# badger air brush



## gobucks1a (Mar 5, 2011)

Thinking about trying my hand at painting. Read a lot about badger air brushes. Anybody have experience? and if so, which style of air brush did/do you use? and lastly, anybody try painting a vintage afx body?


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## slotking (May 27, 2008)

i use one
i paint 1 solid color on the whole car because i suck


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

I can't say anything about Badgers as I've never owned one, but I will say nothing but good things about using an airbrush vs rattle cans. You will have more control of what you're spraying... pressure and volume wise. The biggest challenge will be keeping it clean. When you're done with a color, clean it!! Very soon!!! If you stay on top of it and make your clean up ASAP after shooting, you'll save a lot of frustration. The hardest thing with them is breaking them down and reassembly. Pay close attention to how it comes apart, so you know how it goes back together. Aerosol canned air works, but in the long run, a small compressor will be cheaper. Having a water trap, pressure gauge, and adjustment valve will help also, as this will give you even more flexibility. 

Practice helps, as with most anything. Don't be afraid to use it ( like I was with mine, and had it sitting for about 8 months before I got the nerve to fire it up) :lol: Mistakes will happen. What held me back was the fear of taking it apart and never getting it back together. After fiddling with it a few times, it was nothing to break down and reassemble. If you clean it immediately after painting, you don't always have to break it down.

Advantages are:
1. better pressure control. Rattle cans tend to have too much pressure, and getting door seams and other hollowed out body areas painted can be near impossible. With an air brush, you can cut back the pressure on the first coat and get paint where you need it.
2. Better control. An airbrush will usually have a smaller spray pattern, so fades, etc, are easier. Because of the smaller spray pattern, you won't use as much paint.
3. Less paint = less fumes. 
4. The ability to mix colors. If you can't find that perfect color, blending paints might get you closer to what you want. I'm not sure if you can mix different types of paints, so try to keep mixing in the same type of paint.

I have experimented with various types of paints. I always seem to go back to lacquer. Depending on what you're spraying will determine how much work clean up will be. If you're painting lexans with acrylics, water clean up is a breeze. Other paints like enamels and lacquers you will need lacquer thinner. I like lacquer because of the quick drying times. Enamels just seem to take too long to harden up. 

For clean up, I fill the cup with lacquer thinner, and half spray it out into a piece of paper towel.. Dump the rest into the paper towel and clean the cup with it. Then I refill with thinner and spray until it shoots out clear. Then I cover the tip of the gun with the towel and back pressure it through the cup. It takes about 2 minutes to have it clean and ready. (This is for a gravity feed type gun, by the way. I'm not totally sure how to do it if you get a siphon feed, other than the cleaning the jar and spraying thinner through it)

OK, I babbled enough. There's more, but I'm sure there are others that will follow up my ramblings.. :lol:


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## Wizard Of Iz (Sep 8, 2006)

I have used a Badger, a Paasche, and even a Harbor Freight Special. 

Bear Air has an April special on a "very good" dual-action Paasche VL with just about everything you need except a compressor and paint. Here's a link: Bear Air - Paasche VL Special 

Compressors are all over the place price-wise. If I did paint work for a living, I'd make the investment in a high-quality compressor. But since I just paint a Lexan slot car body every now and then, I use a $60-ish one from Harbor Freight. Just make sure you have one with that can regulate the air pressure and has a moisture trap.


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

*It's about versatility*

The sooner you start the faster you'll get competent.

A dual action unit provides the necessary control. DA's allow you to meter the fluid to a given volume of air. You can drop it on like fine snow or blast it down like a monsoon and ALL points in between.

The 6 biggest mistakes made are....

1. Not cleaning your gear immediately
2. Viscosity too thick
3. Not cleaning your gear immediately
4. Giving up before you get the hang of it
5. Not cleaning your gear immediately
6. Forgetting to do a test shot of everything you spray

Air brush work is very easy, but there are rules; and you must get enough practice under your belt to get a feel for it. Eventually you'll be able to lay it so fine you can see the drops build on your primer. 

Always remember that less is more. Rather than just blatting some color on your actually DIRECTING where, when, and how your paint falls.


