DIY Airbrush Holder

Hello my fellow nerds! I recently came into possession of one badass airbrush - a Badger Renegade Krome. It's a very unique design and has some nice features built in, but I couldn't stop worrying about the exposed tip. I ended up getting an airbrush holder with a soft rubber interior and matching chrome finish. At first I thought this would abate the symptoms of my airbrush OCD, but while it certainly looked cool, I couldn't see the tip while the brush was in the holder. I kept thinking I might have shoved it in too roughly and damaged the delicate needle. What I needed was a holder that was secure, kept the tip visible, and made it easy to put the brush in and take out without catching the delicate front end. I searched the net for other airbrush holder designs, and found the solution on my facebook feed. A fellow hobbyist shared his home made airbrush holder, and it was exactly the inspiration I was looking for!

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Here is Neil Abalain's airbrush holder*, fashioned from a humble clothes hanger. As you can see it keeps the front end in full view, holds the paint cup in an upright position, and from the looks of it, you can easily place the airbrush in or take it out with one hand. Simply brilliant. Also worth noting are the re-purposed nebulizer hose attachments and compressor.

I teleported to the nearest Daiso (a Japanese thrift store) in search of a clothes hanger, and found an oversized one intended for towels. I took a quick pic of it for documentation purposes and went to work.

First I had to make a U bend that would fit snugly under the paint cup, using the G233 as my test subject because it had a larger cup than the Badger. When I was happy with the fit of the U bend, I bent the rod downwards to form a stem, and then a base.

I cut the excess off with a wire cutter and wrapped the slack around the stem. I could maybe trim more of it off, but I wanted to have some weight on the base to keep it stable.

In just a few minutes I had the basic design. The airbrush sits securely with the U section of the rod cradling the cup. The wide opening means I won't be worried about jabbing the needle against the sides so much, and makes it easy to take the airbrush off and place it back on with one hand. The airbrush rests close to the desk, giving easy access to the cup for loading paint and cleaning.

After a week of using it like this I upgraded the design by wrapping the base around a tin pan (also from Daiso). It helps manage spills, and the added weight also improved overall stability. I misplaced my wire cutter, which explains the untrimmed excess rod still wrapped around the stem. It's not too noticeable in the pics, but the holder part is actually closer to one side of the pan, so there's some room for paint jars to sit in there, turning it into a purpose-built mixing and reloading station.

This DIY contraption has replaced the cleaning pot as my main airbrush holder, while the chrome holder has been relegated to desk display duty. This handsome Ustar holder takes up minimal desk space, has a soft rubber inlet and has a very mecha vibe going with the dark chrome finish. I had to order this thing from China, and it's one of the best designed holders in my opinion - just not for someone as paranoid about their airbrush tip as myself. I'll probably sell it on one of the facebook group markets soon.

Thanks to Neil for letting me steal...I mean feature...his genius airbrush holder design! Until next time keep building plamo!


*used with permission from the owner.