tanks!

[MarkE]

Here is something a little different for hawk Studio. This is mostly for Tracy because I know that she is into these sorts of things.

Here are a couple of models currently on the workbench nearing completion

First is a Jagdpanther 1/35 scale. Adding final details before weathering. I need to airbrush/touchup some of the field camo as my airbrush was splattering a bit.



http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-models/jag1-800.jpg

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-models/jag2-800.jpg

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-models/jag3-800.jpg


Next is a M26 Pershing same scale. Still a ways to go on this. Im planning to add a lot of mud and dirt to this one. Weathering is a real art that Im trying to get a grasp on. I think I finally mastered drybrushing tracks etc. Applying washes is what scares me because I recently trashed a Panther D in a botched wash process. I have water based removable wash coming so I can reverse/fine tune the process.

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-models/persh1-800.jpg

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-models/jagper1-800.jpg



Just yesterday I started airbrushing a MIG29 Falcrum 1/72 scale. Again, a way to go on this one. The nose and rudder tips will be shot dark gray. Wheel wells are painted and ready for gear doors, legs and wheels. unpainted fuel tank along with 6 missiles shot in white are somewhere in this picture. When complete it will be shot with gloss overcoat, decals, weathering etc.

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-models/mig29-top-800.jpg


http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-models/mig29-bot-800.jpg

[Tracy]

Looks cool Marky! Now clean that airbrush better and don't forget to lube the trigger and needle :P

I see you have a Pasche bottom feeder. Mine is an Iwata with top bowl.

Are those cookies I spy in the background?

[MarkE]

Yes, cookies and coffee!

i have two airbrushes... my main one is an Iwata Eclipse bottom feeder set with medium needle. the other is an airbrush city with fine needle. both work great. The iwata needs a full breakdown cleaning though. I also have a compressor with water trap, regulator and storage tank.

BTW...that big ass paschee bottle...I bought for spraying my next bass guitar kit hehehehhe. Right now Im using it as a mixing bottle.

[Tracy]

LOL I was wondering why you were using such a big bottle for such small work. Bottom feeders are great for large projects.

Are you using testors paints? I've only used acrylic so far. My brush has a rubber Oring (I think) and I was afraid that the solvent would eat away at it.

I mostly use Createx paints but my kit originally came with ComArt paints and they smell like chocolate!

BTW, Scott wants me to take some pics of his models to show you. Right now he's working on a HUGE Gato Class sub. The sucker has to be at least four feet long.

He says he loved seeing your tanks and envy's your patience for painting them. As you'll see from the pics I take of his models, none of them are painted LOL

[MarkE]

I generally like the bottom feeders better and I have used both. I'd like to buy a top feeder as my next brush. My airbrush city airbrush is kinda a hybrid. There is a color cup similar to yours but you can attach it to the bottom. its great for fine work.

The picture of the Jag was a semi botched job and I generally do much better. That day the Iwata was giving me fits.

I use acrylic exclusively, generally Tamiya or Model Master (testors) as they are specifically designed for plastic models. Floquil makes nice stuff too. I use their clear and gloss coats. Acrylic is great as you can use regular windex as an airbrush cleaner. Ammonia cuts right through acrylic paint. When i clean or change colors I run a small bottle of windex followed by water. I have this shit down to a science. I can clean or change colors in less than a minute.

A Gato...wow!! I'd love to do one of those. Truth is I have about 20 unbuilt kits each of tanks and planes. They take up a whole table in my hobby room. I love to see pics of scotts stuff. If you want to shoot his models for him I would recommend one of the brands above in acrylic. They both cover really well.

I'll shoot a couple of pics of my airbrush rig.


Marky

[Tracy]

I've heard of using windex as a cleaner. I just use store bought bottled cleaner and then follow up with distilled water. I've read that tap water minerals can harm/clog brushes.

Along with windex I've also read that some people use Future floor polish cut with water as a clear coat but I've been afraid to try that (or even the windex for that matter). But I'll give the windex a try when I run out of bottled cleaner.

I'd love to see your rig. I'll take pics of mine too. It's not much but I'm in love with it. Scott got it for me for my b'day last year and laughed thinking that I would get bored with it within a few weeks. I sware, I come up with new uses for it almost every week since I got it. I originally just wanted to do artwork with it. But I seem to use it for anything and everything else hehe

[MarkE]

I once tried to turn mine into a powered bong :) :) The air/weed mixture isnt quite right. perhaps if I remove the needle :)

yes, Future! Guys are using it on armor and aircraft. Here is a link to an article on doing aircraft canopies with it..

http://www.swannysmodels.com/Canopies.html

and another (very detailed) on using future as a clear coat.

http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html

You can run this stuff through an airbrush and clean with windex. It is an acrylic base polish. I have been looking locally for it and will try it as soon aas I find some.

