tabletop Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Holy Crap It's Late!

Airbrushing for the Miniatures Hobby – Airbrush Compressors & Hardware

Hobby Tradecraft, News and Info, Tabletop Gaming 3 Responses »

Feb 112015

Information and recommendations on Airbrush Compressors

Picking up from the last article on airbrush basics I’d like to talk about the other big decision when it comes to entering the airbrush hobby – what to use as an air source. For most of you this will mean some sort of compressor but even with that decision made there are still some considerations on what kind of compressor you should get. Outside of airbrush compressors there are a few other options that include canned air, air tanks and even a spare tire. Lets dive right in and talk about alternate air sources first and then we’ll cover various types of compressors and hardware that goes with them.

Other than an Airbrush Compressor What Can Be Used as an Air Source?

There are lots of questions about airbrush compressors. Lets try and get to the bottom of this!

You have a few options if you just can’t swing an airbrush compressor due to funds or your living situation. The least expensive thing is to get an adapter that will attach to the valve stem on a spare tire. These cost a few bucks and with a fully inflated tire from a pickup truck or passenger car you’ll have enough air to last a lengthy painting session. The caveat of course is that if you decide to use the spare from your car or your spouses car and then don’t have that with you when you need it the cost of dealing with that mistake will likely be greater than if you had just bought a compressor in the first place. Really think about this and weigh the consequences before deciding to go this route. Also consider that tires are generally smelly and dirty and you’ll have to take it somewhere to fill it up occasionally so if you’re planning on having this in your house you may be in for some trouble.

Another solution is the use of canned air like Badger Propel. To be honest this is probably the worst alternative to an airbrush compressor. These cans cost about $12 to $14 each and are a hassle to use. As you use air from these cans they get very cold and the pressure drops. This means you’ll either have to have multiple cans and keep switching them in order to keep airbrushing or you’ll have to warm them up in a bucket of water or come up with some other scheme to keep the cans warm enough so that pressure doesn’t become an issue. At some point with canned air you’ll realize that you’ve spent enough money to have bought an actual airbrush compressor and that’s going to make you angry and frustrated.

Another problem with both of these solutions is that the “regulator” is really just an on/off valve like a water tap. There’s no gauge so you have no way of actually knowing what pressure you’re dialing in and no real control of the air pressure.

One other thing to consider, and this is the best of the three non-compressor solutions in my opinion, is a portable air tank. These are usually available at hardware and auto parts stores but will be less expensive online, particularly if you can get one with free shipping. Portable air tanks vary in size from three to ten gallons typically and online prices for those range from $40 to $60. You’ll need to take this somewhere to fill it just like you would a tire but it’s a lot easier to handle and have around. They hold quite a bit of air and the larger tanks will keep you supplied for several airbrushing sessions. This is a good alternative choice for an airbrush compressor if you need something quiet or if you have a regular shop compressor in your garage to fill it. I recommend getting a regulator for this though as you won’t want to directly connect it to your airbrush.

What Kind of Compressors Can You Use With An Airbrush?

There are several kinds of compressors that are suitable for use with an airbrush. If you have access to a regular shop compressor this will work. You probably won’t want this in the house though because they are very loud so it’s only a good solution in terms of environment if you’re working in a space where you don’t mind the noise, like a garage or dedicated workshop. If you use this kind of compressor you’ll need a manifold and a combination regulator and moisture trap as part of your setup. The manifold is just a splitter so that you can run a dedicated line for your regular high pressure shop air and a line for your airbrush regulator which will allow you to dial down the high pressure your compressor supplies to a manageable range for airbrushing. (Your compressor probably supplies air at 90 to 125 PSI or more and you’re only going to need a maximum of 25 PSI for airbrushing.)

Here’s a typical combination airbrush regulator & moisture trap, perfect for attaching to your shop compressor

Compressors tend to accumulate moisture when they work and this is sometimes ejected out the air line and will foul your paint so you’ll need a water trap to prevent any moisture from reaching your airbrush. You can usually get a combination regulator/water trap for the airbrush side of the manifold.

Do not buy one of these or anything remotely like this. You will be disappointed.

Another type of airbrush compressor you may see recommended is one that is a sealed unit in a small plastic case. These are typically sold to nail artists and cake decorators. You don’t want this. They run constantly, they don’t give you any control over the air pressure and tend to run on the low side pressure wise. This is frequently presented as a budget solution but it just isn’t a very good one. They also tend to pulsate the airflow as you spray which can cause problems with your paints finish. Since they run continuously they also get hot and will sometimes shut down due to overheating.

Finally, we get to dedicated airbrush compressors. These are purpose built small compressors that are designed specifically for airbrushing. These come with or without a tank and run from right around $100 up to and well beyond $500. The good news is, unless you’re a professional artist or have very specific needs due to your living situation there is really no reason to spend much more than $100 on an airbrush compressor.

At the high end of airbrush compressors are specialized, silent compressors. These are very expensive due to the fact that they are almost completely silent. They are designed for heavy usage and usually don’t require any extra hardware like regulators or moisture traps as these features are all built in. The catch is that you pay a very hefty premium for those features and I personally don’t feel that it is worth it for the typical hobbyist who probably spends 10 to 15 hours a week airbrushing, if that. I’ve also seen professional painters state that ultimately these compressors only last for a couple of years even though they are five times the price of a more budget friendly airbrush compressor, and this is coming from professionals who probably run their airbrush compressors 40 or more hours per week, week in and week out.

This brings us to the most common choice for airbrush compressors, the single piston airbrush compressor. These come in both tankless and tank included versions and are your best choice if you’re going to be working inside your house and don’t need to be completely silent. An airbrush compressor without a tank will run continuously, and one with a tank will charge the tank and then only kick on as the pressure in the tank drops below a preset threshold. Having the air reservoir also eliminates any weird pulsation from your air supply while spraying paint. Getting an airbrush compressor with a tank is the best compromise between price and noise and surprisingly, won’t break the bank.

So What Kind of Airbrush Compressor Should I Get?

