Our
list of technical terms may help you to decide which airbrush to choose
for your particular application. If you are unable to decide, ask
someone with the appropriate knowledge or contact us. When choosing
your airbrush, you will want it to meet your current requirements and
probably go beyond those as you progress and you'll want something that
is going to last for a long time.
Click
the links bellow:
Internal
Mix
External
Mix
Single
Action
Double
or Dual Action
Gravity
feed
Siphon
or Side feed
Suction
or Bottom feed
Internal
versus External Mix
Single
versus Double Action
Bottom
versus Gravity Feed
Internal
Mix
Internal mix simply means that the paint flow and the air flow mix
"inside" of the airbrush, hence internal mix. With an internal mix
airbrush the paint and air mix inside the airbrush (in the tip)
creating a finer atomized "mist" of paint. With external mix the air
leaves the airbrush before it comes into contact with the paint which
creates a coarser stippled effect.
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External
Mix
External mix airbrushes are cheaper and more suited for covering larger
areas with more viscous paints or varnishes. The paint and air are
mixed outside the airbrush as the air passes over the fluid tip. An
external mix airbrush will produce a less atomised spray with a larger
dot pattern, and is less capable of fine line work.
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Single
Action
The simplest airbrushes work with a single action mechanism where the
depression of a single "trigger" results in paint and air flowing into
the airbrush body and the atomized paint being expelled onto the target
surface. Cheaper airbrushes and spray guns tend to be of this
type.Single action airbrush technique derives its name from the fact
that only one action is required for operation. The single action of
depressing the trigger releases a fixed ratio of paint to air.
Achieving different line widths requires either changing the tip and
nozzle combination or else adjusting the spray volume manually between
spray width changes. The most important aspect of proper single action
airbrush technique is to keep the hand moving before the trigger is
depressed and after the trigger is released. This avoids the "bar bell"
line.
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Double
or Dual Action
Dual action or double action airbrushes separate the function for air
and paint flow so that the user can control the volume of airflow and
the concentration of paintflow through two independent mechanisms. This
allows for greater control and a wider variety of artistic effects.
This type of airbrush is more complicated in design than single action
airbrushes which tends to be reflected in its cost. Double action
airbrush technique involves depressing the trigger on the top of the
airbrush with the index finger to release air only, and drawing it back
gradually to the paint release threshold. The most important procedural
dynamic is to always begin with air only and end with air only. By
observing this rule, precise control of paint volume and line width and
character can be achieved. The single most important airbrush stroke
consistently utilized by professionals is the dagger stroke. This
describes a stroke which begins wide and ends as a narrow line, created
by starting with the brush far from the support and moving it evenly
closer as the line is drawn.
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Gravity
feed
Paint can be fed by gravity from a paint reservoir sitting atop the
airbrush (called gravity feed) or siphoned from a reservoir mounted
below (bottom feed) or on the side (side feed). Each feed type carries
unique advantages. Gravity feed instruments require less air pressure
for suction as the gravity pulls the paint into the mixing chamber.
Typically instruments with the finest mist atomization and detail
requirements use this method.
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Siphon
or Side feed
Airbrushes which can have either cups or bottles plugged into the side
which can rotate allowing the user to work at most angles. Allows fine
detail work without the eye been obstructed by a cup on the top. Useful
where many colour changes are required as colour can be kept in a bank
of cups or bottles, or where a differing amount of quantities are used,
from a few drops to large areas, by using different size containers.
Click here to view all of our side feed airbrushes.
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Suction
or Bottom feed
In bottom feed airbrushes, the cup holding the paint is below the
nozzle. The paint is sucked upwards by air pressure. Airbrushes which
have either cups or bottles that plug into the bottom of the airbrush.
Particularly useful where large quantities of paint are required, as
large bottles can normally be plugged into this type of airbrush, or
again where quick colour changes are required. Click here to view all
of our suction feed airbrushes.
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Internal
versus External Mix
As the name implies, in
external mix airbrushes, the air and paint are mixed outside the main
body of the airbrush. An example would be the classic Paasche Model H .
This uses a very simple design concept, and is easy to use and to
clean. The internal mix airbrushes (combined with double action, see
below) take more effort to master but offer more control over the paint
process.
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Single
versus Double Action
In the single action
airbrush, pressing on the trigger controls only the airflow. The amount
of paint released is adjusted by turning the nozzle before the trigger
is pressed. In the double action, the trigger can be moved down as well
as back. The latter motion varies the amount of paint released, during
the spray. This can be harder to learn to control, but allows the user
enormous flexibility in the range of effects that can be achieved. Most
professionals and advanced amateurs will use a double action airbrush.
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Bottom
versus Gravity Feed
In bottom feed airbrushes, the cup holding the paint is below the
nozzle. The paint is sucked upwards by air pressure. In the gravity
feed models, the cup is above the nozzle, so that gravity assists the
paint in flowing out of the tip. The advantage to gravity feed is that
lower pressures can be used for a given paint volume, which is great
for fine line work. The disadvantage is that gravity feed models
generally have the cup and brush body as one unit, not a plug-in as
with the bottom feed; some people find the one unit slower to change
colors and clean. There are also variations such as side feed and
movable feed.
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