My first kit

A

Anazoth

Guest
Hey, i'm trying to decide on what equipment to buy as my first kit and unfortunately at the moment i know nothing about airbrushes! :rapture:

I spotted this kit and was wondering if you could help me in deciding if i should get it or not.

airbrush.JPG

The kit includes:

~ Iwata eclipse HP - BCS Airbrush
~ Airbrush-Depot TC-20 Air Compressor
~ 10ft braided Iwata Airhose
~ Reusable Stencils
~ Bottle kit
 
Iwata eclipse is a good brand to start with. Easy to find parts in the USA and very durable for newbies trying to get used to how to clean them. So I do recommend either the CS or the BCS. The CS has a .35mm nozzel and is a gravity feed brush. The BCS has a .5mm nozzle and is a suction feed brush. So now you just need to figure out what you plan to paint. The BCS is best for tee shirts and larger art work. You will need a few bottles because it is not easy to change colors in the bottles. The CS on the other hand is very easy to change color and even modify color in the cup with out making a mess. Also easier to clean.
As for the compressor you will want something with a storage tank for both to cool the air down and to help reduce the pulsing from the compressor. Without the tank you will get moisture in your airline (even with a tank but worse without it) and will require two water traps. One at the compressor and one at the brush. Even still you will have water get through. Do some research here. There are many to choose from. But look for a quite one with at least a small tank. You would still like to have a moisture trap at the brush end IMO. Also a quick disconnect and a brush holder. I feel it's best to buy all the parts separate and not as a pre packaged kit. You get what you want and need that way. You may not want those stencils and you definatly want some paint. Try com-art to start with or createx illustration paint.
Be sure to check with coast airbrush they will match or beat any price that tcp global has and have better customer service IMO.
 
Hi Anazoth,

Can't go wrong with Iwata! The HP-BCS is a bottom feed brush and as such needs a bit more pressure to get the paint flowing. It also has a .5 tip and needle set up which is a bit big for really fine detail. That said if your just starting fine detail will be the least of your worries! I started with the HP-BCS and I have nothing but praise for it. As for the compressor ... you really need something with a tank (even a small one!) this helps regulate the air giving you smoother delivery. Without a tank you can suffer from pulsing where, when doing a straight line you will notice regular pulses in the line (sort of dots in the line if you can visualise it).

Badger are another brand of AB that are really good and value for money (Spares are quite reasonable too!). Something from the Renagade range with more than suit your purposes. Harder & Steenbeck produce some nice stuff as well and not too badly priced when you compare an Infinity with a Micron. Avoid the cheap chinese airbrushes as they are on a whole not as well made and dont seem to atomise the paint as well as a good make. That said I have been impressed with my VEDA wd180 (which is a bit of an Iwata Micron clone) but only when I swapped the needle/jet set up from .2 to .3. Dont get hung up on being able to produce fine detail ... this is something you can do later when you have learnt the basics. Buying a top end brush like a Micron or infinity will only bring you a load of grief and frustration as they are not forgiving and need the pressure to be just right and the reduction to be just right and your technique to be spot on and consistant!

Paint is another area you seriously need to look at and its not cheap! Trying to find cheap alternatives does not work ... You will only frustrate yourself and give up! Start with a waterbased acrylic type airbrush paint such as Wicked, Com-art, auto-air or badgers range of paints. Do some research into airbrush paints and choose a system to buy into. Buy only the specific reducer for the paint system you go for (AutoAir 4012/WD500 reducer can be used with the whole createx range I believe). Urothane based paint (HOK, Inspire etc) seem easier to use from my limited knowledge of using them (just started using Inspire paints) but this comes at a price ... the stuff is not good for your health and you need to invest in suitable breathing mask. This also makes spraying in the kitchen (or any other room in the house) not viable without expensive ventilation systems! However this paint system is the choice of most custom graphics shops!

I feel I can can give you this advise as I have been airbrushing for less than 1 year and fell into every pitfall mentioned above very recently!

