Airbrushing

[TheGeekFreek]

Ive been looking into learning to airbrush but im not really familiar as to what all I need as far as painting goes..

Ive got a decent airgun and compressor, works fine.. the brush itself came with some colors and is meant for doing things like T-Shirt art.. Im wanting to airbrush PC cases, Laptops, and Xboxes and I have a few Questions..

1) Do i still need to sand them down?

2) Do I need to prime when airbrushing?

3) Do I need particular paints for different surfaces?

4) Do I need a special kind of clearcoat with AB Paint?

5) How long is the dry time with AB paint compared to Spraypaint..

6) Where can I get extra bottles (With tube and cap) CHEAP..
Ebay has 12 bottles for 27$ and Paint for about 20$ for 6 colors, up to 36 colors for about 100$..


I dunno, if u can think of anything else I might need.. lemme know.. Tips and Tricks are also appreciated..

-Evil Juggalo

 

[boostdemon]

1) Do i still need to sand them down?

normally you would "cut" the paint first... say your case is gloss black and you wanted to airbrush some flames on it... you'd scuff up the area to be painted first with some 1000 grit or more and wipe it clean. The paint will stick better, then you clear coat it when you're done.

2) Do I need to prime when airbrushing?

You can, it depends on what you're painting with and what prep the surface has done. For aluminum (thats not grounded) i've painted on a polished surface. You would probably want to test first since the paint tends to run.

3) Do I need particular paints for different surfaces?

Not really no. AutoAir or HouseOfKolors paints will work great for computer stuff... plastic, metal, etc.

4) Do I need a special kind of clearcoat with AB Paint?

honestly, best is to take it to the pros for clear... nothing like ruining your masterpiece by spraying some rattle can clear on top and it disolves the paint lol (ask me how i know that one grrrrr). But you can probably get a urethane based and be good. not sure what people use on AutoAir paint

5) How long is the dry time with AB paint compared to Spraypaint..

depends, usually you mix the paint with a reducer... reducers usually come in fast, medium, long as far as drying/curing times. The longer you go the more time you have to make corrections or additions, but you have to wait longer between overlapping colors and stuff. Spray paint is usually either fast or holy crap fast. the latter being flats and primers drying almost instantly.

6) Where can I get extra bottles (With tube and cap) CHEAP..
Ebay has 12 bottles for 27$ and Paint for about 20$ for 6 colors, up to 36 colors for about 100$..

dunno really.. most starving artists will find other things to use, but theres a few places i've ordered from that are good.. http://www.dickblick.com/ , http://www.coastairbrush.com/ and http://www.bearair.com/ are all good places to check.

 

[GhengisKhan]

I can't answer all of your questions, but I think I can help a little bit more on the paint selection.

1) Do i still need to sand them down?

2) Do I need to prime when airbrushing?

I've found that you should always prime, then lay down a solid base coat. (ie. for a night scene w/ moon & stars: sand, prime, then coat the whole thing black using normal case painting techniques... sand, prime, wetsand, prime, wetsand, paint, wetsand, paint, wetsand, paint, then do your airbrushing, then clearcoat.

3) Do I need particular paints for different surfaces?

I pick up all my paints for airbrushing at a local craft/model supply store. I usualy just use Testors model paints. But make sure you get enamel paints for this type of work, and not the water based ones.

4) Do I need a special kind of clearcoat with AB Paint?

If you use enamel paints, an enamel clearcoat usualy works best, but make sure that you let your airbrushing work dry for a day before clearcoating for best results.

6) Where can I get extra bottles (With tube and cap) CHEAP..
Ebay has 12 bottles for 27$ and Paint for about 20$ for 6 colors, up to 36 colors for about 100$..

http://www.testors.com/catalog_browse.asp?ictNbr=6


Hope this helps

 

[Fps_Rory]

I Myself have never airbrushed a computer but I do airbrush model tanks. I sand and prime plastic so yes I would do it on metal. As far as the paint goes yes use enamel like Sheldron said unless for some reason you can't find that. Than use acrylic (the kind that thin with alcohol NOT water Ifind it sticks better) but put several coats then seal it with futurefloor polish, then put the top coat such as dullcaot or w/e(the polish makes a highgloss coat). If you use enamel you can pretty much use any clear coat but if you use acrylics seal it with futurefloor polish than anaother coat of w/e finish you would like.(Seems odd to use polish but it works wonders in the modeling world). For the paint and jars just go to any local hobby store.

Hope I helped in some way.