Bunkerbarge

Can you try to post some pictures of the fitting, as close as you can get, inside and out and maybe we can see some possibilities.

The very old one I used to have had a cam arrangement on the top which opened the gas and you had to be carefull how you fitted it otherwise it would leak.

Basically as long as the gas comes out when you depress the valve and doesn't when you let go there is not much else to go wrong with the can.

The connection could have an 'O' Ring or a seal missing by the sound of it but I would like to see a picture if possible. Have a think about how it works and where you would expect there to be a seal. Maybe the thread is damaged and it isn't screwing down correctly before the seal has located.

Don't despair, these things happen and they are always repairable, sometimes it just requires a bit of "Out of the Box" thinking!!

wonwinglo

You must have read my thoughts Richard ? I have just been rummaging to try and find my very old unit to see how it works,it must have got thrown out at some clearout,I am pretty sure that there is a seal where it joins the inner thread,easy to loose these little perishers,how many times have you purchased something that has been opened in the shop and bits fall out on the counter and never get put back,especially when the items go in the window on display ? it must be very basic,sort a picture out 5th and lets see if we can get our heads together on this ?

__________________
'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/

5thelement

Thanks again

The airbrush was picked up on Ebay, so no doubt the guy will ask me to post it back first (more money) i guess i could ask him and see though, seems to sell a few of them.

I did try sealing off the bottom of the adaptor with my thumb and blowing through the hole the hose attaches to, to see if there was a leak in that but nothing escaped, couldnt get anything to get through anywhere, which makes me think it might be the can instead, but i really dont know, could be either i guess dont really want to buy another can to find out it's the same lol

The airbrush itself seems to work though, push the trigger and air came through, in the end i put some water in the jar and attached it, but i couldn't get anything to come through, i guess the reason being the pressure is too low because of the leak.

EDIT:

I'll go and grab some photos and post them up.

rjwood_uk

to find out if its the can, remove the regulator completely.

no air should come out what so ever as they have a valve that lets the air out when the screw goes down into it.

so if no air comes out (maybe hold in underwater in the bath to look for bubbles) then its not the can.

then try re-ataching the the regulator and screwing it down so the air starts comming out (make sure the air hose is attached firmly) and submerse the can and regulator under the water (make sure the air hose is out the water as air will obvioulsy come out of that!)

hey presto....you should be able to see where the leek is!!!

5thelement

Okay heres some pictures

The adaptor which screws onto the can in one piece



Adaptor with the "tap" unscrewed



Inside the adaptor (part which screws onto the can) o-ring intact



The "tap" (the white stuff at the top is just a bit of masking tape i tried to use to make a better seal)



edit:

No air comes out the can when the regulator isn't attached, i'll go and try the water test, as its diffuclt to tell if its coming out from the bottom of the regulator, or where the tap screws in.

5thelement

Well, water test done, it looks like it's leaking where the hose is attached, at the hose end. It even froze the water round the screw at the end of the hose.

Pretty sure this is where its coming from anyway, it leaks even more when the other end of the hose is covered.

Just to clarify, this is where

rjwood_uk

......where mine leaked first of all. that is where all the pressure is being forces into a small hole so its got more tendancies to leek. just make sure its as tight as it can be (even use plyers if you have to) seeing as unless something goes wrong with the air hose you should never actully have to undo this connection!!!

5thelement

True, i'll get hold of a pair of pliers tomorrow morning and give it a shot. *fingers crossed*

If i still have no luck, i'll contact the guy i bought it from and tell him its not working, and see what he says.

wonwinglo

Well done 5th,nice set of pictures there,try this if you have any PTFE plumbers tape try a small piece on the thread itself,if this does not cure things remove a small portion of the plastic hose and re-seat it.
As an alternative to the tape try a bit of Bluetak smeared around the thread and general area and finger tighten it up,it only takes a tiny leak with that pressure to show as it has done here,see if that works,if not we will have to think of something else ?

__________________
'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/

Bunkerbarge

5th stick a picture of the inside of the hose fitting as well. If the contact is flat it should have a seal but if it is conical it could be damaged and be leaking through the cone.

It could also be the hose connection itself, I can't see any means of holding it to the brass nipple, such as a crimped fitting.

At least wea re narrowing it down!!