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## 440s-4ever (Feb 23, 2010)

Cleanup sucks. You may want to look into a solution that's more friendly than splashing around in a quart of thinner, so that you don't rush it due to the chemical unpleasantness


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## partspig (Mar 12, 2003)

I used to use siphon feed airbrushes, but I didn't like them. I recently purchased a Paasche Talon, gravity feed air brush and it is the cat's azz!! Best thing is it is made in the USA!!! I like to use acrylic paints. Tamiya is my favorite!!


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## usdra (Jan 23, 2007)

http://www.bearair.com/PEAK-C-5-Gravity-Feed-Airbrush/productinfo/100320/ this is what I use. very nice brush for the money. I also use the Auto Air water base paints so everything can get cleaned in the sink with hot soapy water.



Eric
www.mobydiditperformance.com


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## tonesua (Jul 1, 2006)

as much as I've futzed with the badgers, I want you to pass go and collect the prize. 
For the amount of paint used in these tiny things, a gravity feed Iwata brand Eclipse is my recommendation. 
http://www.iwata-medea.com/index.php/products/hp_cs

They clean up well and are easy to take apart. All the advice from the others on the board is spot on. Things are easier to clean up now as well with the paints that are available. After years of modeling enamels, i have gone to water acrylics and never looked back. Easier on your lungs, and just safer in general.

These airbrushes are great for scenery too. There is alot more prep with taping things off, but your finished product looks better IMHO.

Stick with paints made for airbrush, until you get more familiar with it. Stick with one brand, and feel comfortable. Some brands just don't mix well. The catalog recommendation from bearair.com by Eric is a good start. In fact, that brush recommended looks like a good knockoff of the Eclipse and a great place to dip your toe in the water.


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## gobucks1a (Mar 5, 2011)

Thanks for all of the advice!! I have read a lot about the Paasche VL. I beleive practice makes perfect, my problem is I only have two dozen cars and all are in good shape, except the two I wanted to "paint".

Does anyone know of a good place to buy crappy, cheap vintage afx bodies?


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

E
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A
Y


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## pshoe64 (Jun 10, 2008)

Used a lot of airbrushes over the years. My old fav was a Badger 150 dual action. Easy to work with but can be a chore to clean. Before Photoshop came along, I used to resize/alter photos by airbrush for advertising (helped pay for college). The Badger was really good for that. I later moved to the Kodak Aztec airbrush and never looked back. This is also available as Testor's Model Master airbrush. Super easy to clean, heads and needles all one piece. I've used everything from water based to lacquer to acetone with no problems. 

-Paul


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

gobucks1a said:


> Thanks for all of the advice!! I have read a lot about the Paasche VL. I beleive practice makes perfect, my problem is I only have two dozen cars and all are in good shape, except the two I wanted to "paint".
> 
> Does anyone know of a good place to buy crappy, cheap vintage afx bodies?


Many second hand stores or thrift shops sell diecast culls by the pound. They are GREAT candidates to bone up on....or fire a test shot at just to see how different techniques or multi stage products will look.


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## co_zee (Mar 28, 2005)

I have used airbrushes for almost 40 years and during that time I have used about every brush out there. I have painted everything from HO bodies to murals on semi trailers and walls. I still use them for custom painting motorcycles, helmets, and other "small" things. I still have and use regularly my first airbrush, a Paasche VL. They are the workhorse of the airbrush world. One added benefit of the VL over any other brush is that most major art and hobby stores carry the typical parts for them, ie needles and tips.


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## tonesua (Jul 1, 2006)

yes, the Paasche VL is the workhorse! I loved it for enamels and 1/24 scale cars. 
I never tried the Testors brand Aztek, but at the time, the press in the model kit world gave it good reviews.


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## bobhch (Apr 22, 2007)

What Bill Hall said...kEeP yOuR aIrBrUsH ClEaN....ALWAYS!

All this talk about painting is driving me Nutz :freak: Oh man I feel a need to paint coming on......Phssssssssssssssssssssssssssssht!

Bob...painting all Summer to have bodies all Winter...zilla


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## rbrunne1 (Sep 22, 2007)

*"Quality AirBrushes For Under $75"*

Check out this thread for air brush advice. The author recommend Badger's:

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=256719

I received a Testors Aztek as a gift and I'm amazed at the the control and how fine a layer of paint you can put down. The Aztek is pretty easy to clean.

I should have switched to an airbrush years ago.

Bob B.
Clifton Park, NY


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