Airbrush Questions 1. How do you prepare the surface of an old shell or car for painting? 2. How do you prepare the surface of an undecorated shell or car for painting? 3. Can the Aztek grey, light blue, or red nozzle work for acrylic paints ? ( Or do you really need the acrylic nozzles.) 4. If you don't know the PSI on your compressor how do you know if you should turn it up or down? Thanks, Loco1999
#1 and 2: Wash the shells in soapy water and rinse. Let dry. try not to handle them much with bare hands. You want to surface to be oil and dirt free. Can't answer #3. #4: If your compressor doesn't have a gauge, you could buy an inline gauge. That way you can adjust the PSI.
To amplify Mike Gilmore's reply to #1 and 2, use dishwashing detergent. Grease is fatal to an acrylic paint job -- the paint won't stick very well.
Loco 1999: The Aztec nozzles you mentioned work with acrylic paint. I have the Aztec A4709 and those nozzles work with acrylic paint. You can buy a gauge for your compressor.
Thanks, that helps. The compressor is a testors with a regulator. It works, more or less pressure, but the gauge doesn't work. Figures.. Return, Exchange... Should I upgrade to a small badger and an external regulator? I was trying to spray box car red over black. Loco1999
I have a question as well: exactly how much paint do you need to say...weather a N Scale freight car? I know it can't be much. I guess it would be best to try and do as many cars as possible? I have an airbrush but haven't used it yet. I still need a compressor (I have a can of Propel but again, haven't used it).
I have the Aztec brush like PowersteamGuy. If Acrylics are mixed thin enough, they will not clog the fine nozzles. As to a compressor, I am quite happy with the ones carried by Wall Mart, Home Depot or Lowe's. If you want to be super sure you will NOT have any water build up, purchase a separate water trap for approximately $35.00. A separate regulator, if yours is inoperable can be had for $15.00 at Home Depot or the like.
Agreed on all here. I do not thin acrylics very much and I spray at 55 psi. I bought a nice 3 gallon 1.5 hp compressor. If the acrylics were thinned, I am sure they could be sprayed at a lower pressure. I don't use a water trap in south Texas. It would be safest to use one, but I get by without it here. Probably varies by your location and the weather. But, I do want to say that air brushing opened a whole new part of modeling, for me. Even if John Allen never had one, I am glad that I do.
Thanks for the info. Returned, Then went to sears. For an extra $20 I got one with a 15 gallon tank and a regulator. Hose fits, even quick connect. Where do I get a water trap and a respirator? Your right, I can't believe how cool it is. Loco1999
Loco1999: My best source of parts and information is a vendor who specializes in air compressors for various industries. They may not have all the parts immediately in stock, but they have a wealth of knowledge on compressors and what they can do for various applications. These guys specialize on compressors for 18 wheelers and larger industrial tools. One of their first questions is how much does it weigh and how many floors up will it be used? So, my compressor is very small for the type of work that they normally do. The guys there are always interested to see me because they know about the "tiny trains" I can make using their products. I would look around for someone like this.
