Was just at HF buying my first air compressor (not for airbrushing, necessarily) and saw this on clearance for $11...watched this video in the aisle, and made the decision to jump on it! Pretty cool little kit
Knowing how to use any tool goes a long way toward getting great results with inexpensive tools. Keep your mind open and be amazed at what can be obtained. Jim
The effect you're describing (that draws the paint) is called the venturi effect (or principle). As far as I know, all spray guns use the venturi principle. It's also used in virtually all carburetors. What happens is as the air passes over the tube that goes into the paint, a vacuum is created that draws the paint out of the jar. This principle can be applied to many things. In fact, I made a smoker (for smoking meat) using the principle. Actually, I just did it as an experiment and haven't used it for meat but I could adjust the output from my compressor to either generate a mild smoke or enough to smoke the whole neighborhood. Thanks for posting this video. The next time I'm at Harbor Freight, I'm going to pick up one of these.
Nice post, Bob, thanks for sharing... never knew that spray guns utilized venturi. This effect is also used in the saltwater aquarium hobby as well on most protein skimmers. While a lot of aquarists don't use them, they help to pull out a lot of bad nutrients by using the venturi effect. The ocean performs this effect naturally and the hobby has been able to replicate it over the years.
Venturi Effect, as a result of the Bernoulli's Principle. Not trying to be a geek, but Bernoulli deserves his props. His prinipal was completley non intuitive which make it extra impressive, and it spans accross ALL physics and ALL branches of engineering.
Well... I know what I'm buy all the guys (and me) for Christmas... or Birthdays!!! Father's Day... Holy Cow... I love this video... Thank you so much for sharing this video.
And I spent $300 on a Luminess Airbrush makeup kit and this Harbor Freight airbrush works better and all I do is add a few drops of makeup foundation thinner!! Makeup looks flawless!!🙈😹
It's your decision, but I would not recommend you this type of airbrushes. It works good with the smooth spoons and thick paint layers. On the models it doesn't work that good. You could google for rewievs of Badger 350 it's almost the same thing.
@14 YEARS LATER jerks? I recommend you to read first and comment just after that! Who wrote him to buy an expensive airbrush? For 20€ you could get a normal dual-action airbrush, but exactly this one in video is absolute rubbish. Also as your comment. Best Regards,
I have the same type of airbrush but made from Testors. I bought it from Michael's for $8 with a 70% off coupon. It comes with 5 testors paints. The cool thing about the Testors version is all you need to do is attach the testors paint jars themselves. No need to pour paint into jars and having to wash jars after painting. These are cool. No need to spend all kinds of money especially for beginners.
i have the same airbrush for touch ups on vehicles in my shop an i found some large glass containers at michaels to replace the small plastic ones i spray about 6oz at a time
@@joecooper8527 if you mean how i attached the bottles they had the same thread on the new bottles ,but if you cant find bottles with the same thread you can make some with plumbers putty or any epoxy putty
Model paints are relatively expensive for the amount you get in the small jars it comes in and what I learned by experimentation is that you can get a greater variety of colors when you buy nail polish which is really model paint marketed for a different use and the nail polish is cheaper overall if you get the bargain brands and cover as well and can be thinned with the same thinners as other types of paints which is what nail polish really is anyway .
I'm pretty excited to get one of these with the glass bottles now. Hot solvents will no longer damage my air brush and I've always hated cleaning metal flake out of my standard air brush.
I've got one just yesterday, not from HF but from Fengda, it's practically identical to yours, only the ribbed "body" is not entirely round. I;m waiting for my fitting to mount it to my compressor and test it out. I'm particularily interested in priming with it, as my primer clogs my other airbrush like crazy.
I just ran across your video, great job of showing how well it works. One thing you probably already know, you can depressurize your spray paint can and use the paint in the air brush, for easier painting. And also you can get a thin piece of brass and make a "L" bend to cover the paint uptake for air drying.
I had a Badger 250 and it had the glass jars (only two though). I wasn't as good as airbrushing as I am now so I couldn't tell you if it was truly good or not but now my faith in single action airbrushes has been restored!
I've been using this for years now and I love it. Sure its not as good as a 200$ air brush but the price is right and its so simple. After some clear and polishing its every bit as good as a real air brush.
I build model cars occasionally and have put consideration into an airbrush. But the compressor, all the cleaning between colors... This appears to hit all the right marks and extend the pot life of the paint if you're going back and forth. Like, with a custom paint job for instance, this would be perfect!
I am as green as possible to airbrushing. Your video was so interesting I watched it several times, to see your technique and to see what paints you used in the test. Very informative. I'd be interested in a "basics" on what kinds of paint you use for different reasons. Thanks again.
I have successfully used this Harbor Freight crap airbrush to apply Moly Resin heat cure gun coating. You need to dial it down with the MolyResin so you spray a super fine misting coat. I actually works fairly well at this “dry mist” task. The plastic bottles melt when you clean them with thinner…..
Thank you so much for this video!! I have had an airbrush for almost 2 years now and havent used it because I didn't want to bother cleaning it. After watching your video, I ran to HF and got one -- I love it. Thanks for all the great info!!!!
It looks a lot like the Aztec from Testors. I’ve had one for over 30 years, and I still use it often. I also have a Badger Creshendo, but I find myself using the old Aztec more often
I just picked one up today, looking forward to testing it out. I also got the Airbrush Kit, which looks like it's the badger 350 clone that has a glass jar. I was hoping the glass jars would interchange with the plastic ones, but they do not unfortunately. Overall they're so simple they'll be great to play with but the little spring loaded buttons feel so simple I'm sure they won't last super long.
Aaawww...sorry to hear the jars were not interchangeable. For those of us in *Paasche* Gangland, those little plastic jars are interchangeable with the Paasche 3/4 ounce "Glass" ones. Thus, even though the Harbor Freight Airbrush Kit will give you 5 color jars, you can increase your range of color prep from your Paasche Jar Collection. Hahaha! Apparently because I said Paasche four times today, they just sent me some *BTC* Crypto into my Wallet (smile)! - - - #totheMoon
Thank you so much for bring out this product. Spray paint can be really expensive for craft projects I do. This has given me a wealth of ideas. I am going to get one and try it out. Wonder if it would work on silk flowers. The mist seem to be very gentle. I'll let you and the viewers in on some of the projects I use it on.
