Binks Wren Review

6/2015

I've read a lot of good comments about the Binks Wren airbrush, but I'd never seen one. The other day I went to my mail box and there was a package from my good friend Patrick Stack. In it was a Wren. Patrick had two of them, one that he bought years ago and this one that he recently picked up on E-bay for a bargain price. He said he wanted to donate it to my collection.

Here is what was in the box.

As you can see, the Wren is an external mix siphon airbrush. This one is model 59-1002 "B". It has the medium nozzle. There are also versions with smaller and larger nozzles. The bottles, with the exception of the small one, are no-nonsense glass and metal.

They are 2 1/2 oz., 3/4 oz., and 1/4 oz. The spouts are the same standard size that fits most siphon airbrushes. Since the tubes don't go all the way to the bottom, you wouldn't be able to spray that last little bit of paint. Notice the clearance on the middle jar. But, you can use other brands of cups and bottles. As it says on the tray, there was an instruction sheet underneath.

This is an old airbrush. Here is the top of the box.

Apparently it was first sold during the mid 70's fuel shortage. I checked the Binks website, and found that the identical airbrush is still being sold. Binks is mainly a manufacturer of spray guns, and this is their only airbrush. Like they say, if you've got a good thing, don't mess with it.

There is a series of letters and numbers hand engraved on it that make me believe it was once used commercially. Companies often identify tools this way.

First impression

It's a nice looking solid airbrush. The body is gold anodized aluminum and the handle is ivory colored plastic. The remaining parts seem to be stainless steel. Balance is good; right under the trigger. The squarish edges on the bottom feel a little uncomfortable to me. The square trigger is nice and big and dished on top. The angle feels good. Nozzle adjustment is very smooth. The body finish has a slight texture to it.

Here it is next to a Paasche H, which is a similar design.

Because of the aluminum body, the Wren is lighter than the H, 59g vs. 87g for the H. Unlike the H, the air cap of the Wren is part of the body. So, if you want the finer nozzle, you need a whole new airbrush. The large nozzle works with the medium body. Also unlike the H, the needle is not held in place by a set screw. Instead, it threads into the body and is tightened with a 3/8" wrench.

Here it is disassembled:

The needle seal looks like black neoprene. It must be solvent resistant. Patrick has used his for years with enamels and lacquers. After removing the air valve core with a jeweler's screwdriver, the air valve body can be unscrewed with a 3/8" wrench. the valve core threads into the trigger and holds it in place. Unlike most airbrushes, there is no little o-ring on the valve core, . There is a black grommet inside the body above the valve body. I was afraid of damaging it, so I left it in place. The instructions say to remove it with a straightened paper clip. Curiously, it also says to put Vaseline on the needle and air valve seals when re-installing them. According to the instruction sheet, the handle unscrews. However, this one was tight and I didn't want to force it. Notice the little wheel in front of the trigger. Here is a close-up of it installed.

It's an adjustable limit on trigger travel. The Paasche H used to have something like it. The purpose is to restrict air flow and cause the paint to sputter. Artists sometimes do this to simulate texture. It's called stippling.

The needle has a blunt shape with a secondary taper.

I downloaded a PDF version of the current manual, and it specifies the medium "B" nozzle to be 0.052" in diameter. I measured mine and got 0.054", close enough. That's equal to 1.37mm, which is huge for an airbrush. The Paasche H medium nozzle is just 0.6mm. The new manual also says the A and C versions of this airbrush have been discontinued. The A nozzle was 0.74mm and the C was 1.5mm. So, even the A model was not exactly a detail airbrush.

Trying it out

Conclusion

The Wren is a good external mix airbrush. It would be fine for many uses, including most model painting. Patrick loves his. But, with that big nozzle, it won't do detail as fine as the Paasche H or F or the Badger 350.

The Wren doesn't seem to be carried by airbrush dealers. I did find it at Grainger Industrial Supplies. The price? Whoa! $295. That's a big chunk of change for a simple external mix airbrush. But, you can also get it at Walmart for $187.16. And, like Patrick, you may be able to find a good deal on a used one on Ebay. It's a tough airbrush and will probably never wear out. If you do need spare parts, you may have to contact a Binks distributor. They can be found on the Binks website.

My very sincere thanks to Patrick for his generosity in sending me this jewel.

Postscript

Patrick decided he didn't need his Wren A, so he sent it to me to add to my collection. Here it is in its original case.

It's in like new condition. Patrick takes good care of his equipment. The body is identical to the Wren B except that the hole for air to escape is about half the diameter. The needle is sharper and the nozzle is .74mm.

I replaced the trigger spring with a softer one salvaged from a ball point pen. It wasn't' really that stiff, but I like a light trigger. I did this sample with black ink on paper towel.

The pattern is narrower than the B, as you might expect. I did this with the nozzle actually rubbing against the paper. It's narrow enough for most model painting, and it will cover a pretty large area as well. The trigger was very comfortable. The compressor was set to 30psi. I tried 20, but the atomization wasn't as good. Like other external mix brushes, it likes a lot of air.

It takes a little more time to clean than the Paasche H because the needle has to be unscrewed. But, it's not a significant difference.

I really like this airbrush and intend to use it. Again, I want to thank Patrick very much for his generosity.

Home Next -- Iwata HP-M1 Review