I have a HP-BCS Best gun I have for ease of use ... Might not do really fine lines the width of a hair but you will be suprised at what you can get plus its brilliant at covering larger areas. An all round jack of all trades brush!
I have tried to find cheap alternatives to airbrush paint and had inconsistant results. Results only got better when I stared using wicked and AutoAir paints (not the best in the world but readily available)
I had a Wizair aircompressor without any tank ... Inconsistant air pressure resulting in pulsation, It also overheated due to being on all the time!
I have an H&S Infinity ... absolutley magic AB when the paint is reduced properly and I get the air pressure to match the paint and ... most of all I'm right! Otherwise it is one pain in the ass with tip dry issues/ sputtering/ inconsistant (my technique mainly).

I hope this little synopsis into ABing helps. It is one hell of an addictive hobby once you get started but, boy, the frustrations !! :frown-new:
 
Hi anazoth!!!! firstly, what do you intend to do with it? suction feed such as the one above is great for tshirts and for covering larger areas as you can really crank up the pressure and sling a whole jar of paint, although they are not the first choice for detail work, if you are going to focus mainly on canvas/paper art or smaller then i would be looking at a gravity or side feed....i agree with tigertron on the compressor , you really want one with a tank, doesnt have to be massive lets say 15 - 20litre as a average would serve you well..... I have a compressor like the one pictured above and its crap! moisure problems, pulsating air.... yadda yadda yadda .... crap!
as mentioned above, comart is a great paint to start with as it flows easily through smaller nozzles and requires little reduction, spectra tex is also a good paint for beginners and can be used on all surfaces , from paper to wood to metal etc.
where abouts in the world are you, this also effects which brush i would suggest for you.... im a badger man, er er ...... meaning i use badger airbrushes..... not that im some kind of half man half badger thing.....they are a great brush, high detail, affordable, reliable, cheap to find replacement parts .
let us know mate give us a bit more info on what your intentions are, and also a price range of what you can afford total and people will probably post you some better deals!
 
as talla mentioned, the badger paint, this is the spectra tex i was on about....... i agree with everything these fine gentleman said however i wouldnt suggest the illustration paints by createx for a beginner.......... they are incredibly easy to use granted.... but damn they are expensive and until you learn to control your brush you are going to be using a lot of paint!!!!!!!!!!
 
The tank doesnt have to be very big at all ... I'm currently using a Iwata Studio jet pro compressor with something like a 2 litre tank. This give me a duty cycle on the compressor of about 20% (i.e. the compressor is on 20% of the time the other 80% its off and delivering from the tank) I suffer no pulsing and above all its quite quiet and doesnt annoy anybody in the house. :eagerness:

Fezzly ... Who killed Bambi? (me unfortunately!) Yes Bambi (my silent compressor) is officially dead ... threw a big end (OOh err missus!). The cost of repair is £275 for a new compressor unit so it wont be getting fixed anytime soon! Seemed as the damage it had when I got it was terminal and only a matter of time.
 
.... im a badger man, er er ...... meaning i use badger airbrushes..... not that im some kind of half man half badger thing.....


I thought you were on about your sexual preferences!
 
oh hell yer..... indeed i am.... amongst other things but that wasnt something i wantd to share

stripey lil feckers really get me going
 
bad times on the bambi front...... boom! mama! ..... mum..... mama!

yer was looking myself wasnt i, then we had the duscussion about making one, but thats not even an option now.... work cut peoples salary so im on the bread line..... humphhhhh!
 
bad times on the bambi front...... boom! mama! ..... mum..... mama!

yer was looking myself wasnt i, then we had the duscussion about making one, but thats not even an option now.... work cut peoples salary so im on the bread line..... humphhhhh!

Sorry to hear that Fezzly ... Tough times at the moment (in fact for the last 5 years ... last time I had a pay rise!). Lets hope things pick up. You will have to try and sell some of your artwork!

