Cordless airbrush

[dikman]

I wasn't sure where to put this so stuck it here. I just received my cordless airbrush, 12 days from ordering to delivery from China, pretty impressive. I want to experiment with applying dyes onto leather, and while I have several airbrushes, compressor etc it means dragging all the gear from one shed to another and back again. This is completely self-contained and obviously very portable. Reviews have generally been very good for this particular style of cordless brush (there are quite a few different styles) so I figured it was worth a try. A charge is supposed to last between 45-60 minutes, more than enough.

 

[fredk]

Do you charge this one with air or electricity?

[Handstitched]

I just used my air brush for the first time in a while this arvo. Admittedly its does take a little setting up,  getting the compressor fired up etc. so I can sure see the benefits of that , assuming you charge it up? 

HS

[dikman]

Re-charges via a USB port. This particular model has a USB-C connection on the bottom so can charge faster if you have a 5v/2 amp USB source (which I've just made for it). A guy on another forum just told me he has one and the battery died so he runs it off the USB cord.

Testing by a reviewer showed it outputs about 21 psi and has a button on the bottom that reduces the output slightly, if needed This, by the way, is not mentioned in what passes for instructions. There is also a LED display on the bottom to indicate how much charge is left.

[Handstitched]

58 minutes ago, dikman said:

A guy on another forum just told me he has one and the battery died so he runs it off the USB cord.

That kinda defeats the ' cordless' aspect of it.  Let us know how it goes after a few weeks or so. 

[dikman]

Sort of, it still makes it a bit more portable than lugging a compressor around. It won't replace a decent airbrush/compressor setup, of course, but I think for leatherwork, where fine detail isn't required it should be fine. None of the other reviews have mentioned any issues so I'm not too concerned, besides it operates at 3.7v, which is a single Li-on cell, so I figure if it does die there's a good chance I can fix it.

One interesting thing, some time ago Ali-express agreed to collect the GST for our government on goods they sell (which I thought was a bit odd, them acting as tax collectors for the Australian government) and in fact that's what happened on a few purchases I made. This time, however, although the invoice included the GST I wasn't actually charged it. I wonder if that's normal for them now?

[chuck123wapati]

it looks pretty handy to me. 

[Doc Reaper]

I have the harbor freight compressor and don’t mind being tethered, but my area that it’s used in is constant, I would like an air hose that’s like 25 to 50 feet long so I can go outside from time to time. That being said I’m gonna look up a cordless brush now!

[toxo]

I Know it's not the same thing but I've always liked the idea of refillable spray cans. You can have one for each dye colour. This one uses araldite, some solder and some just drill a hole the right size, that's what they do in your car wheel right?

 

[dikman]

Toxo, I made something similar once, to use with bulk WD40, unfortunately the air kept slowly leaking out of the valve and I couldn't seem to stop it.

Doc, if you look on youtube there are lots and lots of reviews/tests of the different types - some have slightly higher pressure (supposedly), at least one has a replaceable battery available, (I don't see me ever needing that much spraying time) but most run continuously when turned on. This doesn't seem to be as much of an issue as you'd think, according to users, but I wanted one that turns on when you press the airbrush trigger, i.e. on demand. If you don't want to buy off ebay/Ali-express you have a company over there called spraygunner.com which get good writeups.

The airbrush itself doesn't look too bad, considering it's a China "cheapie", today I'll strip it and polish the needle and moving parts which should make it a bit smoother, as I can feel a very slight rubbing somewhere.

Edited June 29, 2022 by dikman

[dikman]

I tried it out today on a bit of scrap leather, using an old Porter's black dye that I had. Coverage was very nice, very smooth and even although I had to apply several coats. The biggest problem is that the fluid cup doesn't hold much, so doing a large piece will be a pain! One good thing about the Chinese airbrushes, however, is that many of the parts for the various brushes appear to be interchangeable, and as the cup screws onto mine I should be able to buy a larger cup. I've seen them on Aliexpress and they're pretty cheap.

[Handstitched]

23 hours ago, dikman said:

One interesting thing, some time ago Ali-express agreed to collect the GST for our government on goods they sell

Now that IS odd  .  That raises more questions . 

Going off topic  here....soz. 

Do they have an agreement with the ATO ?  Oz 'gubment' ?  Kickbacks ?  

HS

[dikman]

The government realised that it was impractical for Australia Post to collect the GST for all the overseas goods that were coming in so it asked various overseas companies to do it for them - ebay, Paypal, Ali-express, Fed-ex etc - and they all agreed. Quite bizarre, I thought. Theoretically, any overseas company that sells you something is supposed to collect the GST, but other than the few big companies no-one is going to bother. This, by the way, all came about because Harvey Norman complained about the goods coming in that weren't being slugged GST, he said it wasn't a level playing field, even though most of what was coming wasn't sold in his stores anyway!

Anyhow, back on topic, I decided I needed a larger cup for the airbrush, these are readily available on Ali-express. A 20cc and 40cc were going to cost me $11 shipped, but by searching a bit more I found I could get a pistol grip airbrush, with the two cups, for only $31 - so I've ordered another airbrush!