As you can see there are a lot of choices but some of them are actually easy to eliminate like canned air and spare tires. Honestly the tire as a reservoir isn’t worth the hassle and the dirty little secret about canned air is that if you’re paying twelve dollars a can for that, by the time you’ve purchased eight cans you could have purchased a budget friendly single piston airbrush compressor that includes a storage tank.

The Porter Cable Shop Air Compressor is good for a lot of tasks including being a great airbrush compressor

As far as shop compressors go, I have a fairly small one. I don’t use this for airbrushing because I work in the house. I do use it for airing up bike tires and inflatables, and other odds and ends. To be honest I don’t use it all that much. I’ve had it for awhile and it always kicks on when I need it to so I feel comfortable recommending it. The shop compressor I have is the Porter-Cable PCFP02002 3.5 gallon unit. This compressor is fairly portable at 25 or so pounds and has a carry handle for those times you need to help a neighbor out with a low tire or blow up kiddie pool. This is really adequate for most of the stuff you’re going to be doing in your garage and with the addition of a manifold, and combination regulator/moisture trap would be great for airbrushing if your work in your garage or have a dedicated work space where the loud compressor noise doesn’t matter. This compressor retails for about $140 but you can get it delivered via Amazon for $100 which is a good deal and very convenient.

A Typical 5 Gallon Portable Air Tank – these can be found at most hardware & tool stores as well as online

If you’ve already got a shop air compressor then my recommendation depends on where you do your hobbying. Working in the garage? Get a manifold, air regulator and moisture trap. Have the shop compressor but work inside the house where that isn’t practical due to the racket the shop compressor makes? Get a portable air tank, add a regulator and fill as needed. The added benefit is that this is silent air pressure for working in the house. You can expect to pay about 40 dollars online for a 5 gallon portable air tank. You’ll need to add a regulator to the portable tank to control the air pressure to your airbrush. If you happen to have a Harbor Freight Tools nearby you can pick up a 5 gallon portable air tank from them for around $25. (You may be tempted to buy a compressor from them also but do your homework on that first. Harbor Freight is good for a lot of stuff but I’m not sure I’d trust their power tools to hold up long term.)

If you need to work indoors and be silent or almost silent then you’re going to pay a very big premium for that privilege. When I say “very big premium” I mean you’re probably going to pay five times what you would pay for a non-silent airbrush compressor. I don’t currently own one of these but I have used one and it is very quiet. I have a friend who does nail art so she bought one for her business and has found it very reliable over the course of the last couple years. While I really don’t like the idea of spending this much for an airbrush compressor I’m adding it here for the sake of completeness.

The silent and very pricey Iwata Power Jet Pro Airbrush Compressor

My recommendation for a super silent, reliable airbrush compressor is the Iwata Studio Series Power Jet Pro. This baby is almost completely silent and you pay for that with a retail price of over $550 (!). It does come with a tank and some extra bells and whistles like two separate regulators/moisture traps. It’s also actually a dual piston airbrush compressor that’s designed and built to run two airbrushes at the same time. This airbrush compressor also comes with quick disconnect fittings at the outlets – something you’ll probably want to add to your airbrush kit anyway. (I’ll be talking about these and more in the next article in this series). Extras like regulators and quick disconnects are nice features but don’t justify the total cost on their own. Again, what you’re paying the premium for here is the silent operation. For me and probably most of you, looking to get into an airbrush set up that is way too much of a premium to justify the cost unless you have a very particular set of needs (after all, that’s an extra $400 plus that you could be spending on miniatures and terrain instead of a tool). There is a “Power Jet Lite” version of this airbrush compressor without an air tank and a single regulator. That retails for$420. Both of these airbrush compressors can usually be found online with a ten to twenty percent discount.

The Master Airbrush Single Piston Airbrush Compressor with Tank as sold on Amazon. All of this for only $89 plus shipping!

Finally we have what I consider to be the best of all worlds for hobbyists looking to get an airbrush compressor. Allow me to introduce you to the Master Airbrush TC20T Airbrush Compressor. This unit is a purpose built single piston airbrush compressor with a tank. It include a combination regulator/water trap and even includes a six foot long braided hose. (The hose that comes with this has fittings for an Iwata airbrush. If you’re using something different you’ll need to purchase an inexpensive adapter). The best part? You get all of this for a very budget friendly $100 delivered via Amazon. This airbrush compressor also occasionally goes on promotion with free shipping for $89 or less but at $100 it’s such a good deal it’s worth it to just pick it up rather than wait for a sale.

This airbrush compressor isn’t silent but it is fairly quiet. I’d describe it being equivalent to a tabletop room fan. I airbrush in a portable spray booth and to be honest, the fan noise from the spray booth mostly drowns out the compressor noise as I have the compressor on the floor under my desk most of the time. I’ve had this compressor for a couple of years and for the price (I actually paid about $120 with shipping when I purchased this a couple years ago). I think I have gotten a lot of value out of it. I don’t use it every day and when I’m doing a lot of painting I’m probably still not running it for more than 10-15 hours a week. I’ve heard a couple of people say stuff like “that can’t possibly be any good for under $100. My experience with this compressor has been excellent. I should also mention that it has a two year full warranty and TCP Global (the source for this compressor) has excellent customer service.

I do have one complaint about this airbrush compressor. The design of the connection where you install the included regulator/water trap is ill conceived and the regulator ends up being upside down when you tighten it. This has been the case for at least a couple of years and I’m a bit disappointed that this hasn’t been addressed by the manufacturer. However this can be remedied by using extra Teflon tape on the threads of either the regulator or the nipple that is attached to the air storage tank. It will take a bit of tinkering to get it seated in the upright position but it can be dealt with by the end user. This isn’t enough of a flaw to really downgrade this compressor but if I was scoring this on a scale of one to five I’d give it a 4.5 instead of a 5. Bottom line, I just don’t think you can beat this price and performance level for an airbrush compressor. This is the compressor I recommend to everyone who asks for information on airbrush compressors.

