Airbrush Tutorial
The best painting solution for rc airplanes is really the airbrush. When equipped with an air compressor as the air source, it becomes like a never-ending spray can, with the added benefits of control of the air pressure and of the paint amount.
It's a tool that can be used to paint small plastic display models as well as large RC airplane kits.
How does an airbrush work? Like anything that delivers a fine spray of paint or solvent, it uses Bernoulli's principle.
Air moving at higher velocity has lower pressure.
If this air stream happens to be near but above a solvent (e.g. paint), the solvent will be drawn upwards, towards the fast moving air.
When it gets to that stream of air, the solvent gets broken up into fine particles, and is blown in the direction of the airstream.
The basic principle is very simple, and spraying itself is not hard. It does take some practice and good technique to turn out finely painted airplanes.
The following pages will help you hone your technique:
Types
Air Source
Paints
Work Setup
Surface Prep
Airbrushing Lesson: Step by Step
Clean Up
Ebook: Learn to Airbrush Model Airplanes