Airbrush

Step 1: Snout

cut cnout from old bootle

Comments

[DEE5419]

could you use it on skin. for tanning?

[MarkWarwick]

What kind of paint do you use with the air-brush? Sorry if that's mentioned somewhere else, I didn't see it.

[msolek]

water paint

[rug]

can u use others?

[TheFredCompany]

People tend to use watered-down acrylic paint (so it's the roughly the consistency of ink). Actually they don't water it down (although you could, and I do in my cheap airbrush) - they use paint thinner. Any paint should do as long as it's thin enough.

[jtownsend4]

Never use paint thinner for acrylic, or other water-based, paints. Use only airbrush medium or water. There are also recipes for water-based thinners on the net if you want to whip up a batch.

[TheFredCompany]

I've always used water, but I'd heard that there were acrylic thinners you can buy. Never bothered myself because water's worked fine

[budforum]

Hey, since you made this airbrush, and basically inspired me to design my own. Could you take a look at my airbrush and tell me what you think?
http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Airbrush-super-precise/

[BladeRunner759]

were did u get the tubes

[sk8rforlife]

can you get the tubes seperate?

[sk8rforlife]

This airbrush is awesome great job on it. I have one question. What paint do you use?

[ghicken]

Instead of blowing on the end couldn't you attach a aquarium air pump to it?

[gbosbiker]

that would work. a steady stream of air. and get those sprayers that have the mist, off, and steam settings to control the amount of paint. to make it even better you could add a throttle to the aquarium pump to control how much air is going through

[Oorspronklikheid]

yeah a throttle will only cost abou $0.1

[ilpug]

you could just hook an old light dimmer switch up to the aquarium pump to regulate the amount of power it puts out. i would also like to put something in that makes it so that you dont need to turn it off all the time just to stop painting... maybe you could put a valve on the airhose that would let the air flow out when you were not holding the paint trigger...

[Oorspronklikheid]

or you can just use a small plastice valve found at pet shops to regulate the air output. It would cost less and be less bulky, it can be built into the air brush. As for a trigger you can always use a air gun. A air gun could in turn eliminate the need for a valve because itself is one :)

[ilpug]

i will definetely try this, but just make it in standard sizes with some threaded parts to improve custimization. i have a small battery powered air pump that i bought at a junk shop for a buck. would work great for this. my mom wont let me buy one, but she will probably not care if i make one

[sick_f#ck]

nice one!

[Neurotiker]

You're my hero.

[scotty5108]

i like the idea but i'm still not very sure i know how to make this

[1300519]

what are those two tubes? where did they come from?

[sharlston]

i used tubes from a filter for a fishh tank

[joezero]

This is like the little ones bought for model painting with the canned air. Testor I think is the name. A bicycle tire made for a great air supply for those and probably would for this too.

[sk8erdude]

Ahh! i made 1 and it was awesome until thr pressure built up and the cap flew off and my face was painted red all day i looked like a homocidal maniac!!! LOL JK it's Awesome!

[albylovesscience]

wow that sounds like a good day

[xadevox]

i made one and it works fine with an air compresser

[abc123abc]

what type of paint? where can i buy it? i know a store but wat store

[abc123abc]

wat type of paint and where to buy it

[Islmi]

I'm surprised I'm the first to comment. This is wonderful.

[Magic Wade]

This is awesome. Brilliant.

[pineapplenewton]

how dose this compare to "blow pens" referring to quality

[poop11346]

they are pretty much the same depnding on how good u made yours

[thepelton]

If you are referring to one powered by a person's lungs, the results from an airbrush would be more consistent, since it would depend on pressure supplied by a machine.

[existing]

Could you hook this up to an aquarium pump?

[meddler]

I found a bunch of old fishing baits at a rummage sale that need to be repainted. I didn't want to spend money I really don't have on an airbrush. This might serve very well. I will build this and try it out.

[gunnyhanson]

Anybody serious at all about airbrushing would start with a mid-price actual airbrush and a compressor. This video didn't show him doing anything but splattering paint on a sheet or something.

[hg341]

i would like to see you do better i like it 'cuz it is so damn creative...

[cowscankill]

This would be perfect for the small things that I build!

[MechEngineerMike]

this made me laugh because it is so creative. when i saw it i thought about adding airduster, but that would take away the fun of it. Perhaps a special stand or mouth piece plug to keep paint from drying inside or from tipping and spilling. good job

[pinkhairkid]

I made one from designs off the top of my head its the same concept, but powered by a bike pump

[space_thief]

could i power this up with a air compressor??

[BLACKROD]

Only if you set your output psi low.

