Iwata Micron B--best price?

[Goldbrush]

Husband looking to buy a birthday gift for me this month of Iwata Micron B.
Great review written here. Says price is apprx. $210.00. However, when
looking for it on the internet, says price for that AB is over $400.00. OUCH!
Anyone out there have any info on this? It would be appreciated. GB

[Airbrushkid]

If your lucky you'll find one on Ebay for that price. But new your looking at about $365.00.

[Diaz Dezine]

Micron is a nice AB. What are you gonna use it for?
I owned one of these before and I got rid of it because I just wasn't using it and I was getting the detail I needed out of my other ABs. It was a very nice AB just had no use for it. I've talked to people that use it, use it for photo retouching and that you really have to thin the colors so thin that the paint ends up much like water.
But there are also people here that I've seen use it for alot of illustration type stuff and do quite well with it and love it.
It just seems to expensive for just regular illustrations, my opinion.
But I'll tell you this, it is a little hotrod and it is a really smooth AB and very fine lines and takes quite a bit of practice to harness this little AB and I know you like to practice Gold.
I can get just as good as detail out of my BC, BCplus, B and C for about 130.00 less. But then again it all depends on what you use it for and also what you can afford. I've never seen one for less than 300.00 and you will be lucky to find one for less and used, they are out there, just have to search your booty off!!LOL!!
Being this is a gift, money isn't an issue, lucky you!!
DIAZ

[Goldbrush]

Hey Diaz, Would like to use the Micron B for super fine lines eventually, maybe try some of those super furry animals requiring a lot of fine lines.
The AB I'm using is the HP C+ and I love the control I seem to be getting
with it. Too much of a novice to know much about control though. The super fine lines I'm doing are like the ends of the italics lettering which I turn into cursive writing by joining the letters together with a fine line. I'm working on lined paper that makes letters about 2 inches tall, so fines lines are plainly seen. Should I be able to fine lines, say for animal fur with my HP C+? Or what AB would you recommend? Thanks for input, Diaz. GB

[brushbyair]

Goldbrush, in answer to your question on fine lines, YES you should be able to get as fine of lines with your HP-C as you would out of a Micron. Have you tried removing the needle cap ? Be careful though cause the needle is now exposed, but it will help with getting finer lines.

[Goldbrush]

Originally Posted by Airbrushkid

If your lucky you'll find one on Ebay for that price. But new your looking at about $365.00.

Thanks, Airbrushkid! GB

[Goldbrush]

Originally Posted by brushbyair

Goldbrush, in answer to your question on fine lines, YES you should be able to get as fine of lines with your HP-C as you would out of a Micron. Have you tried removing the needle cap ? Be careful though cause the needle is now exposed, but it will help with getting finer lines.

Thanks, Brushbyair. I did try the the needle cap off a couple times, didn't do much ABing though. Poked my finger twice, once all the way through. Ouch!
Just forgot the cap was off when I went to backwash. But, I will experiment with the cap off again.

I would like to get a second AB so that I can keep black going in an AB all the time. Man, it sure takes time to clean black out of my AB. Colors real
quick. I'd love to eventually have a 3rd for opaque white, the other color time consuming to clean and change over. Would I want to get all the same kind of AB? GB

[rowie]

Sandy, Your question has many answers with just as many questions, a bit like the piece of string thing.

With plenty of practice, good care and a little fine tuning you're C+ could do almost anything!
By playing with paint reduction and pressure adjustment you can really pull of some beautiful fine work. I know Don has an article on the site here with 4 illustrations of line work, each with a different brush, the results speak volumes.

If you are thinking of getting a brush for different colors then maybe you could look into a siphon fed (bottle fed) alternative like the T-Shirt artists use, they tend to be easier to flush also, IMHO.

With all that said, whatever you decide I know you will put it to good use and it will be a valuable aid to your toolbox.

Just take a peak at Harry's work, he has some really nice brushes but only works with his 30 year old Single Action brush! ! Go figure.

Good luck girl.

[brushbyair]

Knowing you want to dedicate them to just black and white and wanting to do lettering, you may want to consider an Iwata HP-BCS ( sifon feed), these will give a fine line with a little practice and you can keep a paint bottle hooked up to it (you will still need to clean them at the end of a painting session) The other route would be to stay with HP-a,b,c series ( different size cups) You mat even want to try other brands, I really like my Harder-Steenback 2 in 1. Hope this helps ya.

[Diaz Dezine]

Originally Posted by Goldbrush

Hey Diaz, Would like to use the Micron B for super fine lines eventually, Should I be able to fine lines, say for animal fur with my HP C+? Or what AB would you recommend? Thanks for input, Diaz. GB

Hey Gold, just like these guys said you should be able to pull a very fine line to do the type of stuff you want to with your AB.
HP-C's(plus) have the same size needle and fluid tip as the AB's I use, like the HP-BC(plus)siphon feed and HP-CH gravity feed, which are all 0.3 tip and needle.
The HP-BCS eclipse that Brush talks about comes stock with a 0.5 tip and needle and that can create a nice fine line but not as fine as the ones previously mentioned but still a badass AB for the money. I own two of them for specific reasons and also can be converted to a 0.3 if opt to buy a convert kit. I also own a HP-BH and that has a 0.2 tip and needle which can create an even finer line.
The micron CM-B, the one you want, comes with a 0.18 tip and needle, which is pretty damn small and maybe iwatas smallest tip and needle yet, and the one I use to own was a CM-C and that came with a 0.23 tip and needle, which both of these, you can imagine, can create some mighty thin fine lines! WHEW!!!

Now all that aside, it all depends on the handler to get the fine lines that these AB's are able to do but with much practice, "dots and daggers, dots and daggers", believe me I've done my share and still do them to warm up!! I've used many types of AB's and I was able to do the detail and fine line work I'm able to do with my iwatas but I am just more comfortable with iwata.....my preference.
I leave my air cap on at all times, even during the finest detail and still can get just as fine line with it off, some have to have it off for this type of detail.....my preference.

Your HP-C+ is an awesome AB and I would squeeze out as much as I can out of that AB until you know for sure which route you want to take. You may find that this one , and others that are similar in size, maybe the one you will ever need....maybe not.

As far as having multiples dedicated to certain colors, not a bad idea but this also depends on how much volume of work you do and how efficient you want to be. There are lots of artists here that have dedicated AB's including me and I wouldn't want it any other way. Some survive and content with just one.

It's all preference, performance and practice that determines which route you take.
Luckily you have alot of people here that offer up alot of past experiences and a wealth of knowledge that can help you answer some questions to help you in a clear direction, I know it has for me.
Hope this helps and sorry to drag on!!
DIAZ

[incognito]

Hi Goldbrush,
If it's any help, there is a Micron B on e bay, in your country, described as mint condition, for buy it now $300 but of course, whether it is mint or not remains to be seen, item number 230235518655 on e bay
here's a direct link IWATA Custom Micron airbrush CM-B icm-2000 on eBay, also Other Airbrushing, Airbrushing, Painting, Crafts (end time 01-Apr-08 01:05:57 BST)