You bought a Harley Davidson soft tail and you want it custom painted. You\’re not sure yet about whether you want to put out the money for a custom paint shop so you decide to go it yourself. You might want to do a little airbrushing on it, maybe jazz it up a bit with some real fire. But you really don\’t know much about airbrushes. And you don\’t want to waste money on the wrong one.

Kinds of Airbrushes

Airbrushes don\’t have to be intimidating. There are really only a few things to know when making your choice. First you should know that the best ones on the market are what are called double action internal mix. For the hobbyist there are single action external mix.

There are a number of manufacturers out there. My personal favorite is Iwata. But Sata also makes a very nice airbrush. If you are wanting to create some really cool custom t shirts then Paasche is the industry standard.

Factors for choosing an airbrush

The factors in choosing an airbrush are numerous. Consider what you want to do with it. What are you going to be spraying? If you are going to be working with a water based paint you need an airbrush that has a larger opening at the tip. This is because water based paint like Createx and Auto Air tend to clog easier in the brush where the needle sticks out. If you are going to be spraying a solvent based paint like urethanes then you can go really fine. Spraying metallics through an airbrush also requires a larger diameter nozzle opening so that the little flakes don\’t clog the brush and can atomize properly.

One other major factor is whether or not the parts inside the airbrush are solvent proof. There is a little O ring in airbrushes that must be able to stand up to solvent or else the airbrush will stop working properly after a few uses.

Double Action Airbrushes

As a professional in the custom painting airbrushing scene, I use only double action. They give me the ability to paint really fine detail at close range and that is very very important. A double action airbrush is so named because it requires two actions to make it operate. The first is pressing down on the trigger for air and the second is pulling back on the pressed trigger for paint.

If you pull back just a little then you get a very fine line. If you pull it farther back you get a wider spray. This makes it really versatile. You can get all kinds of subtle effects with the double action.

It doesn\’t really matter what you are wanting to paint, a double action is the way to go. I do also have my favorite brand which is Iwata. I highly recommend Iwata airbrushes above all others. It\’s just simply amazing what can be done with them.

Gravity Feed or Siphon Feed?

As far as your choice of gravity feed or siphon feed, there really isn\’t a difference in quality or performance between the two. Generally speaking, color changes are easier with siphon feed models because they employ interchangeable color bottles. I personally could use either kind and get the same results. It\’s really just a matter of preference.Probably the biggest drawback to the gravity feed type is the cost of the bottles and cleaning them. The advantage is that you can go a long time without refilling the bottle. You can also hold onto the bottle with the other hand to steady the airbrush while spraying.

Adam Tash Professional Custom Painter and airbrush artist. More helpful articles to come. If you are looking for a reputable professional to do some custom painting and airbrushing or pinstriping on your Harley or hot rod then look me up!

Adam Tash Professional Custom Painter and airbrush artist. Be sure and check out my other helpful articles. And if you decide to have someone else do your paint job then look me up! http://www.custompaintingairbrushing.com

Author Bio: Adam Tash Professional Custom Painter and airbrush artist. More helpful articles to come. If you are looking for a reputable professional to do some custom painting and airbrushing or pinstriping on your Harley or hot rod then look me up!

Category: Advice
Keywords: custom painting,harley davidson, airbrushing, airbrush, buy