Which Compressor is Right for Your Needs

Which compressor will best fit your airbrushing needs by Don Johnson

WHICH COMPRESSOR IS RIGHT FOR YOU

by Don Johnson

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Your airbrush doesn't know what where the air comes from so any compressor pretty much will work for airbrushing not only the ones marketed to the airbrushing community. The biggest factory is getting a compressor that will accomplish what you need it to; that being providing you with a steady, dry source of air at the correct PSI.

Several factors come into play when figuring out what PSI you will require to airbrush your chosen surface.


1) Type of paint you will be using. In very simple terms paint that is thinner requires less PSI to use than paint that is thick. The correct term is viscosity actually but we'll go with thin and thick. An example of thin paint would be Comart, DR PH martins, Golden Airbrush Colors, House of Kolor. These require less PSI to be used properly in your airbrush; 10 to 20 PSI generally speaking. Examples of thick paint might be Createx, textile airbrush colors, Auto Air. These require a higher PSI to be used properly in your airbrush; generally speaking 40 PSI to 60 PSI. Airbrush paint is discussed with on this page AIRBRUSH PAINT

2) Type of airbrush you will be using. Airbrushes with floating nozzles, big needles like the Paasche VL will require more PSI than a small, screw in type nozzle like the Iwata HP-CH. Each type of airbrush has its use and I won't deal with that here as it's covered on the AIRBRUSHES article on this web site. Be aware thou that a Passche VL spraying textile colors would require a larger compressor than say a Iwata HP-CH spraying Comart illustration paint.

Other considerations:
Is a noisy compressor acceptable to use in your case, would it hinder your ability to airbrush in other words. If you have a studio in your home or apartment a noisy compressor might not be the way to go. If you have a shop or studio outside your home, apartment a noisy compressor might work out well for you.
How much money do you have to spend is always part of the mix when purchasing art supplies, equipment. That's why it's so important to do your home work now before you make a buying decision, spend your money wisely.

Most compressors marketed toward the airbrush community are rated for specific use by the manufacture, be sure to read those recommendations before you purchase a compressor.

Here we have a half horse power compressor that runs very quite made by Silent Air for the airbrushing market. This size compressor will do limited T Shirt production, provides the PSI required using textile colors. Also would be good for use with Auto Art, motorcycle murals. It will not provide enough air for base coating or clear coating but would work great to the art work. Silent Air makes larger models which will provide enough air for doing such and I'm sure you can find them listed on that company's web site.