I've always wanted to use an airbrush but never knew how

Question

Well I'm into painting guitars, but I use spray paints (thank you Paint Your Own Guitar.com) I was wondering if anyone would recommend a sight were they show you how to use an airbrush or an on-line store or something where they show you how to use one. I've seen some other people's work on-line and I've really wanted to use one so ALL answers are appreciated.

Answer 1

I just checked out paint your own guitar.com. Pretty cool. I may just buy that book, and try his method just for kicks. I do custom paint, and actually just finished a guitar a couple of weeks ago. I did a nitrocellulose lacquer job (the way Leo Fender used to do it). Using nitro lacquer takes months, but the final result is worth it.   Anyway, enough of the blah-blah-blah. Here are some good links to get you started.

http://www.tcpglobal.com/airbrushdepot/ Airbrushes and everything else.

http://www.harborfreight.com/ Compressors, hoses, fittings. They have stores everywhere. find the one nearest you. You'll save a lot of money shopping there.

http://www.howtoairbrush.com/ Lots of good how to articles. They have a forum too.

http://www.airbrushtech.net/ Great forum. Really talented and friendly artist's who are always willing to help. You'll find me here from time to time. I use my real name though, so don't bother searching for Stitch. ha-ha!

http://www.ronkirn.com/ If you're interested in finishing a guitar with nitrocellulose lacquer, this guy has a great book. I think it's only $15.00.

http://www.stewmac.com/ Custom guitar supplies, nitrocellulose lacquer.

http://smartflix.com/ Instructional video rental. Airbrush, custom paint, guitar making. They have it all.

One more thing. Get yourself a good gravity feed airbrush. Siphon feeds are for wankers. They'll give you all kinds of problems that a gravity feed won't. My personal favorite is the Iwata HP-C plus. If you're on a budget, check out Airbrush Depot's Master airbrush line. They're not quite Iwata quality but they're pretty close.

Once you get started airbrushing, you're going to have more questions. Feel free to email me through Y.A. I've been an airbrush artist for 16 years, so I can help you to not make some of the same mistakes I did when I started.