airbrush problems HELP!!!!!!

[Vaughan]

Hi all

HELP I'm having real problems with my Iwata BR airbrush. All worked fine for the first week but in the last few days things seem to be going wrong. First the airbrush started clogging up, paint was forming on the needle tip. I tried cleaning it but it would only last for a very short while and then would form a droplet on the tip. I've tried thinning the modelair paint with no effect I've tried reducing the air pressure(I normally run at around 20-25 psi) I went as low as 15 still no good. At the moment the nozzle and nozzle cap are soaking in airbrush cleaner. The needle has been cleaned, it is not bent or hooked at the end(see) images. The only thing that I have noticed is that hole in the cup on the entry side has a slight bur on it(see image) would this affect the performance of the airbrush as I'm unsure if the brush was like that when I purchased it. I've always passed the needle when inserting it from the back to the front of the brush so it couldn't have been damaged in that way.

Has anyone got some ideas? as what started as a great was of painting model aircraft has become a bit of an nightmare.

Vaughan

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[john]

I've just had a long conversation with someone at the airbrush co, he said, make sure the tip is proper clean a build up of paint would cause the problems you are describing, also apparently Modelair is a very fast drying paint and that could cause problems, he said he uses lifecolor and xtracrylics so maybe try another paint, also the more you thin a paint the lower the psi should be, I've sent him the picture of the bur which isn't common as Iwata are very well machined he is going to get back to me after lunch.

Finally I always remove and replace the needle from the front that way there's no chance of damaging the tip.

 

[Vaughan]

Hi John

Thanks for making those enquires to the airbrush co should i soak the needle in cleaner as a pose to wiping the tip with cleaner on a paper towel?

Vaughan.

 

[john]

Sorry I put tip meant nozzle, paint can build up in the nozzle so make sure that is clean

 

[Ian M]

Hi Vaughan, sorry to read you have a case of airbrush blues.

Get hold of some "between teeth" toothbrushes, they look like mini bottle brushes and you can get them from chemists or the like.

Remove the needle, the tip or nozzle and also if you air brush has one, the part the nozzle screws into. Take a shallow dish and put some cleaner in it. Drop the paint nozzle (and the part that holds it) into the cleaner and leave to soak for a while.

Wet a soft cloth with cleaner and drag the needle across the cloth turning the needle as you do so. The season I say cloth is that if there is a tiny bur on the end of the needle it will catch in the fibres of the cloth. If you find a tiny bur on the end of the needle you can save it!!! Find the finest wet and dry you can. It needs to be so fine that it feels just like paper! Very gently drag the needle backwards with a spinning motion across the wet and dry. DO NOT apply pressure to it otherwise you will do more damage than good. This only needs to be done if you find a bur and are confident enough to do it without damaging the needle. I have done it a few times and everything works fine.

Right the nozzle has been soaking now so any build up of paint should be softened up. Take a fine paint brush with bristles that are long enough to reach right through the nozzle. Note not one of your best brushes for this part. Dip the brush in clean cleaner and put the bristles into the nozzle. Do not force it just place it in and twist it round a bit. Take it out and look. The brush I use has white bristles. When it goes in it is white. When it comes out again it is normally pretty grim! And thats with a clean and working airbrush!!! Repeat until the brush come out clean.

There where the nozzle screws in is a hole that leads to the paint holder. Take the mini bottle brush, dip it in cleaner and put it in. The hole is just a hole and you can scrub away until the brush is clean. This can also be done at the hole where the needle comes into the paint holder. Just be careful not to force the seal and damage that.

Hopefully you will now have an airbrush that is as clean as the day it left the factory. Put it all together again and blast some cleaner through to see all is well and that there are no nasty bits hiding in any corners.

Does this only happen with acrylic paints, or does it also do it with solvent paints like Humbrol enamels?

Acrylics do dry bloody quick and some time just the tiniest rough spot on the needle will attract paint like a magnet and will dry on it.

Hope this helps. Regarding cleaners I can only recommend Alclad airbrush cleaner. I have yet to find a paint it can remove. (even after a week)!!!

Ian M

 

[stona]

That's some fine advice there!

Don't lose heart Vaughan,this stuff happens to all of us from time to time. Every now and then,just when everything has been working beautifully for a while,my airbrush will do something to remind me who's really in charge. A nice splat of paint on the seat of my Ta152 was the last example. I've no idea why it did it!

Cheers

Steve

 

[tecdes]

Morning Vaughan

I use Vallejo Model Air which is as been said fast drying but on the good side gives a fine finish.

I use an Evolution brush & with a .4 needle have not had any problems at all. But with the .2 & .15 needle I have had build up on the very point of the needle. I have overcome this most times by, at intervals, giving it a good squirt on a plastic bottle I keep in the air booth. This clears the thing. In fact I give a good squirt before starting on the model.

Also when cleaning the needle do you inspect the end through a magnifier. I have found just a speck at the end not detectable with my own eye. I normally gentle with the finger nail move it carefully up to the tip to clean off paint which has dried. Also thro the magnifier you can get a good view into the spout of the nozzle.

Also bought from B & Q what are described as Decorator's Wipes their own brand. They slide well on the needle & perform a good cleaning job. Also used them where I have messed up when air brushing & splattered. Providing the underlying paint film is dry they will wipe off the rubbish even after 10 minutes or so.