The one thumbs down was from Iwata 🤣 Edit: I'm interested to see the putty comparison. The product you showed was the kind in a tube, which is more of a seam filler. Just wondering if you were planning to include the two part epoxies as well? The ones that are more for sculpting for scratch building /modifying parts. I have used Milli-put which I don't particularly care for due to the chalky consistency. I tried one from Loctite, which reminded me more of JB Weld. It was more reminiscent of plastic after it cured, but the working time was very short and it would harden up pretty quickly. Granted, it wasn't intended for models. The yellow Tamiya seems to be the best, though I haven't been able to find it locally, so I haven't had a chance to try it out yet. There is another Japanese one I picked up recently, a water based resin clay from Mr Hobby. Seems promising, but I haven't had a need for it yet so I haven't tested it out. I got it at a local shop, but I ended up seeing it later at Hobby Town - in case you may be interested.
I have an old Badger siphon feed from about 40 years ago. By adjusting the nozzle on the bottle I was able to do a 2 tone camo paint job on a 1/32 F4-E. It doesn't do a fine edge but it's not a bad airbrush for base coats.
Hey, Barbatos, that spray gun looked GREAT for applying large scale paints. You mentioned the plastic 'jars' and when you did I immediately wondered, "Will those Tamiya jars fit with the sprayer caps?" You should check that out. There might also be some glass jars from the "Herbs and Spices" you use that might also fit that diameter. If the paints in the larger sizes can fit those caps, though, that could really save you a lot of time, both in hooking up the paints and NOT having to clean an extra jar. Just a thought.
I liked this so much I bought a second one. This works great for quick color changes. It will also work with thinned craft acrylic paint which I use on my model builds all the time.
It is a single-action airbrush and they are really good for quick color changes and base coating. If you have ever seen t-shirt painters and other "beach" artists, they use them pretty heavily. You can tune them to a very fine line with a little practice. I still have a few that I live by for larger terrain projects or when I need to spray a lot of models and don't want to deal with refilling halfway through.
Thanks for making this video. With the covid lockdown i thought i would retry my childhood hobby of model cars. I decided that an airbrush would be best to paint the kits and watched many vids on airbrushes when yours showed up to view. I stopped my search and went to harbor freight and picked this up. Thanks also for reminding about 20% coupons !
I've noticed lately that the 20% coupons at HF are harder to find. They also used to give those blue flashlights free with any purchase. I haven't seen those for months now.
The word you're looking for to describe this rig is an Atomizer. The principle has been around for thousands of years. I wonder if baby food jars might thread up on those spray lids? That might be a cheap way to expand your jar inventory.
Thanks so much for doing this video. I learned something and now I'm not afraid of buying this kit. I'll see if I can find a source for glass jars. Shouldn't be too tough.
This machine is the original art spray technique. Actually the original was to use a pipette and blow rather than using a compressor. P.S., Was used buy illustrators in stenciling and with shields for shade gradations. Look at 1950s magazine illustrations and you'll recognize it in a lot of ads. They did some amazingly sophisticated work with this simple technique.
Those caps will likely work on standard glass bottles, I've seen some at Hobbytown. I buy the Tamiya bottles as they are Tamiya shaped, stackable and has indicator marks. But the generic bottles are about $1 each. It's hard to tell how big those bottles are that came with that brush. So I say, try every bottle type you have and see if one happens to fit it. Glas would be very much the way to go... especially with primers and clear coats. Then I don't have to worry about gunking up my brush so much. Thanks for this video, I was expecting something completely different.
I started learning how to airbrush on a similar airbrush. It may not be the most high tech one, but if used right, you could easily make a model kit look amazing with the right skills. You can use this airbrush to build up your skills then move up to a more better airbrush and your skills will end up being even better.
That's the same way all airbrushes work. This one just has the guts exposed and no nozzle for finer control of the spray. It's obviously not going to be up to par for art quality fine detail work. But for basic type stuff it's arguably a more practical design.
Shipping out of the US is super expensive. One of theses works out at $50+ to Australia. Found Airbrush warehouse has stock of them locally. Edit - hose thread is Badger. I use a quick connect to a common hose.
I have a Badger 250 which operates exactly the same way this airbrush. I have glass bottles that work better than plastic. I agree it’s good for overall and base coat coverage.
Very cool, glad I caught this. I kind of collect airbruses. I buy them new & used I find a lot at flea markets and yard sales so I have a lot of Airbrushes from the top brands new and vintage Badger, Iwata, Paasche & Harder & Steenbeck. Different types DA, SA, gravity feed siphon feed etc. I need different guns for different work. Over the years I got several inexpensive guns from Testors, Harbor Freight and several off brands I found on Amazon, Ebay ans some other sites. They have all been pretty decent they have their pros and cons some can be pretty good with a little tweaking. I even bought one of those make up ones at a yard sale and some from nail salons! After seeing this I went out and got one of these just for the hell of it. It really does come across a cheap as hell but performs remarkably well. I like the fact each bottle is separate with a separate paint nozzle. I tried some of my glass bottles and they fit perfectly. I will swap out the bottles with glass eventually for easy maintenance.
I bought a $50 airbrush 4 years ago for various projects and finally tried it last year. (I forgot about it) It worked horribly with cheap acrylics. Yet here you are, playing with a Harbor Freight airbrush. Impressive. I'm envious. I'm trying to get my dad to check this out. He's retired and building model cars and trucks and driving us nuts. He has never tried an airbrush though in 60+ years of model making. Keep up the great work!
Your dad is a man after my own heart. My dad got me building models in the late 70s and I thank him for that to this day. Thanks for watching and say hi to your dad for me.
@@barbatosrex9473 Lol Thanks. He's trying to recreate his collection he built back when he was a kid in Maine. Only 2 or 3 of his models from that time period survived until now. I was into model aircraft, then spacecraft and trains, and now I 3D print stuff. He gets a big kick out of helping me paint and assemble 3D printed gifts every Christmas. (and I of course print model trucks for him!)
Ive been hand painting models for years because I couldnt afford an airbrush. Bonus, they just opened a Harbor Freight in my town, so guess where Ill be tomorrow. Thanks for the review.
