Siphon vs Gravity airbrush

A

Andrew Renton

Guest
Hi everyone.
I just watched a video by the AirbrushTutor on Gravity vs Siphon airbrushes. He mentioned that some details can't be achieved with a siphon airbrush because of more air pressure required.

I recently purchased my first airbrush (Paasche Dual Action VL) and was wondering if I could get some of the details that he does in his eye / cat print and spray files (with practice of course!) or will I be limited in the amount of detail with my siphon airbrush?

Thanks,

Andrew
 
You're talking maybe being restricted to .5mm lines vs being able to do lines that are literally the width of a hair. because its not going to spray well at 15psi.
These numbers are just estimates off the top of my head but its something like that.
Anyway how about an intro in the introductions section?
 
Just added a post to the introductions! Sorry.

So, pretty much the lines for a hobbyist (not hard core artist) will still be ok then! Thank you .
 
Thin lines come with lots of practise, confidence and speed.
You’ll be physically restricted as to how fine a line is achievable by the paint viscosity and the fact that siphons require slightly higher pressure in order to work than gravity feed brushes
If you bought the kit that has the 3 different needle/nozzle sizes the the .55 is the smallest. So again you’ll have a physical limitation. The ‘micron’ brushes Are commonly .18 so are physically capable of fine lines as well as a working psi of 10 or less
 
You can get pretty good detail with a siphon gun. Harder & Steenbeck makes a 0.15 siphon gun. Yes you will need a bit more air pressure but with training you can get ultra fine lines. If the eye tutorial is the one we all tried when it came out then you can definitely do it with that gun.
 
There is a video somewhere of a guy spraying really small skulls with a siphon feed airbrush- so it all comes down to practice and skill. Yes, a gravity fed AB will make it easier to do fine detail work, but its not totally impossible!
 
Sweet! Thanks.

I think the AirbrushTutor only has the one eye tutorial on his website to pay for - so, yeah - can’t wait!

Also saw another video where someone put paper behind glass in a frame. He airbrushed onto the glass and could then wipe it off. Served him well as a training tool. Reckon I’m going to try that too!

Of course I can’t find it now to credit the person here!
 
Here's something you might consider. If you are working on a horizontal or near horizontal surface and using the metal cup that comes with the VL, you essentially have gravity feed.

Don
 
I have a micron B and sb.
With the sb it is easier to make fine work.
I have noticed when I make fine details for a long time with the sb I sometimes have to spray through to pick up the paint again.
You do not have that with the B. Because the paint is under pressure.
I think that is also the reason that in the beginning of the line just more paint comes out.
This is only noticeable when you use ink or very thin paint.
 
"Detail" is a relative thing... are we talking 0.1mm micro dots on a credit card picture of a car or are we talking the same car on a 10 x 15m mural...

Practice and familiarity with your tools are the most important thing.
 
Sweet! Thanks.

I think the AirbrushTutor only has the one eye tutorial on his website to pay for - so, yeah - can’t wait!

Also saw another video where someone put paper behind glass in a frame. He airbrushed onto the glass and could then wipe it off. Served him well as a training tool. Reckon I’m going to try that too!

Of course I can’t find it now to credit the person here!

I believe it was Seamonkey who practised on glass, a very good idea. Any practise is good so a tutorial is good to start with.

Lee
 
I believe it was Seamonkey who practised on glass, a very good idea. Any practise is good so a tutorial is good to start with.

Lee

I too saw someone in a you tube video doing practice stuff on glass. Said it was much cheaper than buying paper all the time, as once finished, you just scraped it off and start afresh. Also it was good practice to get the feel and hang of painting on a solid/slippery surface as it made you more aware of your air pressures and trigger finger. If I had some glass lying around, I would definitely have a go at that.
 
I too saw someone in a you tube video doing practice stuff on glass. Said it was much cheaper than buying paper all the time, as once finished, you just scraped it off and start afresh. Also it was good practice to get the feel and hang of painting on a solid/slippery surface as it made you more aware of your air pressures and trigger finger. If I had some glass lying around, I would definitely have a go at that.
Just need a bottom dollar picture frame. Which is kinda cool cuz you can throw a picture in there to practice over.
Truth be told glass spiders quite a bit easier than say an automotive surface thats sanded to 600-800 grit. So if you have a hang of that you have actually built some safety margin in
 

100 psi siphon feed(100 psi info in description of video). He can do lines. Better then me at 10 psi lol

edit; I wonder how much money this guy can earn in one day -.-
 
thats @Seamonkey :) (aka Josh)
Its a great thing to do, i tried it and it certainly trains you on psi and reduction very quickly
You can put the training pages underneath, or rip out some pages of a kids coloring book, or print some off the internet.
use a single edge razor blade to scrape off the dry paint, clean off with some windex , let it dry and you're all good for round 2, 3 and 20 :)
 
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thats @Seamonkey :) (aka Josh)
Its a great thing to do, i tried it and it certainly trains you on psi and reduction very quickly
You can put the training pages underneath, or rip out some pages of a kids coloring book, or print some off the internet.
use a single edge razor blade to scrape off the dry paint, clean off with some windex , let it dry and you're all good for round 2, 3 and 20 :)
I remember him from the tooth shoot video :) That was funny and it sure stayed in my memory lol
 
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