Paasche air brush

I have a few airbrushes and have found that the cheap ones are not the "bargains" they seem to be. Adjustment can be a bit hit and miss but once set (and this can take some fiddling!) they work OK but not brilliant.

I have one that I use for sand blasting - that was cheap and I have been pleased with it.

However, my best two are IWATA Neos. I have a gravity fed and a side fed one. I originally bought two of these for a "scale modeller" pal of mine (picked them up when I was in Chicago one year). He raved about them and loaned them to me to try. They were excellent and I reluctantly returned them but picked up two on my next visit. (They are cheaper in the USA than the UK).

However, the IWATAs are expensive.

For spraying things like the steam engines I build with special metal paints (anti rust, heat resistant), I uses a cheap plasticky Badger that has a glass jar attaching to it and I get very nice finishes.

It is difficult to recommend a tool like an airbrush. It does depend very much on what you are trying to achieve and personal preference. Some of the cheap ones are a waste of money but some produce outstanding results in the right hands.

There is a wide variety with each one - nozzle size, adjustability ........... it goes on. I was lucky enough to be able to borrow and try.