As a disclaimer, I did not read this whole thread, but being a painter I'd like to throw some stuff out there...I have used most of the airbrushes out there,
some are cheap and great, some are expensive and...well...suck...whichever brush you wind up with, (I'm assuming most leather work is done with dye
as opposed to heavy pigment) the single most important thing to do is to Keep it Clean! if you think your airbrush is clean enough...it's not.
99% of all airbrush malfunctions are caused by gunk in the works...I'll try over the next X weeks to do a cleaning tutorial...I've got one sitting at home that I let get dirty...
Anyway...I pretty much never recommend buying the HF or Northern tools kncok offs...with the exception of the Pasche brushes..T-shirt guys love them and
dyes go through them like grass through a goose. The problem with them is that they are hard to clean and the seals go bad pretty quick.
My personal brushes, are anything made by IWATA...they make brushes for everyone...from 100 bucks or so on up into the 1000$ range...I would imagine that for leather work the HP-C or the revolution would be more brush than you could ever use. I have done some nice looking show quality paint jobs with both of these...they both have excellent actions and are well weighted and balanced..helps keep down fatigue when spraying for awhile...
Badger makes a good airbrush..although I tend to leave mine on the shelf as the Iwata is my favorite...any of Badger's dual action brushes are
good to go though.
I have Used GREX brushes...and liked them..but the company has not been around very long.
I have not used SATA airbrushes, but I have a deep and abiding love affair with their sparay guns...so I'd imagine their airbrushes are more than acceptable.
Asfar as compressors...take your pick...as long as it puts out steady pressure without pulsing and keeps the oil out of the air...it's good to go..I actually use a big Craftsman compressor at home, and if I go mobile, I use a hundred dollar pancake compressor...and long hoses to keep the noisy littel bugger away from me. get a good regulator, and A GOOD MOISTURE TRAP ! drops of water in paint or dye are no fun...especially something you have worked hours and hours on...
For some basic and advanced knowledge.. Mike Learn at www.Learnairbrush.com is the guy I've learned most from...although his stuff is geared more to automotive..there is still a wealth of knowledge available on the forums there.
oh...you will outgrow a single action airbrush in minutes. Double action is the way to go for most stuff.
Hope all this helps someone out a little...if I can help, drop me a pm and I'll do what I can!
