Help with Iwata

[zorro57]

OK i have decided to try the iwata airbrush i just cant decide on which one to get. I am going after the iwata eclipse. I like the hp-cs gravity feed and the sbs side-feed. I like the fact that on the sbs the paint cup in not in your line of sight and that i can change the size of the paint cups. I know they are both 0.35 nozzle and needle size. what i don't under stand is why is it on the iwata web site there is a difference in the airbrush usage. The hp-cs has more excellent match ups than the sbs. Can any one shed some lite on the differences and maybe help me with my decision.

[don johnson]

to me having the color cup coming off the side makes the airbrush unbalanced

i rather use a gravity feed top color cup

personal pref.

[Airbrush Dreams]

To add to Dons remark having a side feed airbrush you need the air pressure up higher almost the same as a bottom siphon feed. I own a custom micron Sb and wish I would have gone with the gravity feed instead, don't misunderstand me it is still a well made airbrush. Unfortunately the advantage of having the cup out of the line of sight dose not out weigh the plus of having the ability to work with low air pressure. The other thing to consider with the Eclipse is the packing ring is not teflon so you should only use it with water based acrylics. Airbrushes with teflon packing rings can shoot solvent based paints, however the Eclipse is a fine airbrush for the money.

[zorro57]

I though the iwata eclipse hp-cs had the Teflon seal in it am i wrong.

[Gators]

I too have both bottom feed and gravity feed brushes and even though I use both my preference is the gravity feed for the same reasons listed by Don and ABD.
In all honesty I really don't recognize any problem having the paint reservoir on top.

One of my brushes is a Kustom CS and it has Teflon™ needle packings and I consider it a very good all around brush but the bottom line is that the final choice is yours and and the performance of the brush is most often in the hands of the user.

[Airbrush Dreams]

I checked the Eclipse descriptions and it dose not mention it, so I do not beleave it dose. I know mine dose not. Only in the higher end brushes is it mentioned like the HP-C and so on.

[xzotic ink]

,,ITS ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT PAINT YOUR GONNA USE WITH THE GUN,,LIKE CREATEX FOR TSHIRT IWATA ECLIPS BOTTOM FEED,,TO SWITCH OFF COLORS FAST,,

[Luc-Boivin]

I personnaly own 4 HP-CS and 1 HP-SB and I consider them my work horse airbruhes. Very good airbrush for the $$!!! They work well with thicker paints like Createx and Auto Air.

Those 5 airbrushes have been used for 95% of my latest van project whiler painting with Auto Air paints. I also use them for t-shirt paintings.

Most of the time I would have all my 5 airbrushes in paint for an entire day. I would use my HP-SB which is a side feed for quick color change because I have 4 side cups to go with it. I would use it within the same color range or various level of paint diution like for example with the whites. Can't say I noticed a issue with pressure...most of the time I would work in the the 35 to 40 PSI with both the CS and SB.

Luc

[GrossGraphix]

I love my hp-cs. I use it for most jobs ive done so far that require any detailing.

[fontgeek]

Using standard size side cups, I have never noticed any difference in the balance between my top feed and side feed gravity brushes. Both require the same amount of air pressure to spray the paint under normal circumstances, the only difference in pressure requirements comes when you use higher viscosity paints, paints that are really sticky, or when the paint levels are really low in the side cup. When the levels are really low, then you don't have gravity doing much help to push the paint into the path of the air.
The benefits of the side cup over the top mounted cups are the capability to use them as siphon feed or gravity feed brushes, the use of multiple sizes of cups, and the ability to rotate the cup so that you can spray at any angle without losing your paint feed. With a fixed cup, you have extreme limitations on painting at severe angles. This is a big deal for makeup, murals, body painting, auto-graphics, touch-up work, etc.

The side feed brushes take a little more time to clean than a standard brush, and the paint has a slightly greater distance to travel from the reservoir to the opening on the nozzle. For most people this isn't that big of a deal, for makeup artists, it means using 5 or 6 drops of makeup rather than 2 or 3.

The line of sight issue really depends upon the user and the type of work they do. If you do fine illustration work, such as technical or medical illustration, then this can be a big issue, for doing T-shirts, it probably won't come into play for you.

As far as Iwata or anybody else doing a bigger push on the top mounted gravity feed models than they do on the side feed brushes, keep in mind that more people use the standard gravity feed brushes than they do the side feed brushes, and people tend to push what they are comfortable with.

As to what is the right brush for you...
You need to look at what kind of work you are going to do, what kind of paint you are going to use, what you are comfortable using, etc.
Iwata makes some nice brushes, but I would also look at other brands before you go spending big dollars.

I think all the recent Iwata brushes are using Teflon packing in them. You can call the great people at Dixie, Dick Blick, or other reputable suppliers, they should be able to confirm the specs for you.

[Airbrush Dreams]

Sorry about the big brush war that got started all over again. The simple thing is to answer your origional question is Yes! The Eclipse is a good brush Gravity, Side, or Botom. Your Choice. If you like the bottom feed. a suggestion is to get a bunch of clear bottles and some ready caps saving one for water, so you can do quick color changes. With the side and top modles you will have to clean the paint out between each color; plus the cup. An extra minute of cleaning, or less.

I called my local Art store last week asking for a customer that I was setting up an airbrush station for in their factory and they needed a airbrush that could run solvent based inks and clean up with MEK. I asked them to look through the Eclipse paper work to see if it mentioned a teflon packing ring and she could not find any mention of one in that brush. If you are planning on running solvants I would contact Iwata directly and ask. If you are not than its not going to matter that mutch if you keep the airbrush clean.

Truthfuly the description on the Iwata page is a little confusing. You would think the side feed would not be able to handle the thicker automotive paints, but with reducing automotive paints I am sure it can handle it. The gravity feed can definitly handle all of it.

[zorro57]

I want to thank all of you who have helped with my questions. All have been a great help thanks.