What should I do?

[Aardy54@54-Design]

Okay - airbrush ( http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=230148477050&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=013 ) and compressor ( http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=250137361209&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=015 ) are on their way, and while its gonna be a LONG weekend waiting for my new toys to arrive, I'm sure there's something I can do to prepare for its arrival. What should I get, make, do to be ready to start shooting paint once it gets here?
I'm more of a "just do it/try it" kinda person, so once it gets here, unless there's a whole bunch of suggestions to do so, the box gets ripped open, things get assembled and I give it a try while the "user manual/directions" sit there on the desk .... yes I'm the typical "new toy - I gotta play" kinda guy LOL

So, since I dont have anything for airbrushing yet, what should I go buy to get ready? Paints, thinners, clean-up supplies, etc???

And a real stupid question - do I need multiple airbrushes to do multiple colors or different type of paints or can I just have different bottles of paint ready to go and just change bottle and spray out the previous color onto say a test board?

[Whit]

Good Price on that lil brush !!!
You're gonna enjoy it,,, Happy Squirtin !!!

[redanner]

Aardy e-bay is where I bought my airbrushes! Its exciting, I decide from the get-go how much I want to spend and if I win great and if i don't then there will be another time. People really go crazy at the end trying to win, especially on the Iwatas.

[Aardy54@54-Design]

I'm an ebay addict :D
Got a ton of my rolls of vinyl from there, my cutter, my software, my laptop hardware upgrades, etc... I have to attribute much of my sign shop assets/equipment to ebaying - I love the challange of finding what I want then trying to "guess" what a fair max bid within my budget will allow & what others have already bid(if other bids) its a lil like playin poker LOL

So I got the wrong kind of compressor huh? Well that bites ... I could probably plumb in a small 1/4gal or 1/2gal holding tank. Not sure about an auto psi cutoff switch is within my capabilities, but if not I know a couple guys who work on pnuematics for a living, I'll ask their help.

So that was good price for that brush then?? Sweet! Was hoping not to drop too much into this at the beginning not knowing if I'd have the knack (or patience) for it. K - Walmart has also been my friend, so what kind of paint from there is decent start-out/practice paint? Do I thin that down & if so with what? I'm already jonesin' and still got at least 1 more day of not having it here yet.

[ABD]

So I got the wrong kind of compressor huh? Well that bites ... I could probably plumb in a small 1/4gal or 1/2gal holding tank. Not sure about an auto psi cutoff switch is within my capabilities, but if not I know a couple guys who work on pnuematics for a living, I'll ask their help.
.

I'd go that route for now...Get yerself a Tank and plumb it........ Them lil buggers with no tanks get real hot...makes some major moisture in yer hose.....I'd say it's fine for little 15min spurts of painting.(Or filling a Tank).......I remember my old lil comp..After an hour straight of spraying I'd have 2" of water sitting in my trap....Good luck:)




EDIT....I looked at the link just now (comp).....Hahahaa..It's they same one I was talking about,hahaha...loud, Hot and no on/off switch..Gotta plug/unplug....(I rigged a switch in mine..Got really annoying).........That might not even be very good with an external Tank??..I'm not sure that lil guy pushes more than 20Psi.......I dunno..Just an opinion....I still have mine collecting dust..Still works, probably 15yrs old now,hahaha!

[Aardy54@54-Design]

well poopsies - so much for thinking I was doin good to start out with. Okay, so if I re-ebay it & sell it, what kind of compressor thing should I get? I dont wanna spend a ton, but dont want to get something that I'll need to upgrade 2 weeks from now either....

[Aardy54@54-Design]

We're probably making aardy feel terrible now Dell. Poor lil feller... should have asked us first right? lol Can we go back in time and get Ron to send him are way last week?

Dots and daggers will bore you to death anyway aardy after 15 minutes so you'll be fine for the first few days.

Dots and daggers?? - not sure what that means, but I'm planning on starting out full bore wide open left foot through the floorboard (remember I'm a racer lol) so trying flames on scrap vinyl or spare glossy photo paper will probably happen within the first 1/2hr of me messing with it. :yes:
Yeah, guess I shoulda waited a bit & asked more, but I'm not a good waiter (you want fries with that? :jump: )

[ABD]

I'm not 100% sure..But I'd think just for ABing..You could get away with one of those small donut shaped tank compressors..1-2 gallon..Like a nail gun compressor almost........I went from that lil guy you posted to a giant..60gallon..For Airbrush and my big guns, prime/base/clear type painting all in one.

[Aardy54@54-Design]

What is the largest thing you think you might be painting in the future? Do you think you'll ever want to lay a basecoat and clear or will what you do only teeny one airbrush jobbies?Just doing highlights on vinyl you won't need a huge one

Yeah, mainly just highlights, glows, shadowing, etc. on the vinyl for signage. Might give a try to do a full body kart (http://team54.aardvarkengineering.com) like what I did with the rattle can, but that'll be quite awhile before I feel comfortable enough for something like that with an airbrush, so hopefully I'll be able to make use of that lil D500 for a few weeks or so at least to get used to the feel of holding it and sprayin'.

[Aardy54@54-Design]

Ah ha! You didn't read the Back To Basics pages yet have you?!?
Do you think you will ever want to use a mini gun or full size spray gun?

Naw, not been to back to basics pages yet - I been reading diff stuff on here and getting a bit overloaded with diff info (only so much my goofy brain cells can handle at once)

Oh heck no - I'm too deep into the vinyl graphics to start workin on paintin too. 8hrs a day at the day job (mgr/lead designer at local sign shop) then about 8-9hrs a day at my own vinyl graphics and sign business (54-Design) - try to fit a lil family racing in there somewhere plus sleep, shower, eats, & there's really no time to dive into another element ... 'sides it'd take me 2 lifetimes to get even 1% as good as ya'll so I'll leave the bigger stuff to the real pros. Basically I'll just stick to the airbrush for adding effects to my main medium of vinyl.

[Aardy54@54-Design]

How big are the karts? The Vl even with the #5 needle and tip won't have as large a spray pattern as an aerosol

pic of the 3 I did with my sponsor's spray can (Duplicolor) is on main page here:
http://team54.aardvarkengineering.com

[airarts]

Great deal on those!! The little compressors are ideal for traveling with!

[Aardy54@54-Design]

Great deal on those!! The little compressors are ideal for traveling with!

So the D500 is worth keeping around then for maybe in the race trailer for quick at-track touch-ups?

[Aardy54@54-Design]

kart body overall is about 9" high on the flat vertical, about 8" wide on the flat horizontal, the nose it cord height of 15" tall and cord width of 41" prolly just a bit under 72" long overall from tip of front nose to backmost part.

IHDK what kida of paint duplicolor is LOL - I approached them for sponsorship, they sent me $800 worth of paint so I started painting everything with it all LOL - I know it aint water based cuz none of it came off during the rain races I've done, but it do come off when it comes in contact with another kart hahahahaha

[Aardy54@54-Design]

Okay - my ebay addiction has caught me again ... there's a bunch of Creatix paint and a big ol master set of House of Kolor on there. The HoK set of I think 36 colors is like $199.95 (bit on the high side to me for just startin out learnin)

So what paint to start with should I get? Creatix or HoK - and which one works better on stuff like Oracal 651 calandered and 751 cast vinyl?