I need some advice

[seadog]

i recently took a maybe rather misguided chance on one of those no name airbrushes on eBay in an attempt to get in to airbrushing without spending too much cash.
i had a couple of air cans from when i messed around with my old badger (no innuendo intended) so i hooked it up to them to test it out.
it seems ok and sprays quite fine lines but clogs very very easy. i am using acrylics which i have thinned down to within an inch of their lives and i'm still getting a lot of build up on the needle.
the components seem to be made of very cheap metals so i'm wondering if it's just the brush really.

anyway, i was looking at a Iwata HP-CS imported from Hong Kong which works out at a total of £61 inc p&p
but after reading on here about the PAASCHE VL Airbrush, i had a look in to that and saw with the current exchange rate i can get the VL set from America with the 3 tips/needles for £52 inc p&p

so.
1. is it likely that the AB i bought is the source of my problems and i should get a better one?
and
2. if you had a choice of these 2, and were looking at using it for some bike and helmet customization + a bit of fine art which would you buy??
3. are those cheap little compressors on eBay a total waste of cash??

thanks :)

[Whit]

I've got 4 lil VL's,,, had'm for several years,,,
I've got the HP-C's as well as other brushes !!!
I've always used the paints recomended for
airbrushes and never had probs other than
the normal tipdry (always a lil prob) and find
the VL's take most of the use here !!! My work
centers around signwork and involves mostly
enamels but still a certain amount of waterbase
as well for T's an such !!!
The HP-C's are great for the detail,, but the VL's
are great for laying the base and detail other
than the most intricate of detail but bear in mind
that signwork does'nt require the most intricate
of detail,, so it's depending on your uses as to
what brush(s) you'll need,,, I've always stayed
away from the "Cheeep" Bargain brushes unless
they have a track record to research from !!!
Well,,, actually,, I don't really have any "cheepies"
at all,, but,, if I was to,, I would research them !!!
2/3/4 cheepies,,, amount to 1 decent brush in the
long run,, with far fewer problems !!!
The Best Bargain I've found to date is the VL !!!

[seadog]

ok thanks.
i like the fact that the VL comes with 3 tips and 3 Bottles.. seems you get a lot for your money.
i suppose it could be quite a while before i get good enough to want something that will do even finer detail so maybe that would be the way to go.
anyway i read that it does fine lines up to 0.4mm with seems fine enough to me :)

[skin]

welcome to the show and happy airbrushing, first can i just say your air suppy is as important as your choice of airbrush, you don't need a large tank but you do need a tank so say 25 ltrs shud be ok, go for the iwata cos of its proven track record (but myne's broken at the moment).A cheap brush that i would recomened is an Aztec very versatile easy cup change, i've got 7 cup so i just load them with the colours i want and of i go.....hope this is of some help.

[seadog]

as well as the airbrush i need some advice about compressors or any other air source.
how about this to start with
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Professional-Oil-Less-Compressor-AS1800_W0QQitemZ300079200146

[Whit]

I'm thinkin you'll be needing a compressor
with a tank supply to be a really happy camper !!!

[seadog]

Think i'm going to go for the Iwata Eclipse HP-CS. seems to get much better reviews for the sort of automotive work i want to do. and at £61 inc p&p from Thailand, opposed to £115 from over here in the UK, it seems a bargain.

shame the air cans run out so fast though, cos i wont be able to afford a compressor till pay day.

[tomcat]

If you can get hold of one, use one of the big co2 bottles that pubs use, get yourself a pressure regulator from a welding supplies shop and you should be able to coble something together that will last a hell of a lot longer than the tiny little bottles intended for the job. I used this set up for a while before I took the plunge and bought a proper compressor, the bottles are really cheap to replace too (about £10-£15).

[seadog]

ok thanks. i'll look in to that.
i have a 12oz bottle for my paintball gun.. wonder how long that would last.

[seadog]

how about this with a 2 galon tank, anyone seen them before??
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-PRO-2-GALLON-MINI-PORTABLE-AIR-COMPRESSOR-FOR-TOOLS_W0QQitemZ320081194278

[tomcat]

That looks ok, kinda similar to the Simair one I have, except that cost me over £300 when I bought it about 5 years ago.

[seadog]

managed to mod an old tyre pump and slot the tube on my airbrush with a bit of plumbing tape :)
i have to leave my finger pressed down at all times while it's on and the pressure levels out at 30psi.
it's far from ideal, but it works and will do while i have a mess about n see if this is something i really want to invest in.

i'm still back and forth about which brush to get though. i have about £70 left in my paypal account this week.

maybe i should just say sod it and splash out.. maybe get this kit

IWATA STUDIO SPRINTJET COMPRESSOR
IWATA ECLIPSE AIRBRUSH BS
ARTOOL EDDIE YOUNG INSTRUCTION VIDEO
ARTOOL EDDIE YOUNG TEMPLATE
COM-ART KIT PAINTS
MEDEA AIRBRUSH CLEANER
AND FREE DELIVERY
£310 inc delivery

[Frog]

Try looking here. http://www.obeeliks.com/index.html?lang=en-gb
The harder steenbecks evolutions are good quality/value.

Michael

[seadog]

thanks for that, but i went for the Iwata HP-CS in the end. more people seem to recommend that than anything else, and at £61 imported it seems a bargain.
going to take a week to arrive so in the mean time i'm going to sort out my air source. so hopefully it wont be long before i can post up some of my messy efforts :)