Airbrush questions

[dikman]

Lots of good points here. Large compressors are certainly ideal as they have large air storage so don't have to run very often when using airbrushes, in fact I have two but they are noisy and not portable. The smaller units I referred to are great because they are quiet, so can be used indoors without disturbing other people, are portable and easy to store. If all you want to do is spray leather, where no fancy detailing is required, then the type of unit fredk mentioned is perfectly adequate and can often be picked up cheap from people who buy them for applying makeup but then give up on it. My first airbrush was  a Paasche H, external mix siphon feed, a basic airbrush but still highly regarded today, a real work horse. Funnily enough that is often the first brush I go to as it is easier to clean afterwards!

JLS is right about cup capacity as up until the Chinese started copying airbrushes high end quality gravity-feed brushes only had smallish cups on top, great if you're doing fine graphics but not much use for covering largish areas. The Chinese double-action internal mix gravity-feed brushes are now available with interchangeable cups which have a decent capacity, and extra cups can be bought pretty cheap. These days, unless you're an airbrush snob or do very fine graphic artwork, the Chinese airbrushes will be perfectly adequate for most people, they are cheap, spare needles (and cups) are usually available and if they do break they're cheap to replace. I have several different types and I pulled each one apart, polished the needles and lubricated them. Result, smooth operating airbrushes that haven't cost me a fortune.

[JLSleather]

42 minutes ago, dikman said:

My first airbrush was  a Paasche H, external mix siphon feed, a basic airbrush b

a simple, inexpensive, single-action airbrush, sometimes viewed as a "cheap" model not to be sought.  But I've seen some STUNNING art work done using ONLY the Paasche H

 

[chuck123wapati]

13 hours ago, dikman said:

Lots of good points here. Large compressors are certainly ideal as they have large air storage so don't have to run very often when using airbrushes, in fact I have two but they are noisy and not portable. The smaller units I referred to are great because they are quiet, so can be used indoors without disturbing other people, are portable and easy to store. If all you want to do is spray leather, where no fancy detailing is required, then the type of unit fredk mentioned is perfectly adequate and can often be picked up cheap from people who buy them for applying makeup but then give up on it. My first airbrush was  a Paasche H, external mix siphon feed, a basic airbrush but still highly regarded today, a real work horse. Funnily enough that is often the first brush I go to as it is easier to clean afterwards!

JLS is right about cup capacity as up until the Chinese started copying airbrushes high end quality gravity-feed brushes only had smallish cups on top, great if you're doing fine graphics but not much use for covering largish areas. The Chinese double-action internal mix gravity-feed brushes are now available with interchangeable cups which have a decent capacity, and extra cups can be bought pretty cheap. These days, unless you're an airbrush snob or do very fine graphic artwork, the Chinese airbrushes will be perfectly adequate for most people, they are cheap, spare needles (and cups) are usually available and if they do break they're cheap to replace. I have several different types and I pulled each one apart, polished the needles and lubricated them. Result, smooth operating airbrushes that haven't cost me a fortune.

i use the little jars, my paasche came with one but i bought a few more they hold a few ounces bought a few so i can leave my dyes in them similar to these.

https://www.amazon.com/Master-Airbrush-Dual-Action-Airbrushing-Accessories/dp/B00BTAHEIQ/ref=sr_1_4_sspa?keywords=airbrush+jars&qid=1660482256&sr=8-4-spons&psc=1&smid=A23ADOZFIJNPFB&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFNQ1dSVU43QkZPSU8mZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAwMzQ1MzMxNE5JNEk2T1NSV1ZTJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAyMzM0NTQ1UzA3OU1ORFhPMUgmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

[JLSleather]

14 minutes ago, chuck123wapati said:

i use the little jars, my paasche came with one

too bulky and heavy for me - kaint maneuver well as I'd like.  And I actually used one for doing LARGE areas and had one COME OFF... just dropped on the floor due to the weight of the glass and dye... BIG mess everywhere.  Guess that's why Paasche makes a SCREW ON version

 

[Glenwchav]

In our shop we have 3 brushes, 2 of the higher end brushes and 1 harbor freight with the ultra quite compressor that's the one that gets used every day, 

[AlamoJoe2002]

I picked up a Harbor Freight model airbrush kit  to try my hand at airbrushing. I have a loud 2 gallon air compressor that I fill an 11 gallon portable tank up to anywhere between 75 and 100 psi. More than enough air to fill air up a car tire or two. I haven't tried the air brush yet.

I can set the loud tank outside and run a line into the shop to operate out of the 11 gallon air reservoir. I'm waiting for my 2 gallon tank to burn out before I purchase a quieter air pump.

What psi are you operating your airbrush for dying leather?

Joe

[dikman]

Air pressure will be affected by the type of brush, I'm guessing yours is probably a basic external mix siphon feed, which will require a bit more pressure, probably around 25-30 psi. That's what I run my Paasche at.