Badger Air-Brush Co. Xtreme Patriot 105
| Owner/Loaner | sshc |
|---|---|
| Make/Model | Badger Air-Brush Co. Xtreme Patriot 105 |
| Arrival Date | 6/29/2020 |
| Usability | yes |
| Contact | Tim M |
| Where | Read toolbox, wood shop |
| Certification Needed | no |
| Hackable | NO |
| Estimated Value | $250 |
| Manual/Documentation | {{{mandoc}}} |
Warning:
So if you can't plan for the time needed to clean out the airbrush when you take it for a test drive, please hold off. The process of cleaning isn't super complicated, although it can be intimidating at first. Solid gunk on the inside of our airbrush can make it extremely difficult to clean or even damage it.
With that out of the way, it's actually pretty easy to get going with this thing. It's straightforward enough for beginners but also has a few features that advanced painters could grow into.
Contents
Before you start
If you're just starting out, and there's no communal materials in the space, it's recommended that you get a basic acrylic paint or primer intended for miniatures or an airbrush paint made for airbrushing on paper or fabric. For miniatures, Vallejo and Stynylrez are popular miniature paints and are fairly affordable. Other paints that aren't intended for airbrushing can be used, but in those cases, it's doubly important to thin your paints.
Getting setup
Thinning and mixing paint
Unless you're very confident that your paint or primer is already mixed in the proportions that you need it, it's almost always a must to pre-mix your paint with any pigments, thinners, solvents, and drying retardants that you want to use before you put it in the paint hopper. Even if you intend to use it straight out of the pot or bottle, it doesn't hurt to pour pout a small amount into a shotglass to ensure that the paint is thoroughly mixed. This is both to ensure that your pigment is consistent and also to
This is why there are some disposable shotglasses in the space, but almost any small cup or bowl will work. Since the permanently-attached paint cup only has a volume of 1/3 oz, there's typically not a need to mix a ton of paint unless you know you're going to be covering a lot of surface in a short amount of time.
Cleaning
- Dump out your excess paint from the hopper. Wipe the hopper clean with a paper towel or rag to soak up and pigment that's still hanging out in there.
- Add a small amount of water or airbrush cleaning solution into the paint cup. Ensure that the compressor is on and then insert the tip into the brush holder/sprayout pot.
- Spray the solution into the pot until the cup is empty. You may see bubbles emerging out of the inside of the paint cup's funnel or even the base of the button/action lever. This may mean that the Cleaning solution has "backsprayed" into the action, but it'ss likely not an issue if the airbrush seems to have consistent pressure when you spray water/solution into the pot or onto your workspace.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the airbrush can spray clear, clean-looking water. You can then dump the paintcup and spray the remnants of liquid out of the airbrush
- Turn off the compressor, disconnect everything, and put it back where you found it.
Useful Links
Airbrush Asylum - Airbrush Quick Tips : Creating Fine Lines - This channel has a lot of useful information, but this timestamped link shows gives you an idea of the technique needed to do fine line work. It takes a little bit of finesse and practice, but it's definitely doable.
