Rookie, Beginner, Weekend Hack Non-Artist!

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OldFatBald

Guest
Hello all!
I found this site a bit of a while ago and have lurking around it and of course rabbit holing through YouTube.
First, let me say, unlike most of your folks, I am NOT an artist. When I was young, I wanted to be an artist but with no skills I ended up with circle templates, straight edges and ended up becoming a design engineer.

I also LOVE taking a perfectly good car, motorcycle or boat, tearing it apart, spending a bunch of time (and money) on em and making them mine! My current ride is a ’65 Caddy Deville Drop Top that lays frame.

Anyways about a year and a half ago I got into painting (automotive) and have so far only done small projects, some subwoofer boxes (that I made) and a couple of motorcycle tanks with pretty simple graphics. They have come out pretty well for a rookie weekender hack.

I have a nice upright 60 gallon upright tank with a 6-hp compressor and an air treatment wall.
That has been my latest crack-like addiction, started with one set of cheap spray guns (Devilbiss Starting Lines), which turned into needing a better spray gun (Devilbiss Finish Line), which led to another better spray gun, selling the first two cheapies guns and getting a better spray gun (Sagola 4600), then another (Sagola 4600) for only clears, then picking up an ANI R150 mini-gun along with a Sagola Mini-Extreme for more detail candies and pearls, then of course a full size ANI F150 for spraying flakes.

And now I have been looking at some airbrushes mostly for shading using the automotive basecoat paints in candies and pearls.
Most of my work will be on horizontal laid surfaces.

But now I am lost as I have been looking at everything from:
Devilbiss Dagr – I like the removable larger cup
Iwata Eclipse HP CS – Seems like the cup is kinda small for what I want to do
Iwata Eclipse HP BCS Siphon Bottle Feed – Now were talking…
Iwata Rg-3L – Cant find any real reviews or information – decent (cheap) price
Iwata Eclipse G3 – Now that really looks familiar! I can get a larger cup also but a bit pricey
Iwata Eclipse G6 fitted with a siphon bottle or the optional cup! Again a little pricy

Anyway, this turned into a little more than an introduction and I guess I should post some questions over in the Rookie, Beginner, Weekend Hack section!
 
Hello all!
I found this site a bit of a while ago and have lurking around it and of course rabbit holing through YouTube.
First, let me say, unlike most of your folks, I am NOT an artist. When I was young, I wanted to be an artist but with no skills I ended up with circle templates, straight edges and ended up becoming a design engineer.

I also LOVE taking a perfectly good car, motorcycle or boat, tearing it apart, spending a bunch of time (and money) on em and making them mine! My current ride is a ’65 Caddy Deville Drop Top that lays frame.

Anyways about a year and a half ago I got into painting (automotive) and have so far only done small projects, some subwoofer boxes (that I made) and a couple of motorcycle tanks with pretty simple graphics. They have come out pretty well for a rookie weekender hack.

I have a nice upright 60 gallon upright tank with a 6-hp compressor and an air treatment wall.
That has been my latest crack-like addiction, started with one set of cheap spray guns (Devilbiss Starting Lines), which turned into needing a better spray gun (Devilbiss Finish Line), which led to another better spray gun, selling the first two cheapies guns and getting a better spray gun (Sagola 4600), then another (Sagola 4600) for only clears, then picking up an ANI R150 mini-gun along with a Sagola Mini-Extreme for more detail candies and pearls, then of course a full size ANI F150 for spraying flakes.

And now I have been looking at some airbrushes mostly for shading using the automotive basecoat paints in candies and pearls.
Most of my work will be on horizontal laid surfaces.

But now I am lost as I have been looking at everything from:
Devilbiss Dagr – I like the removable larger cup
Iwata Eclipse HP CS – Seems like the cup is kinda small for what I want to do
Iwata Eclipse HP BCS Siphon Bottle Feed – Now were talking…
Iwata Rg-3L – Cant find any real reviews or information – decent (cheap) price
Iwata Eclipse G3 – Now that really looks familiar! I can get a larger cup also but a bit pricey
Iwata Eclipse G6 fitted with a siphon bottle or the optional cup! Again a little pricy

Anyway, this turned into a little more than an introduction and I guess I should post some questions over in the Rookie, Beginner, Weekend Hack section!
Welcome to the Forum, OldFatBald! Nothing wrong with your starting point. Sounds like you've got the big stuff and want to go smaller. I've started from the "other end" of the scale, as it were, with models. Lots of people here to offer advice and recommendations on everything airbrush / spray gun related. Many of us are not full time artists and have daytime jobs, so weekend hacking is a fact of life.
You've been looking the Iwatas over, I see. Very good airbrushes and that Eclipse HP BCS is pretty good for a siphon feed. I have a Badger Anthem 155 which is somewhat similar.
Where are you located, geographically speaking?
 
Welcome home oldfart
I am not an artist I just play one on TV LOL , I got into airbrushing due to cars and bikes , Mostly because I have a 54 Pontiac 2d ht and want an American Indian theme painted on it and the only local place that does airbrush gave me a price that would be a nice down payment on a freaking house.
I am old school and figure if he can learn to do so could I .
Like most things in life the more you do it and more practice time you put in on it the better you will get.
 
