Big mistake using AK Interactive Camouflage putty for masking

I’am going fora Harder en Steenbeck Evolution I believe from Airbrush Services Almere. I’m probably going for a multi usage set, with different needles and nozzles. So that I can use the spray gun for multiple different uses. Like painting tracks to spraying camouflage, to spraying vernishes to seal everything in. I’m now just having to wait till I got the money to be able to affort the whole package.

With respect, I think you are wasting your money.

A decent airbrush from Iwata or Badger will fulfill almost every role you need and at worst, you might need to buy a larger/smaller nozzle depending on the medium you are using.

Congratulations out picking your new airbrush.

Definitely worth reading if you haven’t already. Don’s Airbrush Tips - Harder-Steenbeck Evolution

Per Don

When I cleaned the brush, I flushed it well with water. Then I ran my modified dental brush up the channel to the needle seal and it came out really red. I had to swab it several times. I think this would be a good practice.

As usual, I began by shooting plain water. And, I got bubbles in the cup and pulsing in the spray. I thought, oh no, now what. What I found was that I hadn’t tightened the head enough to get a good seal between the nozzle and the body. You have to tighten enough to compress the rubber o-ring on the head. A little tweak and it sprayed fine.

I’ll chime in with my thought for what its worth. Been using an AZTEK 470 for ages with excellent results. Pros- relatively inexpensive, very easy to clean and maintain, lightweight. I spray almost exclusively Tamiya thinned with their lacquer thinner(yellow cap). When not spraying Tamiya I use other acrylics such as MM or Model Air. No problems.

I agree with @Khouli , no offense, but you mention you are kind of new to airbrushing on some of your other threads, and worry about damage during cleaning.

You can get a very good airbrush in a badger or a paasche for a fraction of the cost of the one you chose. The paasche comes with size 1-5 needles and nozzles which is great for all but the absolute most delicate of work.

EDIT:

Sorry @Khouli this is very poorly worded lol, it was advice directed at @modelbouwnederland, not you! My bad lol, that’s what I get for posting before I have coffee

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Great choice with the Harder & Steenbeck. It is a high quality airbrush with a very smooth trigger. Rather than buying all of the needles and tips, you way just want to start with .020. It will cover almost all of your needs. Enjoy!

@Mead93…‘schools of thought’ about fun…perception vs reality…

1970 LT1 Corvette vs 1970 Porsche 911

The Paasche VL is a defacto 1970 LT1 Corvette…“The Corvette was just as fast if not faster through the corners as the Porsche”…but the 70 LT1 is a bit chessy on the styling according to some folks:)

We all have our preferences…and that helps keep it interesting and entertaining:)

FWIW - my old customized Paasche VL is is much smoother & cleaner on/off the trigger than my Harder-Steenbeck Evolution.

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I can’t remember where I read it, but I did read an article an airbrushing expert had written and it said something like:

“Harder & Steenbeck are like the Apple Computers of the Airbrushing world - they work very well but are unecessarily expensive”.

Thanks everyone for replying again to my topic and helping me out with my airbrushing.
I’m really appreciative and grateful for all of your help you are giving me.
One of the reasons why I’m finding the Harder en Steenbeck so attractive, is because of the Nozzle construction.
I have had bad experiences with my current airbrushes with a screwing nozzle, that work with a wrench coming with it. And having to screw it and tighten it using that wrench.
The Harder en Steenbeck would be immediately eliminating all of those problems I had.
They are also having, if I remember correctly from video’s or the website of Airbrush Services Almere nice hand grips everywhere to help me grab all the pieces on the right places.
They are German, so it probably all makes a lot more sense to me, since I’m Dutch and Germany is one of our neighboring countries.

I didn’t know that Harder en Steenbeck is kinda like the Apple computer of the airbrush world. Would it be like the Rolls Royce or Maybach of Mercedes in the car world?

Thanks anyway for all your help and advices.

What? You mean like hand built and therefore prone to failure?

Hey, its your money to spend how you like.

:slight_smile:

How does the Harder and Steenback nozzle tighten down? It still looks like a screw on to me

Rolls Royce or Maybach of Mercedes, :face_vomiting:

Expensive, Complicated and Unreliable, favored by organized crime and lowly drug dealers but having status in the minds of the shallow, snobby and affluent?

No, I would never hold my Harder-Steenbeck airbrush in such low regard.

The Harder-Steenbeck Evolution is more like a BMW 530.

