November 10, 2015 by dignity
John meets up with Brian from Anarchy Models to unveil the newest Arism Mini Compressor from Sparmax.
We're really enjoying the use of airbrushes in our hobby and we think it's always handy to make sure you know where you can start out when it comes to the kit you need.
What kind of compressors do you use for your airbrushing?
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I’m new to Airbrushing and I have something similar to this, Iwata Ninja Jet, which I picked up new for £60.. I am more than happy with it as an entry level compressor although I don’t think I would have paid the £140 full retail price tag for it. This video reminds me that I need to pick a pistol Moisture trap from Anarchy along with some quick connect adaptors..
Sparmax sell aftermarket recivers to provide a storage tank, with pressure switch etc, so the compressor doesn’t run all the time. Seems quite pricey for an overgrown aquarium air pump…
Pretty sure the work period for that one in 30mins on 30 mins off, personally id say go DIY and build yourself a silair clone for way less than one of those costs (mine cost £60, including water trap and regulator, 0 – 100psi, 3l reciver, and is silent/quieter than my laptop)
I’m sure that the instructions will have a chart for air pressure to dial number conversion? ie number 6 = 45psi?
Seems to be from the info i can find online, but you would probably want to get an inline guage so that you know rather than guess, they seem to recommend an inline pressure valve before the moisture trap as well. Seems like you would need to spend and additional £10-20 on it to get usable assuming your airbrush doesn’t come with a moisture trap.
@nakchak inline pressure gauge could be a good idea mate, I’ve airbrushed for a few years now and never used a water trap… I think it’s another ‘gadget’ you don’t need unless your doing ‘art’ work on canvas! really don’t think you need one for scale modelling, just my view, I don’t even worry about pressure as such now just gauge it by experience, there are so many factors that effect paint flow etc, airbrushing is …practice… practice…. practice!
I think the water trap is very much dependent on your compressor setup, for those overgrown aquarium pumps probably not needed, but if you are using a piston based compressor where you will get quite a lot of condensed water forming they are needed in my opinion, that or a drain plug in your receiver end of the day a few quid on an inline filter ain’t going to break the bank, and id rather be safe than sorry, plus i find the “pistol grip” you can do with one mounted just below your brush to be quite comfortable to… Read more »
@bluesun2517 Forgot to say that yeah no amount of gadgetry can account for experience, but certainly whilst learning having a pressure gauge is pretty much essential, its not like you can feel the difference between 15psi and 25psi until you have trained yourself to, and chances are that unless the end results are not totally frustrating and unrepeatable then you are not going to pick up an airbrush over a brush and do the requisite practice. General advice i give when asked by people starting out is 15-20psi, and use vallejo game and model air with a drop of thinner… Read more »
@nakchak I agree mate, that’s good advice for those coming into airbrushing, simple and to the point, to many people out there giving over the top advice! KISS!…. Keep it simple stupid! (not you! it’s what we used to say in the army) don’t over think what you need to do!…. I would hate for anyone to be turned off airbrushing by thinking it’s a ‘mystical’ subject that only expert’s do….. It’s not, has you know mate. Has I’ve said sound advice from you… cool
@bluesun2517 Big fan of KISS and YAGNI (You Aint Gonna Need It) here, cus who wants to be all kit no trick 😉
The small form factor is a selling point but the lack of a pressure tank is a killer.
I have an air tank compressor with a manometer… Bought it a few years ago, its perfect for any airbrush job. Tank makes sure pressure is steady and does not strain on the engine. When i paint i can practice 2-3 hours in a row and the noise + usure of a tankless compressor make it a big no for me. Manometer is a must as pressure has to be fine tuned to your need. I agree that going straight with pa / vallejo air with a drop of thinner is the way to go. The colour range match the… Read more »
you may have to do a video of the gun painting sounds like the pressure dropped quickly when the trigger was used.
From what i can see the arism mini has quite a low working pressure approx ~20psi, the 45psi is measured with the airvalve on the brush closed… That said the arism looks like a lot better device, although still lacks a receiver (air tank) to stabalised the pressure and reduce pulsing, the operation of the psiton/bellows in any compressor creates periods where the pressure is low, like when air is sucked in to be compressed, and obviously the pressure increases as it gets compressed. If this ascii art works, you can see what i mean: Pulsing |\|\|\|\|\|\ Stabilized ———— What… Read more »
I use ‘ultimate modelling products’ thinner, I’ve used it to thin everything from tamiya to citadel and more, it really has been very good and they do a airbrush cleaner that really shifts stubborn paint.
I am confused why you didn’t test the airbrush? That for me would be a good idea to see how it performs. Any chance you can do another video using the airbrush please.
The airbrush (MAX 3 i believe) was tested in a previous video, as for the lack of real testing of the compressor Brian did say he was unwilling to comment unless he had used one for some time. Which is fair enough as he wouldnt want his reputation tarnished by recommending something he hasn’t used extensively…