How to Build Your Own Airbrush
- 1). Unscrew the top off of your spray bottle. Check that the spray bottle works beforehand, and the tubing and nozzle are in acceptable condition. Remove any moving parts, such as the lever, from the nozzle. All you want is the nozzle and the small amount of plastic tubing behind it. Cut the nozzle off the mounting if necessary with your box cutters.
- 2). Cut a 2-inch section off of the end of the plastic tubing that you removed from the spray bottle and set it aside for later. It should be flexible and clear. The rest of the spray bottle can be disposed of.
- 3). Drill a hole in the top of the nozzle. You want it to be in the small connection piping directly behind the nozzle, and on top. The hole will be the same diameter as the spray bottle tubing that you set aside last step. After drilling the hole, remove any excess plastic shavings--making sure there are no blockages.
- 4). Glue one end of the 2-inch plastic tubing into the hole at the top of the nozzle. When gluing, do not let any glue get inside the hole and cause a blockage. Instead, try gluing the tube into place after it's already been placed in the hole.
- 5). Measure the diameter of the openings to your metal straws. Once noted, drill two holes into the bottom of the film canister that are exactly that same diameter. Place the straws about an inch apart from one another (you will be placing the diameter of the old marker between these two tubes, so make sure it fits between them).
- 6). Place one tube into the hole, from the bottom up, so that it protrudes only a few millimeters from the bottom of the inside of the canister. Glue it in place, remembering again not to get glue inside the straw. This is where the paint will flow into, and connect to your nozzle. Thread the second straw through the bottom of the canister so that it is as close to the top of the canister as it can be without touching the cap (once the lid is put in place). Leave about a millimeter of space--this will be the air input tube. Glue this tube into position as well and let both straws and glue dry completely before touching them again.
- 7). Cut the top and bottom off of an old marker (highlighters are the right size), so that you have a simple plastic tube about 5 to 6 inches long.
- 8). Drill a hole at each end of the tube. Drill them at an angle so that the drill bit points toward the closest opening of the marker. Place them along the same horizontal line along the tube. Along that same line, drill a hole in the center of the tube pointing straight into it. The holes must allow the plastic tubing to go through, but don't have to form an airtight seal, so drilling them a little bigger is fine.
- 9). Apply glue to the bottom of the canister, between the two straws, and glue it onto the marker tube. Place it directly opposite of the center hole that you drilled in the last step. The two straws should straddle either side of the marker tube. Allow it to dry.
- 10
Thread one of the pieces of tubing through the open back end of the marker. Pull it out through the center hole and wrap it around, placing it onto the metal straw that was only pushed into the interior of the canister a millimeter or so (the paint input straw). Glue the hose/tube onto the straw, making sure to not get any glue inside. Glue the other end of the tube to the back opening of the nozzle. - 11
Attach a second piece of tubing to the small tube that you previously attached to the top of the nozzle in step 4. Once glued in place, thread the tube through the open end of the marker closest to the nozzle. Push the new tube back all the way through the marker, so that it comes straight out the opposite open end. - 12
Place the third piece of tubing onto the remaining metal straw (the one that is pushed into the canister all the way to the lid--the air input tube) and glue it in place. Once it is glued and secured, thread it through the center hole of the marker, and then out the open end--the one opposite the nozzle. This will finish the construction of the tubing, for the most part. For ease's sake, cut off the two hoses sticking out of the back of the airbrush so they are equal length. - 13
Fill the canister with paint--don't fill all the way, however, as you should not fill past the top of the air input straw. Place the lid on the canister, creating an airtight seal, all the while keeping the apparatus level. When you are ready to airbrush, simply place your mouth over both of the tubes coming out the back of the airbrush (opposite end as the nozzle), and blow. The air will flow into the canister, pushing the paint out of the tube, and through the nozzle, spraying onto your canvas.
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