The Wrap Up and Onward to Airbrush Accessories

This wraps up the second part of a series of articles on airbrushing for miniatures hobbyists and modelers. My goal with this article was to provide you with enough information to make an informed decision on an airbrush compressor. For my breakdown and recommendations on airbrushes see my previous article “Airbrushing for the Miniatures Hobby – Airbrush Basics & Mini Reviews”. In the next article in this series I’ll talk about all of the odds and ends that you may not have considered when you started thinking about getting an airbrush and compressor. Some of these items will be things that you’re definitely going to need and some will be optional but handy to have as you grow into airbrushing.

As always, feel free to leave constructive feedback or your own tips and tricks below in the comments section.

Airbrushing for the Miniatures Hobby – Airbrush Basics & Mini Reviews

Hobby Tradecraft, News and Info, Tabletop Gaming 2 Responses »

Feb 062015

Here’s an airbrush with the main parts labeled so that you can get familiar with the terminology

I’ve been thinking about airbrushes a lot lately and there’s been increasing discussion on some of the various hobby groups and boards I participate with or lurk on. The discussion usually starts with someone asking what specifically they should buy or do when they’re starting out with airbrushing. This is a pretty interesting subject and I’ve got a fair amount of experience with it so I thought I’d share a bit of what I know with you all. After I started writing about airbrushes I realized that there is so much to talk about that it would probably be better if I broke this up into a series of articles rather than one ginormous TLDR post. What I’ve decided to do is to turn this into at least a three part series where I’ll cover airbrush basics and my recommendations on specific airbrushes based on my experiences in part one. Part two will cover compressors, hoses and other related hardware and finally, part three will cover necessary and optional accessories – things that I find handy to have around when airbrushing.

Before we really get rolling here I want to mention a couple of important things. First, through this entire discussion I’m going to talking about airbrushes and painting using Acrylic water based hobby paints. These are the same type of paints you’ll typically use for brush painting miniatures and hobby models, brands like Vallejo, Reaper, Games Workshop, etc. I don’t use enamels or lacquers at all so the information presented here may not be suitable for people using those types of paints. Second, if you’re thinking that getting an airbrush will magically make you a master painter as soon as you hook everything up and start spraying paint, well, stop thinking that. Airbrushing will allow you to do a lot of neat stuff and get really nice finishes but it comes with its own set of problems and learning curve. Like any other skill, you’ll need to put the time and effort in to master your craft and fully take advantage of what an airbrush can offer you. Lastly, all airbrush paints are different and most will need to be appropriately thinned in order to spray them with an airbrush. Even the ones that are pre-thinned or labeled “air” paints will sometimes need extra thinning or benefit from some tinkering. I’ll cover this at a later date in a separate article.

The Basics – Airbrush Feed Types

There are three types of feeds for airbrushes. The feed type describes how your airbrush moves paint from the reservoir through the brush body and out the nozzle as you paint. These types of airbrush feeds are Siphon Feed, Side Feed, and Gravity Feed.

A typical Siphon Feed airbrush

Siphon feed means that the reservoir is connected to the airbrush via a spigot under the body. The reservoir is typically a jar with a screw on lid that has an integral hose/pickup tube that sucks paint up into the airbrush when you press the trigger. This style of airbrush is good for moving large volumes of paint which makes it good for terrain or base coating larger models but will generally not be precise enough for detailed work. To be honest this isn’t much better than using a rattle can so I don’t really recommend this style of airbrush for miniatures. (Rattle can = commercially available aerosol spray paint cans with a ball agitator inside that rattles around when you shake it up)

A Side Feed airbrush, this one only allows you to mount the color cup on one side

Side feed airbrushes have the spigot or attachment point for the reservoir straight off the side of the airbrush body so that the paint reservoir sits parallel to the body. These typically have a paint cup and some can be attached to either side of the airbrush which is helpful for left/right hand users. This airbrush style is used a lot by illustrators but in my experience isn’t that great for people doing models or miniatures as the cup seems to always make using this style of airbrush awkward because of the widely varying surfaces and angles you encounter when painting small models.

Gravity Feed airbrush with a fairly large reservoir/color cup

Gravity feed airbrushes have the paint reservoir attached to the top of the airbrush right on the barrel. Paint goes in the cup and when you press the airbrush trigger paint flows into the air stream and out the nozzle. Gravity feed airbrushes, in my opinion, are the best choice for painting models and miniatures because they require lower air pressure to operate and allow you more control over the amount of paint coming out of the nozzle. (You can really thin down paints or use inks and dial down the air pressure to get very fine lines when using this type of airbrush).

Gravity feed airbrushes will sometimes be manufactured and sold with different cup sizes or interchangeable cups so make sure you know what you’re getting before you purchase. I tend to favor the medium size cups although a large cup is handy if you’re base coating something large or assembly- lining a bunch of miniatures.

Airbrush Action Types

Airbrush action refers to what happens when you press the trigger on the airbrush. There are two kinds of airbrush action, single action and double action. Single action airbrushes are the spray guns of the airbrush world. This means that when you press the trigger it operates the same way a rattle can works – paint and air flow out of the nozzle all together. You don’t get to decide how much paint comes out when you press the trigger, it’s all or nothing. For this reason you should avoid a single action airbrush.

A double action airbrush has a two stage trigger system. The trigger moves up and down as well as traveling front to back. This means when you depress the trigger you get airflow without paint and as you slide the trigger back towards you, the paint starts to mix with the air and flow through the nozzle. The further back you slide the trigger, the more paint flows through the nozzle. This allows you a great deal of control over the paint and air mixture enabling you to go from a large flow of paint for broad coverage to fine lines when you need to hit some small details. This does take some getting used to and you’ll need to practice controlling your paint this way but eventually it becomes fairly intuitive. I absolutely recommend you get a double action airbrush.

Airbrush Needle and Nozzle Sizes

Airbrushes come in a variety of needle sizes and you usually find that they have a matching nozzle that either comes packaged together with the needle or will need to be purchased along with it. Needle sizes are usually defined in millimeters, like .21mm, .35mm, .5mm etc. The larger the number, the larger the coverage with that needle and nozzle set.

