Brush application or Airbrush application ?

[GHE]

Messieurs !

As far as I know the airbrush is a post 1918 invention and already very old.
The NASM Halberstadt looks airbrush painted on the fuselage.

Does anyone know whether ordnance was already airbrushed instead of paintbrushed  during WW I  ?

viele Grüße, Gunther

[WarrenD]

Gruss Gott Gunther!

As RB stated, airbrushes were around during WWI, and there were some a/c that had paint airbrushed. (Some of the camo on some of the Nie.11's and 16's comes immediately to mind. I know there were others.) However, it certainly was not all. Best to closely look at images, etc. of which crate you're interested in replicating, etc.

Warren

[GHE]

Hello Warren !

In a Windsock magazine the author on a Rumpler C.IV writes on camo schemes and states that they were airbrush-applied.

I think - steelhelmet-production for ex. or handgrenades - they must have used airbrush painting for the mass production already.

viele Grüße, Gunther

[WarrenD]

Gunther,
              In my cluttered memory I seem to recall this question coming up a few years back, and someone posted some photos of airguns/brushes being used to spray paint some camo. maybe it was at the Aerodrome, but I can't recall right now.

Warren

[Trackpad]

Spray guns were definitely used. The best example is the later mauve-over-green disruptive painting of the Junkers J.1. 

[GHE]

Thanks for the helping answers !

Gunther