Armor is generally done in flat paint, however, after the base paint and camo (like my jag or pershing) you shoot it with future. Then you apply decals and do the washing. When done you spray a flat or satin clear.
Slippery gloss surface helps the wash to run better, and for decals it keeps them from glassing at the edged. Ive tried this with floquil gloss/flat clear and I swear that you can not see the edges of the decals at all.

The very next step on the jag would be to shoot it with future. After reading that second article, and reading all the shit about it in the modelling forums, I an confident that it will work fine.
I first learned about future some time ago as some guys are finishing guitars with it!

[Tracy]

You know, I didn't think about that but you're right. Future is acrylic based. If I clean the brush in a timely fashion, it shouldn't be a problem. I feel better about using it now. It should work well for putting a wet looking gloss on my Halloween eyeballs (just the first application off the top of my head). It would save me tons of time and bottles of brushing clear nail polish over them to get the clear depth. I know you probably think that's silly, but it's off the wall stuff like this that I work on.

It would be good for giving a moist look inside of my demon mouths as well. for this Halloween, we're doing a Demon Hive/hatchery with a mother demon, a couple of babies and one hatching from an egg. The gloss would be great for the wet/icky parts.

I'll definitely give Future a try. If I find it locally I'll let you know and pick up a few bottles for ya.

[MarkE]

I wouldnt worry too much about your airbrush. Scores of guys are shooting plastic models with future. many of them are using iwata. The modeling forums are flooded with threads about it. Ive been running windex for some time now and it has no ill effects, and saves me a bundle. My alternative is to buy tamiya thinner at 8 bucks a bottle. fukthat! Run windex, run water...easy as pie!

[MarkE]

This morning I went to shoot floquil clear coat on two models in prep for decals and washing. One is the MIG29 Falcrum and the other a soviet T60 tank.

I shot the tank without problems. About halfway through the mig the needle completely jammed in an open position, leaving a puddle on the port wing. I managed to fix it.

However, it was time to bite the bullet, hold my breath and tear down the iwata eclipse for a serious cleaning. I must admit I was a little scared. Ive owned this thing for many years but I have never had it apart. In the end it was a piece of cake. here are some detail in case your interested.

Even though we are different (top/bottom feeders) I imagine that the body and mechanics are the same. I started by pulling the needle, and yes, it was gunked up...I mean REALLY GUNKED up! Not so much on the tip, but about 1/2 inch or so back where the paint first hits it. I was able to easily clean it up with windex on paper towel.

I went to reinsert it and I couldnt because paint was jamming the body. I started to disassemble it from the front. There are two small (Ill call em) caps. I dropped them into a bowl of windex. Then I had to use a wrench to take off the next piece. behind that a little pointy thingie that the tip of the needle rests in fell out. I put both in the windex.

I then took the needle and inserted it backwards first through the front and then the back to try to unjam it. The paint broke free. I then took a pipette loaded with windex and ran it though the body, followed again by the reversed needle from both ends. The needle now moved freely.

I reassembled everything and it seems to work fine. I ran two bottles of windex through followed by a bottle of water. She purrs like a kitten now.

This was so easy that I am kicking myself in the ass for not having done this sooner. Im guessing the procedure would take 5 minutes. Im gonna work it into my regular lineup from here on.

I also spotted the O ring that you were referring to. There are actually two of them, one on the front and the other on the rear. They are both located in sections that did not require disassembly. Just by looking at it, they seem nearly completely insulated from any liquid you are spraying. Seriously, Im guessing that you could run a bottle of acid through this thing without fucking anything up. The only way I can see damaging it is to bend the tip of the needle...but ....BFD...buy another. Im using the same needle now for 6 years and its perfect.

Anyway, I though you might find this useful. I'll try to post some pics later.

Luvya sis!

[Tracy]

yeah, I was really intimidated to take my brush apart at first but there are a ton of instructional airbrush cleaning vid's on youtube that taught me well.

You can avoid a lot of that dried paint in the body by doing a backwash while cleaning after use. Put a little cleaner in the cup and hold a rag over the tip of the brush while giving it a little air. The air will bubble up into the cup and push the left over paint that's in the body up into the cup. I backwash/flush my brush till the backwash comes up clear. It usually takes 3 or 4 times.

