Question About Airbrush Advantages Over Cans (confused)

[TheHeadHunter]

How much better would you say an airbrush is over cans ?

This is what confuses me:

I see pro guys like Mike and others coming up with killer paint jobs and but looking at them logically looks to me like masking and other prep, plays a bigger role in a great looking lexan paint job than the actual spray painting itself.

For example a cammo job by Mike (CrawlerGraphics) looks superior to others , but there are no freehand airbrush strokes or shading in them whatsoever ???

I'm guessing he would end up with a just as good result using cans ...
am I wrong ???

[zueslilbuddy]

I'll tell you the BIGGEST advantage over cans.............................

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
1. I buy a bottle of paint for like $4.29 plus 4.99 shipping from tower hobbies. A can of spray paint is like $6.?? plus $8.99 shipping.
2. out of that one bottle of paint I can do like 5-10 paint jobs, can of paint you're lucky to get 2.
3. Water based airbrush paint smells like what ever you use for thinner, windex, alcohol, water.
4. when shading does come into play theres no way to reduce the spray of a can.
theres many reasons but like I said money is a big one.

[TheHeadHunter]

Thanks 4 that ...$$$ sounds like a good reason ,I wouldn't mind hearing other opinions

Another reason that I forgot to mention whilst posting the questions is that I do live in an apartment in Japan ...

So the whole task of managing a compressor/noise+mess would be a pretty big effort compared to living in a house (I wouldn't do it inside of course maybe balcony )

So I'm trying to balance the amount of effort it would take for me VS the advantages of using an airbrush

So again it all comes down to how much % the airbrush plays over masking technique in say a cammo paint job for example ...

[Uroplatus]

For something like the camo paint job... airbrush paints you can mix to acheive different shades of say green or gray or blue... Thus allowing you to get more out of your paint job. The airbrush gives you better control... running at lower pressure, allowing for shading and ease of coating (aiding in light even coats, where cans are on full power or off... not much inbetween). Also alot of the airbrush pre mixed (thinned) paints are water base, and a little less toxic than oil based paints in rattle cans and such...

Plus there is a larger selection of different airbursh paints as a whole.

I feel that masking techiques would be the same for both rattle can and airbrush.

[4thgenceli]

I prefer airbrush for the $$$ as well as the smell.

I use waterbase paints, so I smell water (and a hint of the paint, but not enough to require a vent). I dropped $30 at the local craft store, and walked out with almost 20 different bottles of paint. I also live in an apartment (for now) so spray paint isn't the idea paint right now either. The compressor I have is really quiet actuallly, don't even notice it on. I hear more the air and paint coming out than the compressor running.

[kryten]

If you look for a camping compressor,they are virtually silent i know it's been said already but the 3 main advantages of the airbrush is control,control,control it gives you the ability to spray at any psi you like expelling exactly the amount of paint too.You can paint anything from pencil lines to doing one colour complete sprayjobs with an airbrush.NO rattle cans can do that without lots of masking.

[nascarkeith]

From what I have seen, you are correct masking is the most important part of a complicated paint scheme. Airbrushing does give you better control over freehand lines and shading but spray paint is much easier for simple schemes IMHO. Airbrush paint is much cheaper but the clean up is a hassle to me. There are advantages to both I guess.

[JavelinSST390]

Just trust me, once you get a good airbrush in your hand, you'll never go back to sprays again.

Notice I said a good airbrush. Paasche, Badger, Iwata, any of them make good airbrushes, even the cheapest ones.

I use a Badger Anthem. It's a basic, dual-action airbrush. No seals to go bad, either (a BIG plus). Cost me $75. A D/A brush is harder to use for a newb versus a single action, but the control is just amazing.