Hose for airbrushing
If you have the basic equipment (airbrush and compressor), the next thing you need is a hose to connect them.
If it is included in the kit, you can buy it with the airbrush or separately. You can also order it online. But if you don’t have time to wait for the package or extra money, you can buy the hose by the meter.
In a store (in a garden or automobile). Choose a hose with an inner diameter of 4-6 mm. The wall thickness of the hose may vary and depend on the specific purpose of the hose and the maximum allowable pressure in it.
It is enough pressure for the airbrush for 2-3,5 bar. This pressure can withstand most hoses. Some artists use it as a hose for airbrushing tubes from drip tubes. They are very light and do not interfere with withdrawing, but you need to make sure that the hose is not kinked when using them.
The main requirements for the hose are lightness and length enough for free movement of the airbrush around the surface to be painted. When painting, the hose should not interfere with the movement of the airbrush. A sufficient length of hose for airbrushing is 3-5 m. Also, the hose should not be heavy. If you paint for an hour a day, the weight of the hose will not be felt, but when there is an order, working for 10 hours a day, the hand starts to get tired quickly. I recommend buying PVC hoses instead of rubber ones; they are lighter and more durable.
Hose Connectors and Quick Disconnects
To connect your hose to your airbrush and compressor, you will need connectors and quick disconnects. Most airbrush guns come with connectors (this should be considered when choosing an airbrush to avoid the hassle of finding the right connector); we will need to connect it to the hose. This can be done with a wire tightened with pliers. The compressor can be fitted with a quick-release adapter to easily change the airbrush hose to an airbrush hose or other airbrush.
Respirator for Airbrushing
When intensively painting in a small room, a lot of dust (overspray – paint particles that have dried up in the air and do not stick to the surface) can be generated. It is not recommended to breathe such dust, even if airbrush paints are water-based. Respirators are used to protect the lungs. A cheap respirator mask may be enough for the first time. Such a respirator will not protect from organic solvent fumes, but it will cope with dust. The next most expensive is a respirator with a charcoal filter, made in Russia or China. The price of such respirators is about 500 rubles. I do not know the quality of cleaning the air from solvent vapors in these respirators, but the smell of solvent and paint in it is a little felt. The best and most expensive option is to use a respirator firm 3M.
Although it seems cumbersome, you get used to it over time, and it is a pleasure to work in it. Among other things, you can always buy replacement pre-filters and filters for your respirators.
Oil/Moisture Traps (Filters)
An air filter (oil/moisture trap) must be installed at the compressor outlet to clean the air from moisture and oil to avoid paint defects.
Some painters advise installing filters as close to the paint gun as possible. Small but effective filters are available for this purpose. The construction is heavier than without a filter, but it is worth it. All the more, the first time, small surfaces will be varnished. Further, you can get used to it.
Filter for Airbrush Gun
Airbrush guns also have miniature filters; it isn’t easy to find such in a small town, so they are ordered in online stores. This filter will also save moisture and oil from the compressor into the airbrush and the painted surface. Although the moisture and oil particles are microscopic, many defects can appear when you cover lacquer, which is likely to be corrected only after a new sanding and degreasing the surface.
There are many more methods of correction, about which will be written a separate article Defects of paint coating.
In addition to the basic and additional equipment for airbrushing, various “little things” will be needed, such as magnets for fixing the stencils on the car body. Paint strainers are needed for sifting paint and varnish from dust, lint, etc. You will need a knife to cut the stencils. You can order one online or use a regular office knife.