The largest needles that you’ll be interested in are the ones around 5mm but you really only want to consider this for areas where you need to put down a lot of paint as you won’t be able to do fine detail work with this size range of needle.

Going down a bit from the largest are the .3mm – .35mm “mid range” size of airbrush needles. These are pretty good all around sizes and will allow you to base coat and do some detail work, stripes, checks, camo patterns, etc.

Lastly for our purposes is the range of needles that fall around .20mm to .25mm. This size range is going to give you some really fine lines and allow you to do some nice freehand work. You can also do some base coating with this size but you’ll need to have everything cranked up so you can get the coverage you want. This size range is what I typically recommend because while it may feel a bit overwhelming when you first start out, if you do even a moderate amount of airbrushing you’re going to grow into this fairly quickly. You’ll be able to take advantage of the fine control you already have rather than buying a less capable “starter” airbrush and then needing to replace it a few weeks or months later.

So What Kind of Airbrush Should I Buy?

To sum up you’re going to be looking for an airbrush that is Gravity Feed, Double Action, and .20mm to .30mm needle and nozzle size. Next we’ll take a look at some different airbrushes and I’ll share my thoughts with you based on my experiences with some that I own or have used.

Airbrush Reviews and Recommendations

I’ve been using airbrushes for close to 30 years but not continuously during that time so it’s been sort of a weird learning curve. I started like a lot of people probably did all that time ago – with a cheap plastic hobby shop single action siphon feed brush that was basically akin to a rattle can that you could change colors with. This came with a thin plastic hose and an adapter that allowed you to attach it to a canned air source. This is probably the worst way you can start and I bet that a fair number of hobbyists never get any farther than this because it’s a big dumb ungainly set that doesn’t give you any of the control or benefits of a quality airbrush set up. I’m pretty sure you can still find these Testors brand airbrush kits at places like Michael’s or other craft and hobby stores. Avoid these, you’re going to waste a lot of time fiddling with this and no matter what, you’ll never get fine detail work out of one. On top of that, canned air is ridiculously expensive and wasteful. At $12 to $14 per can of air, it’s likely that by the time you learn to get any decent results with this setup you will have spent enough money on canned air to have purchased an actual airbrush compressor.

Having owned and/or used several different airbrushes I feel very comfortable recommending the following three. These are quality products backed by reputable companies. The airbrushes, accessories and parts are all readily available at good hobby shops and online. Here are my top three recommendations:

Iwata HP C Plus Airbrush Mini Review

The Iwata HP-C Plus Airbrush is a solid, high quality dependable workhorse that will take you a long way

When I finally decided to get serious about airbrushing – about 10 years ago – I made the jump from a Badger series 150 to the Iwata HP-C Plus airbrush. It was a huge step up in quality and control. This airbrush is a high performance, high precision workhorse and has served me well. It is dual action, gravity feed and has a nice 1/3 ounce color cup. These can be purchased with either a .3mm or .2mm needle and nozzle and you can swap them out if you decide to start with the larger size and work your way down as you become more skilled. Retail for one of these airbrushes is around $136 but I have seen it on Amazon regularly at around $100 which is a nice savings. This also comes with a machined metal cap for the paint cup which is nice when you’re holding the airbrush at odd angles for some of those more fiddly models.

I want to note that I have an older model of this airbrush that is no longer available and it has a solid handle back piece as opposed to the current models which have a really nice cutaway designed to help you control your paint flow. About a year ago I noticed that the trigger action had worn down on this and it wasn’t as smooth as it had been so I gradually moved away from this airbrush and tried some others out.

Badger Sotar 2020F-2 Mini Review

The Badger Sotar 2020 -F2 Airbrush is a high precision, user friendly, budget friendly (when purchased on sale) tool. I highly recommend this one

The Badger Sotar 2020F-2 is my current go-to airbrush. This is also a dual action gravity feed model. The designation F stands for Fine and they’re not kidding, this needle is .19mm and will allow you to get some really precise freehand work in. It also has a very fine adjustment dial at the back end so that with properly thinned acrylics or inks and good air control you can make some “hair” thin lines if needed (but believe me, this takes some practice!). The -2 designation is the paint reservoir size and you’ll want to make sure you’re getting that model as it has decent sized 1/12 ounce paint cup. The -1 model is designed for illustrators and the reservoir is actually built in to the airbrush body to facilitate one drop at a time ink usage, you’ll want to avoid this as it won’t hold enough paint for most of the tasks you’re going to be doing.

The Sotar 2020F comes apart easily for cleaning and maintenance and parts are readily available online and direct from Badger – who coincidentally have great customer service. This airbrush kit includes an extra Fine sized needle and a wrench for maintenance. Retail on this airbrush is an astounding $422 but I have to tell you I have NEVER seen it for sale anywhere at this price. They seem to mostly show up in the $200 range if you see it in a shop. However the Badger Sotar 2020F is on sale pretty frequently on Amazon for right around $100 which makes it an incredible value for the level of precision and control it gives you. I highly recommend this one but don’t over pay, wait for a sale!

Grex Tritium TG3/TG2 Pistol Style Airbrush Mini Review

The Grex Tritium TG2/TG3 Pistol Grip style airbrush. Another great choice with lots of well executed design features

I’ve saved the Grex Tritium TG2 for last because even though it is another dual action, gravity feed airbrush it is a beast of a different nature. Unlike the other airbrushes I’ve talked about that have a top mounted trigger that you push down and slide back, this one has a pistol grip and trigger style control assembly. This means that when you engage the trigger you’ll feel that it moves back about half of its travel and then sort of stops/hesitates. The first half of the trigger pull is when the air starts to flow and as you pull the trigger back farther paint starts to flow out (this sounds weirder when I describe it than it actually feels when you use it). This is an entirely different feeling action than what you’re used to if you previously used a regular airbrush but it’s actually a pretty natural feel and becomes very comfortable after you use it for a bit.

