I'm a buy once, cry once kinda guy. Especially when it comes to tools. Never darkened the door of Harbor Freight and don't plan on it.

I'm looking to get an airbrush to use for Duracoat. Looked on line and I'm more confused than when I started. I have no idea of what I want or need. Cup fed or with the interchangeable glass jars? Do I need a dedicated small compressor or will my Makita twin cylinder nail gun one work?

Any real world practical input is appreciated. Thanks.

Your compressor is more than enough just put an inline filter in it.
For Duracoat you don't need a super high end airbrush.
I have used the cheap Harbor freight units but I use (Cerakote and Gunkote) a Badger 350 .
It performs well the only thing is sometimes the airhose comes out of the plastic housing.
I have a high end air brush but I don't use it for this type of coatings.

Badger and Paasche are good airbrushes. High end are Iwata, Harder & Steenbeck. I would reccomend the glass jars that pull it up from underneath. The gravity feed that has the cup on top doesn't hold enough for large jobs.
Clean with laquer thinner immediatly after use, you don't want to let it dry in your airbrush.
And I think most important: Practice! Airbrushing takes kind of a knack to get it right. I wouldn't make my first attempt on a high end firearm. Practice on scrap or a cheaper gun.
I'm sure utube has tons of videos to show you technique.
http://www.chicagoairbrushsupply.com/airbrushes1.html
https://sites.google.com/site/donsairbrushtips/

Hope this helps, I only airbrush plastic models!

https://www.amazon.com/Paasche...10&keywords=Airbrush
This should fit your need, they even have strip down version with just the air brush, most of the part are replaceable, spraying tip, trigger and air hose. For home use you really don't need the double action one.

Double action in the right hands will produce a superior finish.

That said, they are much more difficult to operate successfully, and not needed for what you are needing it for.

Get a simple single action Badger or Paasche, and practice on scrap stuff for a couple of hours... it will come quickly, and not cost much to learn to do a really decent job.

I have never done Cerakote or the like, so am not familiar with the consistency needed, but I would guess that most lacquer or acrylic based model paints would be a good (and less expensive) alternative to practice with.

"Single Action" means that the valve that falls under your forefinger controls only the volume of air when pressed. Paint flow is controlled with a separate needle valve. "Double action" controls both the air flow AND the volume of liquid through a trigger that presses for air flow, and moves fore and aft to control amount of liquid dispensed... Excellent work can be done with this design, but much more difficult to master, especially for casual, once in a while type painters such as you and I!

Hope this explanation helps!
Don

I use a Badger 350 but the Paasche kit that skyline 009 posted looks nice. Get a larger jar if the have one. An empty ink tube from a BIC pen will work as a replacement pickup tube.

I forgot to mention that single action works better with these type of coatings.
dsmack explained it perfectly.
The control and artistry of a double action is not needed when spraying Cerakote or similar.
It is also harder to master.
It is better for airbrush pics on cars or whatever.

I've done a little duracoat and started with their kit. Which is pretty much a harbor freight airbrush. For duracoat, the HF brushes are fine.

- glass cup. Duracoat melts the plastic ones.
- prep is far more important. If the airbrush is clean, you'll generally get a decent spray that's enough for Duracoat
- like others have said, practice. On a pipe, other odd shapes
- if you air cure, hang the parts somewhere and forget about them for at least a month. Don't rush

I have 2 paasche double action airbrushes but I don't spray duracoat with them. I have been using the same Harbor Freight purple hvlp trim spray gun for years. Nine bucks and works great. You can adjust it so it will spray a splatter pattern for stocks and such. I've used my 60 gallon and my 2.5 gallon compressors with the same results.

For that kind of work, a single action, bottle feed will be what you want. Paasche or Badger will be good choices.

I don't know whether your compressor will be the right pressure and volume. The brush you get will tell you what you need.

I used Thayer and Chandler many years ago when painting motorcycle tanks. I believe Badger has that line now. Excellent devices back then and hopefully still are. Mine is somewhere in the garage and hasn't been used in years.

I cerakote small stuff with this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d...ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bigger things I use a touch up gun.

I have a Paasche and Badger, but most often use my 40 year old Binks 15 with a very small fluid orifice and needle. For 90% of what I do the Binks will throttle down close to what he Badger will; the Paasche is reserved for very, very fine detail work.

I think Binks now calls the "15" a "115".

I have both the.badger and the Paasche. When I airbrush acrylic paint I thin it with rubbing alcohol. I keep an extra jar of water to use as a cleaner. When I am done with the color, I spray water jar till empty then continue clean up in the sink.
I would practice with acrylic first then use your coating.

I've got a Paasche, an Iwata and a Harder and Steenbeck. The latter two are much higher quality in every way than the Paasche, but that one is serviceable, especially if you're not using it for delicate work like miniature painting.

Mine are all gravity feed, so maybe not the biggest hoppers around, but more than sufficient for my purposes. Double action brushes are also probably not necessary for what you're doing.

I'm going to say that having a good compressor is actually as important to the equation as the brush. The compressor that came in a package with my Paasche gave up the ghost quickly and gave lots of spitting (problem with the reed valve, I think). It happened to be the same package deal posted by Tommydog, more or less. Replaced it with a Sparmax and have been trouble free.

Anywho, since my applications are quite different from what you're doing, Brad, maybe not that much help.

I might suggest checking out Chicago Airbrush Supply for great deals and access to pretty much anything you're looking for. You might want some extra seals, etc. because not all brushes are solvent-proof if the Cerakote has solvents in it or you're cleaning it with harsh chemicals.

quote:

Originally posted by skyline009:
https://www.amazon.com/Paasche...10&keywords=Airbrush

Thanks everyone. I purchased this airbrush along with extra glass jars and a moisture trap/regulator. I'll give it a try out on some different shaped items to get some practice in.

I really appreciate all the input and suggestions. Thanks again.