Airbrushing Leather (Buying An Airbrush)

[JLSleather]

Some of the spitting could be water getting in the air line, too. If you don't already have one, get a moisture trap for the air line.

[retiredff]

I have one, thanks.

[Mike516]

I see everyone talking about dyes, paints, finishes and acrylics. I'm sorry if I missed it but I didn't see anyone mention stains.

I use pretty much exclusively fiebings leather stains for my projects. I do paint and use block-out and finishes. But whenever I apply stain with a dauber I tend to get quite a bit on the back of the pieces, so I was thinking of using an airbrush for a cleaner end product. I was wondering if this would be possible or are most of the stains too thick?

Edited May 11, 2016 by Mike516

[retiredff]

I don't see why not. Try thinning by 25%, if it spits then try 50%. If it's thin enough anything should spray thru an airbrush. You may have to experiment with pressure also.

 

[Mike516]

Ok, I'm going to try the HF one and see what kind of results I get. Thanks.

[retiredff]

OK, but I tried the cheaps airbrushes (AB) and didn't like what I got. I have 2 now, a Iwata side feed and Badger side feed both between $90-100 ea. The results were much better especially with the iwata. It handles anything from dyes to finishes with ease. I also found if I want a light brown color using a dauber was difficult, with the AB it's easy and so is doing a sunburst. Just practice on scrap first. If the results with the HF are so,so then I would upgrade either bying new or used on ebay. If the HF AB spits globs, thin it, if that doesn't help change pressure settings. DON'T buy an AB compressor w/o a tank, you won't like it, instead start off with a 20gal tank if you have a compressor in your garage. I have a California Air tools quiet compressor that I'm happy with and I use it in the house.

 

 

Edited May 11, 2016 by retiredff

[Mike516]

Yea, I hear you and I don't usually go for power equipment at HF. But I have never held an AB in my life so I don't want to spend a lot of money before I know if I can do anything with them. I have some dyes, some old stains and A LOT of scrap so testing isn't an issue. I figure it's worth the $100 or so investment to see what it looks like, but I will do some investigations before I buy anything. I'm also not adverse to giving dyes another shot if I have another medium to apply them. I didn't like the way they colored the leather and I think I got some dyes from Tandy that had been frozen at some time so they were ruined and I didn't realize it. Thanks again for the assistance and advice.

 

[retiredff]

AB'ing and dyes works great! I have tried applying neatsfoot, let dry 24hrs. then spray saddle brown, it comes out great. Nice even color, nothing like using a swab and it saves dye. Set your spray pattern on a piece of paper before spraying the leather. Try laying the leather flat and propped up against something until u find what suits you best. Look on utube, there are some videos that spray dyes on leather.

 

Good luck

 

Tony

 

[Mike516]

Thanks. I read through the posts and wound up getting the Royalmax ones, so it's going to take a while. I'm going to go to HF at some point for a compressor too, but decided to get the better AB's since it comes out to about the same cost.

[billybopp]

If you go for an airbrush, I'd suggest getting an air compressor that's somewhat bigger than you need for an artist's airbrush.  A bigger compressor and tank will run less often when airbrushing, it will provide additional air capacity for other purposes.  In particular, get one that will support airflow for something like a touch-up paint gun.  The compressor is pretty handy for pumping up tires, balls, etc .. air for cleaning the dust bunnies out of your computer, or clearing off surfaces ... painting things other than leather, so it's something that you can continue to use even if you decide against airbrushing leather.   As you're shopping for a compressor, see if you can give them a quick try-out in-store.  Some are MUCH quieter than others (if that's important to you).

An artist's airbrush covers relatively small areas with great control, and is really great for much of what we do, but they aren't the best for covering larger areas.  A touch-up gun requires greater airflow and works much better for larger areas .. say something like the size of a briefcase or larger (give or take).  Check the airflow CFM against the biggest gun that you might buy and match with the compressor.

A cheap airbrush is not a bad way to see if it's something you like, but you'll want to consider something better later on.  I'm fond of the Paasche VL airbrushes for several reasons, but especially because you can buy different nozzles that will yield larger or smaller spray patterns.  Some of the other manufacturers offer similar capabilities as well.  Just something to think about.

You want to give a bit of thought to ventilation, since much of what is sprays can damage your lungs, and potentially make a real mess of the surrounding areas.  A paint booth is great for indoors if you do enough to justify it.  A fan and a cardboard box in a window can make a poor man's paint booth too.  I do my airbrushing outdoors, which is also a good option.

