Bought a Harder & Steenbeck Colani

[jagardn]

Ok, so I was totally set on not buying any more airbrushes, but my wife fed my addiction for Valentines Day.
She got me a $50 gift certificate for Chicago Airbrush, that along with the 14% Valentines Day discount, I figured why the hell not. I got it of just over $150 with free shipping.
I already have 5 detail brushes, so I really needed a firehose to lay down some paint, the Patriot works well for it, but I can empty the paint cup in like 2 seconds with the .75mm.

The main reasons I got it were...
Versatility - can use .2mm to 1.2mm needle / nozzle
Paint Cups are from 2ml to 100ml
Spraying base coats on panels and spraying Gesso(this is the main use for me).



Ok, will say once again that I am done buying airbrushes now...but I can't really promise anything.

 

[Cordyk]

Yeah yeah yeah heard it all before mate. Maybe we should start a AA club(airbrush anonymous)!!
That is a sweet looking piece of kit though,nice curves

 

[airbrushingferret]

thats what i keep saying done buying air brushes but wait a minuit i still need the badger side feed 100 short air brush fited with a 20 20 head and that colini looks sweet not to mention a micron cmc plus even though i already have a cmsb oh well i need a big loto win

 

[splasha]

Yeah, like, don't we all!
Trouble is, once you start: Where do you stop?
Answer; don't know! Lol.

 

[jagardn]

Yeah, like, don't we all!
Trouble is, once you start: Where do you stop?
Answer; don't know! Lol.

Yeah, my wife said. "So that's your 3rd airbrush right?" ....uuuuummm, yeah 3rd, let's go with that.

 

[AndreZA]

I want more but I do not have need for more. My age old Badger 150 never gets used. My anniversary HP-C has never been used. My Infinity is back in the box till I really need to run 2 detail guns at the same time. It's just my Eclipse and Micron that is in easy reach.

 

[jagardn]

I want more but I do not have need for more. My age old Badger 150 never gets used. My anniversary HP-C has never been used. My Infinity is back in the box till I really need to run 2 detail guns at the same time. It's just my Eclipse and Micron that is in easy reach.

I know what you mean. I rarely use my Krome and HP-CH. My Micron, AL Plus, and Patriot get used all the time. Although since I out my .4mm in the Infinity, I have been using it more for the workhorse.

 

[airbrushingferret]

i dont need any more either although i would love to get a micron cmc plus but realy what for i dont need it just want it i have a good heavy gun i bought the large cup and .6 for the infinity the krome is just like the micrpon and the velocity has the larger set up in it so why do i need another gun

 

[jagardn]

Just got it delivered today. I'll put some paint through it some time this weekend.

Still gotta order my 50ml paint cup and 1.2mm needle/nozzle set.

 

[rab3rd]

Man, I could use that cup for a hot tub... LOL

 

[jagardn]

Man, I could use that cup for a hot tub... LOL

They make a 100ml cup, not sure if I'll ever need that one.

 

[Cuda]

That thing actually looks pretty comfortable. My addiction is put on hold since I'm broke so I should probably start seeing withdrawal symptoms pretty soon !

 

[jagardn]

That thing actually looks pretty comfortable. My addiction is put on hold since I'm broke so I should probably start seeing withdrawal symptoms pretty soon !

I guess I'm not done. I just ordered my 1.2mm needle/nozzle and 50ml paint cup. haha

 

[jagardn]

I put some paint through it tonight. It is definitely different than a normal airbrush.
You pull the trigger back for air, you feel it stop, then pulling any further moves the needle. It can do pretty fine detail, but with the pistol grip design, it is not that ergonomic for detail. It is going to work great as a spray gun, which is what I got it for. It is comfortable and easy to use/clean.
In my testing, I did find a really great use for it. I bought the spatter cap accessory for my Infinity a while ago, while it works Ok for the Infinity, it wasn't great.
The spatter cap accessory works outstanding with this thing. Unlike using an external device like a popsicle stick or pencil for spatter, the pattern is very consistent and can be done with one hand. Adjusting the PSI on the MAC valve sets your speckle size. Higher PSI gives as smaller spatter where low PSI gives pretty large spots.
Here is a picture of some playing around with Illustration Black.


Here is also a quick video, I couldn't adjust the Mac Valve to show different spatter size. Had to hold the camera.
It's going to be great when I need the spatter effect on paintings.
[video=youtube;8qKbCTN8vTk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qKbCTN8vTk&list=UU-e3Q6Kk_3Kwle5n69PMcNg[/video]

 

[Sitni]

Ok, will say once again that I am done buying airbrushes now...but I can't really promise anything.

