Setup

[aus jd 2703]

hey i own a big compressor non hobby type and a little cheap bunnings type worth $30 aus and use faskolor paints and just the best masking tape i could find but what other stuff do i need and should i look for? what paints what masking stuff knives reamer?? all that saught of stuff
please and thank you

[Piggy89373]

Jd, from the sounds of things, you have just about everything you need to paint. But, here's a few other things to look for:

Masking
Quite a few people on the boards use Bob Dively's Liquid Mask. If your lhs doesn't carry it, it can be ordered on line at Tower Hobbies. It's great stuff, easy to use, and there's more than one tutorial and application thread about it. Some, like Seb, do incredible work using painters masking tape. 3M makes a great low tack tape, take a look at some of Seb's work to see how great the stuff can be.

Reamer
For a while, like many, I was using a dremel rotary tool to do body posts and other small round holes. Because of the flare of melted lexan, it was a bit annoying trimming that off. So, I broke down and bought a reamer from Tower Hobbies. It's one of the best investments I've made. It's easy to use and you get a perfect circle every time.

Cooling holes
There's a couple of threads on here dealing with cutting cooling holes. Some use the Ofna Circle cutter, others use an Xacto knife to score the circle and pop the lexan out, and others use the dremel. Much of it is personal preference.

Cutting Tools
You can't go wrong with Xacto knives (or similar hobby knives). There's a million in one uses that always involve cutting you own finger in the process. :D For blades, the popular consensus is to use the scalpel style blade. The curved edge provides plenty of cutting surface for carving into liquid mask, masking tape, lexan, and the occasional finger.

Compressor Attachments
Since you have a large compressor, make use of it. Larger compressors, IMO, are better than the hobby compressors. Make sure you have a moisture trap to remove any water before it gets to your airbrush. It'll save you quite a bit of frustration.

Paints
Paints are really a personal preference. Many use faskolor, others prefer Pactra. As long as it's for polycarbonate surfaces, it's a good paint to use. Some are easier than other to use. Lacquer paints typically spray much easier and smoother than enamels, but the overspray and fumes usually turn people away from lacquers. It's up to you.

This is just a general overview of things you might want. These are not a must have (maybe with the exception of the moisture trap). It doesn't matter what additional stuff you have and the latest and greatest equipment to spray with, it all comes down to the painter to make something awe inspiring. Have fun with whatever you have. You've come to the right place for advice, there's some extremely talented folks on here who are more than willing to help you out.

[aus jd 2703]

what do you think of the parma f1 air brush ive heard its good and i know my little cheapy cant do great jobs so is this a wise up grade or are there others on the market that are better value

[Piggy89373]

There's plenty of air brushes out there. For the most part, you get what you pay for. Iwata's are fantastic brushes to use, but a bit pricey averaging more than US$100. Paasche VL's have been getting great reviews because of their affordability and quality. You can pick up Paasche's for US$60, check ebay for the best deals. Badger makes some decent brushes as well. I have the 155 and think it's a great general purpose brush.

With airbrushes, it doesn't matter if it's a cheapy or a $400 masterpiece, it's what you like best and what you work with best. It's not the airbrush that makes the paint jobs, it's the person holding the brush.

Your best bet is to practice with your brush before upgrading. Get some experience in so you know what to expect and what to look for when shopping for a new brush.

[kitty]

Wow, great info, Piggy! A few minor corrections, though...

1) The circle cutter is made by Olfa, not Ofna. Olfa makes all sorts of cutting tools (ask anyone who sews) and they make a pretty darned good cutting mat. I use my old one when I'm wrenching. I can cut anything on it without worry and chemical oopsies are much easier to clean off.

2) When I was shopping for a Paasche airbrush, I found better deals on them at Dixieart (http://www.dixieart.com). There were a few auctions that had slightly lower prices, but after shipping they were more than at Dixieart because they have free shipping on orders over $45. When I decided on the VLST Pro in the wood box over the VLS set, Dixieart was one of the few places that sell it.

[aus jd 2703]

hey how do u acheive fine shading like on the edge of flames etc
and what do you practice on is there something cheaper than actuall bodies i cant afford 45$ aus a pop the paint alone is dear for me
hey thanks for the info its what i hope id here and then more thanks piggy

[Piggy89373]

Fine lines and shading are achieved using double action (usually) airbrushes and lots of practice, practice, and more practice.

For practice, I'd recommend looking through the tutorials by Don Johnson on airbrushtechnique.com. He has some great practical exercises to help you become a better artist.

For practice on lexan, use a coke bottle cut in half. It's the same material, so it'll give you actual experience of how everything will lay out. Another option is to pick up some plexiglass sheets. I don't recommend using polycarbonate paints on it because you'll want to re-use it. Instead, pick up some cheap ceramic paints to practice on the plexiglass. This will teach you how much you need to thin paints as well as how things will come out on lexan. When finished, a bit of windex and you have a blank plexiglass canvas to work on. :D

[aus jd 2703]

cool should i thin my faskolor paints out or are they fine and how do i know if mine is a dual action air brush???

[Piggy89373]

Thin faskolor only enough to spray them evenly.

Single action airbrushes the trigger only controls the airflow.

Double action airbrushs, the trigger controls air flow and paint flow.

There's a number of threads on double action vs single action airbrushes. I'd recommend you take a look through them to learn a bit more about them. You might get some paint ideas as well as ideas on what your next airbrush will be.