Having problem with detail work, wondering if I should get .25mm tip.

WhiteKnight

Code Dragon Slayer
I am having problem getting fine lines and was wondering if I should get a smaller tip as it is right now I have a paasche Talon with a .38mm tip. I tried thinning my paint more and adjusting my air pressure down to 15 psi but did not get a better result.

Your help is appreciated.
 
Yeah, getting a smaller tip will definitely help. A .38 is a pretty big tip for an airbrush, and especially for trying to get detail. The .25 tip should be plenty small enough to make detail work a lot easier, but not be so small you have to worry too much about clogs and such. Normally I caution people against judging an airbrushes detail ability by tip size alone, but, in this case, it would make quite a difference.
 
Just do not forget that tight detail is as much tip size as airbrush control. It is also knowing the relationship between paint reduction and air pressure as well.
 
i also own a paasche talon,if you want detail the .25 tip and NEEDLE are a most.you need both, i have heard that some people has tried using tips with different needle with"interesting results" i have not tried this, so i will not adivice it.i also own a infinity and sometimes under the right circumstances i can be more detail with the talon than with the german airbrush.the problem is the is not always, in that kind of fine lines is not as reliable as the infinity,its better some days, others, not so.but is pretty detailed nevertheless.

hope this helps!!!
 
I guess it depends on how detailed the detail you are trying to achieve is. I can get pretty fine detail out of my eclipse hp-cs which is a .3 needle. If I want to do super detailed photorealism, I know I will have to get a micron or similar (dream...dream....dream), but I can't afford that so am pushing myself with what I have and am getting surprisingly good results as far as fine lines/detail go. I think a smaller tip would help but, I think with practice and time you could get a lot more out of what you already have.
 
I'm with Squishy but will add it depends on the size you are working. If you paint the side of a building then a spray gun can do the job.
 
Thank you all for the advice, I went ahead and ordered a .25mm cap, tip and needle, should be getting them in a week or two :)

Will tell you how it goes.
 
I hear you, Whitey. I was in a similar situation with a lend Evolution .4 tip. Then I ordered the Infinity with a .2 needle. Oh man, it made things much easier but now, being in the game for some months, I can produce nice details with the .4 as well. So I agree with the others on the "depends" part but if you hadn't already ordered I would have encouraged you to do so ;)
 
Awesome thread... I've been wondering the same thing. I want to get extremely fine lines to do photorealistic portraits on 18" x 24" (45cm x 60cm) and smaller. Thinking the 0.18 micron might be the tool for me ?
 
Whiteknight, I have the talon set with all three sizes. I can get finer lines with the .25 and I've even done an entire painting with that size. But I generaly use the .38 set up. The reason I don't use the .25 that much is because of the way I clean my airbrush between colors. The .25 takes longer to clean out than the .38. So I'm bound and determined to get fine lines with the .38 setup. Now maybe when I get alot better at painting, I may use the .25 more.
At one time I even considered buying the mojo III needle,nozzle and aircap( .20 size ) for my talon, since the mojo III was made from the Talon so they will work.
But then I thought to myself, if I don't use the .25 much, then whyi would I need the .20. I just may purchase the .20 setup and put it aside for when I get better.
As was said, with experience, you can get fine detail with the larger sizes. It depends on your ability and what your altamate goal is.
Just my 2 cents.
 
Thanks harborbill, after using the .25 I came to the same conclusion you did, and it is more finicky too (need to stop and clean more often) I got wicked paint at the same time so I am adjusting to that as well. I didn't think of getting the mojo III needle at the time, I read they are hardened and more polished, I might put that on my wish list. Yes I am sure my skills will improve with practice, just wish life would stop getting in the way of my airbrushing :)
 
Yes I am sure my skills will improve with practice, just wish life would stop getting in the way of my airbrushing :)

Each Airbrush Manufacturer/Model will act slightly different to achieve the best detail you can from it.

Of the brushes I have I had the easiest time figuring out the Krome as it was more forgiving, even with the Ultra Fine Setup.
The Infinity .4 was easy, but the .15 was a little more tricky.
Hell I just figured out doing detail on my Iwata HP-CH just recently, it took me 6 months to really learn how the brush sprays all the different paints/mixing ratios.

Time and Patience my friend...
 
I have the Talon with the .38 #2 setup, I also have the .25 #1 setup but i found the needle to be like chocolate and easily bent. So i've resorted back to the .38 #2 setup. This is the detail i was able to achieve with the .38


Sorry the forum wouldnt let me upload this file for some reason. Will try another way.

This is on an a4 sheet of paper and was just a practise piece. Took about 2 hours with very watered down wicked black.



Lee
 
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@Lee Looks great, thanks for the info, like I said in my last post, not doing as much airbrushing as I would like so can't really improve when not airbrushing :)

I did have a problem on my last painting at the end with the .25 setup when I would try and pull a fine line it would be ok to start and when I would stop the paint it would shoot a blob, is this what happens with a bent needle?
 
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