Micron or Infinity... decisons... decisions...

In my expirience, there's no discernable difference in detail ability between a CM-B and the CM-SB. I prefer the SB for a few reasons. One being no color cup to bang my finger into. Having a full view of the work is nice, too. Aztek makes a few different sized cups that fit the SB, too, so you have the option of using a bigger or smaller paint cup, based on what you want to do. The Iwata cups are nicer, but also a lot more expensive. Even if you break as Aztek cup, you're only out a few bucks. You'd think with them being plastic that they'd break after a while, but I've had a few I've been using for years that I haven't managed to break.

Cleaning, to me, seems to be about equal with a side or gravity feed. Time-wise, I don't really notice much difference. Not that I've put a stopwatch to it or anything, though.

airbrushingferret- if you're looking for ridiculous detail ability, Dru Blair is now selling the softer air valve springs through his web shop. They come from Eddy, and are the some ones used with the "supermicron" project. You wouldn't think changing the air valve spring would help that much, but it does make a difference, especially in comfort.
Also, Eddy wrote an article on airbrush tuning years ago that uses the micron. If you can find it, get your hands on it!!!! It's hard to find, though, and because of copyright issues, Eddy can't distribute the article. I was lucky enough to find Dru's copy while I was down there. Then Dru got mad that someone left it out in the library. lol. Apparently, he usually keeps that issue at home. I couldn't get the scanner to work so I could make copies, either.
But, you might be able to find it somewhere on the net, or possibly run across it on Ebay. It was in Airbrush Digest, if I remember right (whatever it's in, they don't publish it any more).
Or, if all else fails, just email Eddy or friend him on facebook. He's an unbelievably friendly guy, and LOVES to talk about airbrushes and airbrush tuning. Although getting news about the Supermicron out of him can be like pulling teeth. lol.

Also, if you look up Dr. Zsolt, he has the results of a bunch of expiriments done on microns on his page. He was working with/for Eddy for a while. There collaberation seems to have run it's course, though. At least last I heard.

Micron tuning certainly isn't for the faint of heart, or wallet, though. But you'd truely be amazed at how much better one can work, considering how well they work out of the box.

I posted a "how-to" on nozzle polishing and a few other tuning tweaks. It's either at airbrush-info.tech, or kustomkulturelounge.com, I think. It's under the screen name "draggin" or "draggin81". I'll give the old forums a look and see if I can figure out where I posted it at ;-)
 
ooo sweet i like that thanks melbee id say more but in the miidle of harvest moon 3 just checking in on a break also thanks for the info dragon
 
Did a little research on the cups and they're made for a Conopois airbrush which is made in the UK. I looked through google a bit, but couldn't find a U.S. distributor. Maybe someone on here knows of one?
 
Conopois airbrushes are about as rare as hen's teeth. They are also sold as "Rotring", but those aren't any easier to find.
 
stick with the aztek cups . i have been messing with my micron again trying to work out more fine detail with black on canvas this is the weasult i cant find my machinest scale so i stuck my dirty finger in there for scale and held up a large loop to my galaxy4 pos phonecant argue with these lines fine lines1.jpgfine lines 2.jpgwith com art reds the lines get even finer this is efx black with about 20% water im trying to practice doing life size monarch antenae and those lines in dragon fly wingsfine lines 3.jpg
 
Not to thread-jack, but airbrushingferret- I posted links to that how-to on micron tuning in a thread titled "micron mods".

ok, back to your regular programming...
 
This has been a great thread and I too have been thinking about what brush to purchase. I do not have large funds but it seems like the CM-SB is the way to go. (I now must sell more even more music equipment).

Sorry to jump in here but these are some of my questions.

Is there much difference between the responsiveness of a gravity feed verse a side feed at low PSI? Also is there much added fatigue with the wieght of the brush distubited to the side? (I have to be careful with my hands due to an injury).
 
This has been a great thread and I too have been thinking about what brush to purchase. I do not have large funds but it seems like the CM-SB is the way to go. (I now must sell more even more music equipment).

Sorry to jump in here but these are some of my questions.

Is there much difference between the responsiveness of a gravity feed verse a side feed at low PSI? Also is there much added fatigue with the wieght of the brush distubited to the side? (I have to be careful with my hands due to an injury).


Jump right in. I can't imagine there would be much, if any, discernible difference, but wiser heads will answer that one for you.
 
This has been a great thread and I too have been thinking about what brush to purchase. I do not have large funds but it seems like the CM-SB is the way to go. (I now must sell more even more music equipment).

Sorry to jump in here but these are some of my questions.

Is there much difference between the responsiveness of a gravity feed verse a side feed at low PSI? Also is there much added fatigue with the wieght of the brush distubited to the side? (I have to be careful with my hands due to an injury).

I couldn't notice any difference between the CM-B and CM-SB when it came to response, detail ability, etc. In theory, you might be able to go a few psi lower with the CM-B, but, as the great philosopher Yogi Berra said, "in theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is". So, basically, no, there's no difference that I could tell.

The paint cups on the SB are pretty light, and not really noticable, balance-wise. If it does bother your hand, you can simply move the paint cup to the other side. Or, get some of the plastic Aztek cups, which are lighter than the metal Iwata ones.

