Subject: SMML VOL 2120 Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2003 15:08:19 +1100 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http://sandlehobbies.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: Aztek airbrushes 2: Bismark and Aztek Air brushes 3: Re: AZTEK airbrush 4: Re: Aztek Airbrush 5: Air Brushes 6: Re: Aztek 7: Re: Aztek airbrushes 8: Tribals in Korea 9: Re: Prinz Eugen-German 101 10: Re: Aztek Airbrushes 11: Aztek airbrushes 12: Re: Aztek Air brushes 13: Blue resin Ships from Japan 14: Aztek airbrushes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Mike Settle Subject: Re: Aztek airbrushes >> Having got heartily sick and tired of my airbrush getting clogged with paint despite storing the metal nozzles in solvent and spending more time dismantling and cleaning than I do actually spraying, I'm toying with the idea of getting an Aztek airbrush. However, I wonder how true the advertising is, or whether they are hyped up. Do any of you out there have experience of them? How easy are they to use? Do you find them easy to control? How finely can they spray? In particular, what about this idea of being able to clean them without dismantling. Is it true, or is it a myth? Do you have to use some special technique to clean it and avoid clogging? And is there a danger when the wife says, "Your dinner's on the table and I want you downstairs, NOW!!" << David, First, try thinning your paint a little more before purchasing another airbrush. It may save you some money, unless, of course, you are just looking for an excuse to buy a new airbrush. I have one of the original Model Master airbrushes that was made for Testors by Aztec. I like mine very well. I have rarely used my Paasche VL since I acquired the Model Master years ago. I have had to replace a tip or two, but I consider that no big deal. The Paasche has slightly better control, and a bit of a finer line, but the difference doesn't matter to me, except on Luftwaffe patterns. Besides, I haven't built an airplane in years, either. In spite of the instructions, I still take my Model Master/Aztec tip apart in order to clean it. This takes a couple of minutes at most. The three pieces are small, and I just drop them in a jar of thinner, swirl them around, then wipe them off and re-assemble. And yes, there is always danger whenever the wife says dinner is ready, NOW, regardless of what you are doing. Mike Settle ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Richard Sweeney Subject: Bismark and Aztek Air brushes Hi all. Not speaking German, or atleast, much German. I've stayed out of this. But I think if you consult "Battleship Bismark: A Survivor's Story" By Baron Burkhard von Muellenhiem Reichberg, (As I do not have his book in front of me, my appologies to the Baron for my spelling) you'll find reference to Admiral Lutjens comments about Bismark being a HE, not a she. It may not be proper German, but it is not a myth either. As for Aztek airbrushes, They can be cleaned without taking them apart, sometimes you may want to leave the tip in solvent for a while, but most of the time, you just blow solvent through the brush to clean it. They are easy to use. And Testors/Aztek absolutely stands behind them. At a hobby shop I worked at we had one customer who voided his warantee by opening up the airbrush body when he got curious and sent it back to Testors, who even though he was at fault, promptly sent him a new airbrush body, free, no questions asked. One problem most people run into with them when converting from other brands is that they are fairly light, though they have just introduced a metal bodied one for People who need more weight. I don't remember off the top of my head how fine a line you can spray, but the technical info with he brush should answer questions like that for you before you buy. Take Care. Rich Sweeney ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: ALROSS2 Subject: Re: AZTEK airbrush My experience with an AZTEK has been mostly negative. Almost every part is plastic, I don't find the double-action particularly effective, and, despite careful cleaning post-use, I had to reclean it prior to the next use. I normally use a 30+ year old single action Binks WREN and, on occasion, a Paasche VL. Al Ross ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Kurt Van Dahm Subject: Re: Aztek Airbrush David: What kind of airbrush are you currently using that is giving you such problems? Please give some details, as I can thoroughly clean any of my airbrushes in less than 5 minutes no matter how dirty they are (using acrylics helps some :-) ) and usually in less time than that. I think there are much better ways to go than the Aztek. Take care, Kurt Van Dahm Westmont, IL ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "robert patmore" Subject: Air Brushes You did not mention what brand or type airbrush you use. Having used both a double action Thayer Chandler and a single action Paasche model H it is my experience that the single action is easier to clean because the two nozzle parts are the only things to be disassembled. The cleaning is only a two minute job. I have a thinner container purchased from an art store that is all metal and looks like an upside down funnel with a brass neck and nozzle that screws on to the of the container. I keep lacquer thinner in it. I use mostly oil paint by the way. If water based paint is used Polly S airbrush thinner works well. To clean the nozzle parts I flush one part out