Cordless airbrush

[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?