As for the hoses in the bottles you need to adjust them prior to use. As for the bottles being plastic you might want to look around and maybe one of the other airbrush companies has glass bottles that fit the same top.
Thanks for the review. I'm looking to buy an airbrush for models but have never used one. Don't want to spend much until I have a feel for what I am doing.
I have been painting my model railroad buildings with a brush and acrylics but I have been thinking of using an airbrush. I have a Paache VL and an Iwata Eclipse, but I only use them for weathering, it just seemed a waste of airbrush to paint a large slab of plastic. I would still need to brush detail the window frames any way. The brush strokes actually give the buildings some texture, which helps with the realism. But with a brush like this and as simple, cheap and easy as it is, I may give up the brush for the base building color.
... 3D print a "replacement lid" for each of your common paints with the fittings and same attachment as the jars for the airbrush... then use an automotive "vacuum port cap" to go over the brass nipple to seal it... never have to clean the bottles out. Just pull the cap off, plug it into the airbrush and away you go!
@@jamesback8024 Kinda missed the point of the comment... I'm saying if you make a new top for every paint that you use that is also an adapter to plug into the gun you don't need to clean anything and can just switch out whatever you need... the vacuum cap keeps them from ever drying out... :)
I shop at harbor freight often, most stuff they have are a great deal, but I do stay away from most electrical items such as drills, grinders and the likes. But things like this airbrush kit is a great deal. And most tools aren’t bad either. Of course I did get some aluminum loading ramps to load my 4-wheeler into my truck, which worked a few times, but then one day one of the ramps got a bend into it and I had to put some support under it for safety concerns. But the product you tested makes me want to paint some models now. Great video.
This might be nice, i have a bunch of Badger primer which works well enough but it crusts all over my airbrush really quickly. It might be useful to have this as a way to spray it with less obnoxious cleanup. (edit - ha, yeah, it's the exact one you pulled out at the 16 minute mark)
*Fun fact: The spraying covers fit exactly on gunze bottles... You will have to cut the straw shorter though. I no longer use the plastic bottle. Glass is way easier to wash. Not as good on the Tamiya bottles, but can also fits. This set works great for coverage. Lacquer will melt plastic bottles (Hard exp). Nozzles can clog, but easily cleaned with one of those needle/pin with the plastic ball. If the nozzle gets bent, don't bother to try fit it. It will break. A little lubricant on the back end, and only the back , of the O ring in the blow nozzle will help prevent it from tearing. If it does, threading tape will also work and still be able to adjust output. An alcohol moistened paper napkin, pinched on the paint nozzle, works well to keep the nozzle from drying in between coats. I like this set better than my plastic Testor's D/A air brush. So much easier to clean.
I've been using an old Badger air brush that basically works the same way. But the Badger has an adjustable nozzle on the jar. So you can spray near nothing or full bore. It depends on the jar nozzle setting and the air pressure. And I've used most every type paint through it that exists. And that is important to know that autobody type paints don't dissolve the tubing and fitting on that Badger air brush. The jars are actually glass and that is really important so paints and thinners don't effect the glass. Some plastics could be a problem with certain type paints and reducers, and even hardeners. They are needed for intricate paint work and small projects and detail painting. JMHO
I would also suggest the Harbor Freight Fortress compressor. It is extremely quiet. You can talk on your phone sitting right next to it while it's running. For hobbyist was the airbrush The 1-gallon Fortress would work
I'm impressed! I just bought this same airbrush kit, with minimal expectations. I do automotive paint touch-ups, but can't use a loud compressor where I live now and so I also bought an airbrush one on OfferUp. Your video instilled alot of confidence and so now I'm looking forward to using this setup. Thanks for the review 👍😁
I had clogging issues with my bottles which how was strange because I was using Liquitex inks mixed with alcohol for painting latex masks, might grab an extra one from HB or try to find replacement bottles.
It operates on the same principle as the old-time fly-sprayers...pump air across the end of a narrow tube that has the other end submerged in the liquid poison. I've used a larger version paint-sprayer in houses on cabinets and it's called HPLV; high pressure low volume. It produced very smooth results. I see on google today that some of these sprayers are now gravity-fed. I'm sure that glass jars with the same size threads are available from somewhere and I see no reason you couldn't decant all your paints into them permanently.
Badger does make one similar to that for between 20 and 30 dollars US. I used to have one until I lost it in a storage bin. I have seen the badger version on Amazon. The badger version has glass bottles the size of those on the airbrush in this video and might be interchangeable as far as the container section of the bottle into the lids.
the Badger 350 is the same style airbrush. Had one years ago. there is one that even comes with a can of air. But the glass jars you need to buy some as it only comes with one.
Thanks for posting this. I don't know how many times I looked at this HF airbrush and scoffed at it. Surely something that cheap and made in China cannot spray that well. DAMN, it does a great job, good coverage, simple, easy cleanup, etc... The Tamiya Blue looks gorgeous and looks like it was shot then buffed out. I think I need to swing by HF and pick one up now.
So I just did a trip to harbor freight. I got this brush and a matching brand air compressor. I can’t wait to fix the paint on my model I foolishly hand brushed.
If you're going to regularly use this airbrush see if the Paasche H glass bottles will work with those tops..................I would bet they're interchangeable...................................Thanks for the review
I have also used cheap rattle can paint by spraying it into a chosen small storage container and can be even better than the so called 'model' paint that is sold in those tiny jars. It can be used as is for whatever you want ....be it brushing it onto very small and highly detailed parts with a very fine brush such as the embossed seat belts on the seats in a car model kit or in an airbrush for other fine detailed work.. it is somewhat messy if you don't use due caution in vovering the process of spraying it into whatever container you want to store it in.. but that is just details,, the rattle can paint is thinned well enough already and is ready for whatever you need..
I'm a first time watcher, now a subscriber. You did a great job, easy to watch, easy to understand. Looking forward to watching the rest of your videos. Thank you.
Try adjusting your air pressure to increase decrease the flow. You can also reduce the diameter of the tube by adding an obstruction to change the flow of the paint
Welp, this totally popped up at random in my YT suggestions. I don’t even do models but I do work on a variety of other craft projects and was thinking of investing in an airbrush for possible future projects. (Creepy how YT somehow knew that.) I didn’t want to invest in an expensive nice one only to realize I’ll never use it again, and I didn’t want to risk getting a terrible cheap one neither. This seems like a great pick! You think this would be fine with regular craft store acrylics? (Probably watered down of course, for a nicer, even coat.)
