Gravity or siphon fed?

[homechild]

Okay, so I'm going to be buying an airbrush/compressor soon but have one question that I haven't really seen answered.

Should I go for gravity fed or siphon fed? I'll be honest, I prefer the idea of the siphon fed.

Is there any real difference between the two or does it just come down to personal preference?

[Guest]

I'll vote for gravity :thumbsup:

[AlanG]

Gravity for me too. You'll waste far more paint with a siphon airbrush

[Guest]

I usually tend to put far too much paint in the jar when using syphon fed brushes.

I find it much easier to use the gravity cup as it doesn't get in the way so much and the whole thing is less bulky.

Far better to add a bit more paint to the cup than to have to pour most of it back into another container. This has the added benefit of the paint getting stirred again if you are not using it very quickly.

[Guest]

Gravity +1.

I bought a cheapo set off eBay with both a gravity and a siphon AB and I can't recall ever using the siphon one for anything other than spraying varnish of some sort for the reasons mentioned above. Incidentally the cheapo gravity AB is still going strong and I haven't yet felt the need to switch over to the lovely Iwata one I bought a few months ago. Maybe I should stop worshipping its loveliness (opening the box, looking at it, closing the box) and use it! :-)

[yak face]

HI drew , ive got both, each has its plus and minus points. A siphon fed has the advantage of being able to hold a lot more paint in the jar than a gravity fed ,but the downside is that there isnt as much initial control when starting spraying, the delay caused by the paint having to rise up the siphon tube meaning that such things as a carefully controlled mottle are very difficult if not impossible , it being hard to tell exactly when the paint is going to start spraying. A gravity fed on the other hand is instant making it much easier to get the effect you need, the minus is that the cup isnt so big, so if youre spraying a large area you might need to refill several times. I tend to use the siphon for large single colour areas and the gravity for fine detail work or freehand camo etc. Having said all that i guess i use the gravity 80% of the time as its not that often i do something thats really big ( of course at the moment im bucking the trend with a 1/72 tu22m2 backfire thats huge!!) Its all down to personal preference and of course what you can afford, but my two werent that expensive and seem to meet all my needs. hope this helps , cheers tony

[Guest]

Tried both & found that siphon was a pain.

Gravity is much easier as has been said above. Also great for mixing in the bowl. Thinning if necessary on the fly. Easier to clean.

Laurie

[Guest]

Late on parade but for me gravity all day long.

Richy

[John]

Gravity as well, as already said you use a lot less paint, you can use as little as a few drops.

[Guest]

It makes no difference; you do not have to use a bottle with a siphon-type brush. Paasche and Badger make cups to fit their brushes, and I'd guess that others do, as well. Mix your paint to go through your brush, at your preferred pressure, and you'll be fine. I've never used a bottle on my Paasche VL, in the 30 years I've owned it.

Edgar

[Ian M]

I Have both, but must confess to using the gravity fees for almost everything.

I have a couple of Badger's with bottom feed. One of them is OK and paints like a dream. The other one the cup has a nasty tendency to fall out the socket. It can make a right mess of every thing as it bounces on the table and throws paint every where!!! But as has been said for large single colour jobs bung a jar on and its great.

Ian M

[Guest]

Badger do (did?) two cups, with differing neck diameters for different brushes in their range; one is an interference fit (on other brands, too,) and the other isn't.

Edgar

[Ian M]

My dodgy cup came with the airbrush. The only interference related with it is I find it very interfering when the darn cup falls of and lands in your lap!!! LOL.

Ian M

[Guest]

That is a lot of interference Ian M.

Not had any problem with my Harder & Steenback Evolution. They supply two cups of differing sizes. Find the smallest one is perfect 95% of the time. I used the large one for a 1/72 Lanacaster which is big (Lancaster that is).

If you use Vallejo there is no problem with the amount of paint. Leave the cap off the paint container when airbrushing as you come to the end of the paint just squirt in a bit more paint. Dead simple.

Laurie

[homechild]

Thanks for all of the replies.

It seems the general opinion is for gravity fed. My only concern is (as someone already mentioned) the paint could create a bit of a mess.

I do my kits in the sitting room with any spray undercoating taking place in a very cluttered Steptoe type shed (honestly, there's barely room to move) and I think the wife would very quickly cause me great injury if she saw paint anywhere that it shouldn't be!

I'll maybe get one of each. A decent siphon fed for large areas (most of the kits I have in my stash are like this anyway) and an ebay steal for a gravity fed one (for the projects I have where I may need it).

Thanks again for all of the replies.