Airbrush arrived, some advice needed!

[Bunkerbarge]

Another possibility is to bind the hose end with wire removed from some household flex.

Strip it and remove some of the copper strands then bind it tightly around the end of the hose, ensuring it seals on the nipple. The loose ends should be twisted together and then further tightened with a pair of pliers.

By the way the pictures are excellent, well done!

 

[rjwood_uk]

the good old water trick always works!!!

bin doing it since i was a kid to find out where punctures where on my bikes inner-tubes!

 

[5thelement]

Well, i've got a little further forward...i just went and wrapped bluetac all around the connection where its screwed on, and its pretty much stopped the leak, until i cover the other end of the hose, which obviously makes the pressure go up and it starts leaking again, but it doesnt seem as bad, but still too bad to really use it. Better than how it was before though, as i didn't even have to cover the hose at the other end for it to be pissing out.

So, looks like its leaking out of the thread on the screw on the end of the hose. I dont think it's a problem with the hose side, as i never covered that at all.

To answer the question about the hose connection, im 99% sure it's slightly conical, with a small o-ring seated in it.

Maybe these pliers will give it a nice tight seal, but i guess time will tell.

Cant thank you all enough for helping me through this, wouldn't of thought of most of this stuff, especially not the water thing!

Im guessing most of the gas is gone now lol but if i can find some solution, i wont be too bothered about buying some more aslong as it works!

I'll keep you updated.

 

[rjwood_uk]

il get some pics up of my airbrush and the regulator, connections tomorrow so you can compare.

mine is quite different!!!

i highly recomomend a badger 200 once who have the money and feel confident with using an airbrush!!!

it ranges from being able to do a almost pin point line to a bout 2" accross

when cleaning yours can you take the needle out? if you can its always a good idea to give it a nice wipe with some white spirit/thinners and a nice rince. MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT BEND IT!!! its a fiddle to get back in as you have to hold the "button" in the right possison to allow the needle to pass through it.

to get an idea how this works, once the needle is out, lift the button out and you will see how it goes through!!!

edit:

but just having a look at the type of airbrush you got i dont think you can remove the needle.....

 

[rjwood_uk]

ok, just so you can see what im on about incase you can do it on yours...

the first picture shows the airbrush complete, i have labled the needle and the button that im on about

the second picture shows the needle and the button out of the airbrush and i have circled where the needle has to go through it when you put it back togeather.

if this cant be done on yours its a waste of my time but hey.

you just wait till they start talking about double-action buttons (the button controlls the paint release by pressing down (as normal) and the air flow by pulling back!!!!)

so not only do you have to think about painting the model correctly you also have to think about what your doing with your finger twice has hard!!!

sod that!!! single-action for me all the way!!!!

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[5thelement]

Pin point line to 2 inches is pretty good! apparently mine can do 3mm-50mm, which i thought would be ok to begin with to get the hang of it.

Cheers for the pictures, quite different from mine, but im pretty sure i can remove the needle, i think i read something about that in the instructions, and it has a photo of it disassembled.

It looks like i might be a long way off painting with it though, let alone cleaning it lol

In future i'll try avoiding cheap crap like this it's just caused nothing but hassle.

Anyways, i'll give these pliers a try tomorrow and see if it makes any difference.

 

[Bunkerbarge]

5th Honestly you are better off learning with cheap crap and learning how to make the mistakes before you progress to more expensive gear that you would be a lot more upset if you broke.

Just think how much you have learned already!!!

If it is just the thread that is dodgy I would wrap some PTFE plumbers thread tape around it. You can get some at B&Q, Do-It-All etc for only a few pence. Wrap a small amount around the thread in the direction of the thread and screw the connection on. You will probably find with such a small thread that it is easier if you cut a thin strip off the tape with a pair of scissors. As you wrap it keep some tension on it and it will follow the contours of the thread. You should only need a turn or two.

 

[5thelement]

Well, update time. I got the pliers, tightened it as much as possible, and it still leaks Re-tried the water test, and im not even 100% sure where it's escaping from anymore really, cant pinpoint if its where i thought it was from, or if its possibly from the botton of the adaptor which is screwed onto the can.

I might just contact the seller and tell him it doesn't work and see what he says, although a replacement probably wouldnt make much difference if they're just poorly made. Typical of my luck really

Im itching to paint this tank, and i was really hoping to use the airbrush and get a nice smooth finish with the base coat, but looks like it's back to a brush now :mad:

 

[rjwood_uk]

just go to your local model shop, humbrol do this thing which is just a big, more simple version of what you have and it costs about £10 i think.

get a nice bit humbrol air can for about £6 and there you go!