It should be fine. In my latest video I tested metallic craft store paint in a $20 airbrush and it did give me a little bit of trouble but it was metallic. I did have to thin it out more. I have another video where I spray regular craft store paint in my regular airbrush and those came out awesome. Check them out on my channel. Plus I'll be doing a 3rd craft paint video with a $9 airbrush soon
I agree for the price it is surprising and would be very useful for zenithal priming as it would cutout the need to clean between colour changes .alas I won't be able to test this as in the UK where I am the lowest price for that kit is about £45.50 so if anyone wants to make a tidy profit you could always buy the us version and ship them to the UK .
You can find those jars made of glass makes cleaning up so much nicer. These syphon guns are so simple but they really do a nice job and except for plastic parts breaking on you there's nothing that will wear out.
With a little hunting and experimenting, you could probably find replaceable glass jars for this kit. Look to be about the same size as baby food jars, depending on the thread size.
I am a guitar pedal builder and somehow this popped up in my watch list... I've been finishing my aluminum and steel boxes with rattle cans and paint pens. I'm thinking that I may need to do this instead... it will save money in the log run!
You can order 10 of the jars on wish for air brushing but use the tops from your machine because they are the same size and just use glass jars instead. Yes, wish takes a long damn time to get but they are worth it for the price or just order them on amazon and get them fast in two days! I have the regular air gun the blue one and ordered 20 jars so wow, I love them and they are all glass.
This is really an amazing video! Just goes to show that for some basic painting you do not have to spend a fortune on an air brush. I guess I have a real early version of Harbor Freight's air brush and it never worked like this and you had to clean the suction line and orifice to change colors.
Back in 1975. I used a spray system like this to touch up my car. It worked really well. You can control the spray pattern by the height of the nozzle and you can control the quantity by reducing or increasing the air pressure. If he lowered his ear pressure just a little he would get the effect he was looking for I think
i use a airbrush to apply to leather...and see this helped. always having to clean out the brush between colors is a pain and having so many bottles and dye wont get in the nozzle..
I got the "fancy" $20 Double action airbrush from HFreight, It works much better than my Iwata Neo (that is not really an Iwata anyway), the problem is that at that price, there is no quality control, so you might get unlucky, it never happened to me but I saw it on other videos. I might get that one next time. Also their tools are a great deal, I got a reciprocating saw to remodel our bathroom for $27, and after all the abuse it's still as good, If you're not a contractor go there and give it a try.
I recently retired and want to get back into miniatures painting. This air brush works for my limited needs, but what air compressor would you recommend. The Harbor Freight website didn't specify a certain compresssor.
Best deal i found on this airbrush if you are in Europe... search on AliExpress, i think it is the same one. OPHIR High Atomizing Siphon Feed Airbrush 0.3mm And i think these bottles might fit too. 10PCS 3/4oz 22cc Glass Airbrush Bottles
Thanks for testing this out. I have been curious. FYI a spray can is pressure fed, not siphon like this. So, paint will go on differently. More air mixed in with the paint when using a siphon sprayer, compared to a pressure fed sprayer.
I am interested in the $20 dollar HF airbrush as its a 'proper' internal mix dual action. There are times I don't really want to expose my Iwata to harder to clean paints, but I don't really want to drop down to external mix...I have my Dad's old Pasche extenal mix that he used to spray stain on birdhouses... It sprays, but I'm stuck on internal mix dual action. I am impressed with the results you are getting..Its a little "quick", but it atomizes very well.
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
Was just at HF buying my first air compressor (not for airbrushing, necessarily) and saw this on clearance for $11...watched this video in the aisle, and made the decision to jump on it! Pretty cool little kit
Knowing how to use any tool goes a long way toward getting great results with inexpensive tools. Keep your mind open and be amazed at what can be obtained. Jim
The effect you're describing (that draws the paint) is called the venturi effect (or principle). As far as I know, all spray guns use the venturi principle. It's also used in virtually all carburetors. What happens is as the air passes over the tube that goes into the paint, a vacuum is created that draws the paint out of the jar. This principle can be applied to many things. In fact, I made a smoker (for smoking meat) using the principle. Actually, I just did it as an experiment and haven't used it for meat but I could adjust the output from my compressor to either generate a mild smoke or enough to smoke the whole neighborhood. Thanks for posting this video. The next time I'm at Harbor Freight, I'm going to pick up one of these.
Nice post, Bob, thanks for sharing... never knew that spray guns utilized venturi. This effect is also used in the saltwater aquarium hobby as well on most protein skimmers. While a lot of aquarists don't use them, they help to pull out a lot of bad nutrients by using the venturi effect. The ocean performs this effect naturally and the hobby has been able to replicate it over the years.
Smarter Every day just did a video on carburetors that's got some great slow motion of the venturi effect in action. Check that out, it's great!
Venturi Effect, as a result of the Bernoulli's Principle. Not trying to be a geek, but Bernoulli deserves his props. His prinipal was completley non intuitive which make it extra impressive, and it spans accross ALL physics and ALL branches of engineering.
That reminds me of one of Testor's cheaply priced Airbrush Beginners Kit I bought 20 years ago from a local hobby shop.
I clicked on this to make fun of it. Instead, I'm swinging by HF after work! Thanks for posting this!
Me too!
By the same token, I thought this video would be making fun of it.
Well... I know what I'm buy all the guys (and me) for Christmas... or Birthdays!!!
Father's Day... Holy Cow... I love this video...
Thank you so much for sharing this video.
Lol. Hope there's some left after this vid
How did you manage to spray with it so good? All my attempts have been either not enough coverage or too wet to the point of dripping.
Makes a great little air duster for electronics.
And I spent $300 on a Luminess Airbrush makeup kit and this Harbor Freight airbrush works better and all I do is add a few drops of makeup foundation thinner!! Makeup looks flawless!!🙈😹
Holy Cow... I never thought of that...
Mama is getting this for herself... So Glad YOU thought of this!!!
Look into a mastercraft airbrush off ebay...you can get a nice dual action cheap
@@Tailgatesntoolboxes
Good to know!!! Thank you!
