Completely new to the airbrush thing and am looking to educate myself about its use and the best products for my needs. I suffer from asthma, so would like to use a paint with as little odour as possible, and that are safe to use.

Any suggestions, or links to read up would be appreciated.

Cheers

Hi Alex .

The safest paints to use with not a Lot of smell to them is acrylic . I use Tamiya , Testors Model Master ( acrylic ) and Pollyscale . Always handy to have a spray booth or face mask and a well ventilated room . Always play it safe .

Enamel and lacquer paints really smell for hours and days some times , lacquer being the worst and more toxic .

hope it all works out so an asthma flareup does not happen.I am freaky about fumes from paint, I try to use acrylic paint as much as possible, I built a paint booth in my study room and vent it outside.I tend to airbrush paints other than acryl out in the garage if possible if weather permits as it does get quite cold here in Idaho.I suggest investing in a quality respirator, I am kinda a new guy here so I hope I am of some help. I am a respiratory therapist.

Thanks for the replies both of you.

I'll definitely be wearing a mask and will have my large double windows open during use. I'll also use acrylics, so guess that will help. From about October, it gets really cold here too, so doubt there'll be much airbrushing if the fumes are strong.

Looks like I've got a lot of reading up on airbrushing to do. Sure I'll be knocking out something interesting for all of you in no time : ) Very excited about the prospect of being able to paint more than just olive drab or NMF!

Hi Alex
You will not regret getting an airbrush, I got my first one 2 years ago and have not looked back.

In fact I have just ordered an Iwata Highline CH

Brian

One thing to understand, straight away, there is no such thing as a "safe," or even "less dangerous" paint. Anything, that your body can't break down, and dispose of, by itself, is potentially dangerous. It doesn't matter if the carrier is acrylic, white spirit, or cellulose, it's designed to evaporate, and disappear; this is, of course, not so with the solids, so acrylics or enamels will stay where they are, and damage lungs' soft tissue. There is a school of thought that "proper" cellulose could be broken down by the body, but I wouldn't take a chance, even with that. Wear a proper facemask, not one of those flimsy aluminium/paper items, and use the gas-proof cartridge. When you've finished, leave the extractor running, and leave the room, for a good half-hour, before going back in. I'll use the same facemask, when I'm working with resin (to cope with any dust, even though I always wet sand it,) and even cyano. There is nothing macho about lung disease.
Edgar

Thanks, guys.

I'm frightened to use the damn thing now! lol

I don't have an extractor fan, but I can buy a good mask to wear, open windows and leave the room, etc. The thing is, will I ever want to go back in?!

interesting replies here. I've never worn a mask when airbrushing or given much thought to ventilation - until recently . I do tend to work mostly in the garage. A couple of months ago I developed a persistent cough that I still can't get rid of. A chest X-ray hasn't revealed anything ..yet. ... Of course it might not be modelling related at all ...but I am a little concerned that I should have taken some precautions a lot sooner than I did ..

I bought a cheapie kit with a can of compressed air and tried it out. Did a simple 1/72 kit, a hellcat in all navy blue, nothing fancy. It worked pretty well. I stuffed up one bit, by not cleaning the air brush out in between doing the top, and then the bottom of the aircraft in the main colour. It made it look a little bit patchy, if you look close but once it has the gloss coats, then washes, then a matt coat and pastels etc you won't notice it.

I wasn't really set up for it, in terms of a suitable work area as I don't have a permanent place for modelling. Everything happens on the Kitchen table, so brushes are easier for me for now.

However, I can see the potential, and I will be definitely getting a decent airbrush and a compressor once the shed goes up.

Good luck with it, and post some pics of your work.

Hey there Alex,

Give Vallejo paints a try. They should be readily available to you in France, and have far less smell than even Tamiya, Testors, and the like. They are a true water based acrylic, unlike most model acrylics which are isopropyl based.

Much safer to spray, and in my opinion a better paint all around.

most of the hardcore modellers I know would agree that Vallejho is the best....especially for figures. Tamiya would be prefect for any average job, and as Terri suggests, a spray booth or at LEAST some form of high volume brushless evacuation fan would be in order. Case in point: I made the mistake of airbrushing with Alclad aluminum, which is Laquer based with NO protection. My lungs hurt for 2 weeks and I was afraid I had done some serious damage. I will NEVER make that mistake again....and I dont have asthma....protect your health always and MODEL on!!!

Hey Alex,

I remember when I was in your shoes...the important thing is to get a quick education of the tool and then have fun and experiment on your own. Things to remember are the mask AND ventilation. I always spray in the garage with the doors open. I live up in Cleveland, Ohio, so it does get cold up here. I just ignore the cold and paint. The job has to get done, right? But DO NOT use a propane space heater!! Some paints and thinners are flammable!!

Be sure, like with anything else, to take good care of your airbrush and clean it thoroughly after every use. It will be a bit easier with acrylics than enamels since you can turn on a sink, spray, and you're done. I let my dad use my airbrush (he was a modeler as a kid but never had an airbrush) and he didn't clean it properly...it was pretty spotty after that. I had to give it a full thinner bath! After that it worked just fine.

So just keep it clean, keep yourself safe and healthy, and have fun! Don't be intimidated or afraid (we did say some pretty scary things...), but just dive in headfirst! Happy spraying!