ffmedic147 Posted December 7, 2009 Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 hello everyone, i just joined this forum yeserday and have been really searching information to get me started painting crankbaits. i have seen alot about this Iwata revolution cr brush but is this really what its all cracked up to be. i want the best i can get the first time i buy a brush to hopefully save money on the long run. Also what paints and were can i get the paints to do this with. Are they special? Maybe you all can direct me to a past post were i can get these answers because i am sure you all have been asked these very things many times before. Anything will help! Thanks a bunch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted December 7, 2009 Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 (edited) My opinion (and that of many other users) is Iwata brushes ARE the best you can get. I use a Revolution BR with .3mm tip and it has very high quality construction, especially for its moderate price. I use non toxic water based acrylic airbrush paints only. They are formulated to flow through the small tips of airbrushes without clogging, and you can buy them at hobby shops like Michaels or Hobby Lobby, etc. You can also find them online through taxidermy.net/suppliers. Createx, Smith Wildlife, Van Dyke, Polytranspar are the most popular brands. I mix and match brands with no problems. Tip - buy more heavily pigmented white paint because you'll need it for color basecoating on most every bait you paint. It hides wood grain. I like Polytranspar Superhide White but, again, there are brand options. Edited December 7, 2009 by BobP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverdoctor Posted December 7, 2009 Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 Solid advice from Bob, again! The superhyde is really great primer. ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffmedic147 Posted December 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 Thanks to both of you! I am kind of new to the airbrush idea. I have painted cars in the past but nothing this small. What size tips for the air brush do i need or can u change them? Also do you all use small paint booths or are these air brushs like HVLP sprayers with little over spray? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffmedic147 Posted December 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 Also one more thing. I guess i want to get transperant paint? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted December 8, 2009 Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 Tip size is player's choice but I find .3mm is pretty good for crankbaits if you are going to have one airbrush. It's small enough to do color shading but large enough to shoot heavier pearls and metallic flake paints. On Iwata brushes, you get one tip size and they aren't interchangeable. I also use a .2mm Iwata HP-B for finer shading and more detail but it won't shoot some metallic flake airbrush paints. As you go down in tip diameter, you go up in price due to the need for the tip parts to be machined to very fine tolerances. Createx and most other brands offer both transparent and opaque paint. Opaque requires less paint for coverage. Transparent allows layering of colors and natural looking transitions from one color to another. I generally buy transparent but you can work with either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazmail Posted December 8, 2009 Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 Just from one F/F to another, I have never used an 'Iwata Revolution', but I suspect you can change needle size (within reason), but you probably would have to buy the corresponding size 'tip', so you buy a 3mm needle and tip and a 2mm needle and tip. The luxury of two bodies at half the cost - it would not cost a lot to find out.pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted December 8, 2009 Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 Iwata uses a small threaded paint nozzle that screws into the airbrush body. It's what the needle seats against. Other brands I've used (Paasche, Badger) use a free floating cone that fits into a body recess and is held in place by other tip parts. You may be able to change the tip parts among those offered in the Revolution series models, but I doubt you can take a .2mm nozzle from an Iwata HP and screw it into a Revolution. The tip parts (nozzle, needle, nozzle cap, needle cap) for a HP series model cost about $55. That would be a pretty expensive experiment. IMO, if you want different tip sizes in Iwata, you need to buy separate airbrushes. And anyway, for darned sure, you don't want to be unscrewing those tiny little Iwata nozzles in the middle of an airbrush session (or any other time if you can avoid it!). They are smaller than a grain of rice. If you feel the ability to change tip sizes is critical and you want to do it with one airbrush, maybe you should look at U.S. brands like a Paasche VL or a Badger 170T that come as kits with different size tips. I personally never found the Med or Lge tips of either brand useful for crankbaits but that's just me. And of course, their tip diameter sizes are not disclosed, so you basically get what you get (that's always miffed me about them). That said, there are several TU airbrush artists that paint circles around me with their Badger and Paasche brushes. Airbrushing is more about skill than equipment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffmedic147 Posted December 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Thanks guys all this info is great! I am pretty sure I am gonna get an iwata cr. It sounds to be high quality. I was thinking today how do you apply the clear coat? Just get a spray can of clear? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