The Grex Tritium series has some very well thought out design features that I really like. First the nozzle and needle sets come packed together and are easily changed out. TG2 is the designation for the .2.mm needle and nozzle kit and TG3 is the .3mm needle and nozzle kit. This airbrush also has interchangeable color cups in three different sizes and all three cups include a lid. These cups thread on so they won’t work loose while you’re working. Another great design feature is that nozzle guard/crown tip. These are actually magnetic and will also stick to the back end of the airbrush if you need to change them while painting for those times you’re doing detail work and need to get in really close to the surface you’re painting. While it takes some getting used to if you’re switching from a standard airbrush setup to this pistol grip style it really works well and allows you to do some fine detail work and I think that for me at least the pistol style grip and trigger is less fatiguing during long painting sessions. This kit comes in a plastic carrying case and includes the 3 different sized cups, a regular nozzle cap, a crown cap and a wrench,

The Grex Tritium is pricier than the competition but I think it’s due to the well thought out and improved design features that it has. Keep in mind that it includes extra color cups with lids and a crown cap which other airbrushes do not include in the basic set up. Retail for this airbrush is $299 but it is usually available for right around $200 online. For the extra accessories you get and the nifty design ideas I think it is a good value even though it’s a pricier choice.

The Not So Final Word on Airbrushes for Hobbyists and Modelers

This is intended to be a basic overview of airbrushes and their various features. I’ve also posted some comments about airbrushes I have used and am still using. It is by no means an exhaustive list and I am not a “tool collector” either so you won’t see me buying and opining on every airbrush that’s out there. Let me also say that what works for one person may not work for another. Realistically there is no “be all, end all” airbrush because there’s a learning curve that comes with airbrushing as well as some trial and error for most folks. I am confident telling you not to buy a cheap “starter airbrush” with the intent to try it out for awhile and move up to something expensive. You’ll most likely find yourself frustrated by the limitations of cheap tools and may give up entirely if you have some bad experiences. You’re better off buying a good airbrush and growing in to it as your skills improve.

There’s a lot to learn about airbrushes and in the next few articles I’ll cover a broad range of subjects related to airbrushing.. Next up will be an article about compressors and related hardware and after that I’ll talk about all of the various accessories and airbrush odds and ends that you’ll find handy to have around.

As always, comments and constructive feedback are welcome. Feel free to add something in the comment section below but please keep things civil.

Images: 1 2 3 4 5

Hobby Tip: Improve Your Miniature Painting Today With a Wet Palette

Hobby Tradecraft, News and Info, Tabletop Gaming Comments Off

Jun 192014

I get a lot of questions about painting miniatures, specifically about things that new miniatures painters can do to improve the quality of their paint jobs. In my opinion there are three really important things that you can do to help yourself out. These are (in no particular order), brush control – which comes with practice, learning to thin your paints, and painting from a wet palette. Of these three I think using a wet palette is something any painter can do that is low cost and will have an immediate and significant impact on the quality of their miniature painting. Today I’m going to talk about wet palettes.

(Before we dive in I want to be clear that we’re talking about using water based acrylic paints here like Vallejo, Games Workshop, Reaper, etc)

Just What Is a Wet Palette and Why Do I Need it to Paint Miniatures?

Improve your miniature painting with a wet palette, hobby, tabletop

The wet palette in all of its simple, inexpensive yet supremely helpful glory

The default for most new miniature painters is to use a brush to get paint straight from the pot and to slather it on to your miniatures. This leaves a less than desirable finish as you tend to get the paint on very thick and it obscures some details. There are a lot of things wrong with this approach and I don’t want to get sidetracked so I’ll just say “don’t do that” in this article and leave it at that for now. We’ll revisit that topic in another post in the near future.

Some miniature painters may know not to dip brushes straight into the pot or they may be using paint that’s in dropper bottles so they’re using some sort of palette. Maybe one of these plastic ones or a piece of ceramic tile or even an old salad plate. This is a step in the right direction but you can do better. You can use what’s called a wet palette.

This is a pretty typical multi well plastic palette. You should keep one around for special applications that you don’t want on a wet palette, like washes.

A wet palette is exactly what it sounds like, a surface to load and mix paints on but the difference is that it’s actually wet. This is accomplished by having a container with a sponge on the bottom that’s loaded with water and some paper on top of the sponge. This can be either special wet palette paper or some stuff you probably have around the house – more on that in a minute.

Using wet palettes will give you several key advantages. First of all when you load paint on to the wet palette it immediately sucks up a little water through the paper and thins out the paint. You’ll have a base to start from and then can experiment with the paints you’re using to find the right consistency. In some cases you won’t need to thin it any further, but this varies by manufacturer and even by color within a brand of paint.

wet palette, paint, miniatures, hobby, tabletop,

A few dabs of water based acrylic paint on the wet palette. Note how it’s starting to spread a little as it picks up a bit of water – this is good!

Since your paints are now resting on a layer of moisture they will stay wet much longer than if you’d just loaded them onto a regular dry palette. This also means that you can leave paint on the wet palette, close it up and come back a few days later and your paint will still be wet and useable. (If you leave it there long enough it will separate some so you’ll need to give it a stir to rejuvenate it). An added bonus is that if your paint is in open pots they’ll last longer because you’re only opening the pots long enough to get some paint out. There is less exposure to air and less evaporation of the moisture in the paint pot thereby extending the life of your paint in the pots.

Using a wet palette also means you can combine paint colors side by side to get different gradients and blends when you’re shading. Also, if you’ve mixed up or blended a custom color you’ll be able to preserve that between painting sessions as it will stay wet when stored in the wet palette saving you time and the headache of remembering just what you did to arrive at that color you mixed up.

blending paint on a wet palette, tabletop, miniatures, hobby

This is just a quick (and sloppy) example of blending paint on your wet palette and it’s not completely blended together so you can get the idea of what I’m doing here… You can see how you can work up different color gradients easily this way

Where Do I Get a Wet Palette?

