An airbrush and compressor provide a steady stream of paint.
Airbrushes are the tool of choice for many artists and hobbyists. The tool combines air and paint much like spray paint, but with a much greater level of control. Double-action airbrushes allow the maximum amount of flexibility by allowing the artist to control the air and paint separately with the same trigger. A double-action airbrush takes some practice to get used to, but if you put in the time you will be able to paint with an amazing level of detail.
Instructions
Assembling the Airbrush
1. Plug in an air compressor.
2. Screw a pressure regulator and moisture trap onto the compressor's air valve if they are not already built-in.
3. Screw an airbrush hose onto the compressor's air valve, or onto the valve of the added pressure regulator or moisture trap.
4. Screw the airbrush onto the other end of the hose.
5. Turn the compressor on. If you hear air leaking out of any connections, unscrew them and wrap the threads in Teflon tape before reassembling.
Using the Airbrush
6. Add airbrush paint to the reservoir. If this is a separate glass bottle, it will have to be plugged into the airbrush once it has been filled.
7. Depress the airbrush trigger. This will cause air to flow out of the airbrush. Adjust the pressure regulator as needed while the trigger is depressed; this gives a more accurate pressure reading than when the air is not flowing.
8. Pull back on the trigger to gradually release a stream of paint into the air. The paint is atomized and blows out of the airbrush's tip. More paint is released the farther back you pull the trigger.
9. Practice by painting a series of dots in varying sizes on a piece of paper, then connect them with lines of varying sizes.
10. Pour the remaining paint out of the reservoir when you need to change colors. Spray the empty airbrush dry to blow out any residue, and clean out the reservoir with a tissue before adding new paint. If you have multiple bottles, you can simple assign a color to each.
Cleaning the Airbrush
11. Fill the paint reservoir with a solvent appropriate to the kind of paint that you are using.
12. Place your finger over the airbrush's tip, then depress the trigger and pull back. This is called back bubbling, and will force air and paint residue back into the paint reservoir.
13. Pour out the dirty solvent and replace it with fresh.
14. Spray out all of the solvent into a paper towel.
15. Disconnect the airbrush from the air hose.
16. Remove the end cap and needle chuck from the rear of the airbrush, then pull out the needle. Wipe the needle clean and set it aside.
17.Remove the tip from the front of the airbrush and clean it with a small brush dipped in solvent.
18. Wash the paint reservoir with a small brush dipped in solvent.
19. Reassemble the airbrush and pour solvent into the paint reservoir. Spray the solvent onto a paper towel. If you see any color, there is still paint present. Repeat the cleaning process.
