airbrushing finish

[brinyar]

I got an airbrush over a month ago and have been playing around with applying the acrylic finish. Somebody slap me for not buying one sooner.... These things are great! It really helps to consistently apply a nice even, matte finish. It seemed like it would be easier to maintain a single action one so I got a Passche H series. Here are two holsters I have recently completed, one pancake for a 1911 commander and another iwb for a Glock subcompact. As usual any comments/criticism welcome.

Scott

Edited August 27, 2009 by brinyar

[Rock76]

Very nice! I like the "drain hole" on the closed muzzle IWB. How long do you find the airbrushed finish takes to fully dry and cure?

-Adam

Edited August 27, 2009 by Rock76

[brinyar]

Very nice! I like the "drain hole" on the closed muzzle IWB. How long do you find the airbrushed finish takes to fully dry and cure?

-Adam

Thanks. After the finish has been applied I don't touch them for a good 15-24 hours. They seem to be nice a dry by then.

I punched a hole in a rough draft holster made of belly hide awhile back as a joke, but I kind of liked the results.... I'm curious what the general opinion would be of the looks of it. You won't be able to run a rag through to clean it, but it would provide some ventilation and drainage.

Edited August 27, 2009 by brinyar

[WaG35]

Very nice. I love my airbrush for the finish coat. What acrylic are you using? It is much flatter than what I am using, I like it.

[gtwister09]

Scott,

I like the matte finish. Thumbs up from me on the weep or "drain" hole...but that's just my opinion. It's unique.

Regards,

Ben

[brinyar]

Thanks for the comments.

-WaG35 -- It is the Angelus 600 acrylic.

[WaG35]

Thanks.

[BOOMSTICKHolsters]

Awesome stitch pattern on the belt slide holster! I don't think the hole in the IWB hurts the appearance of the holster. If it is only serving as a drainage hole, you might want to move it to the lowest point on the holster. Have you tried a slot punch yet? I really like the way they form up with the longer cutout.

[brinyar]

Thanks Jeff. I'm starting to do more double stitching, especially on pancakes. Alot of people just seem to expect it on holsters and I also think it adds a certain finished look to a holster.

I have not tried a slot punch yet. I have a 1 1/2" one I bought way back for belt slots that I don't use, but I thought it was a little big for this application. I need to get something smaller.

[MDL]

Scott,

Nice looking holsters.

I'm new to leather work, but really enjoying it a lot. I've been considering the air brush but your post got me thinking seriously about it. I'm curious which compressor you are using. With my limited net searching this afternoon I found The "H" and "HS" series. I'm would like to get some feed back before I order. Has anyone here ordered from any of these suppliers before? Any recommendations?

Dan.

http://www.hobbylinc...as/pas2000h.htm

http://www.tcpglobal...bdkithsset.aspx

http://www.dixieart.com/HSet.html

[frontpost]

Dixie is great to deal with. A single action brush might be better to start with.

[kevinhopkins]

Hi...Holster looks really good! I think pretty much everyone that tries an airbrush for the first time says the same thing.... We just don't really realize how easy they are! Sure saves on the dye too!

Kevin Hopkins

[brinyar]

MDL- Thanks, and welcome to the forum. I have been using a 6hp, 30 gallon Craftsman air compressor to power the air brush. It is a little overkill to use it, but I had it beforehand and didn't want to spend too much to get started.... I have also filled a 12 gallon portable air tank and had enough air/air pressure to do the finish on 4 holsters. The H series has worked great for both dye and finish applications.

kevinhopkins- It was definitely easier to use than I thought, I thought the acrylic finish would gum it up occasionally but it hasn't been a problem. It is also very easy to clean. Some sort of spray booth would be nice to have, though.

[Tac]

Brinyar... VERY nice job on the holsters! I love using the airbrush for my lighter colored dyes. It makes the finished color so much more even than a dunk or a dauber. I have not tried it to apply a finish coat.

As for a "spray booth".... I use a decent sized cardboard box with the top cut off, laid on it's side...... Keeps the dye in the box and not all over my garage/shop. Cheap to .

Please keep posting pics of your work... they are inspiring.

-Tac

[BOOMSTICKHolsters]

Here's a spray booth idea for you that a buddy of mine gave me:

Find an old window fan (the box fan that fits in a window).

Buy a furnace/air conditioner filter the size of the fan.

Build a table with a frame that the fan fits in laying on its side, with plywood walls on top of it on three sides that basically make a box with an open side (on top of the fan). Make a slot for the filter to slide over the fan, and put expanded metal or wire mesh or whatever you want above the filter that allows air to flow but doesn't let whatever you are spraying make contact with the filter itself.

The fan is pointed down so it makes a down draft when it's turned on, meaning whenever you spray in the booth the over spray is sucked down into the filter, which gets periodically replaced.

VOILA! You have a spray booth. Add pegs or wires to the wall that allow you to hang your work to spray it if you want, and whatever other custom modifications you need to suit your purposes.

[brinyar]

Thanks for the ideas on spray booths. I have been reading up on homemade spray booths and will keep those plans in mind.

[MDL]

I have been using a 6hp, 30 gallon Craftsman air compressor to power the air brush. It is a little overkill to use it, but I had it beforehand and didn't want to spend too much to get started....

I have a similar compressor and thought it was over kill as well. In the spirit of saving money, I spent some time yesterday getting it "airbrush ready". I upgraded the air pressure gauges and added a better drier. Did you have any trouble finding the fittings to reduce down from 1/4" fittings on the compressor to the air brush, which I'm guessing is 1/8"?

[Bronson]

Do you also airbrush the finish into the inside of the holster? Does it do a good job of getting all the way down inside or do you need to use a brush to get to the very bottom.

Thanks,

Bronson

[brinyar]

The supplied air brush hose has a 1/4 fitting on the compressor side so it is easy to hook up to any air compressor.

You will probably have to dip or brush the finish on the inside to get good coverage. I have not tried to just spray the inside, though.

[Shorts]

I spray the inside pretty good. Just open up the needle tip and fire away. I spray in from the top and the bottom to catch the different angles.

[Jimbob]

Hello

What do you use to clean up your acryl finish/airbrush and what pressure do you use for the airbrush application on dye and finish...??

The holsters look very good, real pro work!!!

I used airbrush on shirts abt 25 years ago....now it finally dawns on me its the way to go on leather finish!

Greetings

James

[brinyar]

Jimbob - I just use hot, soapy water immediately after I'm finished using the air-brush. So far that has worked just fine.

I use about 40-42 psi when spraying the acrylic finish, and around 30-35 psi when using dye. I only use the air-brush to apply a final top-coat for both the dye and finish. I prefer to dip the holsters for the main application of both dye and acrylic finish.