Another thing that can cause spatter is using paint that's too thick. If you thin your paint and the brush still spatters, then it's definitely time for a good cleaning.

[MarkE]

Interesting points. I backwash all the time. its one of the reasons I like bottom feeders....you can backwash like gangbusters. I had 6+ years of accumulations in there :)

I also agree on the paint thickness...I later determined that the paint was too thick. it actually hit me when I first started shooting gloss colors. They need to be really thinned out.

[MarkE]

Tracy
Perhaps you can help with a small problem that Im having. You are much more experienced than I am, especially with fine artwork (you topfeeder you).

Anyway, I will soon be doing a model of a bf110 that has a really nice spotted camo pattern. here are some box pics so that you know what Im talking about...

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-models/ab4.jpg

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-models/ab5.jpg

I tried some test runs today spraying spots of various sizes using both airbrushes. Both are absolutely clean and the AB city has a new fine needle.
I appologize for the shitty pic but I wanted to zoom in on the worst case set of spots. Im getting some splattering as you can see. I was able to get micro size dots to large dots without problem but Im still splattering a bit. I tried all ranges of air pressure and I have the paint thinned out to about the consistency of milk.

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-models/ab7.jpg

Please keep in mind that the in the picture, the splattering looks a lot worse than it actually is.
I've tried everything. The only thing I can think of is to thin out some more. I would have continued but I was starting to get a little tired.
any ideas??

Anyway...here are a couple of pics of my brushes and compressor. The brush on top is airbrush ciry, and on the bottom is Iwata Eclipse. the compressor has a storage tank, water trap, reg w/guage and shutt off valve. it works really great

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-models/ab3.jpg
http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-models/ab2.jpg



Here is how I clean my brushes. I use a plastic maxwell house coffee container with a small hole cut in it. This simple thing emits almost no spray into the room...and I spray a lot of frikkin windex!

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-models/ab1.jpg


and finally, here are some of the unfinished kits that I have laying around

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-models/ab6.jpg


Thanks sis


Marky

[Tracy]

Getting neat, consistant dots is a matter of practice, practice, practice. I think your spatter problem is because your throwing too much paint. If you hit one spot with too much paint it will lay wet and cause (what they call) spider legs. In airbrushing, you should always paint in dry layers. Never wet.

You need to practice your trigger control. I was taught that the air should always be on. The steps are 1)air on, 2)paint on, 3)paint off and 4)air off. It's a coordination that takes a little practice but once you get it, it's like riding a bicycle and comes naturally.

As to the amount of paint you throw, a sticky trigger is your worse nightmare. Wick a little oil down into the trigger hole. I don't know about your brush but with mine, when you remove the needle, the trigger pulls right out for easy oiling. Check youtube for a video on your particular airbrush model breakdown.

[Tracy]

Here's a vid for your Eclipse

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXvqjgSfah8

You may find this diagram helpful too...

http://www.airheadairbrush.com/BCSP.htm

[MarkE]

Thanks for the links. I know what you mean about trigger control, I have been doing that. The air is always on, and off the model when I first turn it on. I really do have great control. Those dots on that paper are really micro size. I goof ocasionally and get too much paint in. I need to practice more, or perhaps back off on the coffee a little :)


I can pull back the trigger slightly and then a very fine mist starts. Even before I get too much paint in its splattering. it happens as soon as the first paint hits the paper. I must not be thin enough. I'll try getting crazy on that the next time I try it. I doubt it has anything to do with the brush itself as it happens on both. Splattering is a classic "bent needle" symptom. I have also read that paint too thick can also cause it.

usually if i screw up I can reshoot the panel in base color and start over. Most of the spots on that plane are right on the masked line (grey/green and would be impossible to respray. if I goof along that line then Im screwed. Thats why I want to try some test runs. Once I get it perfect I'll paint the model. I may actually paint that pattern before I assemble it.

Nice model though isnt it? I love the Kraut W2 stuff!

[Tracy]

Here's my brush, Iwata Eclipse HP-CS...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Airbrush/ab1.jpg

My compressor...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Airbrush/ab2.jpg

And a doodle I did...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Airbrush/ab3.jpg

[Tracy]

dot and dagger practice LOL ...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Airbrush/p1.jpg

Shading practice...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Airbrush/flowerLinkNoflash.jpg

Chain detail...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Airbrush/LinkNoflash.jpg

[MarkE]

Holy crap!!! you're awesome tra! shit...I need to be able to do that!!!