Oh yay, great idea!!! Thanks God bless
LMAO when i read this. I thought luminess was only for old hags 🤣🤣🤣
Had to watch again, never thought of buying a cheap airbrush until now. Thank you for all your testing and info. You do a great job !!!
It's your decision, but I would not recommend you this type of airbrushes. It works good with the smooth spoons and thick paint layers. On the models it doesn't work that good. You could google for rewievs of Badger 350 it's almost the same thing.
@14 YEARS LATER jerks? I recommend you to read first and comment just after that! Who wrote him to buy an expensive airbrush? For 20€ you could get a normal dual-action airbrush, but exactly this one in video is absolute rubbish. Also as your comment.
Best Regards,
I have the same type of airbrush but made from Testors. I bought it from Michael's for $8 with a 70% off coupon. It comes with 5 testors paints. The cool thing about the Testors version is all you need to do is attach the testors paint jars themselves. No need to pour paint into jars and having to wash jars after painting. These are cool. No need to spend all kinds of money especially for beginners.
You can adjust the spray amount and pattern by adjusting the brass spout up and down. This controls the amount of air going over the nozzle.
Heading to harbor freight tomorrow and buy 2 of these... They're on clearance for less than 10 bucks!...🙂
i have the same airbrush for touch ups on vehicles in my shop an i found some large glass containers at michaels to replace the small plastic ones i spray about 6oz at a time
I'm not seeing how you would have attached it yet.
@@joecooper8527 if you mean how i attached the bottles they had the same thread on the new bottles ,but if you cant find bottles with the same thread you can make some with plumbers putty or any epoxy putty
What is the name of the 6 oz bottles?
@@beargaming6200 Thanks
Model paints are relatively expensive for the amount you get in the small jars it comes in and what I learned by experimentation is that you can get a greater variety of colors when you buy nail polish which is really model paint marketed for a different use and the nail polish is cheaper overall if you get the bargain brands and cover as well and can be thinned with the same thinners as other types of paints which is what nail polish really is anyway .
Holy cow I never thought about that. Is it more brittle and chip easy when handled?
@@patmygroin not at all I find it to be the best paint I've ever used
I salute your creativity. I am going to go try this
Who the hell paints a model with nail polish and see streaks
@@stevequate1797 Airbrushing nail polish leaves a fantastic finish. Tough too.
I'm pretty excited to get one of these with the glass bottles now. Hot solvents will no longer damage my air brush and I've always hated cleaning metal flake out of my standard air brush.
They have these with glass?
If you found a suitable glass jar replacement, that would be awesome.
I've got one just yesterday, not from HF but from Fengda, it's practically identical to yours, only the ribbed "body" is not entirely round. I;m waiting for my fitting to mount it to my compressor and test it out. I'm particularily interested in priming with it, as my primer clogs my other airbrush like crazy.
I just ran across your video, great job of showing how well it works. One thing you probably already know, you can depressurize your spray paint can and use the paint in the air brush, for easier painting. And also you can get a thin piece of brass and make a "L" bend to cover the paint uptake for air drying.
Everytime I open up one of this i get more and more exited to start painting my own stuff. Thank you!
Thank you. Nothing better than building and painting a model for a zen like experience
I had a Badger 250 and it had the glass jars (only two though). I wasn't as good as airbrushing as I am now so I couldn't tell you if it was truly good or not but now my faith in single action airbrushes has been restored!
I've been using this for years now and I love it. Sure its not as good as a 200$ air brush but the price is right and its so simple. After some clear and polishing its every bit as good as a real air brush.
I build model cars occasionally and have put consideration into an airbrush. But the compressor, all the cleaning between colors... This appears to hit all the right marks and extend the pot life of the paint if you're going back and forth. Like, with a custom paint job for instance, this would be perfect!
I am as green as possible to airbrushing. Your video was so interesting I watched it several times, to see your technique and to see what paints you used in the test. Very informative. I'd be interested in a "basics" on what kinds of paint you use for different reasons. Thanks again.
I have successfully used this Harbor Freight crap airbrush to apply Moly Resin heat cure gun coating. You need to dial it down with the MolyResin so you spray a super fine misting coat. I actually works fairly well at this “dry mist” task. The plastic bottles melt when you clean them with thinner…..
Thank you so much for this video!! I have had an airbrush for almost 2 years now and havent used it because I didn't want to bother cleaning it. After watching your video, I ran to HF and got one -- I love it. Thanks for all the great info!!!!
You're welcome and thanks for watching
What i wouldve liked to see is the klear Kotes and aqua gloss through these
It looks a lot like the Aztec from Testors. I’ve had one for over 30 years, and I still use it often. I also have a Badger Creshendo, but I find myself using the old Aztec more often
I just picked one up today, looking forward to testing it out. I also got the Airbrush Kit, which looks like it's the badger 350 clone that has a glass jar. I was hoping the glass jars would interchange with the plastic ones, but they do not unfortunately. Overall they're so simple they'll be great to play with but the little spring loaded buttons feel so simple I'm sure they won't last super long.
Aaawww...sorry to hear the jars were not interchangeable. For those of us in *Paasche* Gangland, those little plastic jars are interchangeable with the Paasche 3/4 ounce "Glass" ones. Thus, even though the Harbor Freight Airbrush Kit will give you 5 color jars, you can increase your range of color prep from your Paasche Jar Collection.
Hahaha! Apparently because I said Paasche four times today, they just sent me some *BTC* Crypto into my Wallet (smile)! - - - #totheMoon
I use this exact one, to spray Cheap (Usually Black ) apple barrel craft paint for base coats on terrain.
Works perfect every time.
Wow, this might be better for me than an actual air brush. No cleaning when swapping between colors? That’s a game changer.
Just cleaning out the glass.
I can definitely see myself picking up one of these for simple tasks like applying primer. Thanks for the heads up.
Thank you so much for bring out this product. Spray paint can be really expensive for craft projects I do. This has given me a wealth of ideas. I am going to get one and try it out. Wonder if it would work on silk flowers. The mist seem to be very gentle. I'll let you and the viewers in on some of the projects I use it on.
The one thumbs down was from Iwata 🤣
Edit: I'm interested to see the putty comparison. The product you showed was the kind in a tube, which is more of a seam filler. Just wondering if you were planning to include the two part epoxies as well? The ones that are more for sculpting for scratch building /modifying parts.
