Hi. Welcome to my web site. My name is Don Wheeler.
I'm a retired manufacturing engineer who
likes to tinker. I
titled my site Airbrush Tips, but maybe I should have called it Don's
Adventures in Airbrush Land. A couple of years ago I started
building
plastic
kits as a hobby, and it wasn't long before I decided that I needed an
airbrush.
After some research, I settled on either a
Badger
150
or 155 Anthem. I wanted an internal mix, double action brush
with good parts
availability but not too expensive. Fortunately, I live just
a
few
miles from Coast
Airbrush
in Anaheim. They have good prices and they are really nice to
deal with.
It was almost a toss up, but after handling both, I chose
the 155. I liked the way it felt, and the idea that it can
put out a lot of
paint
when needed, but still do fine work without changing the needle.
I'm really happy with it.
I'm
far from being an expert, but I've learned a few things about my Anthem
and
airbrushing during this time, and I'd like to pass them along.
This is not meant to be a complete tutorial on airbrushing.
However, I
hope that you will find something of value here. Naturally,
my
examples will be of the Badger Anthem, but most
airbrushes
are pretty similar and much will apply to other brands and models too.
I will not try to cover external mix airbrushes, since
I have no experience with them.
I use only enamel paints; ModelMaster and Floquil so
far. I may try acrylics eventually, but right now this keeps
things
simple, plus they are readily
available in lots of colors. I also use Testors DullCote clear lacquer.
I have been thinning both about 50/50
with lacquer thinner. I spray next
to
an open door, and always wear an organic vapors mask and nitrile gloves
while doing it.
I'm not an artist, and I admire those who can create
realistic
images with an airbrush. It's something I could
never do.
If you have comments, I would enjoy hearing from you here.