[Tracy]

LOL thanks. The flower was done using a frisk and the chain, using a stencil I made. I don't like using either. I prefer freehand. I did the girl face freehand.

[MarkE]

I am humbled, oh great one! I can see that I need to work on my technique. Fortunately for me, plastic modeling doesnt require great airbrushing talent except in rare cases. It requires patience more than anything else.

Im gonna keep experimenting and keep practicing. i have one really expensive kit, a tamiya F16 that I refuse to start until my technique gets better.

I eventually want to try sunbursting a guitar. That should be fun! Maybe I'll just send it to you :)

[MarkE]

By the way.... NICE RIG!!!!

[Tracy]

Oh geeze, I'm not great by any means. But I have fun with it.

I like your rig too. I bought a regulator for mine but it's threads didn't fit. Mine just has a bleeder valve to collect moisture and adjust psi. I also have a redundant moisture trap at the base of my AB but I haven't had to empty that ever. It's nice to have a redundant moisture trap just in case though.

I was strongly advised to get a regulator for it but haven't gotten around to getting one that fits yet. They said that you can't get a consistent psi with a bleeder valve (I don't use it anyway as I hate hearing the compressor constantly running). But then I learned on this setup and am comfortable with it and have no problems. It runs at about 35-40psi. But I occasionally think that maybe it would make life easier on me if I had a proper regulator. I sometimes think that I'm limiting myself by not getting one.

Do you recommend that I get a regulator?

I would think so since I change from doing small/up close detail work to covering large areas often. Sometimes while doing small upclose work, it would be nice to slow the psi. Changing PSI just makes sense to me but I've managed so far with my current setup.

Oh, I meant to mention to you earlier that if you remove your needle cap (the very last piece at the tip of your AB) you can achieve an extremely fine line. Just be careful though because when that cap is removed the tip of your needle is exposed and they bend very very easily.

And another thought about your small dots having spider legs...perhaps you're rendering your paint too thin/wet? The wetter, the easier to splatter is what I'm thinking. I forget if you mentioned trying this but have you tried using less PSI?

Just a couple of thoughts.

Also, when you backwash do you dump whats flushed into your bottle/cup between flushes? Or do you spray it back out the needle? You need to dump it.

I use acrylic exclusively, generally Tamiya or Model Master (testors) as they are specifically designed for plastic models. Floquil makes nice stuff too.

Thanks for that tip on paints for plastic models. I did some AB painting on a model for Scott with both Createx and ComArt paints and they easily scratched off (I even primed the model first). I'll look into those paints for doing his plastics.

Tomorrow I'll take pics of some of his models. I think he'll bust a blood vessel if I don't. He's been following our convo since we started this thread. I think he's over the Airbrush talk and wants to get back to models LOL.

And BTW, the next kit you should build is the STUKA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

I have three partially finished models waiting for me. A stick and paper Stuka, an F-14 Tomcat and a huge plastic Space shuttle.

Scott, on the other hand has a ton of models still in the box. One is particularly weighing on his nerves. It's a 1/150th scale IX B U-Boat. What's holding him back is that it's a motorized diving sub and he's grid locked at the electronics aspect of it. I need to look over the instructions to see if I can't do it for him.

[MarkE]

Wow...no regulator? Now Im really impressed.On my last compressor, a pasche, I had no reg and used a bleeder valve. I couldnt get things working to my satisfaction no matter how I tried.

If I were you, I would pack up the whole thing and bring it to home depot to the plumbing section. Grab a salesman and have him find an adapter for your regulator. Using one or more adapters you should be able to make a matchup. You will need to use thread tape on all threaded joints (cheap). They will have that too.

The reg will even out the pulsing of air caused by each piston stroke. It happens so fast that you cant see it but I could never get my rig working without it.
One other point...unless your compressor has auto shutoff you will still need to use the bleeder between the compressor and reg.

Your results seem excellent with your current setup. perhaps you dont need all that shit :)

I took another shot at the dots last night. I thinned the paint some more, switched to a color cup and cranked up the pressure a bit. Im getting much better results now. I'll keep experimenting.