You can buy a complete wet palette that’s an airtight container, sponge and special paper for around $10 to $20. There are these Masterson Sta–Wet palettes which run around $10 or so at art stores like Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, etc. Or you can get one of these Privateer Press P3 Wet Palettes for around $20 at your FLGS or shipped right to your door from Amazon if you don’t have a local game store.

The P3 Wet Palette, usually under $20 and perfect if you don’t want to build one yourself.

If you’re on a budget or like to do stuff yourself you can easily build a wet palette, probably with stuff you already have around the house.

How Can I Build My Own Wet Palette?

This is actually a pretty simple project that you can do in less than an hour. You’ll need to assemble the following items:

Airtight container – Tupperware, Glad or Rubbermaid containers. This can be glass or plastic, whatever you have as long as it’s got a good seal. Use a size that you’re comfortable with and have room for on your work surface. I use a sandwich sized box for my wet palette.

Sponge or some foam – You can use a sponge or even some of the foam that comes in miniatures blister packs packages. You want to cut this into the shape of your container so that it’s an even layer across the bottom. If you don’t have a sponge you can also use paper towels. Use a couple and fold them up so they fit in your container. Trim as needed. (Here’s a link to some purpose made Masterson Sponges)

Parchment paper – If you don’t know what this is, ask your wife or s/o (or mom). It’s also called baking paper. This is different from wax paper. (You can use wax paper in a pinch but I don’t recommend it. Parchment paper just has different properties for passing moisture through it and is significantly better for this application) If you don’t have any parchment paper look in the grocery store section where they sell plastic wrap and aluminum foil, you’ll find it there and it costs around $3 for a box that will last you a LONG time.

Water – this can be tap water but if your water is hard/has high mineral content then use some distilled water. Bonus: you need to wash the sponge and change the water occasionally, using distilled will keep the water from getting funky longer and is better in your paints anyway.

make a wet palette, tabletop, hobby, miniatures, painting

This is all you need to make a wet palette. An airtight container, a sponge or foam, some parchment paper and some water. Simple and cheap!

Here’s how you make your wet palette. Dampen your sponge. This is because if you use a dry sponge it will swell when you wet it and expand. Just run water on it and then wring it out so it’s the size it will be when wet. Turn your container upside down and lay it on your sponge so you can trace around it (assuming you’re using a sponge or foam that’s larger than your container). Trace around and then cut out your sponge or foam – cut inside the lines of the dimensions of your container, this doesn’t have to be perfect but it should be reasonably close.

wet palette, tabletop, miniatures, hobby, painting

I used a piece of foam from some packaging or an old miniatures case. You can use a sponge or even folded layers of paper towels for your wet palette

Next tear off a half dozen or so pieces of parchment paper that will fit in your container. It’ll probably be twice as long as your container if you’re using something like a sandwich sized box. If that’s the case just fold it over so you have a pad of parchment paper. When you cut it to fit the shape of your container make sure you cut the folded part off so all the sheets are loose. Lay your container on the stack of paper and trace it. Cut the paper along the inside of the line you traced so it fits in the container nicely. You will now have enough pre-cut parchment paper to last you awhile.

wet palette, hobby, miniatures, tabletop, painting

Here’s the parchment paper cut out roughly in the shape of my container. It doesn’t have to be exact. Trim so it lies flat on the sponge.

Next up put the sponge in the container, and fill it with water to the top of the sponge. Lay a sheet of the parchment paper right on the sponge and it will absorb some of the water but reach a sort of equilibrium where it’s wet but doesn’t disintegrate or pass a lot of water through. This is the surface that you’ll load with paint and dip your brush into when loading it.

One last trick here – you can actually store few sheets of the pre-cut parchment paper under the sponge so that they are pre-wet when you’re in the middle of a painting session and need to change the parchment out because you’ve used it up.

A Wet Palette Will Help You Become a Better Miniature Painter

Good miniature painting is something that takes trial and error and lots of practice. Using a wet palette isn’t a shortcut but it is one of the few things that will be a total game changer for you and your painting. It’s also something that really delivers a lot of bang for your buck. When someone asks me how they can improve the first thing I ask them in return is “are you using a wet palette?”. If they’re not then this is always my first recommendation and invariably people get immediate, positive results.

As always, feel free to leave a comment below, I’d like to hear from you an appreciate constructive discussion.

Miniature & Modeling Hobby Tools – More Essentials

Hobby Tradecraft, News and Info, Tabletop Gaming Comments Off

May 092014

The last couple of posts here have been about not spending absurd amounts of money on your basic tools for assembling and finishing miniatures and model kits. If you read “How To Save $100 On Hobby Tools” then you’ll recall that I mentioned I’d recommend some other tools beyond the basics that you’ll probably want to add to your hobbying tool box with some of the money you’ve saved. Today we’ll take a look at a few items that I think are good choices for expanding your hobby tool set.

The following items are things that I use on a regular basis and are the tools I’ve come to rely on after a couple of decades of building miniatures and models. While there are a couple of essentials, you probably don’t need to run out and buy all of this stuff at once. I’ll offer up some suggestions and provide links to where you can purchase those items, usually on Amazon for convenience sake and because lots of items there ship free or free with an Amazon Prime membership.

Self Healing Cutting Mat

This particular item is pretty much your first additional must have. It’ll keep your work area from getting damaged by your tools, paint and glue. This is especially important if your work area happens to be your wifes (or moms) dining room table. Get a self healing cutting mat and get the largest one you can reasonably use (and afford) for the space you’re usually working in. Measure! I use an 18” X 24” mat which generally gives me a lot of room. I also have a small one that’s about 6” X “10” or so that I can throw in a bag if I’m putting together a little travel tool kit for a demo or a group build at my local FLGS.

Set yourself up with a cutting mat – particularly if your work area is the dining room table!

