Anyone want to share tips and tricks for a new Airbrusher?

[sled]

So I got an airbrush for Father's Day, never used one before. I used to work in a body shop and have painted cars before, I need some help setting up, I have a big 60 gallon compressor in the garage running 120psi. I know I need a regulator to bring the pressure way down (I am guessing there) and I think a water/oil remover is probably a good thing. I won't be painting anything right away just practising on scrap everything till I get the hang of it. Anybody care to share some tips and tricks to get a Airbrush noob on the right track?

[Bully2RockRomper]

Airbrushes are fantastic, you use less paint and get such a better finish.

I would get a little compressor built especially for airbrushing, they have a built in reg and are ready to go.

Try not to paint in the cold for condensation builds up in the air line and will come out of tip and ruin your work. If you can build a fume hood in the garage, etc and then you could paint all year round.

Once you get into it you'll realize their the best to paint with, you just use so much less paint than you would from a pressure can. Also the best thing about airbrushing is you can decant paint from a pressure can and then get that into your airbrush. For painting small things you can't beat them, clear coating, etc, an airbrush is one of the best gifts ever.

[BCrumB4]

as mentioned you need to be able to keep the water/oil out, just a little bit will cause you issues and will create fisheyes in your paint. I ended up buying a little 5 gallon compressor with a regulator on it for my airbrushing. I like to run anywhere from 50psi for coating to 25psi for detail work. I have also found that a water base paint seems to spray better and works better when it is a little cold out. Another thing that I like to use is a cardboard box with a hairdryer in one side and a spot to place my bodies on to get some heat in them (before I lay the paint and after to help dry). I also made a cut out for my paint. warmer paint sprays better. if you have painted full size cars then you should be good and know the dos and don'ts (don't start and stop on your work, do keep things smooth, less is better) the more paint you put on, the easier it will peal or crack. happy painting.