Thinking About Buying An Airbrush

[RustyReb]

One thing can be said for the Harbor Freight airbrushes.......... The price is right! Paid $8 bucks for my last one. Good quality? Not really, but they beat a dauber and if it screws up, grab another one! IMHO, only way to dye and finish.

[Casca47]

Of course, the brush isn't much good without air. I think a lot of people get discouraged when they start using their first air brush. Those little cans of propellant will just barely get you started and, you'll go broke buying them. Try some pawn shops for a nail gun unit. They're noisier than the purpose built artists compressor. You may have to buy a hose. A quick disconnect fitting is a must for me. Prices will usually run under $50.

I've been using an airbrush for 30 years. It's similar to carving leather. The only way you can learn is to do it.

[ReneeCanady]

I certainly got tired of playing with the tiny compressors and the cans

[Troy I]

LMAO

[Handstitched]

G'day,

I have just got myself another air brush.

Airbrush #1.

As I knew very little about airbrushing , and didn't want to spend a lot of $$$, I got myself an airbrush from a hardware shop. It was rubbish !!

It didn't do very much , apart from make me swear & curse !!

It was a siphon feed, with changable pots, and the flimsy hose perished quickly and no accessories etc. and little instruction.

Money wasted. Lesson learnt !!!!

Airbrush #2.

So,almost a year later, I got myself another one, but MUCH better.

Double action ,gravity feed, with assorted needle sizes , various other accessories etc. and the instructions were much better.

Its not a known brand, I got it from an auto accessory shop . I also got a good quality braided hose to go with it. I paid around $70 ( Aust.) in total.

I hooked it up to a household / handyman compressor, with regs,and a moisture trap.

I set the pressure, and after playing around with it, it wasn't long before I finally got the result I wanted....yey !!

A 'faded' or 'graduated' effect. (see pics)

It works well, and I'm happy with it.

The bag was just something I knocked up quickly to experiment.

I use the other spray gun for the sealer.

To apply sealer by hand could risk smudging the dye....and making a mess.

Another door has opened

All the best.

HS

[JLSleather]

I have the VL too. Well, several of them actually (too lazy to switch tips back and forth). I think sometimes I'll try another model, but not until these are worn out. Darned things just won't STOP! Pretty much indestructible. Been meaning to try spraying finishes with it for years, but still haven't actually done it. Still, they spray spirit dyes jus' fine.

Larger bag painted with VL#3, smaller clutch with VL#1.

[lightingale]

I have the Badger Renegade Krome 2 in 1. It's a fantastic airbrush, and was about $100.

The hard part for me was the air compressor. There are some very nice and reasonably-priced brands in the USA, but they cost double in Canada, and the USA dealers aren't allowed to ship them to Canada. So, I got a tiny little $70 compressor, and it works just fine.