Can you recommend a good Airbrush/Compressor for case modding?

[PiNPOiNT]

I am new to case modding and would like to purchase a Airbrush and Compressor, Can you guys recommend a good name brand or particular type i should look out for? I am willing to spend a bit of money, but don't want to go top of the line either.

Thanks!

[tybrenis]

Hi! Welcome to the forums!!!

I am actually writing an article on Airbrushing for my website (www.powerpackedpc.com. I'll tell you what I started with and continue to use.

First off, you will DEFINATELY want a dual action airbrush. I highly recomend the Paasche VLS Airbrush, it is very easy to learn, clean, and achieve detail with. It is compatible with any type of paint, providing that it is thinned properly.

For an air compressor, getting one with a tank is IMPERATIVE. I went through two airbrush compressors made by Paasche especially for their airbrushes before I wisened up and just got a standard one with a 2 gallon air tank. Honestly, I would recomend one with more than 2 gallons, but it will do. Different airbrushing jobs require different pressures (PSI), so you will want to buy a compressor with a regulator (or buy one seperately). I found my compressor at Pepboys for about 70 dollars, with like a 15 dollar rebate you could have sent in. It is a Coleman brand, and comes with a 25 ft hose, a regulator/pressure gauge, a built in tank, everything you need.

Good luck! We're all here to help, so feel free to ask questions!

[PiNPOiNT]

Thanks for the excellent reply, i will take your advise and get what you recommended, i look forward to my new hobby of case modding. I am sure i will have many more questions in the future, and if everyone else is even half as helpful as you are, im sure i've come to the right place!

Thanks again!

-PiNPOiNT

[PiNPOiNT]

btw, does this look like a good compressor that comes with the airbrush?

http://cgi.ebay.ca/PAASCHE-VLS-AIRBRUSH-SET-w-Quiet-AIR-COMPRESSOR-w-TANK_W0QQitemZ8269396001QQcategoryZ28111QQrdZ1QQcm dZViewItem

i can't find how big that tank is for it.

[PiNPOiNT]

here's one other set, with a different compressor,

is this a good compressor?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8226069392&category=28111

[bigbaddog]

You might want to get one without a tankless compressor like this one. (http://cgi.ebay.com/Paasche-VLS-AIRBRUSH-PAINT-PAINTING-SET-DOUBLE-ACTION_W0QQitemZ8270882132QQcategoryZ28111QQrdZ1QQ cmdZViewItem)


And get a small compressor like a Craftsman or equivalent. (http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00915310000)

[tybrenis]

here's one other set, with a different compressor,

is this a good compressor?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8226069392&category=28111

That is the same exact auction that I bought my original set off of. The compressor hardly delivers any air, and sputters and coughs, thus ruining your work. I recomend you do exactly as bigbaddog said, and buy the airbrush there, and a compressor seperately. A 3 gallon tank would be good like the one he recomended,it just depends on what you are willing to spend. Usually, any compressor capable of delivering 100 PSI or more is great, I usually airbrush at about 70 PSI. However, different tasks require different amounts of air pressure, so you will always want a regulator.

[PiNPOiNT]

Thanks for your help guys,

I found this one for sale at my local home depot, and the only difference i can see is that it is a Oil-Less version. Is this something that is important for air brushing or not?

would this compressor work for me?

HUSKY
3 Gallon Portable Oil less Air Compressor
http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=%20Craftsman%20Air%20Com pressor&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&productId=38353&catalogId=10051&recN=0&R=513&langId=-15&partNumber=179395&storeId=10051

thanks

[bigbaddog]

The Craftsman compressor is a little high, but I had one for over 16 years before it died and bought a new one last year. You can buy a compressor for less at Harbor Freight (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92415), I buy a few tools there, but the quality is somewhat questionable. I bought a 5" grinder about 3 years ago-when it runs it sounds like it's going to fly apart...but after three years it's still going:rolleyes:

[bigbaddog]

Thanks for your help guys,

I found this one for sale at my local home depot, and the only difference i can see is that it is a Oil-Less version. Is this something that is important for air brushing or not?

would this compressor work for me?