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[rjwood_uk]

here is my regulator as promised, mine seals the whole of the top of the can to prevent any leeks from the centre part.

as iv tried to show in the pictures where all the seals are and also that my air hose is concave as well.

if you want i could give you the contact and parts infor and you could order one of these badger regulators, see if that helps?

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[5thelement]

Looks more suited to painting cars lol i know they do a Humbrol airbrush which is similar to mine for about £10, i just wish i'd bought one to start with, would of been easier to take back aswell if it never worked.

Im not really sure i want to spend more on this right now, money is pretty tight as it is, and i've allready spent nearly 40/45 quid and only have a measly 1/72 plane to show for it so far lol im just praying i get the job i applied for last week than things will be different.

EDIT:

The regulator pictures dont seem to be showing up mate. I'll try again in a second.

 

[rjwood_uk]

mate i have only been back into the modeling hobby since christmas and i have about £100 of paint alone!

edit:

its probably more but i dont really want to salp myself in the face if i work out how much its all really cost me!!!

 

[5thelement]

Yeah, it's definately not the pocket money hobby i originally thought it would be lol i guess most of the stuff i've bought though, i'll be able to use for a long time.

Hasn't totally put me off or anything, still really keen to get more stuff completed.

Anyway, got to go out right now, so i wont be able to reply until later tonight. Just thought i'd mention it incase anyone thinks im ignoring their advice lol

 

[wonwinglo]

Yes 5th it does sound as if you have a bad unit there,you have already spent far too much time sorting out the problem,the supplier needs to know about the trouble that it has put you to,did you buy it on e-bay ?

 

[rjwood_uk]

yes he did barry

 

[Nigel.D]

5th Lets just start at the beginning the valve leaks !!!!

so it has to be

1 poor fitment

2 problem with how you put it together

so looking at the pics 2 is a no no so 1 has to be the answer! you have shown the pics so the answer is the thread that the brush hose connects to is leaking (this is so common) as its supposed to be universal!! the answer is use some ptfe tape to wrap round the thread or bluetack or as i use some plumbers mate!!! this will seal any gaps and give you full pressure !! But !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! to be honest the aircan is a no no you can use a inner tube a cylinder or a cheap diaphragm compressor the biggest problem with cans is that they get cold and produce moisture that comes out and ruins your paint job considering the price you can get a cheap diaphrgam compressor from ebay for £20.00 which is the price of 4 cans !!! go on you know it makes sense !!!! As for the humbrol Airbrush Avoid at all costs it isnt its a atomiser it has no needle no valve no control it is ok for soraying areas that are larger than 2" square but nothing else !! if you want a cheap one get a badger 350 or if you can afford it a badger 200 these can be had for 20 -30 quid on ebay and wil give you sterling sevice for years

 

[5thelement]

When i was out earlier i took a quick look in an art shop i went past, and noticed they had a Badger brush for £18.99, i forgot which model though.

I dont suppose you could give me a link to an example of a diaphragm compressor? i dont know much about compressors but i've been thinking they cost £100 upwards. Your right if it indeed only costs £20 as the bigger cans of air cost practically half that!

 

[wonwinglo]

5th they make good sense in the long run,my diaphragm compressor is now 40 years old and still chugging away,just think of the money saved in those expensive cans ? best to save up a bit and meanwhile use the trusty brush,it will be worth it in the long run,Nigel and others will know the best source for one today.

 

[5thelement]

Thought i'd give a quick update here.

I emailed the seller and told him about the hassle i was having with it and asked if he could send a replacement regulator/adaptor and hose.

He then emailed back saying sorry that royal mail crushed it and that i need to send everything back and he would send a new one out.

I then emailed him back saying the package wasn't crushed by royal mail, and that it would cost me practically what i payed for it over again to send it back once i'd bought packaging etc and asked again if he could just send a replacement regulator/adaptor and hose....and he's never replied since then so might just email him again and say something like "i assume the answer to my last question is no?"

So apart from that, none luck with it

 

[Bunkerbarge]

I think in all honesty his offer to replace it was very reasonable. The fact that it would cost you postage is a reasonable cost to pay for getting hold of another one.

Obviously from his point of view he would at least want to see the damaged one to confirm that you are not trying it on with him.

He is already happy to accept the loss, all you have to do is pay the postage which I think is quite fair.

If I was you I would send it to him but you might have already burned that bridge.

At the end of the day it would have cost you postage but you would have a spray gun. Now you have nothing and still need to resolve the issue.