Thanks HellBird

...and that Eclipse HP BCS is pretty good for a siphon feed.
I keep leaning that way, seems like a pretty good price point.

Where are you located, geographically speaking?
Just start where you are located and go left!! I am located in Napa CA
 
Welcome home oldfart
I am not an artist I just play one on TV LOL , I got into airbrushing due to cars and bikes , Mostly because I have a 54 Pontiac 2d ht and want an American Indian theme painted on it and the only local place that does airbrush gave me a price that would be a nice down payment on a freaking house.
I am old school and figure if he can learn to do so could I .
Like most things in life the more you do it and more practice time you put in on it the better you will get.

Same thing here, too cheap to pay someone else something I can screw up, sand off, rinse and repeat!


54 Poncho, nice sled!
 
Welcome form New Zealand! Looking at what you want to do you'll end up with a couple of brushes. The Eclipse is a great workhorse!
 
Welcome aboard from Australia.

artistic ability is not prerequisit, we can help you to achieve what you want to achieve. although there are a few member here that appear to have been born with artistic ability coursing through their veins.
 
Hello to you too. That's quite a nickname :) I can draw lines, dots, combinations of lines and dots. That's it. I'm just beginning too and although I've probably airbrushed 15 hours now, I'm still drawing lines, dots, combinations of lines and dots :) But it is REALLY fun! I've started a skull painting using a stencil and plan to do a follow-along YouTube tutorial to start learning some artistic type stuff using the skull as a practice piece so to speak. I can get the paint to flow pretty good out the brush and can do some blending. It's so fun. Have fun here and I'm sure I'll bump into you again.
 
Welcome to the forum! I think you will find a lot of us on here have little to no artistic ability. I'm much more skilled at buying airbrushes than I am at using them.

I would say that for what you want to do, you're probably correct in looking at a siphon feed brush. Iwatas are very popular and a very good choice.
 
Welcome from the UK. I have no artistic experience either. I rarely drew anything as a kid, but I’ve found a real love for airbrushing through the automotive field much like you. For what it’s worth I think the Eclipse BCS will be a great choice for what you’re wanting at this point. It’ll throw a good amount of paint and is a very forgiving brush for learning with. I have the gravity fed version myself and love it.


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Thanks everyone for the kind words, as looking over some of the folk's work is a little intimidating to say the least.

I posted a question over in the Newb, Rookie, Beginner, Weekend Hack section (I think that is what is called) and have already received some great suggestions.
 
Thanks everyone for the kind words, as looking over some of the folk's work is a little intimidating to say the least.

I posted a question over in the Newb, Rookie, Beginner, Weekend Hack section (I think that is what is called) and have already received some great suggestions.
Check out some of mine Buddy, you’ll soon feel better LOL.
But in all seriousness, the beauty of this forum is that the people capable of that incredible level of artistry are also here to help the likes of you and me with our issues. Isn’t that incredible!


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...But in all seriousness, the beauty of this forum is that the people capable of that incredible level of artistry are also here to help the likes of you and me with our issues. Isn’t that incredible!

100% AGREED! Truly the good side of the internet!
 
100% AGREED! Truly the good side of the internet!
I’ve been here for around 6 months and I’ll see one of the superstars posts up their latest masterpiece, after I’ve finished marvelling it always goes through my mind that this person capable of that took the time to give me advice, and it blows my mind again lol.
We’re supremely lucky to have the people who run the forum and the awesome members that we have. You’re part of that now, so get painting, post up whatever you’ve done and help and support will be on the way [emoji3].


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The support bus is only a yell away, the shine is under Mr.Microns control and the cuddle jackets were on your left when you came in the door.
 
Thank you guys, I have barely been on this site for a little more than a week and have already spent over $360!! Iwata SBS, couple of extra jars, some tools, filters, a hose, quick connect with a valve, blah, blah, blah and it is still too cold to lay down any paint!!! And then there is that Iwata G5, looks like a mini-mini Spray gun - it keeps talking to me!

Thinking I should maybe be back charging some of you folks........
 
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Thank you guys, I have barely been on this site for a little more than a week and have already spent over $360!! Iwata SBS, couple of extra jars, some tools, filters, a hose, quick connect with a valve, blah, blah, blah and it is still too cold to lay down any paint!!! And then there is that Iwata G5, looks like a mini-mini Spray gun - it keeps talking to me!

Thinking I should maybe be back charging some of you folks........

Welcome to the AAD club, always happy to see new members:D
 
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Thank you guys, I have barely been on this site for a little more than a week and have already spent over $360!! Iwata SBS, couple of extra jars, some tools, filters, a hose, quick connect with a valve, blah, blah, blah and it is still too cold to lay down any paint!!! And then there is that Iwata G5, looks like a mini-mini Spray gun - it keeps talking to me!

Thinking I should maybe be back charging some of you folks........

Nice gear! I love my SBS :)
 
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