Hehehehe that is what I said when I had like 4 or 5 airbrushes ....currently at 19 brushes and always looking for something new to ad to the collection

 

[jagardn]

Hehehehe that is what I said when I had like 4 or 5 airbrushes ....currently at 19 brushes and always looking for something new to ad to the collection

Yep, I am at 7 and counting in just over a year of getting back into airbrushing. I just can't seem to stop myself.

 

[Bree]

I have a Colani and love the airbrush. I use it to spray pearls and flakey paints as well as clear coat on my wood turnings. I will try the spatter cap on it. Never thought of that. What pressure were you using in your video?

I did a demo of using an airbrush on wood turnings at our woodturners club meeting earlier this month. While I was waiting for the base coat to dry on the project I was painting, I had an easel set up and let everyone try using an airbrush and I let them try the Colani because it is so incredibly simple to use and we woodturners don't really know too much about things like airbrushes. About 10 people came up and tried spraying with the Colani and every single one was able to spray wide lines thinner lines and area sprays. I think many lost their fear of this tool because the Colani is almost foolproof.

Oh did I mention how much I love that it is really easy to clean???

 

[jagardn]

I have a Colani and love the airbrush. I use it to spray pearls and flakey paints as well as clear coat on my wood turnings. I will try the spatter cap on it. Never thought of that. What pressure were you using in your video?

I did a demo of using an airbrush on wood turnings at our woodturners club meeting earlier this month. While I was waiting for the base coat to dry on the project I was painting, I had an easel set up and let everyone try using an airbrush and I let them try the Colani because it is so incredibly simple to use and we woodturners don't really know too much about things like airbrushes. About 10 people came up and tried spraying with the Colani and every single one was able to spray wide lines thinner lines and area sprays. I think many lost their fear of this tool because the Colani is almost foolproof.

Oh did I mention how much I love that it is really easy to clean???

I couldn't tell you the psi I was using. I always keep my main regulator at around 50 and use my external Mac valve. I would guess around 20 psi, I just adjust the Mac valve until I get the spatter effect I want.

I bought it as a spray gun, like you said, for pearls, metallics, etc. It is very easy to use and clean. Perfect for hobbyists painting their projects. I would never recommend it to anyone wanting to do illustration work, or if a person was only wanting one airbrush(if there is such a person).
The Colani is definitely an air hog, it does require higher CFM than your standard workhorse. If I keep the air wide open constantly, my Iwata Power Jet can barely keep up. I would not recommend this brush to someone with an "Airbrush" compressor or a single piston model.

 

[Bree]

I couldn't tell you the psi I was using. I always keep my main regulator at around 50 and use my external Mac valve. I would guess around 20 psi, I just adjust the Mac valve until I get the spatter effect I want.

I bought it as a spray gun, like you said, for pearls, metallics, etc. It is very easy to use and clean. Perfect for hobbyists painting their projects. I would never recommend it to anyone wanting to do illustration work, or if a person was only wanting one airbrush(if there is such a person).
The Colani is definitely an air hog, it does require higher CFM than your standard workhorse. If I keep the air wide open constantly, my Iwata Power Jet can barely keep up. I would not recommend this brush to someone with an "Airbrush" compressor or a single piston model.

I am using a SilentAire 20A with mine and it seems to do OK. I got it because it is quiet. I was using a Rolair JC-10 and that is a lot more powerful and has a much larger tank. It is 59db however. That is really good compared to a lot of shop compressors but it is too loud next to the TV room where my embellishment studio is located. If you are good with a little louder compressor or can run a long hose from another room, the JC-10 is a really good compressor and only costs a couple hundred dollars. You could easily run a couple of brushes off of it.

I am going to try your spatter cap/Colani combo. I just made a pencil cup out of some boring maple and airbrushed leopard spots on it to kick it up. I have a tall bowl that I was going to do something like that on but I think I will try something totally different and shoot overlays of pearls and metallic so I get a lot of gradients and mixes of color... like an abstract.

I can't draw or illustrate like you guys do. I haven't got those skills. But I have great equipment, lots of colors, lots of frisket, a great vinyl cutter, Photoshop & Illustrator expertise, crazy ideas, and I am old sooooo...

Old Age and Technology Will Overcome Youth and Skill!!

 

[jagardn]

I just got my 50ml paint cup and 1.2mm needle/nozzle set. Gonna see what the fire hose can do tonight.