HUSKY
3 Gallon Portable Oil less Air Compressor
http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=%20Craftsman%20Air%20Com pressor&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&productId=38353&catalogId=10051&recN=0&R=513&langId=-15&partNumber=179395&storeId=10051

thanks

Oilless only refers to the type of compressor-which means that it has a plastic piston with graphite rings-not an aluminum piston with metal rings that requires oil, sorta like an auto engine. Any compressor like the one you saw at HomeDepot will work fine. You may have to do some plumbing work to adapt your airbrush to the hose from the compressor.

[PiNPOiNT]

Is getting the proper parts going to be difficult to hook up the air brush to the compressor?

Home depot should carry something shouldnt they?

If i brought in the airbrush, i guess they could find something.

[bigbaddog]

Is getting the proper parts going to be difficult to hook up the air brush to the compressor?

Home depot should carry something shouldnt they?

If i brought in the airbrush, i guess they could find something.

I'm not sure...ask tybrenis, he'll probably know.

[PiNPOiNT]

Thanks again for your help guys, I ended up getting the husky 3 gallon tank one that i posted before, and the Paashe VLS airbrush. :)

Everything works great, but i have a few more questions that hopefully you can answer.

1. Is it normal for the compressor to only fill up to around 80 PSI when it goes all the way up to 160 before auto shutting off?

2. How much water/paint mix do you normally use for airbrushing? The paint i got didnt have any measurements on it.

3. What should i look for when the airbrush is only applying paint intermitterly. It started doing that for a while then fixed itself again, Is this a sign of blocked paint, or feeder bottle or something else?

Thanks again for your time, you've all been a great help!

[tybrenis]

Thanks again for your help guys, I ended up getting the husky 3 gallon tank one that i posted before, and the Paashe VLS airbrush. :)

Everything works great, but i have a few more questions that hopefully you can answer.

1. Is it normal for the compressor to only fill up to around 80 PSI when it goes all the way up to 160 before auto shutting off?

2. How much water/paint mix do you normally use for airbrushing? The paint i got didnt have any measurements on it.

3. What should i look for when the airbrush is only applying paint intermitterly. It started doing that for a while then fixed itself again, Is this a sign of blocked paint, or feeder bottle or something else?

Thanks again for your time, you've all been a great help!

Sorry I didn't get to this earlier, but it looks like you make the same choices I would have anyways! The compressor and the airbrush are an excellent choice.

1. When you say it only fills to 80 PSI, do you mean the tank PSI or the line PSI? On your compressor, just like mine, you will notice there are two seperate pressure gauges. The one on the left is reading the PSI of the inside of the tank. 80 PSI, for this, is quite normal. The gauge with the regulator knob on the right side is reading out how much PSI the compressor is sending to your airbrush. Provided that you have a full tank, you should be able to turn this all the way up to 100 PSI.

2. Thinning your paint relies on a number of factors. It depends on what type of paint you are using. Generally, however, using a Paasche airbrush at say 75 PSI, you will normally want to attain a viscosity about that of milk. Here is a very comprehensive guide about thinning paints for airbrushing:

http://www.craigcentral.com/models/thinning.asp

3. Your paint is most likely not thinned properly. It also could have formed a clot in the airbrush, clogged the needle or tip, anything. Just make sure to thing your paint properly and use the correct air pressure. On this page, there is a rough guide detailing which pressures work well for different applications:

http://www.currys.com/knowledge/aboutcompr2.html

Good luck, and have fun! Don't get frustrated, and ALWAYS CLEAN YOUR BRUSH! Also, never soak it and leave it! Always clean it properly, when using solvent based paints, acetone and a respirator are your friends!

[PiNPOiNT]

Ask and ye shall recieve. hehe thanks tybrenis for clearning things up for me, im glad i got the right stuff :)

You mentioned that 75 PSI should be good with a Paashe airbrush, however in the manual for the airbrush it says that i should use between 25 and 35 psi only. How much pressure would be too much?

I understand that you need to lower the pressure if your going to do some really fine detail subtle stuff, but is 75 to high?

Also, when buying paint, do they sell a package of like 30 different colours or anything? or is there any particular special ones that i should by eg: primer, black and white?