But, either way, I doubt you'll be disappointed.
 
hello everyone,my first post here;i own a 2 IN1 infinity,it was my first expensive airbrush really,and i have mix feeling about it;;we can pull hair lines easily with it and its wonderfull when its working fine,the problem is it works fine once every two times..you know,its working beautifully with,say,yellow,you clean it,change to red and it becomes a nightmare for the rest of the day..and it demands at least a 4 to 1 reduction wich sometimes its a pain using white,you have to build it many times;just my opinion,alot of owners thinks diferently.i will defenitly go iwata soon.cheers
 
hello everyone,my first post here;i own a 2 IN1 infinity,it was my first expensive airbrush really,and i have mix feeling about it;;we can pull hair lines easily with it and its wonderfull when its working fine,the problem is it works fine once every two times..you know,its working beautifully with,say,yellow,you clean it,change to red and it becomes a nightmare for the rest of the day..and it demands at least a 4 to 1 reduction wich sometimes its a pain using white,you have to build it many times;just my opinion,alot of owners thinks diferently.i will defenitly go iwata soon.cheers

First, Welcome to the forum. Go to the introductions section and introduce yourself. Depending on the paint you are using, the .15 Nozzle can be a bitch. Different colors can be more problematic than others, usually black and white are the worst. For pulling detail with white paint, try the .4 nozzle, it will require less reduction and is still capable of really tight lines. The problem you are referring to has to do with the nozzle size being so small. I have had problems with Wicked paints using the .15, but the wicked detail seems to work better. I am one of the people who think differently, I prefer my Infinity to my Iwata. I don't have a Micron, but me personally, If I could only have one airbrush in my signature, it would be the Infinity.
 
hello everyone,my first post here;i own a 2 IN1 infinity,it was my first expensive airbrush really,and i have mix feeling about it;;we can pull hair lines easily with it and its wonderfull when its working fine,the problem is it works fine once every two times..you know,its working beautifully with,say,yellow,you clean it,change to red and it becomes a nightmare for the rest of the day..and it demands at least a 4 to 1 reduction wich sometimes its a pain using white,you have to build it many times;just my opinion,alot of owners thinks diferently.i will defenitly go iwata soon.cheers

That is mostly an unfortunate side-effect of using an ultra-fine nozzle to get tight detail. The paint you're using can make a big difference, too. I've found that E'Tac, Wicked detail, and Createx Illustration paints tend to work fairly well. The Wicked can be a bit tempramental, too, though. All paint brands will vary a bit in sprayability from color to color. It's just an effect of the different pigments used. The higher quality paint companies grind the pigments finer, which allows performance to stay fairly consistant throughout the color range. But, there will always be some variation.

I know one artist who uses the H&S airbrushes exclusively, and he's told me that he has switched to using the .2 nozzle/needle set-ups. I haven't tried it myself, but he says you don't lose any detail ability, and that the brush is a lot more forgiving.

I'd buy another micron before I'd buy another Infinity, though. Not that the Infinity is a bad airbrush, just that the micron works better, at least for me. But, the Infinity is certainly capable of some beautiful work, as the work of JW and Sandi Baker show
 
As usual I have to agree with the droggin . the micron does seem to blow the doors off the infinity most of the time although the infinity does seem to do just as well when the paint is just right . i recomend using spectra tex white and etac efx white the etac private stock seems to be identical to the spectra tex . etac efx and com rt work wonders in the infinity as for anything createx avoid these paints for the .15 set up especially the wicked detail thats just my opinion. And that comes from ALLOT of experience . if i actualy had rto say it as far as the infinity use only etac efx and com art although i noticed badger air opaques work well to
 
I really don’t like to sound as a teacher, but after years and years spent in company of some tools, you suddenly find out that you have become so called expert in that particular brunch, simply because you have learned what to expect from the tool that you are using. So let me give you some advice. If you are searching a precise and versatile airbrush you must consider only high end products and today the names are really few. Introducing micron brand sometimes ago, Japanese producers, Olympos first and on same patent also Iwata, excluded European manufacturers as DeVilbiss, Conopois or Fisher from the competition, and as Wold, T&H and Paasche were already out of game, became a kind of monopoly in high end production, and their top tools, guarantee of quality. Olympos now seems to be definitely out of production, though you can easily find their airbrushes still in commerce. Iwata become reference name and probably the most popular producer of quality tools. But, (there is always some “but”) in old good Europe, has remained EFBE a small manufacturer from Hannover in Germany, that has been synonym of quality and reliability for almost eighty years of their existence. Let us put it in this way: If you consider Olympos-Iwata as Nikon-Canon combination, you must consider EFBE as Leica. It is not the most precise, most modern or most technological product on the market, but it is always near the first place and measuring all together, it is considered by many pros the best airbrush still in production. Well, in my experience I could confirm its legendary quality though my favorite remained Olympos SP, the last and only type never sold as a patent to other producers. So, if you are searching top airbrush capable of spraying everything from water to yogurt without spitting or changing sprayed path, made in German solid manner, and decidedly not cheap, just buy one EFBE (now they are all 0,20 nozzle in professional series), with their fixed double action trigger, and remain sure that you have purchased one of the three top guns on the market (other two are Olympos SP or Iwata CM). They are airbrushes made to work for more than twenty years if properly used.
P.S. “EFBE CI hinged” has four cups and side feed if you need fast change of color.
 
.... you have purchased one of the three top guns on the market (other two are Olympos SP or Iwata CM)
And shamelessly I plug for my still available SP-C for sale. Never used, and at a considerably lower than new price... ;)
 
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