by squirting thinner through it into the dirty paint cup. Then take a pipe cleaner and twist it in the nozzle and the give it another squirt for good measure. Wipe off the outside with a clean tissue. Repeat the process with the other half of the nozzle. Clean out the paint cup with a cotton swab,flush out the feed tube and run the pipe cleaner through,flush with thinner. Before assembling the nozzle lightly oil the needle tip and threads, I use model railroad oil. Job done. The double action takes a lot of thinner because I disassemble the nozzle and needle and put the airbrush body with parts in a shallow dish and fill with thinner till things are covered. The parts are removed and wiped down and oiled. Not a long process but it uses lots of thinner. I don't have any experience with Aztec as to quality of paint work it does or the clean-up. Good luck. Bob Patmore ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "Leonard, Michael W" Subject: Re: Aztek David wrote - >> I'm toying with the idea of getting an Aztek airbrush. However, I wonder how true the advertising is, or whether they are hyped up. << I've been pretty happy with mine for the past 2-3 years, especially when it comes to airbrushing acrylics. >> In particular, what about this idea of being able to clean them without dismantling. Is it true, or is it a myth? Do you have to use some special technique to clean it and avoid clogging? << The only parts that can really be dismantled are the assorted tips and needles. Testor sells a solvent to remove dried paint. I use it on a cotton swab to clean the interior -- where the steel pin that touches the needle protrudes. >> I'd be most grateful for your experiences and feedback before I go along to the art shop and get the sales pitch from someone who probably has never used one! << I haven't seen it yet, but Testor advertised a new metal body Aztek on the back cover of the latest issue of Fine Scale Modeler. The previous resin/plastic body was OK but it was tough to really keep it looking clean. My two cents... MWL ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: "Ken Goldman" Subject: Re: Aztek airbrushes To answer David Griffith's airbrush question, I have been using an Aztec double-action airbrush for years and am satisfied with the results. It does, however, get clogged occasionally and then has to be disassembled and cleaned thoroughly. That is I used to have to do that before I discovered a simple pressure cleaning device from Precision Mix Systems. In addition to having a really nifty set syringe-type paint mixing, measuring and storage devices, they make an airbrush pressure cleaner, which consists of a syringe with a special adapter to fit the paint cup hole. Although Ron Partain, who came up with all this, only recommends it for flushing paint from the airbrush between colors, after a day of painting and pressure cleaning this way, I then took the airbrush apart to give it a proper cleaning and found there was nothing to clean up! If interested, you can find out more from his website at www.precisionmixsystems.com And the usual disclaimer, I have no financial stake in Precision Mix Systems, I'm just a satisfied customer. Ken Goldman THE WALRUS AND THE CARPENTER unique wood sculpture and fine scale models www.walruscarpenter.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: "Michael Jurijew" Subject: Tribals in Korea Can anyone advise me, or point me in the right direction to any information about the colour schemes worn by RCN Tribal destroyers during the Korean War? Ideally I would like to model HMCS Cayuga, which shelled Chinampo to cover the 8th Army's "bug out" after the Chinese crossed that Yalu. I think the same scheme was carried by other RCN Tribals later in the war as well. Any pictures from that period show them with a dark grey (?) hull and a lighter grey superstructure. Any specifics? What about the decks? Any advice or information would be appreciated. Thanks, Mike in Edmonton ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: "Bill Livingston" Subject: Re: Prinz Eugen-German 101 >> Hey Dan, could you send me your source for the use of "der" with Bismarck. I checked my books yesterday, particularily "Prinz Eugen im ersten Gefecht" written by Fritz Otto Busch. It was published in 1944 (second edition). << Hi Werner, I'm not Dan.... But I remember reading this in Battlership Bismark (Baron Burkard Von Mullenheim-Rechberg), and I quote: '...After a short pause, Lindemann added: "One more thing. In the future, I would prefer to hear people on board use the masculine form when speaking of the Bismarck. So powerful a ship as this could only be a he, not a she." I resloved to acceed to his wish and, although I have made a few slips of the tongue, have done so ever since.' There is a footnote at the bottom of the page (16 if anyone interested and have a copy of the book), *Out of respect for the one and only commanding officer of the Bismarck, this rule has been followed in the German edition of this book. There you are... It appears that the normal form of address for a battleship was indeed 'she' in the feminine, but the masculine address was a request by the captain as noted above. Could it be that the past few postings on German grammar, whilst interesting, are not at all relevant? Regards, Bill Livingston Cambridge UK ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: "Stephen Varhegyi" Subject: Re: Aztek Airbrushes I've got 3 of them and they are really good, provided