I can say is, don't be in a rush to go out and buy all the kit and a tonne of paints - take the time to do the research so that you are sure your kit and paint suit your intended application. Maybe get some advice from some of the airbrush forums. ww.Airbrush.com has a good, active forum and also has tips and tricks, how to articles etc. Read first, buy second.

Andy.