What companies still make a good A cup airbrush?

[Drastion]

I think that may well be what i am experiencing and it is amplified by my not painting enough at the moment and not able to make up for the shortfalls with technical ability

More painting and an upgrade to a japanese unit down the line required I think.

One thing I find that simplifies it a lot is to mix up paint in a dropper bottle. That way you are not trying to dilute a drop or to at a time. Throw a agitator in there and you can mix it up and put it into the airbrush.

I have gone through a few A cups.

Olympos 100 A - no matter what I do I cannot get it to perform under 20psi.

Iwata HP 100 - Performed well but for some reason the trigger plunger froze.

Areograph - Was a great performer but I just don't use it since parts are unavailable.

Customized Badger 100 with SOTAR head - My favorite airbrush for the feel of how it works. Just such a extra tiny cup. So it is the one that sent me down the rabbit hole.

Olympos F-2 - A fantastic performer with the cowl barely higher than the trigger it works great. The body narrows at the front give a nice pen like feel and feels really similar to my Sotar.


Then there is the micro cup for Harder Steenbeck airbrushes. Basically it big enough to cover up the threads and put a lip around the edge to make the top into a bit more of a funnel.

Then there is always a cheap Thayer Chandler side feed. But I have been so distracted with playing around with and troubleshooting A cup airbrushes I have not gotten around to putting a Sotar head assembly and troubleshooting one yet.

 

[Mitya Ka]

One thing I find that simplifies it a lot is to mix up paint in a dropper bottle. That way you are not trying to dilute a drop or to at a time. Throw a agitator in there and you can mix it up and put it into the airbrush.

I have gone through a few A cups.

Olympos 100 A - no matter what I do I cannot get it to perform under 20psi.

Iwata HP 100 - Performed well but for some reason the trigger plunger froze.

Areograph - Was a great performer but I just don't use it since parts are unavailable.

Customized Badger 100 with SOTAR head - My favorite airbrush for the feel of how it works. Just such a extra tiny cup. So it is the one that sent me down the rabbit hole.

Olympos F-2 - A fantastic performer with the cowl barely higher than the trigger it works great. The body narrows at the front give a nice pen like feel and feels really similar to my Sotar.


Then there is the micro cup for Harder Steenbeck airbrushes. Basically it big enough to cover up the threads and put a lip around the edge to make the top into a bit more of a funnel.

Then there is always a cheap Thayer Chandler side feed. But I have been so distracted with playing around with and troubleshooting A cup airbrushes I have not gotten around to putting a Sotar head assembly and troubleshooting one yet.

I've noticed that the best brush is the one that you can adapt to your goals and objectives, all other brushes are works of engineering by the manufacturer. In the first case you get what you need, in the second case you have to get used to what you have.

 

[tatocorvette]

I use the Medium setup in my 100SG. Haven't changed to Fine since I have the GXF. To me, it would not make much sense to go Large setup as it will blast it all out very quickly.
No issues with automotive lacquer.
Red and blue with 150, white with 100SG.




Thanks,
Ismael

 

[Drastion]

I've noticed that the best brush is the one that you can adapt to your goals and objectives, all other brushes are works of engineering by the manufacturer. In the first case you get what you need, in the second case you have to get used to what you have.

Familiarity plays a big roll for me. Knowing how it works and what to expect out of it can surpass engineering for me. There are always subtle differences between airbrushes. But honestly I am not experienced enough to always tell them apart.

So my metrics are if it initiates paint immediately and predictably with a focused spray. If it fits comfortably in the hand so there are no niggling annoyances all the better.

I have tools in my hand all day at work. The shift before mine tends to not care about messing tools up. So I tend to care a lot more about the smooth operation of a tool over absolute perfection. Basically if the tool isn't an obstacle to achieving what I want having it work the way I want is more important even if there are better tools out there.

 

[Drastion]

Another thing that I do like about the F-2. Is the cowl covers the paint chamber up to the very back. Could be all in my head but it helps keep the small amount of paint from drying out. Since the paint is at the front and opening all the way at the back.

May not be all that useful for small details. Where you don't paint for very long. When I was spraying from farther back to do gentle blends. Went for an hour of painting with no issues other than the obvious tip dry. Plus the paint inside was not so dried out. Was nice because I was just enjoying using the airbrush and didn't realize an hour had passed without me touching the paint cup. It was not much of a chore to get it all cleaned out thankfully.