The Paasche VL is of course a 1998 Toyota Twin Turbo Supra :slight_smile: Respnds very well to a few basic mods :slight_smile:

Iwata Custom Micro CB is the Porsche Porsche 911 GT3 RS :slight_smile:

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Thats because it does. The nozzle sits in the body reccess and is secured with the cap, which screws down.

Just like cheaper airbrushes that last just as long and do the exact same job :rofl:

Okay that’s what I had figured. Figured a screw was necessary to hold back the pressure

I love the self centering nozzle like some H&S or like the Badger Patriot 105,so easy ,you dont have to deal with micro nozzle and micro spanner,no risk to snap the tread ,clean,disassemble and change it’s a breeze,no seal that can fail…love it

Surely the machining must be well executed, it is more difficult to produce than a classic nozzle , but I have used a Patriot for years without ever having had a problem with a nozzle, a friend has lent me to try for more than 2 months its H&S Infinity and is a fantastic tool, very easy to clean and customizable like few other ABs with all its cups, nozzle sizes and various accessories … personally to be faced with the choice H&S, Iwata or Badger (of the same range) I would go safely on the H&S … …the only argument that would make me a bit undecided is the Badger customer service which has no equal

My 2 cents

I currently have a Grex Tritium and a GSI Creos Procon Boy SQ 0.4

I see the VL more like a Toyota Landcruiser 70 series,not refined and Hi-Tech,no fancy gimmick but a work horse easy to fix that will never let you down…you have the 70’s series in the States?

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@Vicious

I don’t think 70 Series was officially available here in U.S. probably due to emissions. There used to be a gray market where sometimes vehicles would get imported that weren’t officially allowed.

What’s your impressions of the Grex?

Very happy with the Grex ,sturdy and well made,a real all around,I can fit different nozzles 0.2-0.3-0.5,I brought the fan cap for the 0.3 and it’s awesome for large areas (you need a compressor who can handle the fan),easy to clean ,3 different cups and very comfortable and intuitive to use the pistol grip

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Thank you everyone for replying again on my topic and my airbrush situation.
It is nice to see that a topic that had originally another title and another purpose, can get reused for other topics as well.
In this case my airbrush situation, that is currently playing a big part in my scale modeling.
Since it is currently holding me back from finishing the project of the Sd. Kfz. 9 Famo half track that is standing in my display cabinet for weeks or even months.

I’m reading lots of different opinions on the choice I’m going to make with my spray gun I’m going to purchase. Another important things to note, is that I do not like to tinker much whith my stuff. I’m not liking it to modify a product I purchase or change different things, maybe to make it even ‘better’.
I just want to purchase a good product without changing much if anything to it.
I think you can see it as just buying something and using it heavily as it is and when there is something more technical that is broken or something. And I can’t do very very simple things to get it running, like with the current spray guns I have that are not working. I would normally go back to the shop or store I bought it from. And let them repair them and make it right again. Then I know it is fine.
But with the shop just to far away to go to. And probably costs that are getting to high to keep this stuff running. I decided to take this route, which is buying a good and if ‘necessary’ a good spray gun which I can keep running as it is. With as little changing things as possible.

@Vicious Thank you for sharing your opinions on the H&S. I have also looked at spray guns from GSI Creos. And they looked interesting to me at first. But they weren’t any cheaper than H&S. And they look like they also have a nozzle with a little spanner to screw it on and tighten it down. Since I’m having very bad experiences with them. I’m just not wanting a spray gun that has that feature ever again.

Regarding the opinions on the cars, everyone has it’s own opinion. I’m liking looks and style. And my opinion is that Mercedes is the nicest car in terms of looks. And maybe engines, but I don’t know much about cars. I just see them pass me everyday when I’m on my bycicle cycling to my work.

Anyway, thanks for replying. And I think I keep you posted in this topic how it all was going and what the results were.

A couple opinion points. I don’t think you’ll find any airbrush that doesn’t require some tinkering, maintenance, and troubleshooting to get working. Just because an airbrush needs maintenance doesn’t make it “cheap” in fact it’s probably a sign of quality as it generally means tighter tolerances and better fit of parts that also means paint can clog them a bit easier if care isn’t taken.

Second, I’m fairly sure ALL airbrushes use a screw on nozzle. The nozzle is holding back 20-40 PSI gauge pressure which is 20-40 PSI higher than what your body experiences. I can think of another mechanism besides a screw that is great at holding that much pressure back. You don’t have to use the spanner they provide. You can finger tighten them but the spanner does help some people.

By all means buy what you want, just don’t expect a $250 airbrush to give you fewer troubles than the $90 workhorse the paasche vls is just becuase of the price tag.

Best of luck with the Famo when your new airbrush arrives