Still, cheer up, worse things could happen ... you could drop your airbrush and b*gger the needle and tip or all your paint could dry up in this unseasonably hot dry weather we are having (NOT!) at the moment.
 
oh hell yer..... indeed i am.... amongst other things but that wasnt something i wantd to share

stripey lil feckers really get me going

If thats how you feel about them black and white stripey b*stards ... fer fooks sake dont go to Newcastle on a match day .. I would hate to think of the consequences!!!
 
it would be a blood bath............ theirs not mine...........eeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwww
 
Well Fezz ...I think we can officially call this thread "Jacked" ... Who's next!!!!!
 
Thanks for the info! I think i'll give the package a miss and buy seperately.

Any suggestions on a specific brush / compressor?

At the moment i have no specific intentions, i just want to learn how to use the brush and go from there, in the future i would like to work on stuff like cars / bikes / helmets etc. As for paints, i want the cheapest ones to start off since i will be 'wasting' them :D
 
for branded, beginner have a look at iwata neo or harder and steinbeck ultra. stick with a tanked compressor do not get one like the one above.

as mentioned before, badger are great and the renegade series are awesome and will do everything you want. as a complete beginner you may find it a bit finicky at first as this is worthy of professional use but you will soon figure out its little quirks.... the renegade velocity is not to badly priced, you can get a 0.3 and a 0.21 nozzle/needle so it will do detail and ultra fine detail, perfect for helmets.

paints, i would say go with a decent brand, intended for airbrush use, so comart, spectratex or wicked by createx...
 
for branded, beginner have a look at iwata neo or harder and steinbeck ultra. stick with a tanked compressor do not get one like the one above.]

I wouldn't recommend the Harder and Steenbeck Ultra as a starter airbrush. That's what I bought and I quickly regretted it, the loose push in cup is terrible and mine started to fall out all the time. Also the nozzle cap can not be removed which will not matter to start with but will after you've got some skill and want to expose the needle. Mind you, you can buy the Evolution nozzle cap that will fit the Ultra. My advice for a Harder and Steenbeck airbrush is to go straight for the Evolution, the difference in price will pay for itself in the future and their system of being able to use parts across the airbrushes is very versatile. They have 0.2mm and 0.4mm needle setups and for a beginner I think the 0.4mm would be best.

The Neo is supposed to be a good starter airbrush and has 2 screw in cups with a 0.35mm needle which is perfect for beginners. I've never used one. The Iwata Eclipse range are a much better airbrush and I love my HP-SBS side feed 0.3mm but most people start with a HP-CS gravity feed and use it as a workhorse airbrush for the rest of their airbrushing days. Iwata airbrushes do not have interchangeable needle/nozzle setups like Harder and Steenbeck do so to change to a different size needle you will have to buy a whole new airbrush.

I have a Badger Sotar 20/20 but it is definitely not a beginner airbrush but the guys have already mentioned good models to get and have more experience with them.

Good luck
Cheers Mel

I totally agree to avoid the Chinese knockoffs.
 
Thanks for the info! I think i'll give the package a miss and buy seperately.

Any suggestions on a specific brush / compressor?

I forgot to mention the Compressor, you can get an AS196 twin cylinder compressor with a 3 litre air tank off ebay for a reasonable price. You want the twin cylinder because these compressors get very hot, very quickly and need to be turned off to cool down. With the twin cylinder you will get more airbrushing time before you need to turn it off to cool down as it will not have to work half as hard as the single cylinder (AS186). Everythingairbrush.com has all the equipment you might need at reasonable prices and would be better than buying off ebay, they are UK based.

If money is not an issue then a Bambi BB24V will allow you to airbrush almost anywhere, on anything and be a great investment. They are UK based so I don't know if you can get them where you live. They are oil filled and are whisper quiet but are not good for transporting. Or look at the Iwata Power Jet Pro which is oil free and therefore easily transportable and not too noisy. If noise is not a problem you can buy a regular compressor from a DIY shop for fairly cheap.
Hope this helps
Mel
 
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