[eskimojo]

I don't know about this thing, but the air-brush's that they sell do well around i think it was 50 psi, at least that's what we used during the haunt season for make-up.

[wenpherd]

what type of paint do you use?

[Valas Hune]

I think the idea behind this so it isn't hooked up to an air compressor, well correct me if i am wrong but aren't they very expensive pieces of equipment. instead of blowing it, what about hooking it up to a can of compressed air??? would need to make the attachment though.

[junits15]

thats depend on the compressor that u buy, u can get a very small one designed for a nailgun fro a quite reasonable price

[BuffaloNickel]

if only there was a way to do this without fainting...

[flaresam]

air duster!

[flyboy11]

i just made one loosely based on this idea but mine hookes to an air compreser and has a trigger

[Mario1]

and you believe yourself? OFFTOPIC:yah 'mo be there

[panzer]

where did u get the tubes

[codongolev]

most likely a store.

[panzer]

ha ha, very funny. :P

[codongolev]

well, if you must know, probably a pet store, in the aquarium section. or possibly a hardware store, near the refrigerators, possibly. or near the pipes.

[panzer]

aiight

[culepet]

hey, you better use an air compressor, than blowing it, you might get some paints into your mouthhahaha

[zach12]

what r the metal things you stuck onto the paint box

[panzer]

sweeet, i have been looking everywhere to find how to make one, know i have one thanks

[bytowneboy]

Awesome! +1 and fave.

[avwos]

(removed by author or community request)

[bytowneboy]

Avwos, respectfully, I find it incredibly difficult to read what you write. You might consider tidying up your language. Hope you're well,

[miqt]

now what's the benefit of having an airbrush instead of just regular spray paint...sorry for the ignorance.

[rasta_bhoy]

wider range of colors for starters. and also allows a finer spray for works which call for detail

[base45]

an idea would be to use a spray paint tip instead of the spray bottle thingy and hook it up to an air comp.

[chuckr44]

Nice idea but I think, due to the design, the ink will be all gone in 2 seconds. I think too much ink will come out of the nozzle at once and you'll have a drippy globby mess.

[nintendo309]

I think that the nozzle will keep some still in the tube. I might be wrong, though.

[lmn]

extreme blowpen

[Zero0]

Nice idea!

[Donna64]

Hi would it work ,if i use it for my nail if wow thanks guys

[bigtallrulethemall]

Awesome idea! I,m probably gonna make one! But seriously u could just hook this up to an air-compressor and make it alot easier on urself

[Huray4Insanity]

dude u could probably use that dust off stuff and hook that up so u wouldnt have to blow on it

[Dillis]

If you did that, people would be tempted to turn the can upside down! (Turns to frost!)... P.s If you give it a try, don't do it on your skin... it hurts :P

[PineapplebobTheGreat]

Very good idea! I making now.

[hgorijal]

Excellent Instructable. and .. I've in fact made a similar one (mine looks lot nicer :-) ); but did not work as expected. Only after looking at your design I realized that I need an additional air-line at the nozzele. Will add that and try it out. If it works I'll post my Instructable as-well. (It'll be my first) BTW, The nozzele I used came from an empty Armani cologne bottle. I'm guessing these perfume/cologne/deo spray nozzeles are finer than the window cleaner hand spray bottle. -- right..?

[thedubbedmime]

good job! i like your diagram very simple yet easy.

[jgm532]

Great instructable. I'd imagine that a computer spray duster could propel the paint, and using an old mechanical pencil tip could provide a better nozzle. Hmm...

[multisync]

This is great!
I recently made some stencils (small ones) and the thing about spraypaint is that you can't really regulate how much comes out, and I ended up with a lot of paint underneath the stencil.

Making one of these might solve the problem as you can regulate how much comes out with your breath =)

And what you guys were telling about, those "blow-pens" are great, I had some a few years ago and really want some more of them

[ipatch]

wow wish i saw this one before i forked over 100 for mine! great idea just do'nt suck in!

[inertia18]

if you have an aquarium air pump, you can upgrade this Instructables. it works great.Very cool and useful instructables.

[Shifrin]

This Is Awesome! I've been looking for a way to get that nice effect using a airbrush but I dint want to pay those high prices! This is a great Instructable! Even favorited! -Alex

[pingeee]

Cool instructables! well done! However, the blowing tube looks a bit dirty... And the painting seems a bit grainy, any suggestion of how to get a finer air brush effect?

[mkamchin]

I want to make one of these and what I might do is attach it to an air source besides my mouth. and fir the graininess maybe you could turn the spray nozzle to stream...