I buy nearly all my stuff from tower hobbies http://www.towerhobbies.com (http://www.towerhobbies.com/)
Look for tamiya acrylic. Their paint numbers begin with X (for gloss) or XF (for flat). Flats spray much easier. If you buy it in 1/3 oz size it is already thinned for spraying. I would recommend getting a bottle of tamiya thinner too. If you use water it will foam up a little and dry unevenly. Whats really cool is that the 1/3oz tamiya bottle screws right to the bottom of my airbrush, so I spray it right from the tamiya bottle. I love that!

Here is a link to flat black just to line you up on the correct tamiya paint
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXRS18&P=7

You prolly already know this but dont shake the paint bottle. Stir it! its like an anti-James Bond thing...."sschhtttirred, not shaken"

[Tracy]

If I were you, I would pack up the whole thing and bring it to home depot to the plumbing section. Grab a salesman and have him find an adapter for your regulator. Using one or more adapters you should be able to make a matchup. You will need to use thread tape on all threaded joints (cheap). They will have that too.

Yeah, I should do that but honestly since I learned on this setup, I'm used to it. But I do know that I will probably love the psi variable effects. It's just not high on my importance list at the moment. You've convinced me though that I really do need to get an adapter for it.

As to the tape, I use that already. Teflon tape I think it's called. It's great for reducing risk of leaks. I wouldn't attach anything without it.

One other point...unless your compressor has auto shutoff you will still need to use the bleeder between the compressor and reg.

Mine has an auto shut off. The only time it runs is when I'm pressing the air button on my brush or if I adjust the bleeder valve down (then it runs constantly).

Your results seem excellent with your current setup. perhaps you dont need all that shit :)

I think I could get better at it if I did do "all that shit" LOL. I'm going to get that reg hooked up one way or another and see what happens.

I took another shot at the dots last night. I thinned the paint some more, switched to a color cup and cranked up the pressure a bit. Im getting much better results now. I'll keep experimenting.

Experimenting and practicing is the best way to work out prob's like that. I'm glad you're seeing some results.

I buy nearly all my stuff from tower hobbies http://www.towerhobbies.com (http://www.towerhobbies.com/)
Look for tamiya acrylic. Their paint numbers begin with X (for gloss) or XF (for flat). Flats spray much easier. If you buy it in 1/3 oz size it is already thinned for spraying. I would recommend getting a bottle of tamiya thinner too. If you use water it will foam up a little and dry unevenly. Whats really cool is that the 1/3oz tamiya bottle screws right to the bottom of my airbrush, so I spray it right from the tamiya bottle. I love that!

I was looking at the Tamiya paints at Hobby Town yesterday and the bottles are awfully small for like $3. That's quite pricey. I'll look around online for it instead. The tower hobbies website you pointed me to has them for about a buck cheaper. And thanks for the thinner tip on that one.

You prolly already know this but dont shake the paint bottle. Stir it! its like an anti-James Bond thing...."sschhtttirred, not shaken"

Really? I always shake. I didn't know that. Is that to avoid air bubbles? If so, I probably don't have a problem with that because I strain my paints. I cut a small piece of pantyhose and place it under the cap of my paints. It strains the paint as I squeeze it into my cup and probably eliminates air bubbles. I don't know if you knew about that or not but it's always recommended to strain your paints.

[babayaga]

Hi folks... you two really are exceptionally creative - the talent obviously runs in the family! But seeing the models in progress reminded me of some of my favourites over the years.... an early Airfix 'QE2', the battleship 'Tirpitz', a whole range of film and TV sci-fi spaceships, and my all-time favourite - a Revell 'Saturn 5'.

My main modelling work came during the 80's when I really became interested in model railways and scratchbuilt a sectional layout which went right around our main bedroom - (yes...Milady was very, very, very patient with me in those days!). I particularly enjoyed constructing the buildings using a product called Linka - plaster moulds which formed the majority of the building parts. Most of the kit is up in the loft and I've kept a mental note to get it all back down again when I finally retire.... or when grandkids start appearing, whichever comes first!

Take care - G.

[MarkE]

Thanks Graham. I did the Tirpitz once, and I also have a train layout, and yes, also a very patient wife! Along with music i do this to "decompress" after the workday. I like modeling because it requires no concentration or serious thought, unlike my work.

Tracy...I spent the last few days shooting Future on a beater tank and a new airframe that im building. Its a F84 in 1/72 scale. Future is very thin and requires a bit of different technique. Ill do a quick write up with pics over the weekend. I'm sure it will work really well for the stuff that you are currently doing. Its a helluva lot cheaper than clear gloss. i estimated that 1-$7.00 bottle of future could replace about 48 bottle of gloss clear that sell for about $2.00 a bottle.