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atomizers

updated sat 5 jun 99

 

Stephani Stephenson on thu 3 jun 99

David, those mouth atomizers are very useful and effective in certain
situations.You can exercise a surprising amount of control with them .I
use them for applying stains, sometimes light glaze,even covered large
areas with them.It may take a bit of practice. first you really do have
to toot the thing.A wee bit of force on the exhale. Toot too hard too
long, a feeling of lightheadedness may ensue....work up to it. also you
will become heartily involved in 'discovering your inner airbrush' as
you and your mouthpiece swoop and swerve around a piece like a bee and
flower.
Kidding aside, they produce a spray finer than a knife over a toothbrush
and coarser than a fine airgun spray. I don't spray lead based
substances with an atomizer but I feel OK about using it ingeneral
because the spray droplets seem large enough to travel directly onto the
piece rather than remaining airborne. Also the right stain/glaze
thickness is crucial. too thick, no go...also too thin no go..something
like wholemilk, but experiment. I use spice jars,narrow deep vessels to
stick the atomizer in. It makes a small amount of stain or glaze go a
long way. I do apply glaze sometimes with the atomizer, but you will
find that applying a lot of glaze this way is tedious. veins standing
out on your temple is a good sign you've gone too far.....
Also all mouth atomizers are not created equal....some I've bought don't
seem to work as well, can't for the life of me figure out why, they are
so simple. If one isn't working, play with the angle, the thickness of
the liquid, check for residue clogging...oh, and blow on the short end!
They are easy to clean. You can usually find them at art stores as the
are used by painters as well, cost is usually $1.50 to $2.50.
Stephani Stephenson
arcilla@inetworld.net
San Marcos, Nottingham Center

Veena Raghavan on fri 4 jun 99

Hi Stephanie,
I too have been toying with the idea of using a mouth atomizer. I
have an airbrush given to me by my loving family, but the studio where I do
my work no longer has a compressor or spray booth available for use, so I
have never used it! I read with interest your description of using the
atomizer. You mentioned that some are good and some not so good. Can you
recommend a make that you have found to be good. Thanks in advance.
Veena

Veena Raghavan
75124.2520@compuserve.com