Deadlifts Airbrush experiences.

[Pauly Addams]

For large scale I think I'll choose Oil washes every time, the citadel washes seem to mottle horribly on big flat areas and of course the 'coffee ring' staining etc. with over lapping coats and the like.

I still like the citadel ones a lot, but the oil wash is very very useful. Just make sure you're well ventilated and wear something over your face. I got dizzy and a little queasy last time I used them, white spirit is strong.

Edit: Deadlift, yeah I was totally going for a colour modulation style when I sprayed up this one. It's about 6 layers of Minitaire mixes. Starting with red-brown/dark aqua blue for the base/shading, then mid tone reds, then fluro yellow/bright red on the focal points (but those coats seemed to barely show up, I assumed this was the black primer and previous red coats absorbing them).

Here's a shot of some of the masking I did

[URL=http://s235.photobucket.com/user/Usiel-40K/media/Angels%20of%20Baal/BaalTankMasking1.jpg.html][/URL]
[URL=http://s235.photobucket.com/user/Usiel-40K/media/Angels%20of%20Baal/BaalTankMasking3.jpg.html][/URL]

[DocSavage]

Thanks for all the info in this thread. I bought an airbrush but no compressor a while back so never used it. I just bought a compressor last week so I'm thinking of giving it a go this weekend.

[Deadlift]

Thanks for all the info in this thread. I bought an airbrush but no compressor a while back so never used it. I just bought a compressor last week so I'm thinking of giving it a go this weekend.

Brilliant, it gets easier the more you practice and it's a lot of fun. Don't forget ventilation and your mask

[DarkLink]

Just got an airbrush for christmas, waiting on the compressor in the mail, and I'll need to drop by harbor freight to pick up the accessories like the cleaning kit and mask.

I also went to a class that a competition painter held on airbrushing, and he had a lot of good advice particularly for keeping them clean. He does the following:

Put a little lube on it when you first get it. Maybe not super important, but it certainly won't hurt.

Thin paint, depending on the type of paint, but for most stuff he uses a water/alcohol mix about 9:1, so mostly water with a little alcohol to make it evaporate more quickly. The paint/thinner is roughly 50:50.

While painting, he frequently points the airbrush to the side and blows a bit of air through it, to blast out any particulates that might be building up. He does it habitually, basically every spray.

When he's swapping colors or cleaning up for the day, he puts a little of the water alcohol mix and sprays it to wash out any remaining paint. Then he sprays it into a paper towel to wet the towel, puts the wet area over the nozzle, and blasts air until the thinner mix in the gravity feed pot bubbles. That backblast takes care of any stubborn bits of paint sticking around. Then he sprays out the remainder of the thinner mix, and runs a little pure water through to wash out the alcohol.

He says with those little tips, he virtually never clogs. There are a few more tips he had, for specific types of paints and stuff like that, but those were the main points.

[Orogen]

Heya-
Thanks much for the thread, this is exactly the kind of thing I needed to read. I've been on the fence for quite awhile about taking the plunge into the world of airbrushing. One question, what is your opinion of airbrushing orks? That seems like an army that wouldn't lend itself to this bit of equipment - too much going on with the minis, not enough space with single colors. Maybe just the arms and legs, leave the torsos etc. to be done with a brush? Just curious to get some thoughts.

Cheers!
-Orogen

[Deadlift]

Hi Orogen
I haven't airbrushed much in the way of Orks myself, but if I were it would be the skin I would be going for and then hand painting the rest. But for vehicles etc, well your on the money then. Ive airbrushed a Dakka Jet and used oil washes to weather it and I was really pleased with the results.

[DWest]

While not quite Orks, I've had considerable luck painting Daemons with an airbrush. The main advantage is you're looking at a veritable sea of green (or pink, etc), and being able to blast on your main colors saves a lot of time and frustration. Furthermore, I would say go with the airbrush over hand-painting if you're doing Bad Moons or Evil Suns-- spraying red or yellow is so much nicer trying to get the colors to come out nice by hand, I think you'll end up getting it done faster and easier even if you have to go back and touch up a bit of overspray.