Airbrush to body paint faster?

[asiancop]

So this past Labor Day I attended Dragon Con in Atlanta. It's a huge sci-fi/Fantasy convention with a lot of costumers. I was asked to paint a guy as the Hulk. Solid green with some shading and highlights to accentuate the muscle. Anyway it took a really long time. The green did not seem to coat too well and required a lot of coats. I know that may have had something to do with the paint. But I know the airbrush size and circular pattern also had a lot to do with the time.

So what kind of airbrush would you all recommend for faster whole body painting? Should I try a HVLP, and if so which brand? Will one of the cheap 60 dollar versions work? And are there any modifications or setup changes require to use it with the airbrush compressor? IE are the fitting sizes different?

I need to be able to paint a lot faster as I already have been requested to paint the same guy AND 2 to 3 more people. Some upgrades in equipment are definitely needed and I would appreciate the advice.

PS. I already plan to try Trendy Tribal paints and also some sort of alcohol based paints as well, so suggestions regarding this would be appreciated also.

[AndyW]

May be wrong but maybe looking at getting a mini jet HVLP to spray all the base colour.

[Whit]

Just a thought,, (I've never tried it) but what about dabbing it on there,,,
with an applicator for shoe polish (polish removed/refill with paint) for
larger areas it seems you could lay the paint heavy enough to cover,,,
most colors work best on a white base but in this case ???????
Good Luck on it

[Neil]

What airbrush are you using now?
What nozzle size?
What brand paint?what air pressure?
And how long did it take?

[asiancop]

I have 2 airbrushes. Both are Master brand. My G22 has a .3mm needle. It only has about a 1 and 1/2 inch spray pattern, and I use it at about 15-20 psi. My S68 has a .35mm needle. It has a 2 inch spray pattern and I use it at about 15-20 psi. I know that I need something that can do a fan spray pattern of about 4 inches wide for better coverage. I read about HVLP's but wanted some advice about which brands and type to get. I am trying to avoid having to buy a $300-$400 Iwata that has a larger spray pattern.

The paints I have used were the Body Air paints by Aquaflow. These paints have to be thinned with water, and it took several clogged tips for me to figure out the right amount of water to add. Neil I will definitely be trying the premixed and ready to go Trendy Tribals that you have suggested.

It took me about 3 hours to paint him, this was legs, arms, face, and neck. I didn't have to paint his torso because of the outfit he was wearing but it still took a long time. The green just did not seem to coat well and cover the natural skin color so it took several coats which caused it to take longer. A few days later I painted him again but this time in Red. This went a bit faster as the red coated very well. It was about 2 hours that time. I had some technical issues with clogging (see above) and think those issues will be resolved with a change in type of paint and some upgraded equipment.

[Neil]

Painting a full body should take way less than an hour.We use Vega airbrushes with the #3 needle spraying at 20psi AT THE AIRBRUSH! Using A high volume spray gun uses way more paint than an airbrush,something to think about when it comes to money and profits. A quality makeup like Trendy Tribals will make a great difference in both coverage and time.
~Neil
www.getpainted.com
Painting America one body at a time

[asiancop]

Something like this Neil?

http://cgi.ebay.com/VEGA-V2000-63-AIRBRUSH-KIT-BRAND-NEW-SEALED-/320586294057?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aa46ea329

[Neil]

That's it and with a great price

[asiancop]

Okay so I got my Vega 2000 but I am a little upset. Apparently this airbrush has been out for a while and I can only use the airhose that comes with it because the connection point on the airbrush is smaller than on my quick disconnects and all my other airhoses. Additionally the other end that connects to the air compressor is a large fitting end and won't even fit on my air compressor. Since you use these Neil I am assuming that you have found some sort of adapters to compensate for this, can you tell where and what I need to get?

[Neil]

Get a male QC for a Badger air hose, that should work with your QC.
I use QCs on the compressor end to my manifold and QCs on the manifold also