[BigMatt.ZA]

you can add a tiny amount of paint thinners....i think thats what they do....its called mortared or something to that effect

[srilyk]

depending on the medium, it's called extender... or water :D

if you're using acrylic paints, water works fine for an extender/thinner.

For a finer airbrush finish you'd want a smaller nozzle... if I had the time and inclination this morning I'd draw a picture but there's one here http://www.trainweb.org/girr/tips/tips3/airbrush_tips.html

If you look at the cheapest type of airbrush, an external mix, it's basically like blowing across the top of a straw. If you've ever "accidentally" done that to your sister at McDonalds with your sprite or coke, you know what I'm talking about.

Higher end AB (airbrushes) have a needle that controls paint flow. Around, across the end of the needle, flows air. The more air, the finer the paint spray can be (atomization).

With a lower air pressure (i.e. breath) you create what's called "stippling" or a "stipple" effect - basically the graininess.

In order to get a finer AB effect you would have to increase the amount of air or reduce the amount of paint, thinning the paint would help as well.

This gives me some ideas on how to make a "better" one.. thanks mate! (we'll see if I actually do... :P)

[BigMatt.ZA]

hope to see the pics and vids if you do manage to do so.... thanks man

[msolek]

maybe smaller hole in snout ??

[jinventive]

On some sprayers they have a dial or you can just turn the end to have a smaller or larger spray area. If you twist it to the smaller spay size that might solve the problem. I haven't tried it though so I'm not sure if it works.

[chalky]

excellent instructable you could hook it up to one of them garden pump compressor reservoir type things and then you will have a totally portable unit!!!

[locofocos]

I remember a couple of years back they were selling these toys called Blowpens. Basically, you would take any marker (that fit, which was most you came across) and stick it in the little contraption, blow in the end, and the marker color would come out of it. It also came with a foot pump. One of those, 19.95, but if you call in the next 5 minutes we'll send a free ........., but you just pay so much for shipping, we keep most of it and use a few cents worth to ship it, so its really not free but we tell you it is.

[origamimavin]

wow, very nice. i think i might just do this! would it be practical to have a small valve so you don't accidentally breathe in the paint?

[buterSBob29]

nice +1

[benthekahn]

I wouldn't say they're cheap as all the one I've seen have been over $150. Is there a cheap place to get them I don't know about?

[silver912targa]

You can also use the air compressor of an old refrigerator. Be careful though for the freon coming out of the tubes while dismantling it. And for extra air add a break can from a truck to the unit.

[buterSBob29]

What? i know there not cheap

[twenglish1]

i got one at walmart a while ago it was about $30-$40

[jongscx]

$15 at mine...

[twenglish1]

did it come with propellant and paint and stuff

[jongscx]

nope, propellant was a soda-bottle charged with a bike pump and paint was spray-paint that I gathered into one of the paint bottles....

[srwoodruff]

Try Harbor Freight Tools... $5 for an awesome one.

[hassi]

A grand idea..."+" to ya...

[WilderLust]

clever... especially if you need one in a jam. of course they are very cheap to buy but still... good thinking and nice design :-) cheers, WL

[drummonkey92]

where can you get a cheap one?

[srwoodruff]

Harbor Freight Tools

[!Andrew_Modder!]

lol that looks like either a mini flame thrower, or some drug parifinellia thing. xD

[kruser495]

fill it with gas and add a lighter and you have a breath powered flamethrower.

[Notn4]

yeah and when the whole rig backfires u got flamethrower powered lungs

[!Andrew_Modder!]

xD

[Firebert010]

Well done, I think this was very well made. Interesting concept of a lung-powered airbrush.

[pingeee]

Yeah, is that tiring to perform the blowing airbrush?

[omnibot]

Amazing!! The stuff people come up with. I never expected to see a homebrew airbrush. I am amazed. Great job!

[Jr Hacking kid]

you mean a film canister

[Brennn10]

Great video and a great contraption. Nice work!

[boogschd]

lol

[astrozombies138]

amazing job, I think a good idea would be to have a foot pedal like from an air mattress or something. great job!

[Bongmaster]

nice job :) easy and adaptable :3

[shadowman2]

Compressed air can anyone? Nice instructable.

[rimar2000]

Well done, nice job. I suggest you to use a T connector and only one blow pipe. The T connector can be obtained of the tubes that are used to give serum to the sick persons. I made this way it for a low-pressure painting gun as this, and it worked well. In that way the use is simplified. Pardon for my English, I speak Castilian (a.k.a. Spanish).

[zecapataintuna]

awesome. I was just looking for something like this 2 days ago. I'm going to try this out right away!