Do I Really Need An Airbrush For Dying Leather With Acrylic Dye?

[DavidL]

Hi David thank you for your reply. That's interesting what you are saying about an additive. If there was such a thing that would be great. I like the sound of your patches of leather idea / setting up an business on Etsy in the future it sounds weird. Weird = good. I am also thinking about starting a shop on Etsy UK in the future making bondage harnesses. You can do really well on there. That's where Zana Bayne the leather / bondage / accessories designer started selling her stuff and look at her now - she's a fully fledged backed fashion label! I will check out your shop in the future as it sounds interesting and will let you know when I have some things made to sell also.

I will let you know when I do start selling goods. Thanks for the kind words. Do u have any background of zana bayne I'm interested how she made the change from etsy to runway.

As for the paint gun or airbrush I would have to go with an airbrush w/ a fan tip since it can do fades and it can also spray upwards to 3 inches spray pattern. With the gun you can get close to 5- 6 inches but no close control. I can't say for the quality of the cheap 50 dollar spray guns (100 may be good quality) but for the 100 dollar airbrush w/ siphon feed (Iwata eclipse) you can spray a 2 inch pattern. With a paasche talon siphon you can spray 3 inches with the optional fan tip.

Another thing to add cleaning a spray gun in between colours will take a lot longer than a tiny airbrush, and much longer if its a siphon feed airbrush.

What you should do is figure out is:

What do u want to spray out of your gun?

How big of a spray pattern do you want? is 2 inches enough? is 3? or 5-6

Do u want to do fades?

Do u want a siphon feed(Change colours faster, wash faster) or a gravity feed (more fine line detail typically)

a video of the iwata eclipse - 100 USD - shows the wide spray pattern. If you are doing an entire hide 20 sq then a spray gun is a better choice. Do keep in mind you can just cut out pieces and spray with an airbrush. If your business ends up doing a lot of bags then you could get a spray gun in addition to your airbrush.

*Buying large equipment and sewing machines are typically better after the business has been registered to write off the equipment in your taxes. If its a small expense and practicing is more important then you it can be rolled over into business.

Edited September 11, 2014 by DavidL

[HC009]

Thanks David, I will look into things now. Yes, I read it in an interview with her - she started selling on etsy 1 piece then it became 2/3 then more and then she said when she started her blog then things really started changing for her.

[Gump]

The touch up spray gun was designed for automotive paint and should handle any paint. Only uses between 40-50psi, and will spray from a fine mist to a 6-8" wide full fan, with total volume control. Air pressure, air volume and paint volume are fully adjustable. As I said before, my paasche airbrush was constantly plugging and spitting and with the touch up gun, no problems yet. As for cleaning, just put your thinner/water in the pot and spray through, then just wipe off gun, no need to disassemble. It is a gravity feed gun. Much more efficient on large areas. Gump

[HC009]

ok great.

[HC009]

Hi Gump, can you tell me the make of your spray gun model at all please as I am having trouble finding a touch up spray gun that does more than 3"? You say your's does upto 6-8" which is what I am looking for.

[Gump]

It is a Vaper hvlp touch up gun with 0.8mm nozzle. The listed spray pattern is 7.1- 9.8". I purchased it at Princess Auto. It lists for $34.99 cdn. Gump

[HC009]

Thank you for that Gump. Much appreciated.

[HC009]

Hi Gump, do you find the 100cc cup is enough to work with or does it get used up really fast and also do you have to do several coats of acrylic because it has to be thinned to be useable? Say for if you do 2 shoulders.

Edited September 13, 2014 by heavenlychoirs

[billybopp]

Keep in mind if you are to use a touch up paint gun that you need an air compressor that is matched to it. The little "silent" compressors that work fine with airbrushes will not provide enough airflow for a bigger paint gun.

Look at the spec for the gun you are getting. You should find a CFM (Cubic Feet / Minute) spec. The compressor should ideally provide more than that amount of air, or at least have a relatively large air tank if it doesn't provide that much air. Bigger compressors are usually also noisier, which may or may not be a factor for you, but give it a thought!

Hope that helps

Bill

[Colt W Knight]

If you are dying large areas, an airbrush is not the tool for the job. A small HVLP gravity fed spray gun ( used to spray automotive paint) is the way to go. You can get an inexpensive one from any major hardware dealer, even stores like Wal Mart. With a little practice, you can lay down some amazing color with a HVLP. Clean up is a cinch if you use water based products.

Here is a 12$ one from Harbor Freight I have used to paint custom electric guitars. These cheapos are prone to breaking, and don't hold adjustment well. But you don't need expensive paint guns to lay down a nice finish.

Edited September 14, 2014 by Colt W Knight