There are a number of accessories you'll want to consider as well ..  A good respirator is pretty much a necessity.  A moisture trap is too ( I use two, the one that was included with the compressor, and an inline trap.)  Quick disconnect air fittings are really nice to have.  Several paint jars are also quite useful, even in several sizes. ( I keep one filled with a cleaning solution to help make clean up quicker.)  A better air pressure regulator than the ones found on most compressors can be helpful, since they allow more precise pressure control.  A rack/stand for your airbrush(es) can be quite useful.  An ultrasonic cleaner is really useful, particularly if you will be shooting acrylic paints of finishes through your gun, and is darn useful for jewelry and other things!  

 

 

[fks1]

Ill second what BillyBopp says. I bought a "master AB kit" from Amazon and am happy with it. Its great for painting Angelus paint, dye, and I use it to spray 50/50 Acrylic resolene with water as well. Its quiet, and has little to no overspray. I would prefer it to be able to spray more paint or cover wider surface but its only to save time and cover more area in a shorter time. Im waiting for another gun (Master) to come in the mail which has larger needle tips, and I bought extra cups so that I can store the paint that I thinned after using. I have not tried any other brands and so I can't compare Master to Pasche or Iwata.

[strathmoredesigns]

@retiredff I'm in the market and am comparing the Iwata Eclipse CS (gravity feeder from the top) and the Iwata Eclipse SBS (as you know, can be gravity or siphon fed from the side). Ideally, I'd like to be able to sit at my desk and just airbrush something that's sitting flat on it, so I'd be airbrushing pretty much straight down. It seems like the side feeders would be better for this. Have you tried this with any of your side feeders and if so, would you recommend a side feeder vs. a top feeder for this?  

[retiredff]

1 hour ago, strathmoredesigns said:

@retiredff I'm in the market and am comparing the Iwata Eclipse CS (gravity feeder from the top) and the Iwata Eclipse SBS (as you know, can be gravity or siphon fed from the side). Ideally, I'd like to be able to sit at my desk and just airbrush something that's sitting flat on it, so I'd be airbrushing pretty much straight down. It seems like the side feeders would be better for this. Have you tried this with any of your side feeders and if so, would you recommend a side feeder vs. a top feeder for this?  

both will do what u want very well. Just angle the cup to where u need it, but don't forget that u have it at an angle, the cups without a top may spill the contents. 

[strathmoredesigns]

1 minute ago, retiredff said:

both will do what u want very well. Just angle the cup to where u need it, but don't forget that u have it at an angle, the cups without a top may spill the contents. 

Thanks, I just discovered that there were tops, so will definitely be ordering some of those!

[slipangle]

For what it's worth, you can't go wrong with an Iwata. I like high quality tools.  They're a better investment in the long run. And they just work better.  Iwata air brushes are high quality. I have an older Iwata BC that I found at an estate sale, un-used.   It's a precision tool. 

For those wanting to spray both water thin media, like dyes, and thicker pigmented media, like paint, keep in mind that good quality air brushes usually have different tip options. In general, you need a wider tip orifice for media with a thicker viscosity. Smaller tip for dyes,  etc. 

[strathmoredesigns]

On 3/16/2017 at 7:14 AM, slipangle said:

For what it's worth, you can't go wrong with an Iwata. I like high quality tools.  They're a better investment in the long run. And they just work better.  Iwata air brushes are high quality. I have an older Iwata BC that I found at an estate sale, un-used.   It's a precision tool. 

For those wanting to spray both water thin media, like dyes, and thicker pigmented media, like paint, keep in mind that good quality air brushes usually have different tip options. In general, you need a wider tip orifice for media with a thicker viscosity. Smaller tip for dyes,  etc. 

Thanks for the tips and for the feedback on Iwata. I ended up ordering an Eclipse SBS, figuring I could start with the top feeding cups and eventually graduate into the siphon feeding bottles if I ever need to. Counting down the days until my backrdered compressor arrives and I can give this thing a go!

[slipangle]

Did you order a moisture trap too?  I hope so. 

[strathmoredesigns]

I got the Iwata Sprint Jet Compressor which I believe comes with a moisture filter or at least their website says it does.

[Jarednem]

I know with airbrushing it omly a top dye, so if you scratch the surface you can see the leather below. 

My question is: Is there a way to make the dye soak deeper? Denatured alcohol dissolves fast so if I use isopropyl alcohol, which stays wet longer, to cut my dye would it get deeper penetration due to the fact it will carry the dye longer?