Disappointed with my H&S Ultra

[Fenlander]

I blow back but only briefly, couple of quick bursts after doing a good flush through. Don't use the Celulose or lacquer thinners for this and any seals should be ok.


After blowing back, dump what is in the colour cup in case some bits have come out the nozzle, no point spraying them back into the nozzle.


Quick tip is to have a blob of blue tack to cover the end of the cap to help getting a blow back on petal shapes as in the Fenghua and especially on the Ultra cap which is hard to block off. Just don't force the blue tack into where the needle tip is, just do a wraparound and it works fine.

 

[stona]

Incidentally, the instructions on the Fenghua brush explicitly recommend that you cover the end of the brush and 'blow back' to help clean it. I've seen several comments saying you shouldn't do that as it might damage seals or blow liquids back into parts of the brush where they don't belong. Now I'm confused - again - as usual!

I've been back flushing all my airbrushes for years. It's never been a problem for the airbrushes...can't say the same for my shirt fronts


Cheers


Steve

 

[Gern]

I wouldn't do that Stuart, he would have you locked in the packing department wrapping orders for 12 hours a day all for half a bowl of gruel a week and only an hours holiday per year for Christmas lunch......... :D

Oh come on Graham! John's not a mean guy. He'd allow at least an hour and a half for Xmas dindins!

 

[Gern]

I've been back flushing all my airbrushes for years. It's never been a problem for the airbrushes...can't say the same for my shirt fronts
Cheers


Steve

.... and I thought I was a klutz! :D


I used to back flush on my old A/B. Not only for cleaning, although I did get rid of most of the paint first, but also to help mix the paint and thinners before spraying. I saw a lot of the Japanese builders on the old Plamo site doing that and it struck me as more efficient than stirring it with a brush.


Even with a full breakdown, my old cleaning routine only took about 5 minutes and I used much less cleaners and fewer tissues and cotton buds too. I'm not saying I never had problems due to inefficient cleaning, but they were quite rare. The biggest problems I had were the same ones as everyone else gets with acrylics - wrong mix/paint thickness or paint drying on the tip.

 

[CharleyGnarlyP290]

Incidentally, the instructions on the Fenghua brush explicitly recommend that you cover the end of the brush and 'blow back' to help clean it. I've seen several comments saying you shouldn't do that as it might damage seals or blow liquids back into parts of the brush where they don't belong. Now I'm confused - again - as usual!

I have often wondered about this as well. I have a Badger Patriot 105 and use the blow-back method every time I clean it, to no ill effects. As a matter of fact, the owner of Badger demonstrates how to do it on a video about Badger airbrushes and how to use them.


Maybe it depends on the type of airbrush.

 

[Gern]

Quick tip is to have a blob of blue tack to cover the end of the cap to help getting a blow back on petal shapes as in the Fenghua and especially on the Ultra cap which is hard to block off.

I tried my new Fenghua A/B tonight with some primer. Seems to work OK and cleans a little easier than the Ultra. I back flushed using an ordinary washing up sponge rather than faffing around with blue tack. It doesn't make a perfect seal, but it's good enough for what we want to do.

 

[stuart.c.82]

Talk about going the extra mile for customer service? John - you're a star!

Going through the shop to work out an order (for when I do my next model not puchaced yet)


Might have to send in the cash so my wife doesn't see what I'm planning to spend on the bank statement!!! Lol.


:eek:


Maybe you could make it come up as something else on my statement..... Something I'm less likely to get told off for..... Like babestation or playboy.TV. hahaha :P

 

[john]

I've got the replacement o rings and will send them out today.

 

[Gern]

I've got the replacement o rings and will send them out today.

Thanks John. I'll give the brush another go when they arrive.

 

[Gern]

OK. Ring seals arrived today. Thanks John - that's service way above and beyond the norm!


With the seal in place and feeling OK to back flush as part of my cleaning process, I used it to spray my X-Wing. It's done a beautiful job (at least it's beautiful by my standards!). There were no bubbles from the air cap or in the paint cup and clean-up was quite fast. After cleaning and back flushing I dismantled it and found everything clean with no obvious signs of paint left anywhere.


I'm still just a little hesitant about handling it with the removable cup. As a fully paid-up member of the Clumsy Oaf Club, I can see me knocking the thing off one day when it's full of paint. That apart, it's a nice brush so I'll stick with it.

 

[dougie]

Look for the video by ism on how to clean an airbrush with like 2ml of cleaner. It will show you where you are going wrong. I have an h&s infinity and it's so easy to clean but I still got tips from that video on YouTube.


If air is getting into the cup maybe you had a bad seal from factory. Finger tight with no tape or wax or anything. If it's not right send for a new one. Don't mess about trying to seal it a different way from how it should have worked out of the box.


These brushes are high precision instruments and are very easy to clean with only a tiny amount of cleaner. They work nearly flawlessly if set up right.


I may be coming off bad which is not my intention but I'm 100% sure that you will get better results than with a crappy cheap ab!

 

[dougie]

Just seen the above, glad the seal is helping. Best of luck with any other issues

 

[Gern]

Look for the video by ism on how to clean an airbrush with like 2ml of cleaner. It will show you where you are going wrong. I have an h&s infinity and it's so easy to clean but I still got tips from that video on YouTube.
If air is getting into the cup maybe you had a bad seal from factory. Finger tight with no tape or wax or anything. If it's not right send for a new one. Don't mess about trying to seal it a different way from how it should have worked out of the box.


These brushes are high precision instruments and are very easy to clean with only a tiny amount of cleaner. They work nearly flawlessly if set up right.


I may be coming off bad which is not my intention but I'm 100% sure that you will get better results than with a crappy cheap ab!

It wasn't a bad seal that was the problem Dougie. It was the fact they don't fit one as standard so there wasn't one at all! thanks to John though, he got a set of three seals for me FOC!

 

[dougie]

It wasn't a bad seal that was the problem Dougie. It was the fact they don't fit one as standard so there wasn't one at all! thanks to John though, he got a set of three seals for me FOC!

You have to be kidding! That's crazy. Mine had one. I can't belive they ship like that!

 

[Gern]

You have to be kidding! That's crazy. Mine had one. I can't belive they ship like that!

If you check back on the posts on this thread, you'll find that H&S believe you don't need a seal so they don't fit one!

 

[Fenlander]

You have to be kidding! That's crazy. Mine had one. I can't belive they ship like that!

The H&S Ultra does not have a front cap seal as standard, it isn't included on the exploded parts picture either. All H&S above the Ultra has the seal which is interchangeable with the ultra as is the nozzle and caps, or most of them anyway.

 

[dougie]

Tbh I saw the huge replies here and just stuck my oar in, being a very happy h&s user I felt I had to say something. However reading the huge amount of large posts was a no go haha.