Let There Be Light

The next item you’re going to want is a good light over your work space. These days Ott Lights seem to be all the rage but I personally don’t care for them other than the fact that they’re compact and somewhat portable. I use a pair of swing arm desk lamps with daylight bulbs that I got from Ikea a few years ago, unfortunately those are no longer available so I can’t recommend the exact ones I have. If you have an Ikea nearby, it’s worth braving the crowds there to check out their selection of desk and office lighting as they have a large variety of stuff. (It’s also a great place to find a workbench/desk and shelving or display cases for your hobby/game room.) Another lamp that is very popular with miniature painters is the LSF 150 but these also seem to be somewhat scarce. A friend of mine uses this Daylight Triple Bright Lamp and has been very satisfied with it. It’s available at Amazon but it’s a bit pricey. It does however, ship for free.

The Daylight Triple Bright Swing Arm Lamp

Another alternative is a lamp with a built-in magnifier. These are pretty easy to find and Harbor Freight Tools even carries one. These come in both fluorescent and LED styles. If you buy fluorescent, you’ll want to replace the supplied bulb with a daylight bulb. Unfortunately I can’t speak much on whether or not the LED lamps are a good fit for this kind of work as I don’t own one and haven’t worked with one either. Whatever you decide, I recommend getting a lamp with a long swing arm that clamps to the edge of your desk if possible. This will give you a lot of freedom to position the lamp head where you need it and can save valuable real estate on your workspace, particularly if it’s a small area to begin with.

One last tip, check your local Staples/Office Depot type office supply store, they typically have a good assortment of lamps that you can check out before you order one online. You may also get lucky and find a sale/markdown item that’s just right!

Typical swing arm Fluorescent Lamp with desk clamp – Make sure you get a daylight bulb for this.

A Clear View

This next item is optional and also somewhat dependent on you and your lighting choice and work situation. If you’re an older gamer/hobbyist you’ve probably noticed that those tiny details are probably getting a bit harder to see. I find myself getting a lot more squinty these days so I’ve had to look for some solutions. I was using a set of cheapo drugstore magnifiers/reading glasses and then stumbled across the Donegan OptiVISOR. This is a magnifying visor with an adjustable headband that you can wear over your prescription glasses if need be. The lenses are replaceable and you can buy several different sizes of magnification. These take a little getting used to but once you have them fitted correctly you hardly notice they are there and the visor part moves independently of the headband so they can be flipped up out of the way if necessary.

Donegan OptiiVISOR with replaceable lenses

There’s also an accessory for the OptiVISOR that I really like. It’s an LED light kit that attaches to the lens plate and has 6 bright white LEDs that really throw some spot illumination on your subject for those times you need to see some up close detail. This accessory comes with everything you need to mount it and it only takes about 5 minutes to install. It’s powered by double A batteries which are easily replaceable. Once you’ve installed this you don’t notice that it’s even there, until you need it. This gives you portable light when and where you need it and can easily be throw into a travel tool kit if you need to.

The OptiVISOR LED Light Attachment

Razor Saw

Another tool I like to have around is a Precision Razor Saw. Some of the tasks you’ll use this for will be cutting parts off of thick resin sprues, cutting molded bases off of miniatures or customizing and kitbashing models. These aren’t too expensive and if you purchased a knife set with a large handle you can just buy these X-Acto blades separately. If you’re going to be sawing wood or plastic for terrain construction or kitbashing, consider adding a mini miter box to go with your saw.

X-Acto Razor Saw Set

Motoring Along

You may be considering adding a Dremel type tool to your kit and I think that can be a handy tool. Keep in mind that those things run at high speeds and can quickly damage what you’re working on or get away from you. For that reason I really like the Dremel MiniMite. The MiniMite is a cordless version of the Dremel that fits well in your hand and runs at a slower speed, making it easier to control. It’s also portable and rechargeable. It accepts all of the usual Dremel rotary tool accessories as far as I’m aware. The best part? It’s only about twenty five bucks on Amazon and ships for free.

Dremel 7300- N8 MiniMite Cordless Rotary Tool

If you think you’d like a larger, more powerful, yet still portable tool, check out the Dremel 7700 Cordless Moto Tool. The Dremel 7700 does cost about twice as much as the MiniMite though. You’ll want to accessorize your Dremel with some attachments so check out a couple of the accessory kits, I have this 160 Piece Dremel Accessory Set which covers pretty much any eventuality.

This Dremel 160 piece accessory set probably covers every task you’re going to want to do with a moto tool

Hold On!

Sometimes you wish you had a third – or fourth – hand. There are a couple of tools you can get that are almost like having some extra hands around to help you out. The first one is some small spring clamps. I have some similar to these Wolfcraft Hobby Clamps that I picked up a long time ago. My only complaint with the set I have that they are a bit stronger than I’d like and they’re all exactly the same size and shape. This Wolfcraft set actually includes some different styles of clamp and looks a little more suited to what we’re doing. I’ve ordered a set and will post my thoughts on them after I’ve had a chance to work with them some.

The Wolfcraft Hobby Clamp Set comes with a variety of different style clamps that will come in handy

The next item is also a clamp but it’s a larger, different style of clamp that you may need if you’re making terrain or assembling some of the larger model kits like tanks, flyers, or laser cut buildings. This is a sliding bar clamp that comes in a mini size with a maximum four inch jaw opening. It’s just the right size for a lot of larger hobby projects without being ungainly and taking up your whole desk. These are available at Amazon in a two pack but hold the phone – Harbor Freight carries these for a mere two bucks apiece and you can buy them indiviually. I’ve looked around the ‘net and I haven’t found anywhere cheaper than these. Worth a stop by your local Harbor Freight if you have one nearby.

Micro Bar Clamps – these are great for holding larger models or terrain projects together while gluing and assembling

The last “third hand” type item I’m going to recommend is a little hobby vise with a set of wide jaws. This is the PanaVise Model 201 Junior and it has a nice solid base, fine controls for adjusting the vise jaws and it tilts and pans every which-way. You can also get a couple of different attachable bases for this vise. There’s a wider base that has little parts trays around the circumference and there’s also a vacuum base version of the PanaVise Junior that’ll keep the vise from sliding around on your desk/work surface.