Laurie

 

[m1ks]

In addition to the above i'd recommend you get something like a jewellers loupe and carefully inspect the tip itself, if this is split this will give problems and can look absolutely fine to the naked eye, the tip can be split by seating the needle a bit too hard so it's easily done, the needle itself looks OK looking at the photos. The burr in the paint cup, thought it's surprising to see on an Iwata shouldn't be causing your problem

 

[stona]

m1ks means the tip of the nozzle. Sound advice from all above.

Cheers

Steve

 

[tecdes]

Just a warning & one that I was on the verge of being caught out on.

When looking through a magnifier they do have very very short range of field. Make sure you have the needle totally in focus when inspecting. If not you will see what appears to be a split in the head of the needle. If not in focus you will in fact see is a double image which gives a false impression not helped by the reflection of light off the bright metal.

Laurie

 

[Vaughan]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I have sent back the airbrush to the Airbrush Company following the discovery of the burr in the cup. Because of the Bank Holidays they will only have received it today so yet to hear back from them but have been advised that it will be repaired or replaced. Once I get it back I will follow everyones advice regarding cleaning. It's odd that in the first week of using the airbrush ( and I managed to complete the Revell BF109F with no hicups) I didn't have any problems regarding clogging and splattering but maybe there has been a buildup of paint on the needle despite the fact that i have cleaned it with Vallejo airbrush cleaner after each spraying session. Also I thought that Iwata airbrushes needles were teflon coated to prevent this sort of thing happening. Fingers crossed that the airbrush will be sorted out.

Vaughan

 

[stona]

Hi Vaughan,the airbrush parts are not Teflon coated. Iwata and other high end airbrushes use Teflon O rings and seals which makes them tolerant of "hotter" solvents and cleaners,like cellulose thinners,which will literally melt the seals in some budget airbrushes.

I've been spraying AlcladII,which is laquer based through an Iwata BR,and cleaning with cellulose thinners,for several years and the brush is still working as well as it did the day I bought it.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Vaughan]

Hi Steve

Thanks for clearing that one up I must have miss read the spec on the Iwata airbrushes it's encouraging to hear that you've had no problems with your BR. I've just been on the phone to the Airbrush Company and they're sending me a new replacement should be arriving in the next few days.

Vaughan

 

[Vaughan]

Thanks for all the info. I have just received my replacement airbrush in the post. So will be making a start on the Hurricane in due course.

I was just wondering how often you should strip your airbrush down. Do you need to take the needle out every time you use it. I notice people have said not to remove or re-insert the needle from the back and to take out the nozzle and put the needle back from the front.

Vaughan

 

[john]

You need to remove the needle everytime to make sure paint doesn't dry on it, Iwata's center the needle very well unlike some cheaper ones, so as long as you push it in from the back with care you should be ok, any resitance just stop, you should always protect the tip of the needle, when I clean mine I remove the nozzle and pull it out from the front then when I replace it I put it in from the back that way there's no chance of pushing paint back up in to the brush, you will get used to it with practice I stip mine fully after every use and give it a good clean, it's quite relaxing

 

[Vaughan]

Hi guys need some more advice regarding airbrushing paints. I have been using the model air range with no problems since I received my replacement airbrush, but as soon as I stated using the model colour gloss which i thinned with model colour thinner medium the brush clogs up and a droplet appears on the needle tip. I then wipe it off but it reappears almost straight away and the brush clogs up again. Is there an alternative to using thinner medium like screen wash? or what else could I use? Help.

Vaughan

 

[Ian M]

All I ever use for Vallejo is distilled water. Works fine for me. You should be aware that acrylic paints do dry very quickly. Have you tried thinning the paint more and turning the air down?

I have also found that the gloss medium does this some times. In fact turning the paint into liquid plastic almost. I just play with the mix and air pressure. If it is only a little bit that needs spraying I live with the problem. (It's easier than adjusting things all the time).

Also a little tip there. don't buy the gloss black, just buy the glossy medium. You can add it to any colour to make it a gloss. Mind you, it is often better to just spray with gloss varnish afterwards.

Ian M

 

[Vaughan]

Hi Ian

Thanks for the advice will try the distilled water. As you say they dry very quickly. I was spraying yesterday in quite a warm room (my garden room does get hot when the sun comes round) do you think this also might be responsible for the clogging?

Vaughan.

 

[Vaughan]

Thanks for the info Ian

I have tried all the above but still having problems with paint drying too fast. Weather seems to be the key issue I have found that as soon as the weather gets warmer like yesterday and today my paints have been drying very fast and a droplet of paint is forming on the needle tip every few seconds. I have tried thinning the paint with thinning medium/ distilled water increasing the air pressure decreasing the air pressure to no avail the only common denominator is the weather as soon as the temperature drops in the evening things run better. I have just finished spraying part of the undercarriage (11.45 PM) and things are running fine. So it's going to be an early morning or later evening hobby at the moment.

Vaughan

 

[The Migrant]

Hi Vaughan, have you tried adding a retarder to the paint? This slows the drying time and should prevent the paint drying as quickly on the needle tip. Vallejo make a retarder for their own paints (#597)