motorcycle graphics ...HELP!

L

laurel

Guest
hi, I want to get into airbrushing graphics on tanks and helmets. What tools do I need to airbrush AND clearcoat? Can I spray clearcoat through an airbrush on small stuff like tanks and helmets?
 
Hi laurel, welcome to the forum. Better not spray any clear coat through an airbrush. First thing is you will never get a even coverage with the airbrush and second you have to use
a 2k clearcoat with hardener mixed in and that can´t be sprayed with a airbrush. You will need a bigger compressor and a spray gun for the clearcoating. For the airbrush you can get
a smaller compressor or also use the big one too. As for the airbrush i would go with a Iwata Eclipse for a start airbrush since it is a very good work horse. Oh and the compressor
has to have a watertrap included too.
 
Thanks, Andreas. yeah i want an eclipse.....so for a compressor I'm thinking about just a regular household one from harbor freight. It has the cfm to run a spray gun. In order to practise quietly in my house can i fill an air tank instead of lugging a huge noisy compressor upstairs? How much spray time will that give me? How often will a compressor with a 26 gallon tank kick in?

thanks for the help
 
Yeah you can also use a air tank for the airbrush, just make sure you have a regulator and a water trap installed. It´s kinda hard to say but a 26 gallon tank should last for a long time untill the compressor kicks in again
when you just use the airbrush. My guess is over 1 hour for sure untill it kicks in, always depends how long you have the air on and the pressure you use when you airbrush. Or you can also have a look if you can afford
another small airbrush compressor with a small tank for upstairs. Here is a link from Ebay just to show you what kind of compressor that i mean Airbrush Air Compressor Hi Performance w Tank 1 5 HP | eBay
But those small compressors are not made to run for a long time since they heat up, you should take a little break from time to time using one of these.
 
thanks Andreas! Do you have any other recomendations as far as equipment I will need? also : I have a lady who wants me to paint a backdrop for party decorating. She wants it on plywood. Iwas going to use two coats of latex primer and sand it between coats.... What kind of paint should i use over that? I have a bunch of acrylic paint. Can I just thin it out and spray that?

Is there a website where I can check out your art? eye 030.jpg
 
thanks Andreas! Do you have any other recomendations as far as equipment I will need? also : I have a lady who wants me to paint a backdrop for party decorating. She wants it on plywood. Iwas going to use two coats of latex primer and sand it between coats.... What kind of paint should i use over that? I have a bunch of acrylic paint. Can I just thin it out and spray that?

Is there a website where I can check out your art? View attachment 5975

Your welcome laurel.
Well all i can think of now is that you might also need a spray out box when you clean the airbrush, but here in the forum are a few instructions to make your own for a few bucks instead of bying one.
Here are 2 links http://www.airbrushforum.org/tips-tricks/2200-do-yourself-spray-out-cleaning-pot-filter.html http://www.airbrushforum.org/tips-tricks/114-cheap-cleaning-station.html
Just check out the Tips and Tricks section in the forum here, you will see some very handy tips there to save some money. Well you also need the hoses and connections for the airbrush and the compressor
but you first need the compressor to see what connections you really need. As far for colors it all comes down to personal preference, alot of people only use urotheine paints but then you should have a really
good ventilated room cause of the fumes. I only use waterbased colors since i work in my appartment. For your backdrop all kind of waterbased paints would work, but for motorcycle i guess Wicked or Auto Air
from Createx would be best. Also Spectra-Tex colors are very good in my opinion, i even like them better then the Createx colors. If you get colors also get the proper reducer for the paint brand that you buy
since its better for the adhesion to use it instead of water to thin them down. I know some people use thinned out acrylic paints but i would not recommend it specialy when you just start out. The pigments are
very big and it will clog your fine nozzle of the airbrush pretty fast.
I dont have a own website for my art since im also still a beginner, only started out like 6 months ago. You can click my name on the left side and go to my profile to see some of my paintings i uploaded here.
 
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