The PanaVise Junior Miniature Vise

The Brush Off

Last but definitely not least, you should probably pick up a couple of small brushes for clean up. These are handy for cleaning up your needle files if they get jammed up with the shavings from cleaning and smoothing model parts. I have a three piece mini wire brush set like this one. It includes a nylon, brass and steel brush. I’ll be honest with you, the steel brush is usually overkill for most hobby projects so I don’t use it much but the brass and nylon brushes have really become essential tools for cleaning other tools and miniatures.

This Mini Brush Set is great for those little cleanup jobs

There are probably a few other items that I could mention but these items are among the most frequently used in my experience. I think the two key items in this list are the cutting mat and good lighting. You’ll probably want to start with those and then add the other items as you need them. As always, if you’d like to add a helpful tip or observation, feel free to do so down below in the comment section or find me on Twitter @HolyCrapItsLate. Next time we’ll take a look at the stuff that holds things all together, glue!

Me and Wil Wheaton Want You to Play Board Games

Board Games, Geek News, News and Info, Tabletop Gaming Comments Off

Mar 152013

Mention playing a board game and someone in the group usually says they’d rather walk over hot coals than endure what they remember as an exercise in aggravating, mind numbing futility. This is almost always because the only board game experiences that you probably remember are those tortuous marathons of frustration that were provided to you in your youth by games like Candy Land and Sorry.

Let us not forget the game that ruined tabletop gaming for more people than any other – Monopoly. Has anyone ever actually finished a game of Monopoly? Sure, you’ve quit to avoid descending into the depths of some sort of horrific Lovecraftian insanity but that’s not the really the same thing as playing to completion now, is it?

Today’s board games are not your fathers board games

I have good news friends. Board games are back and they are awesome! To be quite honest, it’s never been as good as it is now. We’ve entered a sort of “golden age of gaming” over the last few years. Your geek friends have known about this and been quietly enjoying it. Now, as Geek Culture teeters on the precipice of mainstream it’s literally becoming “a thing”.

The Wheaton, champion of tabletop gaming

Enter Wil Wheaton the de facto Lord of the Geeks and champion of tabletop gaming. Last year Wheaton teamed up with the creator of Geek & Sundry, Felicia Day, to launch a YouTube show appropriately titled Tabletop. Each show is about 30 minutes long and usually features a different game that is played by Wheaton and three friends – who just happen to be internet or television celebs with at least a small geek streak. The shows start with Wheaton explaining the basics of the featured game, then focus on the game play and interaction. At the end of the show, the winners are awarded a temporary trophy with their names on a piece of masking tape. It’s an entertaining look at what tabletop gaming can be and I highly recommend you check it out.

Wil Wheaton, Felicia Day, and friends getting their board game on

This show has been wildly popular and interestingly lead to a partnership between Geek & Sundry and Target. Games featured on the show were also featured in Target stores and highlighted with G & S stickers on the packaging to help consumers remember which games had been featured. The best part of this was that games that were formerly very low visibility outside of geek culture suddenly got a big boost and lots of exposure, bringing even more people into the scene.

Unlike those games you’ve had for years that are probably collecting dust in the back of some dark closet, boardgames today have a lot more to offer than the games you remember. They tend to be heavily themed, much more creative and have high quality art and components. The fact is that now more than ever there is a huge variety of boardgames for players of all interests and skill levels. Want some light gaming as a warm up to other events or games that are accessible to players of any skill level? How about Get Bit! (Amazon Link)? Want something new gamer friendly but with a little deeper strategy? Try The Settlers of Catan (Amazon Link)
Something than you can play with your kids that won’t make them feel rotten because they’re not as competitive? Try a cooperative game like Forbidden Island (Amazon Link).

Let’s not forget that games are also good for you. Games provide a lot more than just an hour or two of entertainment. Games help you learn, they exercise your cognitive and problem solving skills. For young kids they can help with counting, shape and color recognition. They can teach how to behave when you’re in a losing position. They teach you how to work with others to achieve a common goal. If you’re playing games with your spouse against other people they can help you learn teamwork skills.

Workout your gamer muscle!

Games are fundamentally social and teach you how to interact with other people in face to face situations. Playing games will inevitably lead to learning things you didn’t know about the people you are gaming with. Playing games with your kids is a great way to spend time together and teach them some valuable skills at the same time without it being an overt “let me tell you something” moment.

Where can you find these games? First, ask your friends. The obvious choice here would be that geeky person you work with or know through some other association but the fact is that games aren’t just for geeks anymore and it’s probably flying just under your radar so ask around. Next up, find out if there’s a “Friendly Local Game Store” in the area. There probably is and this will likely be the place where you can browse a selection of games that you won’t typically find in a department store. You’ll also be able to ask the staff and other players for advice and opinions. The people that frequent game stores tend to be pretty friendly and enthusiastic about games and will likely be happy to talk to you or possibly even let you sit in on a game. Another benefit to the FLGS is that some of them will have an extensive game library and play space where you can try games out before you buy them.

If neither of those are working for you, try Meetup.com. Meetup is a website where people organize to, you guessed it…meet up to do all sorts of activities. It’s likely that you’ll find either a gaming group or some other social group that has an occasional game night. In my area there are a couple of groups that meet for Role Playing Games, a weekly board games Meetup and a social club Meetup with hundreds of members that holds a monthly board game night at different venues.

International Tabletop Day!

Lastly, remember Geek & Sundry and Wil Wheaton? They’ve got big plans for board gaming and they’re kicking it all off this month with “International Tabletop Day” on Saturday March 30th. This event is all about meeting people, making new friends and playing games. It is taking place worldwide and there are tons of places holding events. At last count there were over 2000 registered events in multiple countries. Chances are there is something at a public venue reasonably close to you or a smaller event being held by friends. You can get all of the details here and it includes maps and event details. This would be a great way for you to break in to board games. Take the time to check it out and see if there are events in your area!

It really is the golden age of gaming and I can’t think of a better time for you to get involved, learn about some new games and have some great experiences. In the coming weeks I’ll be bringing you more information about games via news and reviews so check back and see what’s going on. In the meantime, play more games!

Images: One Two Three Four Five

Newer Entries