I have used Milli-put which I don't particularly care for due to the chalky consistency. I tried one from Loctite, which reminded me more of JB Weld. It was more reminiscent of plastic after it cured, but the working time was very short and it would harden up pretty quickly. Granted, it wasn't intended for models. The yellow Tamiya seems to be the best, though I haven't been able to find it locally, so I haven't had a chance to try it out yet. There is another Japanese one I picked up recently, a water based resin clay from Mr Hobby. Seems promising, but I haven't had a need for it yet so I haven't tested it out. I got it at a local shop, but I ended up seeing it later at Hobby Town - in case you may be interested.
I have an old Badger siphon feed from about 40 years ago. By adjusting the nozzle on the bottle I was able to do a 2 tone camo paint job on a 1/32 F4-E. It doesn't do a fine edge but it's not a bad airbrush for base coats.
Hey, Barbatos, that spray gun looked GREAT for applying large scale paints. You mentioned the plastic 'jars' and when you did I immediately wondered, "Will those Tamiya jars fit with the sprayer caps?" You should check that out. There might also be some glass jars from the "Herbs and Spices" you use that might also fit that diameter. If the paints in the larger sizes can fit those caps, though, that could really save you a lot of time, both in hooking up the paints and NOT having to clean an extra jar.
Just a thought.
I liked this so much I bought a second one. This works great for quick color changes. It will also work with thinned craft acrylic paint which I use on my model builds all the time.
These a great inexpensive airbrushes for sure
It is a single-action airbrush and they are really good for quick color changes and base coating. If you have ever seen t-shirt painters and other "beach" artists, they use them pretty heavily. You can tune them to a very fine line with a little practice. I still have a few that I live by for larger terrain projects or when I need to spray a lot of models and don't want to deal with refilling halfway through.
I'm considering a Paasche H single feed model for my car kit bodies. Is that a good choice?
Thanks for making this video. With the covid lockdown i thought i would retry my childhood hobby of model cars. I decided that an airbrush would be best to paint the kits and watched many vids on airbrushes when yours showed up to view. I stopped my search and went to harbor freight and picked this up. Thanks also for reminding about 20% coupons !
I've noticed lately that the 20% coupons at HF are harder to find. They also used to give those blue flashlights free with any purchase. I haven't seen those for months now.
The word you're looking for to describe this rig is an Atomizer. The principle has been around for thousands of years.
I wonder if baby food jars might thread up on those spray lids? That might be a cheap way to expand your jar inventory.
OHHHHH that is a great idea... How do you do that? Where's your video. I'd like to see that.
Great Idea.
Thanks so much for doing this video. I learned something and now I'm not afraid of buying this kit. I'll see if I can find a source for glass jars. Shouldn't be too tough.
With the quick adapter and large paint reservoir, be great for just holding primers.
Thats exactly where my mind went
This machine is the original art spray technique. Actually the original was to use a pipette and blow rather than using a compressor. P.S., Was used buy illustrators in stenciling and with shields for shade gradations. Look at 1950s magazine illustrations and you'll recognize it in a lot of ads. They did some amazingly sophisticated work with this simple technique.
Those caps will likely work on standard glass bottles, I've seen some at Hobbytown. I buy the Tamiya bottles as they are Tamiya shaped, stackable and has indicator marks. But the generic bottles are about $1 each. It's hard to tell how big those bottles are that came with that brush. So I say, try every bottle type you have and see if one happens to fit it. Glas would be very much the way to go... especially with primers and clear coats. Then I don't have to worry about gunking up my brush so much.
Thanks for this video, I was expecting something completely different.
Mr. Barbatos Rex, you are incredible! You are always coming up with all new techniques and you are right, it's all physics. Great job...
What's old is new again. 😉
Old tech. MANY years ago i used a hand pump sprayer for bug spray. Worked a treat.
Great Thanks - I recently bought some for primer and base coats - I have not used them yet - Nice review and results
I started learning how to airbrush on a similar airbrush. It may not be the most high tech one, but if used right, you could easily make a model kit look amazing with the right skills. You can use this airbrush to build up your skills then move up to a more better airbrush and your skills will end up being even better.
I have 3 of these I bought a few years ago for multiple projects, and have used them many times. They work great IMHO.
That's the same way all airbrushes work. This one just has the guts exposed and no nozzle for finer control of the spray.
It's obviously not going to be up to par for art quality fine detail work. But for basic type stuff it's arguably a more practical design.
Your a magician man. This AB is crap like a grenade, thats a fact and you still get great results. This weekend I gonna try my own tests
Shipping out of the US is super expensive. One of theses works out at $50+ to Australia.
Found Airbrush warehouse has stock of them locally.
Edit - hose thread is Badger. I use a quick connect to a common hose.
I have a Badger 250 which operates exactly the same way this airbrush. I have glass bottles that work better than plastic.
I agree it’s good for overall and base coat coverage.
I have to say thank you. After seeing this video I went and got me one of these and it's working great for I'm still a beginner.
Very cool, glad I caught this. I kind of collect airbruses. I buy them new & used I find a lot at flea markets and yard sales so I have a lot of Airbrushes from the top brands new and vintage Badger, Iwata, Paasche & Harder & Steenbeck. Different types DA, SA, gravity feed siphon feed etc. I need different guns for different work. Over the years I got several inexpensive guns from Testors, Harbor Freight and several off brands I found on Amazon, Ebay ans some other sites. They have all been pretty decent they have their pros and cons some can be pretty good with a little tweaking. I even bought one of those make up ones at a yard sale and some from nail salons! After seeing this I went out and got one of these just for the hell of it. It really does come across a cheap as hell but performs remarkably well. I like the fact each bottle is separate with a separate paint nozzle. I tried some of my glass bottles and they fit perfectly. I will swap out the bottles with glass eventually for easy maintenance.
I bought a $50 airbrush 4 years ago for various projects and finally tried it last year. (I forgot about it) It worked horribly with cheap acrylics. Yet here you are, playing with a Harbor Freight airbrush. Impressive. I'm envious. I'm trying to get my dad to check this out. He's retired and building model cars and trucks and driving us nuts. He has never tried an airbrush though in 60+ years of model making. Keep up the great work!
Your dad is a man after my own heart. My dad got me building models in the late 70s and I thank him for that to this day. Thanks for watching and say hi to your dad for me.
