Airbrushing

[rdf1967]

hey all.

I just purchased a cheap airbrush kit off amazon to start using it to do some finishing and dying on my work. I am no expert on airbrushes and could use some advise on dyes. I have always applied by hand and am very fond of the Eco Flo Pro line. My question is basically this.

Will I be able to use these same dyes with the airbrush. ( air brush is a g 44 from TCP Global)

Will I have to dilute dye

Can I use Acrylic Resolene thrugh this brush

Any help would be happily accepted thank you

rdf1967

[billybopp]

Yes. Yes. and Yes.

The Eco Flo Pro dyes are relatively thick, so will need to be diluted to airbrush well. Water should work fine to dilute the eco-flow, AND the resolene. Thin to about the consistency of whole milk, or thereabouts.

Be sure to clean your airbrush often and carefully. With some acrylics (like resolene) you have to clean even during use if you're covering larger areas. With dyes, you'll want to clean between colors. And you'll need to do a very thorough cleaning after every time you use the airbrush VERY soon after use. I'm not familiar with your airbrush, but there should have been directions included on how to disassemble and clean it. I keep a jar of water with a bit of vinegar and a drop or so of dish detergent for quick cleaning such as between colors, and another with plain water to rinse any residue from vinegar and soap. After use, I use the same formula right after spraying, before disassembling the airbrush ... then I follow that with a couple of rounds in an ultrasonic cleaner. The ultrasonic might be overkill, but I had it around, and figured "why not!"

Bill

[CrazedLemming]

Resolene and other acrylics seem prone to forming little blobs that clog an airbrush even when diluted. Making a filter bottle is really cheap and easy though.

Here is an entire thread on spraying resolene: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=67014

[club49]

I stopped using resolene and other finishes with my air brush.It doesn't seem to be worth the time and effort it takes to clean it.

[Olle P]

I've done some airbrushing, mostly on R/C car bodies though.

First I used a very cheap single stage airbrush, and it was a pain to use.

Each time I stopped spraying for ~30 seconds (or more) the device required disassembly and cleaning (which took about five minutes) or it would first splutter and then stop spraying completely as the acrylic paint hardened at the nozzle.

Then I got a double action airbrush, much like the G44, and it's okay. Needs much less maintenance during work!

For my leather work I've this far only used it to apply R.O.C. S20 Leather gloss.

I went from sponge to airbrush in order to avoid smearing the previously applied colour(s).

The S20 is runny like water, so the process is very simple.

I consider using the airbrush for (Eco-Flo) dye as well, when applied to larger surfaces. That dye is also very runny, so I don't expect having to thin it out just for using an airbrush.

[Colt W Knight]

I finally broke down and bought an Iwata airbrush and it runs 10x better and cleaner than my cheap brushes. Still needs cleaned frequently though. I think I am going to invest in an ultrasonic cleaner.

I really like using an airbrush on my leather work, I get a lot better result than when I did everything by hand.

Edited March 3, 2016 by Colt W Knight