WOW…a LOT of swing here on the airbrush topic. I have been an “airhead” since 1971, which coincidentally is my current age. I have a Badger 150, Aztec(chrome), Colani, 3 Iwatas, 4 H&S guns, including the new ‘Aluminum’ body version, Sotar 2020, Iwata pistol Grip, Grex regular & Pistol Grip, and a new Gaahleri Swallowtail, oh ya, and a Iwata Takumi. You might ask, WTH does this guy need/do with all those guns…? Well, for one thing, I have been teaching the art to fellow modellers for the last 20 years or so, and I can tell you from 1st hand experience, that any issues folks have with their choice of gun, is almost NEVER with the gun itself… it’s how they mix their paint and maintain the airbrush. Using dissimilar products from all over the farm to thin paint. Using the wrong cleaners. NOT cleaning their guns properly or thouroughly. Improper spray techniques. And finally, expecting perfect results after only a short time of use. I spent 6 months at a technical graphic arts school doing nothing but airbrush practice, practice, and more practice. Sheets and sheets of grid paper putting “dots” where the lines crossed, to get control over the brush. Lines, shades, patterns, tear drops, the lot, in the days when there was no masking sheets. We made our own hand made “frisket paper” from rubber cement and onion skin…! Everyone has a fave gun, and we all have experiences with how they perform for us. I used to race production based street bikes(600 cc class), and was decent at it but never a top flight rider. I’m using this as a comparison to show that a top rung rider on a so-so machine, will beat a mid-packer on a more powerful bike. A real GOOD airhead can make almost any 50 buck gun work for him over the 300 dollar gun in the hands of a rookie. Ya, I know there are some real crappy guns out there that just will not perform, but on average, the pro will win.
Sorry for the long ‘rant’, I just wanted to get this in words after dealing with some very annoying chaps that busted my chops about trying to set a base standard for them to start airbrushing, and they all were moaning about the cost of thinners and why they can’t just use Windex, or straight alcohol. It’s mostly that modellers in our town are so tight they squeak…LOL…!
the hermit