@@barbatosrex9473 Lol Thanks. He's trying to recreate his collection he built back when he was a kid in Maine. Only 2 or 3 of his models from that time period survived until now.
I was into model aircraft, then spacecraft and trains, and now I 3D print stuff. He gets a big kick out of helping me paint and assemble 3D printed gifts every Christmas. (and I of course print model trucks for him!)
Ive been hand painting models for years because I couldnt afford an airbrush. Bonus, they just opened a Harbor Freight in my town, so guess where Ill be tomorrow. Thanks for the review.
You're on a roll, thank you for testing all of these things and sharing the results with all of us.
Thanks friend
As for the hoses in the bottles you need to adjust them prior to use. As for the bottles being plastic you might want to look around and maybe one of the other airbrush companies has glass bottles that fit the same top.
Thanks for the review. I'm looking to buy an airbrush for models but have never used one. Don't want to spend much until I have a feel for what I am doing.
I have been painting my model railroad buildings with a brush and acrylics but I have been thinking of using an airbrush. I have a Paache VL and an Iwata Eclipse, but I only use them for weathering, it just seemed a waste of airbrush to paint a large slab of plastic. I would still need to brush detail the window frames any way. The brush strokes actually give the buildings some texture, which helps with the realism. But with a brush like this and as simple, cheap and easy as it is, I may give up the brush for the base building color.
... 3D print a "replacement lid" for each of your common paints with the fittings and same attachment as the jars for the airbrush... then use an automotive "vacuum port cap" to go over the brass nipple to seal it... never have to clean the bottles out. Just pull the cap off, plug it into the airbrush and away you go!
not necessary, i find small lids from pill bottles (Screw on type) from medicines fit perfect.
@@jamesback8024 Kinda missed the point of the comment... I'm saying if you make a new top for every paint that you use that is also an adapter to plug into the gun you don't need to clean anything and can just switch out whatever you need... the vacuum cap keeps them from ever drying out... :)
That blue is beautiful.
I shop at harbor freight often, most stuff they have are a great deal, but I do stay away from most electrical items such as drills, grinders and the likes. But things like this airbrush kit is a great deal. And most tools aren’t bad either. Of course I did get some aluminum loading ramps to load my 4-wheeler into my truck, which worked a few times, but then one day one of the ramps got a bend into it and I had to put some support under it for safety concerns. But the product you tested makes me want to paint some models now. Great video.
Thanks for watching. I have a couple more Harbor Freight airbrush test to come. One was even cheaper than this one 😉
That's some handy information man. I'm pretty excited to see a good, cheap, easy to swap, workhorse of an airbrush.
It's actually really good. I was shocked as to its performance. Well worth the $10
This might be nice, i have a bunch of Badger primer which works well enough but it crusts all over my airbrush really quickly. It might be useful to have this as a way to spray it with less obnoxious cleanup. (edit - ha, yeah, it's the exact one you pulled out at the 16 minute mark)
*Fun fact: The spraying covers fit exactly on gunze bottles... You will have to cut the straw shorter though. I no longer use the plastic bottle. Glass is way easier to wash. Not as good on the Tamiya bottles, but can also fits. This set works great for coverage. Lacquer will melt plastic bottles (Hard exp). Nozzles can clog, but easily cleaned with one of those needle/pin with the plastic ball. If the nozzle gets bent, don't bother to try fit it. It will break.
A little lubricant on the back end, and only the back , of the O ring in the blow nozzle will help prevent it from tearing. If it does, threading tape will also work and still be able to adjust output.
An alcohol moistened paper napkin, pinched on the paint nozzle, works well to keep the nozzle from drying in between coats.
I like this set better than my plastic Testor's D/A air brush. So much easier to clean.
Yeah I just posted in my community section a Pic of the Mr Color jars I just got in cause they fit 👍
I've been using an old Badger air brush that basically works the same way. But the Badger has an adjustable nozzle on the jar. So you can spray near nothing or full bore. It depends on the jar nozzle setting and the air pressure. And I've used most every type paint through it that exists. And that is important to know that autobody type paints don't dissolve the tubing and fitting on that Badger air brush. The jars are actually glass and that is really important so paints and thinners don't effect the glass. Some plastics could be a problem with certain type paints and reducers, and even hardeners. They are needed for intricate paint work and small projects and detail painting. JMHO
I would also suggest the Harbor Freight Fortress compressor. It is extremely quiet. You can talk on your phone sitting right next to it while it's running. For hobbyist was the airbrush The 1-gallon Fortress would work
I'm impressed! I just bought this same airbrush kit, with minimal expectations.
I do automotive paint touch-ups, but can't use a loud compressor where I live now and so I also bought an airbrush one on OfferUp.
Your video instilled alot of confidence and so now I'm looking forward to using this setup.
Thanks for the review 👍😁
Your welcome buddy and thanks for watching
I had clogging issues with my bottles which how was strange because I was using Liquitex inks mixed with alcohol for painting latex masks, might grab an extra one from HB or try to find replacement bottles.
I saw on another channel to run a pin through the 2 holes on the cap and that will unclog them.
What type of compressor do you use?
Good enough for me I use to do this back in the 80s when it first came out. It's cost over 200 for it
It operates on the same principle as the old-time fly-sprayers...pump air across the end of a narrow tube that has the other end submerged in the liquid poison. I've used a larger version paint-sprayer in houses on cabinets and it's called HPLV; high pressure low volume. It produced very smooth results. I see on google today that some of these sprayers are now gravity-fed. I'm sure that glass jars with the same size threads are available from somewhere and I see no reason you couldn't decant all your paints into them permanently.
Badger does make one similar to that for between 20 and 30 dollars US. I used to have one until I lost it in a storage bin. I have seen the badger version on Amazon. The badger version has glass bottles the size of those on the airbrush in this video and might be interchangeable as far as the container section of the bottle into the lids.
the Badger 350 is the same style airbrush. Had one years ago. there is one that even comes with a can of air. But the glass jars you need to buy some as it only comes with one.
Just spent $15 on black spray paint. Going out tomorrow to drop $10 on this endless spray paint tool. Thx!!
