The Little World

Ever notice how everyone is using the airbrush nowadays? Is this really an advance or is it just fashion?

Well, if you try to do what an airbrush does with a spray can, you can’t. The airbrush can be dialled down to a very small spray indeed and can introduce colour in subtle ways that none of the other delivery systems can match. It can shade, line, and wash panels with so fine a layer that it is almost imperceptible. You need a good brush and a fine tuning of the air pressure to do this…but you can do it. Air brushes are also not restricted to any particular brand or colour of paint – you can mix up what you like as long as it can be thinned to go through the nozzle.

Air brushes can also be configured in a cruder fashion that allows them to function like the spray can – albeit on a slightly smaller scale and at lower pressure. But there are limitations. If you need to cover a larger area with thicker paint, you strain the airbrush and get to the next spray option – the mini spray gun.

Don’t decry these – they are cheap enough in the car supply places and with 0.8 mm nozzles can handle auto acrylics easily – and anything thinner. Their colour cups are far larger than those of an airbrush and if you need to spray a larger area without stopping to re-mix or re-fill you can get a far better finish wet coat. Just be prepared to supply more air and more paint.

The choice of a cheap airbrush – $ 50 – $ 100 on average – or an expensive $ 250 one can be made dependent upon your finances but in some cases may not make an impact on the quality of work that will result. I have an $80 brush, a $ 112 brush, and a $ 160 brush. The differences in them involve nozzle size, trigger type, and the provision of an air pressure adjustment. However, the results can be remarkably the same with similar paint formulae.

If you are seeking to do pre-shading on panel lines or post-shading in large areas, the airbrush is a necessity. It is really an advantage to select one that can adjust the air pressure separately from the gauge at the compressor. If it has interchangeable pots – so much the better. I often wish I had a tiny 1ml pot on my best detail brush.

Final note: the guns with triggers rather than top buttons are a real temptation, but you do not have as much air control with them. I keep mine for large coat spraying through a 0.5mm nozzle and it makes clear coating a breeze. There’s a bit more overspray from it than from the 0.3 gun, but far less than with a rattle can.