tatocorvette
Air-Valve Autobot!
Hello,
We "car people" can be very opinionated. Rarely an airbrush conversation goes without touching on either internal vs external mix or the gravity vs siphon vs side feed topics. Sometimes, these end up in passionate yet pointless debates that spill into brand loyalty. In reality, choosing the right tool for the job will depend on the required application, the user's skill, experience and personal preference among other factors. That's like the argument of whether blue cars are faster than red cars. Everybody knows blue cars are faster.
Personally, I use and prefer siphon feed airbrushes. Keyword "prefer". I am not an illustrator artist like the majority here. I want to learn more about it but that's another topic. I use airbrushes to paint scale models and restore items like cameras, toys, etc. So my application and thus requirements, are different than those of an illustrator or canvas artist. I paint 3D objects so there is a lot of movement: left, right, up, down, in, out, rotation, yaw, pitch and roll like an aircraft. I use heavy paints like enamels and automotive lacquers including metallics and pearls, primers, clearcoats, urethanes, etc. Those are also important factors in choosing the right brush: nozzle size, paint capacity, etc.
Here are some of the reasons why I prefer siphon feed. Some may be relevant to other people, some may just be simple preference.
Unobstructed view of what I'm doing. The cup or jar sits below, out of line of sight. Just preference.
I use the classic color cup about 90% of the time. But it is very easy to swap to a larger jar if needed.
"Higher pressure required": I consider this difference pretty much irrelevant as I use a tank compressor. Unless you are blowing the air with your lungs, a compressor that can handle 10-15psi can handle 20-25psi. I set my pressure regulator and haven't touched it in ages. Maybe this could be relevant with smaller compressors, or maybe those cute tiny little battery powered cordless units or maybe some specialized close range technique. The topic of compressors is a whole other world: CFM capacity, tank, tankless, silent, heat, moisture, etc.
I am not sold on the concept that siphon wastes a lot more paint than gravity. I do my mixing directly in the cup. Then attach and spray. I've seen many folks doing the mixture in a separate jar and then transferring to a gravity feed, leaving waste anyways in the mixing jar. When I'm done, I usually have nothing remaining in the cup or whatever is left I put back in the paint jar. Anything remaining in the cup's small tube and short passage is really such a tiny amount it has never been significant compared to the amount of paint used. But let's keep in mind, for my application I usually use considerable amounts of paint.
If I really need to use "just a drop of paint", which I have done only for fun and test purposes, I have a secret and revolutionary tip: I turn the airbrush upside down and the siphon socket becomes a tiny little gravity cup! With a medium or heavy setup, that is a short burst. (That was my lame excuse to buy a Badger 100SG cup-less gravity airbrush but that's another story)
Cleanup: Since I use heavy paints that dry rock solid pretty fast, effective cleanup is critical as these paints can clog even the biggest firehoses. I have seen small differences in the guns themselves between types. Most variations are usually from manufacturer design (ease of disassembly).
The color cup is dropped to swim in a jar of lacquer thinner for a few minutes and then cleaned with my home made custom tiny swabs. It only takes a few seconds. Most importantly, it has become routine.
That routine leads to probably the biggest reason why I prefer siphon feed, which is far more simple: That's what I first learned and used exclusively for almost 30 years!
Bottom line, it all depends on the application and your preferences.
How about you? Anybody else uses siphon feed?
Thanks,
Ismael "the BADGER fan"
We "car people" can be very opinionated. Rarely an airbrush conversation goes without touching on either internal vs external mix or the gravity vs siphon vs side feed topics. Sometimes, these end up in passionate yet pointless debates that spill into brand loyalty. In reality, choosing the right tool for the job will depend on the required application, the user's skill, experience and personal preference among other factors. That's like the argument of whether blue cars are faster than red cars. Everybody knows blue cars are faster.
Personally, I use and prefer siphon feed airbrushes. Keyword "prefer". I am not an illustrator artist like the majority here. I want to learn more about it but that's another topic. I use airbrushes to paint scale models and restore items like cameras, toys, etc. So my application and thus requirements, are different than those of an illustrator or canvas artist. I paint 3D objects so there is a lot of movement: left, right, up, down, in, out, rotation, yaw, pitch and roll like an aircraft. I use heavy paints like enamels and automotive lacquers including metallics and pearls, primers, clearcoats, urethanes, etc. Those are also important factors in choosing the right brush: nozzle size, paint capacity, etc.
Here are some of the reasons why I prefer siphon feed. Some may be relevant to other people, some may just be simple preference.
Unobstructed view of what I'm doing. The cup or jar sits below, out of line of sight. Just preference.
I use the classic color cup about 90% of the time. But it is very easy to swap to a larger jar if needed.
"Higher pressure required": I consider this difference pretty much irrelevant as I use a tank compressor. Unless you are blowing the air with your lungs, a compressor that can handle 10-15psi can handle 20-25psi. I set my pressure regulator and haven't touched it in ages. Maybe this could be relevant with smaller compressors, or maybe those cute tiny little battery powered cordless units or maybe some specialized close range technique. The topic of compressors is a whole other world: CFM capacity, tank, tankless, silent, heat, moisture, etc.
I am not sold on the concept that siphon wastes a lot more paint than gravity. I do my mixing directly in the cup. Then attach and spray. I've seen many folks doing the mixture in a separate jar and then transferring to a gravity feed, leaving waste anyways in the mixing jar. When I'm done, I usually have nothing remaining in the cup or whatever is left I put back in the paint jar. Anything remaining in the cup's small tube and short passage is really such a tiny amount it has never been significant compared to the amount of paint used. But let's keep in mind, for my application I usually use considerable amounts of paint.
If I really need to use "just a drop of paint", which I have done only for fun and test purposes, I have a secret and revolutionary tip: I turn the airbrush upside down and the siphon socket becomes a tiny little gravity cup! With a medium or heavy setup, that is a short burst. (That was my lame excuse to buy a Badger 100SG cup-less gravity airbrush but that's another story)
Cleanup: Since I use heavy paints that dry rock solid pretty fast, effective cleanup is critical as these paints can clog even the biggest firehoses. I have seen small differences in the guns themselves between types. Most variations are usually from manufacturer design (ease of disassembly).
The color cup is dropped to swim in a jar of lacquer thinner for a few minutes and then cleaned with my home made custom tiny swabs. It only takes a few seconds. Most importantly, it has become routine.
That routine leads to probably the biggest reason why I prefer siphon feed, which is far more simple: That's what I first learned and used exclusively for almost 30 years!
Bottom line, it all depends on the application and your preferences.
How about you? Anybody else uses siphon feed?
Thanks,
Ismael "the BADGER fan"
