What airbrush for fine detail?

[amelia clark]

I have been in T shirt airbrushing. Started with a Paasche VL then went to Vega 2000. I love it, BUT it just don't do good detail on hard surfaces. I started painting batting helmets and will be swamp come Spring. I will be graduating, SLOWLY, into car murals etc and want an affordable airbrush that will do detail on hard surfaces. I am using Createx and have tried some Metal Craft. But just not happy with results. I have seen work with some asume detail. Somebody is doing something right.
So!!!!!! Is it my airbrush or my paint that I need to replace for hard surface? I have played with the PSI and just not happy.

 

[Stretch]

Hello Amelia-

I can't answer your question exactly but I can suggest lowering the air pressure for more detail. I haven't had the best luck getting the Createx paints to thin down smoothly. I usually get clogs. With automotive urethanes I've had much better luck and can get much more detail. I'm using an Iwata HP-C.

What sort of sealer are you using to seal the paint on the helmets. I had a potential client that wanted a helmet painted but I wasn't sure if there was something more durable than automotive urethanes.

Thanks and good luck-Stretch

 

[amelia clark]

it is almost shameful to say what type of clear coat I use on Batting helmets. I have been using a craft clear spray from a can. It has held up really well and met customer demands. There is an airbrusher here that is charging HUGE amounts for auto clear coat. Understand that these clients are little, may not even play the whole season much less next year. They guy told one lady, "but it will last a life time". WRONG I had one of his helmets that scrapes had damaged it. The helmet cracked in a tournament and had to be replaced. These things are made of CHEAP plastic. No amount of auto clear coat is going to protect it from being drug across rough concrete. Besides, Mom is paying for it not the kid. I don't charge a high rate and I get lots of business. And I can do it quicker.

 

[overspray7]

Lose the Metal craft .Stuff is durable ,but sprays like glue and even straining does not help.Createx works but uros are much easier to paint with.Detail is a breeze.If you have to stay with acrylic enamels,try Golden Fluid Acrylics mixed with their airbrush medium about 1 to 1.

 

[overspray7]

Sorry for the multi post.I use an HP-C deluxe ,but also have a stable of Iwata eclipses with fast blast 2 oz. bottles that a mix paint for right before a job.I can get the same detail with the Eclipse as the HP-C and color change is a LOT quicker.

 

[paintricks]

I use the Iwata hpbc and love it. try using urothanes with reducer to thin and you can really get a fine line and it will stick to the surface without lifting as bad as Createx. It dries faster than acrylics (water base). hope this helps
Kevin

 

[Starman]

I mostly use the Iwata Eclipse. Great all around brush for reasonable price. If you really want fine detail you need the Iwata Custom Micron, but, it's about $250.00 and you will need to thin almost everything you try to put thru it. But, no airbrush that I have seen will put out as fine and as dark a line. Most Pro's will just switch to a brush at that point.

 

[Bornhard]

Microns are a great airbrush, but handle with care and keep extremely clean in order for it to function properly.

I do a lot of urathane airbrushing and the Iwata delux series is a bit more friendly and still does some fine work.

There's a new line of Iwata's out and I'm ordering one. Promising extreme details. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bounce.gif

 

[VisioN]

Amelia. if you want a great detail gun then you wont beat the Paasche 'V'. I have an arsenal of Iwatas inc. a micron, devilbiss, Hansas, Badgers, Olumpus and even had an Aztec until i repaired it with a club hammer! and the little cheap old Paasche beats them all hands down. I use this gun everyday spraying detailed artwork on lighters and pens. To get the most from the gun use auto paints.

 

[gc]

Amelia,

Having started airbrushing over 25 years ago on t-shirts then to hard surfaces (still doing both) I can related to your frustration.

I still regularly use my first airbrush, a Paasche Vl. It is now highly customized to suit me. I do have other brushes I use also, many among my 30 or so airbrushes are set-up for "specific" applications.

The first thing you may want to try on your ol' Paasche, especially if you switch to a paint more suitable for automotive work, is to put a #1 tip/head/needle assembly into it. With a little practice you will be surprized at the detail you can accomplish. You can try the same with the Vega also.

My recommendation is to start with air pressure and paint selection. Shirts asorb a spraying pressure of 35-60 psi whereas a hard surface has no asorbtion, hence many a "splatter" effect. The excess air has to go somewhere! Set yourself up a practice panel such as a blank license plate. Start off with and air pressure around 28-30 and make sure paint is thinned or mixed per directions. Practice your basic strokes. If you are still having a problem drop your air pressure a couple of pounds. Keep doing this until you find a pressure you are comfortable with without it being so low you are getting a grainy line. I must add that for me I found that I needed to "speed up" some on hard surfaces as compared to shirts. Another thing that I found that helps me (I do this when lettering shirts) is to paint the line or stroke without paint, usually a few times. Simply go through the motion using air but no paint, This helps you to get "comfortable" with what you are about to do. And when you feel ready you simply flow through the motion since you have already practiced it and don't need to think about doing it. (I hope this made sense! LOL!)

Use a paint formulated for exterior hard surface applications such as Auto Air for learning purposes then move on up to automotive base coats, toners, and clears. Even though your water based shirt paints can be used with very good results and success, their durability is far less than desired, even when clear coated. The clear coat offers some protecttion but it still is setting on a soft base and eventually it's protection of the paint will break down due to an unsolid base. Kinda like pouring a concrete slab on mud.
Sorry for getting long winded! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bounce.gif

Have fun! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yay.gif