Thanks again for your time.

[tybrenis]

Ask and ye shall recieve. hehe thanks tybrenis for clearning things up for me, im glad i got the right stuff :)

You mentioned that 75 PSI should be good with a Paashe airbrush, however in the manual for the airbrush it says that i should use between 25 and 35 psi only. How much pressure would be too much?

I understand that you need to lower the pressure if your going to do some really fine detail subtle stuff, but is 75 to high?

Also, when buying paint, do they sell a package of like 30 different colours or anything? or is there any particular special ones that i should by eg: primer, black and white?

Thanks again for your time.

Hey,

Glad things are working out for you. Most of the time I am airbrushing something, I am using a stencil, or simply airbrushing the entire item by simply going back and forth over it. For this, yes, 75 PSI works great. It often depends on the substance. Since the Paasche VLS is a siphon feed and not a gravity fed airbrush, it requires a bit of higher pressure. When airbrushing something like models, you will definately want to airbrush at a much lower PSI like around 35, but for case modding, I am usually airbrushing plexi or metal or something of the sort, and end up using a much higher PSI becaue the paint atomizes easier and dries quicker.

You can really use and type of paint to airbrush with, provided that it's properly thinned. However, I strongly recomend using airbrush-ready paints when your beginning, it will honestly make your life so much easier. Waterbased paints are great because they are a sinch to clean up and don't make a mess. I highly recomend Createx airbrush paints to begin with, I was just at Michael's craft store yesterday and they are now stocking their paints... in almost 50 different colors. Might want to check them out, I'm sure they can be found other places, a local paint store of mine also carries them.

[PiNPOiNT]

Createx, that's the brand of the bottle i just got,

So when you fill one of the little air brush bottles what percentage of createx paint vs water would you say if you were to fill the whole bottle?

so far i've had the best results with about 50/50

This createx stuff is good for plastic and metal correct? it didnt mention it on the bottle i have. but if that's what you recommend, then that's what ill get.

[tybrenis]

Createx, that's the brand of the bottle i just got,

So when you fill one of the little air brush bottles what percentage of createx paint vs water would you say if you were to fill the whole bottle?

so far i've had the best results with about 50/50

This createx stuff is good for plastic and metal correct? it didnt mention it on the bottle i have. but if that's what you recommend, then that's what ill get.

If it is createx paint for airbrushing, you don't have to thin it, it is pre-thinned to the correct viscosity.

[PiNPOiNT]

oh really? hrm, cause i found it wasn't coming out easily, i had to thin it down to get it working properly, perhaps ill try again with a higher PSI

thanks for the help!

[Aero]

BE SURE TO CLEAN YOUR AIRBRUSH WHEN FINISHED!

Lol, sorry to use all caps, but I had to learn that the hard way. I got stuck for about an hour trying to pull the needle out after it sat and dried inside. So please clean out your airbrush, it'll make your life alot easier.

[tybrenis]

Hmm, I don't know what to say other than make sure to shake the paint well? Lol, and yes...

BE SURE TO ALWAYS CLEAN YOUR AIRBRUSH AS SOON AS YOU ARE DONE!!!!

I also learned the hard way... and lost quite few brain cells to the acetone that I had to soak it in for an hour... not fun. That is precisely why I strongly recomend the airbrush-ready waterbased paints for beginners.

[PiNPOiNT]

I will make it a habit :)

The smartest thing to do is learn from others, so ill take your word on it :)

I picked up some airbrush cleaner solution and have been using it when im finished and also between colour changes of course.

[PiNPOiNT]

So tybrenis, i see createx also makes a line called "auto air". Do you recommend these for case modding by chance? it seems they are made for cars, and since cases are metal would these work better?

Unfortunatly they seem to be about $2 more expensive per bottle also

[tybrenis]

Definately, if you really want the best paint for your case, you will want to use auto-quality paints. Just remember that surface prep is very important, even if you are using auto paints. Tybrenis tip: just because you have paint stripper doesn't mean you should use it: sanding down old paint will work much better than just removing it all together.

[RangerDanger]

visit eastwood.com they have great bundles for cheap.