air brush suppliers uk

[hunty3000]

Hi all,

I going to air brush my first body shell but I can not find a UK online shop that sells all the bits I need. I'm after some paint, (some that don't need thining). Some vinyl masks and stencils. I can find a few websites that sell it all separate but it all adds up when u add the postage.

So anybody no any good suppliers.

Thanks

[NITO]

Hiroboy has zero paints, no idea what they are like but are apparently pre thinned and they sell lots of other stuff too.

 

http://www.hiroboy.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=24

[Tamiyacowboy]

stencils / Masks: 

 

us arty folks like to cheat. the home computer and printer with google/bing

find your flame design etc etc, print them out onto a nice white sheet.

 

to make a stencil you now lay over some thin clear acetate ( the clear panel on the front boxes toys came in )

and carefuly cut out the design out of the acetate. some fixing tack adhisve spray holds them on surface while you paint.

 

for a mask we will use a sheet of glass and cover it with masking tape, shining a light from under the glass allows you to see the shadow 

of your image and you can cut this out of your covered glass.

carefuly peel up the mask section you cut and place this onto the models area. 

 

Paint, try creative models, UK 

 

have a look at the premium rc colors in the vallejo range.

they are waterbased paints and none toxic . just add a tiny bit of water to thin them out.

[hunty3000]

That's some good ideas, will definitely try the mask one on my first paint job.

There is a good selection of colors available also on that website.

Got myself a big air compressor already, need to buy a airbrush. Was going to get the kit from tool station because it's just down the road. Have you any other advice before I go buy everything.

Thanks for the help, much appreciated.

[Tamiyacowboy]

Coverage, you sprayed with a rattle can before yeah ? so you know its a fairly large spray cone right. 

 

well now imagine that spray cone 100x smaller say a 1 inch wide spray cone , and not the 6 inch your used to.

thats what an airbrush is a very mini version , just we can control how much paint we let out. onto the surface being covered. 

most people get an airbrush and think yeah just like a spray can and find its nothing like it.

the smaller cone area is a killer and you cannot just press the button and a few seconds later its coated.

it take like 20 mins plus with an airbrush.

 

please do not buy anything with a little jar and black looking plastic body and a aircan with it.

you want cheap simple and easy chinese airbrush, cheap for a reason because a good airbrush will cost over 100 pounds alone.

 

a 0.5 or 0.3 needle dual action top feed brush, here is a amazon 130 brush, you can get fine lines down to 1mm and around a half inch to three quarter inch

spray cone ( more if you remove the needle hood). http://www.amazon.co.uk/Airbrush-BD-130/dp/B00472D1ZS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1422565309&sr=8-2&keywords=airbrush+130

 

i own both a BD-130 and a HS80 airbrush, my next purchase will be a harder and steenbeck pro brush.

 

for full coats we can cheat and use the usual touchup spraygun with a wide spray and small 100ml topload bottle,

will run of our airbrush compressors and will give that full flash coat some need like you get with a can.

the airbrush is so you can add all that detail and then flash the back with a white to make everything pop and protect from chipping.

 

so something like this,

 

some flames airbrushed in, bit o red with some yellow, spraying yellow onto the red makes an orange and a little skyblue/white for them  highlights.

we then blow this over with just air from the airbrush, run the other side in the same way, some red some yellow and overspray orange.

we the mask out these sprayed areas when dry and do our block coloring lets just throw black on so its easy.

when its dry we remove our masking covering the flames and now spray the whole lot white a couple coats

once dry shell is done. 

 

you are always best to wash a shell in some fairy liquid, give it a good wash inside.

then let it dry,

then mask

CHECK masking is nice and tight down on the lead edges, this helps stop paint seeping under.

get the brush and gun ready , paint mixed and decanted and face mask on.

RE-CHECK masking then start the work. giving a couple mins between each coat and blowing it dry with the airgun and no paint flowing.

