Airbrushing?

[Blondie]

So, I'm venturing into starting a project. I am trying to make a silicone top basically. I've watched and have read a lot on how and what to do, so I think it's time to just give it a whirl!

The ONLY problem I've run into is airbrushing.

I have never airbrushed anything in my life. Therefore, I know nothing about buying one. I'm not looking for anything super fancy. Just something that will cover a bra top. I'm a little confused about air compressors and single action airbrushers. Do you have to have an air compressor to use a single action airbrush? This is what I was looking at...

http://www.amazon.com/AIRBRUSH-SET-KIT-Single-Action-Siphon-Feed-External-Mix-Sunless/dp/B0017TRRG8/ref=sr_1_9?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1370152636&sr=1-9&keywords=single+action+airbrush+kit

If I wanted to buy that, is that all I'd need? Or do I need to buy a compressor? If so, where can I find one for a rather cheap cost?

[ShyMer]

I think this is the one I got as a freebie with my badger. It works okay for a first brush. The jars are very convenient but the brush is a pain to clean. Also it seemed to wear out in one place, but I was being pretty rough with it I think. if you like I can show pictures of how I take it apart to clean out and where it wore out as I don't think mine came with directions. It's not very precise and doesn't make a nice fine spray like other brushes, but it should be fine for starting out.

You will need a compressor. The picture looks strange, like the air hose looks like it's supposed to be attached to another jar, but it's not. You can get small air compressors that do not have a tank, so they don't give you a steady flow of air (starts out strong, gets weaker during each pass.) Also it has to be on the entire time you use it. The ones with an air tank are better but more expensive. I think my husband managed to get a really good deal on a small craftsman compressor from Sears. I think he paid around 50 for a 100 or so tank. If you keep an eye out you might be able to find a great sale.

I've also heard of cans of air meant for airbrushing that you attach to your brush but I don't know anything about them.

[Blondie]

I think this is the one I got as a freebie with my badger. It works okay for a first brush. The jars are very convenient but the brush is a pain to clean. Also it seemed to wear out in one place, but I was being pretty rough with it I think. if you like I can show pictures of how I take it apart to clean out and where it wore out as I don't think mine came with directions. It's not very precise and doesn't make a nice fine spray like other brushes, but it should be fine for starting out.

You will need a compressor. The picture looks strange, like the air hose looks like it's supposed to be attached to another jar, but it's not. You can get small air compressors that do not have a tank, so they don't give you a steady flow of air (starts out strong, gets weaker during each pass.) Also it has to be on the entire time you use it. The ones with an air tank are better but more expensive. I think my husband managed to get a really good deal on a small craftsman compressor from Sears. I think he paid around 50 for a 100 or so tank. If you keep an eye out you might be able to find a great sale.

I've also heard of cans of air meant for airbrushing that you attach to your brush but I don't know anything about them.

That's what I figured. I thought I'd need a compressor. I see some for around $50 which is probably my limit. I'm just starting this project to see how it goes. I don't want to invest all this money then realize I don't want to do it anymore. I'm not looking for it to be super precise either. I'm actually only blending colors with it, not making any designs.

This is a completely stupid question but, my dad has an air compressor for tires. Like bike tires, but it's rather big. Would that even work?

[MerEmma]

I'm curious about your question too! Using a bigger air compressor for an airbrush. I'm looking into airbrushing with silicone and wondering what would be a good one to buy. =\

[jazz2453]

You should be fine connecting an air brush to any compressor as long as the psi isn't too high, and you have the right size air hoses and adapters. Spray guns work well for the scales but a paasche or badger, or whatever is better for fine details.

[AniaR]

Back when I used to repair my mertailor tail, I got an airbrushing system from Michaels, just a very simple one, and hooked up special airbrushing canned air to it. It wasn't very expensive, the only thing is you have to use one whole can of air because there's no way to seal it up. Which worked for me because it took 3-4 to use for the tail. I think for a top depending on how detailed you got you could use only 1-2. You could buy extra attachments for the airbrush but I found the one it came with just fine. Just gotta make sure you clean it properly or it'll get all caked and clogged inside, but for what you want to do I think it would be the most cost effective.

[AniaR]

I used something like this plus the canned air, it worked fine.

http://greens-garage.com/images/airbrushhobby.jpg

if you google "air brushing canned air" you'll see a lot of hobbiest forums with great tutorials.

[Blondie]

Ah thank you Raina! That's what I was curious about!

[AniaR]

Good luck

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Melanie]

Hey guys - Ive learnt a lot from my mum who does airbrush make up ( silicone based make up ) and airbrush body painting - heres a link to Iwata - http://www.iwata-medea.com
they have tons of options :)

[Blondie]

Oooh thank you!! This is helpful!