Thanks for posting this. I don't know how many times I looked at this HF airbrush and scoffed at it. Surely something that cheap and made in China cannot spray that well. DAMN, it does a great job, good coverage, simple, easy cleanup, etc... The Tamiya Blue looks gorgeous and looks like it was shot then buffed out. I think I need to swing by HF and pick one up now.
You won't be disappointed
So I just did a trip to harbor freight. I got this brush and a matching brand air compressor. I can’t wait to fix the paint on my model I foolishly hand brushed.
If you're going to regularly use this airbrush see if the Paasche H glass bottles will work with those tops..................I would bet they're interchangeable...................................Thanks for the review
I have also used cheap rattle can paint by spraying it into a chosen small storage container and can be even better than the so called 'model' paint that is sold in those tiny jars. It can be used as is for whatever you want ....be it brushing it onto very small and highly detailed parts with a very fine brush such as the embossed seat belts on the seats in a car model kit or in an airbrush for other fine detailed work.. it is somewhat messy if you don't use due caution in vovering the process of spraying it into whatever container you want to store it in.. but that is just details,, the rattle can paint is thinned well enough already and is ready for whatever you need..
Think I could just leave primer and clear coat in the bottles all the time? Is it air tight enough?
I'm a first time watcher, now a subscriber. You did a great job, easy to watch, easy to understand. Looking forward to watching the rest of your videos. Thank you.
Thanks buddy for the kind words and thanks for watching
Try adjusting your air pressure to increase decrease the flow. You can also reduce the diameter of the tube by adding an obstruction to change the flow of the paint
Going to HF tomorrow. Thanks for reviewing. 20% off until Monday. For the win. 🏆
Welp, this totally popped up at random in my YT suggestions. I don’t even do models but I do work on a variety of other craft projects and was thinking of investing in an airbrush for possible future projects. (Creepy how YT somehow knew that.) I didn’t want to invest in an expensive nice one only to realize I’ll never use it again, and I didn’t want to risk getting a terrible cheap one neither. This seems like a great pick!
You think this would be fine with regular craft store acrylics? (Probably watered down of course, for a nicer, even coat.)
It should be fine. In my latest video I tested metallic craft store paint in a $20 airbrush and it did give me a little bit of trouble but it was metallic. I did have to thin it out more. I have another video where I spray regular craft store paint in my regular airbrush and those came out awesome. Check them out on my channel. Plus I'll be doing a 3rd craft paint video with a $9 airbrush soon
I agree for the price it is surprising and would be very useful for zenithal priming as it would cutout the need to clean between colour changes .alas I won't be able to test this as in the UK where I am the lowest price for that kit is about £45.50 so if anyone wants to make a tidy profit you could always buy the us version and ship them to the UK .
You can find those jars made of glass makes cleaning up so much nicer. These syphon guns are so simple but they really do a nice job and except for plastic parts breaking on you there's nothing that will wear out.
With a little hunting and experimenting, you could probably find replaceable glass jars for this kit. Look to be about the same size as baby food jars, depending on the thread size.
I am a guitar pedal builder and somehow this popped up in my watch list... I've been finishing my aluminum and steel boxes with rattle cans and paint pens. I'm thinking that I may need to do this instead... it will save money in the log run!
Awesome, Iove music. Big prog metal fan. Thanks for watching
Get the $20 actual dual stage brush, it’s probably one of the best I have ever used and I spray graphics and airbrush for a living !
Great Idea... this too is at H.F. ?
That's a bold statement. I have to ask what other airbrushes have you used?
Reminds me of my quick change Testors. Great for large coverage.
You can order 10 of the jars on wish for air brushing but use the tops from your machine because they are the same size and just use glass jars instead. Yes, wish takes a long damn time to get but they are worth it for the price or just order them on amazon and get them fast in two days! I have the regular air gun the blue one and ordered 20 jars so wow, I love them and they are all glass.
Just found this video. Great info. Looks like I found a replacement for rattle-can spray primer. 👍👍
This is really an amazing video! Just goes to show that for some basic painting you do not have to spend a fortune on an air brush. I guess I have a real early version of Harbor Freight's air brush and it never worked like this and you had to clean the suction line and orifice to change colors.
*Barbatos Rex:* Testing Harbor Freight's $10 Airbrush
*Me planning on painting my ACTUAL car soon:* _Interesting..._
Back in 1975. I used a spray system like this to touch up my car. It worked really well. You can control the spray pattern by the height of the nozzle and you can control the quantity by reducing or increasing the air pressure. If he lowered his ear pressure just a little he would get the effect he was looking for I think
i use a airbrush to apply to leather...and see this helped. always having to clean out the brush between colors is a pain and having so many bottles and dye wont get in the nozzle..
Take the cover off of the jar and twist the feed tube until it fades front. By the way, love you’re videos.
I got the "fancy" $20 Double action airbrush from HFreight, It works much better than my Iwata Neo (that is not really an Iwata anyway), the problem is that at that price, there is no quality control, so you might get unlucky, it never happened to me but I saw it on other videos. I might get that one next time. Also their tools are a great deal, I got a reciprocating saw to remodel our bathroom for $27, and after all the abuse it's still as good, If you're not a contractor go there and give it a try.
I recently retired and want to get back into miniatures painting. This air brush works for my limited needs, but what air compressor would you recommend. The Harbor Freight website didn't specify a certain compresssor.
I had one like that years ago and I just had a conpressor from a hobby shop
Best deal i found on this airbrush if you are in Europe... search on AliExpress, i think it is the same one.
OPHIR High Atomizing Siphon Feed Airbrush 0.3mm
And i think these bottles might fit too.
10PCS 3/4oz 22cc Glass Airbrush Bottles
Thanks for testing this out. I have been curious. FYI a spray can is pressure fed, not siphon like this. So, paint will go on differently. More air mixed in with the paint when using a siphon sprayer, compared to a pressure fed sprayer.
Thanks for the info and thanks for watching 👍
I am interested in the $20 dollar HF airbrush as its a 'proper' internal mix dual action. There are times I don't really want to expose my Iwata to harder to clean paints, but I don't really want to drop down to external mix...I have my Dad's old Pasche extenal mix that he used to spray stain on birdhouses... It sprays, but I'm stuck on internal mix dual action. I am impressed with the results you are getting..Its a little "quick", but it atomizes very well.
Thanks! Always seen this at HF but wanted to see it in action.