BUILD UP color slowly over thin coats, our paint will be more thinner than a spray can so you MUST not let it POOL UP or it WILL CAUSE RUNNING.

 

Practice , i say to all the guys grab an old flower pot and go to town try and fill it with color and see how hard it is and

the time you need to think before you spray. learn to draw little dots to bigger dots, thin lines to thick lines , and DAGGER STROKE

these three practice units will give you skills to control the brush, then its just how artistic you can be. 

Edited January 29, 2015 by Tamiyacowboy

[hunty3000]

I was going to get this airbrush because it has the hose and adaptor to fit directly to my compressor.

http://www.toolstation.com/m/part.html?p=84074

Is this OK.

I have lots of experience with spray paint. My job involves respraying lots of stuff

[Tamiyacowboy]

yeah that will do, but you may wanna change after time. its a bit like coloring you end up owning a few brushes.

you have a fave outta the bunch but the others do the finer stuff. 

 

what i would do is this, if you get that kit, as soon as you can replace the feeder pipe.

its like a plastic tube, they tend to be the worse part, have a look on ebay for a airbrush hose

rubber reinforced job, once thats installed you will find it alot more like a gun and fittings come by the dozen.

1/8 to 1/4 and onwards etc etc, even mini quick hose connectors for airbrushes, handy if you have a blanked or spare

none used outlet

 

but over time if you catch the bug you will want to look at a more better brush, something that has more finer control

and does not draw paint but lets nature and gravity do the work so air is better put to use and your paint spray is finer

less likely to blotch and spittle.

[hunty3000]

Thanks for the advice.

I do have spare outlet on my compressor.

Where that air brush says it includes viscosity cup, is that not a gravity feed cup.

[Tamiyacowboy]

yeah fancy name aint it lol you have to laugh, but real honest dont bother they not that good.

 

what i would do is say run the connections up and leave the brush pot empty,

pop on compressor and with the airbrush trigger held down adjust the regulator to around 12-15 psi

go middle the road here say 12.5, have a feel with the palm of hand.

now drop about an egg cup full of water into the jar and spray it through

wet up a paper or something just see how it draws up.

 

if it spluters of does not draw paint up just up the regulator pressure a bit and test again.

till the airflow is enough to draw. ( mix paint as to resemble the thickness of milk when sloshed up the side of a glass )

[hunty3000]

Ok, thanks again.

I'll give it ago and post a picture when I've done my first shell.

I don't want to spend a lot of money yet until I know I'm capable.

Cheers

[Tamiyacowboy]

Ok, thanks again.

I'll give it ago and post a picture when I've done my first shell.

I don't want to spend a lot of money yet until I know I'm capable.

Cheers

 

 

Practice, at first and i will not lie, you pictures and art will be doodles

something you expect your young lad to come home with after school for the fridge door.

 

and thats no lie, we all had to learn to draw in school some good others couldnt hold a pencil.

my skills came from technical drawing at school, art i was bad at lol , i made the scream look like mona lisa lol.

but a pencil, table and various straight edges i could bash up plans for houses, or draw f1 cars all to scale.

 

My first shell , the paint fell off 

my second shell an all black job, 

my third shell this was about three months down the line and around 200 quid in spay cans later

but my skills had come on leaps and bounds. a nice ford blue with white paint splatters, all hand cut masking by myself.

i did a second bmw micro shell with a black main color and a white smoked like skull mask, again all hand cut.

 

 

so practice on paper / glass / metal(but flat black it first) / plastic / card/ fabric

Make dots, so engage airflow trigger, then a quick slide back and forwards on the trigger.

small dots , medium dots, large fade dots.

Make lines, thin , medium and thick,

make dagger strokes ( go and youtube this term airbrush dagger strokes tutorial)

you want to be able to confidently say you can do each practice well. and now your armed with the basics.

 

anyone can spray can or master the large guns, but airbrushing is one thats a long hard learning curve.

Edited January 31, 2015 by Tamiyacowboy