Painting with an airbrush system

[landmizzle]

Hi all,

Embolden by the results I got on the BRE spoiler I did last week, I'm considering tackling some other areas on my car. Most of the issues are paint chips, but I do have some "checkering" on the driver door and the hatch while presentable, could stand a smoother layer of paint.

I don't really want to use a "real" paint gun and compressor as I don't have the room in the garage for the equipment nor the ability to set up a "paint booth".

So I'm wondering if one can get good results with an airbrush and small compressor for chip repair, small touch-up (where feathering would be required.), and small body panel painting.

What I'm looking for is better flow control than I can get with a "rattle can";especially with regards to feathering. The rattle can worked well with the BRE spoiler because the paint was applied across the entire piece and due to it's location, small defects won't be noticable. It's going to get rock chips anyways. The next areas I want to attack won't be so forgiving.

I can get very good quality paint from www.paintscratch.com, so that's not an issue. I believe from my research so far, I can get needles for the airbrush that will provide up to 2-3 inches of spray pattern width. Flow control should not be a problem. However, I don't know if automotive paint will flow well through the airbrush or have enough psi or cfm from the compressor. Some of these compressors will pump 60 or so psi.

Has anyone tried this before? Any advice or opinions would be appreciated.

Best Regards,

Landmizzle '72 240Z

[EScanlon]

Real fast answer to a subject that is so full of variables and everything else as to make it impossible to answer in a nutshell.

Having done a LOT of painting, from Z's, Spitfires all the way to 18 wheeler Garbage Trucks (including the box), I'll give you my preferences.

Personally I feel that airbrushes are EXCELLENT tools for the right application. Shooting models, airbrush painting, detailing items etc, you can't beat a good airbrush. However, for a model larger than 1/18 scale, I wouldn't use one for the body. There's simply too much area to cover, that must be covered QUICKLY in order to avoid a dry line. If you're strictly repairng scratches, chips, etc. you'll be fine. A door panel? No way. Heck, I wouldn't tackle one of our hood access doors with an airbrush unless it was the ONLY way and there was a strong and urgent need.

You can get a "Touch Up Gun". These are the next step up from the larger airbrushes and below the "Full" spray gun. Typically a Touch Up gun will allow you to do most small jobs on a car and a few of the larger ones, AS LONG AS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. Again, I wouldn't try to paint a complete car with a touch up gun. They're great for jambs, tight areas, hard to reach areas and small jobs. Probably a bit too strong for models, but that's what airbrushes are for. Touch up guns will handle both primer and paints with little problem.

The Full Spray Gun is for doing the whole car and other large jobs.

Hope this helps, and don't take this the wrong way, but deciding to paint pieces of your car with an air brush is like saying you were going to paint your house with a trimmer brush. You COULD do it, but the results would surely NOT be what you wanted.

Enrique Scanlon

[2ManyZs]

I was thinking the same thing. To be honest, you can usually buy a Touch Up Gun for a lot less than a good quality airbrush. I think I got mine for about 50-60 bucks FWIW.

[landmizzle]

Thanks EScanlon and 2ManyZs,

I appreciate the advice and no, I won't "take it wrong". I'm just starting out on researching this topic, so I've a bit (o.k., alot) to learn yet.

I have read a little on "touch up" guns. They seem like a reasonable option but I don't know if they'll work in the restricted enviroment I mentioned previously. I would like to be able to paint in my garage as I've done so far with my numerous "rattle can" projects.

What kind of compressor (rating, hp,psi,etc.)would be required for a touch-up gun to get descent results?

I have a spare front fender and passenger door that I was planning on practicing on to get the feel of whatever setup I get. Trust me, I really don't want to screw up my car. But at the same time, I take alot of pride in doing things myself if at all reasonably possible. It's not so much about saving money (although that doesn't hurt...) but knowing that the job was done right and probably just the challenge.

If you have any other advice or input to share I'd greatly appreciate it. If you need me to be more detailed about my situation/goals let me know. I have habit of writing lengthy post so I'm really trying to hold back so as not create to many ZZZZZZZ's. And I'm not talkin' about 240's. <grin/shrug>

Best Regards,

Landmizzle '72 240Z