you flush them out immediately after use. I usually keep a jar of thinner handy and even if I'm going to put the brush down for five minutes I flush it out. They say you can't dismantle the tips but this is BS. I regularly pull the pin and spring out of the tips and give the whole thing a good clean up. To clean the tip all you need to do is screw up a facial tissue to a very fine point, dip it in thinners and the pointed end will be able to go through the fine opening in the tip. They have several different tip sizes. I mainly use the gray -medium one, which will suit most jobs and sprays down to about 1/16th of an inch. The brown-fine tip produces very fine work but you'll really need to thin your medium. I hardly ever use the fine tip. The blue-heavy tip is good for spraying large areas. These brushes are very light, easy to handle and produce very good results in the right hands. As mentioned you CAN clean the tips. There is a lifetime guarantee on these air brushes, so if it stuffs up they'll replace it. I've already had one replaced. Just remember to keep your receipt. Hope this helps. Steve Varhegyi ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "Bill Livingston" Subject: Aztek airbrushes Hi David, You will get lots of replies to this one, both praising and condemming the Aztek. All I can say is that I have used one for a few years now and am very happy with it indeed. I used a Badger before and found it almost a hobby in itself. I still have a hang over from my Badger days and am reluctant to get my airbrush out when in the middle of a project, but every time I do, I am amazed at how fast the Aztec is to set up and then clean afterwards. Maybe it will take me even more years than I thought to get out of my Badger mindset.... I wish I had bought the Aztek right at the beginning... Maybe I wouldn't put off the painting stage as much as I still am... Buy one. You can always sell it to me as a spare if you don't like it! Bill Livingston Cambridge UK ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: Jim Chaconas Subject: Re: Aztek Air brushes David, I have used the Aztek for over ten years and have had no problems with the unit, I also exclusively use it only for acrylic paints. Clean up is with the Mfgr brand of cleaner with respective paint, and a final, storage 'flush' with "brake cleaner". I use a double action Badger for oil and acrylic paints, mostly oil, works fine w/ water too, and a Passche for strictly oil, lacguer, and inks. As to your clogging problem, a suggestion would be to check the 'tip' or 'nozzle' size you are using, some of the fine or super fine tips are in reality to be used with inks, not paints, even thinned paints, the mfgr's do not state this in their brochures or instructions for modeling purposes. They do state it in their illustration, artwork, layout, etc. manuals. For example, I used to use a Passche H-1 tip, and later found out, reading through my art stuff, that this tip was for use with inks, for model painting the H-3 was recommended. Thinners, air pressures, compressor vs. air tank, paints, tips, cleaners and combinations of all the previous need addressing in order to solve your particular clogging problem. All air brushes clog, the "golden key" is not in the Mfgr. but in the use. My self and many others on this 'Forum' would be more than glad to assist you in your 'clogging' problem, I would recommend this route first, rather than " throw money at it" by buying a new air brush, feel free to contact me off line. Best, Jim Chaconas ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: Peter Subject: Blue resin Ships from Japan Several people asked how to obtain some of the "blue resin ships" from Japan that Gernot and I wrote about a few editions ago. I built a container ship from what I think is the same company that made the ships Gerot spoke of. My model had no manufacturer listed, only an Osaka address in Japanese: Osaka-shi Postal Code 534-0021 Toshima-ku Toshima Hon Dori 2-6-11 (could also be read as "Toshima Moto Dori") These kits appear on and off in local hobby stores I visit in the Tokyo area. People interested might want to write directly to that address in Osaka, or perhaps query HobbyLink Japan to see if they can special order the kits for you. As noted in my last posting, the kit I built was very rough, and took a lot of sanding and filling to build up into something halfway decent. Personally, unless this mystery maker comes out with some ship I really enjoy, I would not buy anothe kit from them because of the hassle factor inherent in their workmanship. I paid about Y6000, so US$55 or so. Peter ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: "Jerry McKinney" Subject: Aztek airbrushes Hi david. I realize some people swear by Aztek airbrushes, but I have had three,(basic aztek, the A470 and the old Testor's Model Master Pro.) and I have no use for any of them. They clog constantly and are almost impossible to clean. I finally quit trying and went back to my Badger 350 and 150, and have been much calmer ever since. Maybe some of the other SMMLies out there have had better luck and can pass on their secrets to you. HTH. Jerry McKinney ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the SMML site for the List Rules, Backissues, Member's models & reference pictures at: http://smmlonline.com Check out the APMA site for an index of ship articles in the Reference section at: http://apma.org.au/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume