jonbryon Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Thanks Paul. Jon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonbryon Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Jon, the round isn't an essential, but it is nice to be able to control the size of the fan, so at times when you don't need the width, you can reduce the fan and get a tighter pattern reducing the overspray at the edges. Paul, thanks once again for your patience in answering so many questions here and elsewhere. I guess modelling outside the box opens a whole can of worms! If you have time, I have another couple of questions, this time regarding the above and the RG-3. I've tried some fairly extensive googling, but come up with nothing First, how do I control the size of the fan? I can't find anything to help in the Iwata documentation, and all the websites I can find for spraying techniques are for guns with adjustable sprays between round and fan, with the 'horn' type aircaps. The RG-3 doesn't have such a cap. I know I should experiment, but the Mr Color paints I use are expensive and time is limited! As far as I can make out, the RG-3 adjustment comes from turning the aircap to expose more/less of the nozzle (the documentation suggests 0.1-0.3mm). What basic effect does exposing more/less of the nozzle have on spray pattern and overspray? Also, the RG-3 documentation suggests an atomisation pressure of 36PSI (or thereabouts; I don't have it to hand), but your videos say you can go as low as 10. Are there any general guidelines for why you would go lower/higher with any particular kind of paint? As I said, I use Mr Color lacquers, but also had a go with Alclad II, a paint that the manufacturer only recommends spraying at much lower pressures. Thanks once again. Sorting out all the variables will take some time I think! Jon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Budzik Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 You have a pretty wide range of air pressure for the RG-3 ... I usually run about 20 - 22 lbs for my lacquer primer. 35 lbs and you'd blow your model away. The RG-3 doesn't have a separate adjustment for the fan (the main reason I don't like fixed fan sprays) the diameter of the pattern is varied by moving the air cap fore and aft. The fan portion of the cap then is supposed to shape the pattern into a fan, however you do not have control over the amount of air through the fan outlets (again, why I don't like fixed fan spray - I think they are sort of a gimmick and why I poke fun at them in the video). I know you mentioned the cost, but you might find that if you use the round pattern, you will have the gun of your dreams ... the RG-3 probably does the best atomization of the bunch ... but unfortunately, not with the fan spray. I would also think about kicking it up to the 1mm tip. One thing about the RG-3, you can throttle it down and get really great performance and then when you need it open up the pattern and still have an amazingly even amount of material. In my opinion, the same problem plagues the Kustom TH with the fan cap ... switch to the round pattern and you have an amazing airbrush. In my experience, an uncontrolled fan is more of a problem without any advantage that I can see. As far as experimentation, I would just use water on any absorbent paper. And you don't even need the paper to see the effects of moving the air cap in and out ... you will find the sweet spot pretty quickly by just watching for the finest atomization. Hope this helps a bit. Paul Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonbryon Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Hi Paul, thanks for such a complete answer. I'll follow up off-board. Thanks Jon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lucas C. Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I've decided to take the plunge and buy a miniature spray gun/large airbrush, but I'm having trouble deciding which is more suitable for my purposes--the LPH 50-062 or the Kustom TH. I mostly build 1/72 aircraft and 1/35 modern armor, which means most of my kits are moderately sized (8 to 15 inches long, I'd say). I do have a few large ones in the stash, including a B-52, a B-58, and an M1070 HET. Given that, I don't think I need a 1 mm needle size, but beyond that, I'm stumped as to which of the two models above would be the best one to get. I guess I'd use it mostly for priming, gloss-coating, and applying the final clear coat. Paul--do you have any thoughts? Anyone else have any experience with these and wants to share some wisdom? Thanks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Budzik Posted March 18, 2015 Author Share Posted March 18, 2015 (edited) Lucas, I would not recommend the TH. Fan cap add-ons for regular airbrushes don't work well for our paints ... too much uncontrolled air. The TH is a great airbrush if you don't use the fan, but then the pattern is not nearly as large as an RG-3. Guns also have far better ergonomics for this style of painting. If you want a fan, get the LPH50 with a .6mm tip or the Eclipse G5. If you are OK with a round pattern and want really great atomization, go with the RG-3 .6mm round pattern cap ...not the fan cap. From the size of what you build, you don't need the 1mm tip. If you've never used a gun with an adjustable fan, and that's what you want, you might find the Eclipse G5 the easiest to get used to. If you look on the gun video, you will see how wide a fan it throws. And if you haven't used a gun before, you need to learn how to paint with it. Just like the difference between using different types of paint brushes, so don't load it up with model paint and go after something you care about right away. Watch how the rep handles this Iwata Supernova during this demo ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VA5PYTr5gE Paul Edited March 18, 2015 by Paul Budzik Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lucas C. Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Thanks, Paul! I'll compare the G5 and the LPH50 to see how they stack up. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Whiskey Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Great and super informative videos that are extremley helpful and appreciated. However after watching the videos AND reading all he comments I am so lost lol. I feel like I need to find a hands on class or something to figure this all out. :wacko: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
toniosky Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Nice videos Paul, better than most I watched on Youtube when I started painting with an AB. I just have one comment that might help beginners. From my experience, I would suggest removing the needle from the front to avoid leaving paint inside the body of the airbrush. Also, I favor putting the needle back from the front and not from the back to prevent bending the needle on the trigger or other parts inside the body. GREat work ! Antoine Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Budzik Posted March 27, 2015 Author Share Posted March 27, 2015 Thanks Antoine, I understand your point, but if you flush the airbrush out before pulling the needle, you're not going to have a problem. Constant disassembly of an airbrush is going to cause unnecessary wear on threads resulting in possible misalignment or poor mating of metal to metal areas - how many time have you seen the posts about the airbrush not working after someone tore it down. I think if you can't run the needle in backwards to make sure everything is aligned ... flip it around and reinsert it without running into something, then I think that same person would be just as likely to muck something up taking the head apart and then maybe cross-threading or over-tightening something trying to get it back together. If you're into total disassembly, then you would be better off with an airbrush that uses a floating tip like the Iwata Eclipse series ... not the threaded tip like the Iwata High Performance or even the Microns. Here is an interesting cleaning video from well known airbrush artist and Iwata airbrush tech Kirk Lybecker. He is the guy that fixes that Micron that someone thought they could hotrod ... Paul Quote Link to post Share on other sites
toniosky Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 Hi Paul, Interesting comment and video you got here, nice to share thoughts with you. I own an Iwata HP and I always disassemble the nozzle when cleaning. As you said great care must be taken when tightening the nozzle back so not too damage the thread. Next time, I will try to clean without having to disassemble the A/B, but I am still a bit skeptical about not leaving paint in the body. Antoine Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Budzik Posted March 28, 2015 Author Share Posted March 28, 2015 Antoine, Nothing is hard fast...my building style lends itself to short paint sessions and I'm using solvent based paints so lacquer thinner gets everything right quick. On the other hand, if you are spending hours painting, you might have more stubborn paint to remove. I do know, when I used to disassemble everything, I still flushed everything off first like I show in the video before taking things apart. I found there wasn't anything to clean so after awhile, I just quite taking everything apart. You might do the same, so when you disassemble, you can verify how clean the airbrush is. Paul Quote Link to post Share on other sites
A-10 LOADER Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Great stuff Paul, very informative, thanks for sharing your vast knowledge and experience with us. I was told to check out your links from a good friend of mine Duane " BUZZ " Lockwood. Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Great stuff Paul, very informative, thanks for sharing your vast knowledge and experience with us. I was told to check out your links from a good friend of mine Duane " BUZZ " Lockwood. Steve Steve, You know Buzz. What a small world. Back in the 70s when I was into IPMS contests. I always ran into him. Great guy, and a great modeler. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
A-10 LOADER Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I do Joel and yes, it is a small world. I am honored to have him as a friend and he still judges at IPMS events. Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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