That will make seven altogether. Oh, and this one included the GST.

[sbrownn]

It doesn't appear as if the pressure range has much adjustability.  Is that so?

[dikman]

Yes, there's not a lot, there is a button on the bottom that gives a slightly reduced pressure, so effectively there are two settings, but honestly I don't see it as being much of an issue. It isn't a replacement for a good airbrush/compressor setup and won't match that versatility, to me it's more of a convenience tool. As I said it saves me having to cart all my gear from another shed if all I want to do is spray leather.

[sbrownn]

2 hours ago, dikman said:

Yes, there's not a lot, there is a button on the bottom that gives a slightly reduced pressure, so effectively there are two settings, but honestly I don't see it as being much of an issue. It isn't a replacement for a good airbrush/compressor setup and won't match that versatility, to me it's more of a convenience tool. As I said it saves me having to cart all my gear from another shed if all I want to do is spray leather.

Thanks

[Handstitched]

15 hours ago, dikman said:

because Harvey Norman complained about the goods coming in that weren't being slugged GST

This guy is a multi billionaire  and he's complaining about tax?   As far as I am aware, none us one here imports household goods . Most of the stuff I bought from O/S  was simply not available here in Oz, and people buy from O/S because its cheaper, even with GST . 

My 2 cents worth + GST . Anyway, back on topic.  

I'd be interested in knowing how long the battery lasts  as in shelf life . Handy device though , I guess I would do a lot more air brushing with that than having to set up the compressor hoses etc.  each and every time. 

HS

[dikman]

Shelf life? Having a Li-on battery I guess it's no different to any other re-chargeable thingy, so who knows. It has the LEDs on the bottom (most of them don't have this) so you can check the charge at any time, and if you have a 2 amp+ charger it shouldn't take long to re-charge it.

[Handstitched]

This is going to be added to my  ' stuff to get'  list .  Thanks  

[dikman]

Update: The bowl on the airbrush was a bit small so I found some larger capacity  bowls on Ali-express, however it was only a few dollars more to buy a complete pistol-grip airbrush with the bowls, so I did. I felt this type of airbrush would be more comfortable to use with the compressor hanging underneath. Great idea, unfortunately the thread size on the compressor isn't like anything else I've got and the gun won't fit!! Bugger.

Looking on gumtree (local ebay) I came across an airbrush and compressor for $50, so grabbed that. I figured I could leave that in the shed with the airbrush. It works well, and the pistol-grip airbrush fits so that's good. A couple of problems became apparent, however - it runs bloody hot and moisture is an issue. After 10 mins use (continuous) the case is almost too hot to touch (approx. 40*C at its hottest part), a common issue with these compressors. So I fitted a couple of fans. It still gets hot (poor air circulation inside) but considering it normally won't be in continuous use, more like start-stop, this should be fine. It has a water trap on the regulator but with continuous use water still builds up in the hose, so I've ordered some small water filters that attach to the airbrush end of the hose. Again, with start-stop use it should be fine.

I now have eight assorted airbrushes!! Do you think I may have a problem?

[fredk]

The compressor should never get that hot

Is it an 'oil less' one or is there an oil filling plug on it?

[chuck123wapati]

to many tools ? what are ya crazy. lol

[dikman]

8 hours ago, fredk said:

The compressor should never get that hot

Is it an 'oil less' one or is there an oil filling plug on it?

Oil-less piston. Like I said, it's a known issue with these little compressors, but having said that there are no reported failures because of it (probably because they're rarely used continuously, it's not as if they're spraying a car). The heat comes from the motor, not so much from the piston/cylinder head. I toyed with the idea of completely stripping it to drill out more holes for better circulation but couldn't be bothered as it will work fine like it is. Another possibility is to fit a small air tank to it, like my other one - maybe one day?

I'm still annoyed that I can't fit the pistol-grip airbrush to the cordless compressor.

[sbrownn]

17 hours ago, dikman said:

Oil-less piston. Like I said, it's a known issue with these little compressors, but having said that there are no reported failures because of it (probably because they're rarely used continuously, it's not as if they're spraying a car). The heat comes from the motor, not so much from the piston/cylinder head. I toyed with the idea of completely stripping it to drill out more holes for better circulation but couldn't be bothered as it will work fine like it is. Another possibility is to fit a small air tank to it, like my other one - maybe one day?

I'm still annoyed that I can't fit the pistol-grip airbrush to the cordless compressor.

The heat comes from compressing the air; the motor heat is insignificant by comparison.

[fredk]

19 hours ago, dikman said:

I'm still annoyed that I can't fit the pistol-grip airbrush to the cordless compressor.

There are about 6 or 8 different airbrush to hose fittings. 

I suggest you contact this model shop. He may be able to fix you up with the correct fittings or adapter. He has an excellent reputation here in the UK but he's down your way

https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/amodelerclub