Using an airbrush with a mask wont touch your edges…the paint is deflected…
And you can use a mylar or paper mask to just spray a small area.
Let me know if you need advise on this…I do alot of airbrush color fill.
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Yup. That’s why I didn’t have it as an option.
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+1 on this.
I am not a professional but am not afraid to whip out the Compressor and Airbrush when the chance presents.
I honestly do not think you can go wrong with the Eclipse.
However, i dont know if anyone else has mentioned it but the Compressor you need to ‘brush with should have a tank to allow for an even flow of air
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If you want crisp sharp edges on color, you need a mask with an airbrush. You can dial the spray pattern down fairly tight but it’s always going to have a softer/translucent edge if used without any masking.
I’ve used toothpicks and fine metal pins for attaching sewing patterns to fabric, for paint dispensing into tight engraves. The engraved acrylic literally pulls/wicks the paint right off the toothpick/pin and the paint flows out. Load them up with a paint droplet and go to town, it’s very fast to fill engraves.
Paasche has good starter airbrushes as well. I used VL series for a long time, I liked the larger/fatter bodies compared to the Iwatas, for my chunky hands. LOL
My experiences with the compressors though, is Iwata might make the quieter, less irritating ones that you can stand to be around while working. I used a Paasche compressor before I got shop air and that little thing was noisy and hopped all over the table.
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Where as that is true for detail, low psi work, to spray acrylic, you’ll need a higher psi…around 25 so you wont notice the pulse from the smaller 1 piston tankless compressor. Best to get one with minumim 50 psi though with a regulator AND moisture trap…nail or cake decorating compressors (most under 1/6 horsepower) are not strong enough to push acrylic. Also, higher the horse power, bigger the tank (which equals more expensive) the longer it will last for you… you can get a cheap one at Harbor Freight to hold you over but understand it will be a throwaway. Grab one of their airbrushs as well it’s disposable only at like 19 bucks but it’ll get your feet wet and hopefully we’ll hook you and then you can call me and I’ll be your dealer and help you get the good stuff…lmao. (dont get the quick change set at harbor…pure junk)
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Ah yeah, forgot about mentioning the Moisture Trap… that is another essential!
And you are also right, half of what i do is detail and the tank makes a huge difference
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That was my gateway airbrush…lol
When you work for hours…it causes fatigue due to the weight…when I discovered iwatas a few years later, I was in heaven!!
This is what long hoses are made for…put the shop compressor in the garage and run the hose line to your shop…lol
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Another thing…which ever brush you go with, learn how to take it apart and clean it…thats the first “learning curve” you should over come.
Here is a “cringe worthy” vid I made over 15 years ago for an iwata eclipse.
It’s refering to face painting but has instructions on disassembling, cleaning and reassembling.
No laughing on my voice overs!! Lol
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Head…spinning. 
Lots of great info here, @smcgathyfay & @bdm - thanks! For this immediate project we may have figured out an alternative design using 2 different sheets of acrylic. But as my jobs-to-quote list grows it’s clear to me that I do have an airbrush in my future. So I will definitely be picking some brains sooner than later!
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Another nice thing about airbrushes, if you go to maker faires or other shows and want to do work on-site, you can use bottles of CO2 gas (the larger ones from a gas supplier, not the small aerosol cans at the hobby store) if you don’t have access to electrical power.
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You can also go to a home brewing store for CO2 bottles that will do the job nicely.
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And after you’ve picked the brains, you can use what you picked for tanning leather!
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And with CO2 bottles, you dont need a moisture trap.
Although if you spray outside in the cold constantly, for long periods of time, your hose will frost up and you get spurts of liquid CO2 coming out with the gas… Not fun for body painting…
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Hehehe, the models know that stuff is COLD… especially in scary places!
Do you thin your acrylic paint?
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I generally use createx which is already thinned for airbrush. But I have used cheap craft store acrylics and thin those down a bit…not on bodies though:wink:
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These airbrush tips are great. I have what appears to be a decent setup which I have never used because I don’t know how to start, and haven’t yet had a project that made me figure it out. Now I am thinking about trying it.
Here is what I have:
- 60 PSI Sparmax compressor with moisture trap
- SIMair XL2000 airbrush (99.7% sure this is a rebranded H&S Evolution Silverline M)
(I have used the compressor with a Paasche “air eraser” for glass etching but to attach the airbrush I have to get out a wrench and change hoses and adapters… These guys all use different threads and it drives me nuts. The various adapters I have tried to buy on Amazon have all been complete junk too. )
The airbrush I have was originally rigged for spray tanning and had some huge nozzle on it, which was old and broken anyway. I replaced it with a 0.4 mm nozzle/needle set but have yet to fire it up.
OK enough rambling… A detailed question for @smcgathyfay –
I have a little bottle of Golden brand “high flow acrylic” airbrush paint to test with. Should I dilute it from bottle strength, and should I start around 25 PSI?
If memory serves me, that is an already thin product. Ink like. You can probably spray that at a lower psi like 10-15.
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Looks like that brush will fit an iwata hose. If you have a Hobby Lobby close by…bring the brush and try it with one of their hoses…then use the 40% off coupon…
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Thanks!
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