Diagnose my Airbrush woes!
- Brickie
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Diagnose my Airbrush woes!
Havng an odd problem with my airbrush and can't quite figure out where the problem is.
It's acting like it's blocked somewhere, with no paint emerging when I pull back on the button, but when I let go, just as the needle is settling back into place you get a tiny spurt of paint. Undoing the chuck nut and ever so slowly pulling back the needle manually will again give a flow of paint, but then fastening the chuck there and spraying won't.
It's a cheapass Chinese airbrush that cost under a tenner, so I'm quite prepared for the answer to be "yeah, the seals are gone, you need a new airbrush", but I#d been hoping not to have to just now...
It's acting like it's blocked somewhere, with no paint emerging when I pull back on the button, but when I let go, just as the needle is settling back into place you get a tiny spurt of paint. Undoing the chuck nut and ever so slowly pulling back the needle manually will again give a flow of paint, but then fastening the chuck there and spraying won't.
It's a cheapass Chinese airbrush that cost under a tenner, so I'm quite prepared for the answer to be "yeah, the seals are gone, you need a new airbrush", but I#d been hoping not to have to just now...
"If you can fly a Sopwith Camel, you can fly anything!"
A 7 | 12 B
A 7 | 12 B
Re: Diagnose my Airbrush woes!
Could be the paint is too thick and needs thinning. Have you tried spraying water through it?
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- Brickie
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Re: Diagnose my Airbrush woes!
Water, thinners, airbrush cleaner. Same result.
"If you can fly a Sopwith Camel, you can fly anything!"
A 7 | 12 B
A 7 | 12 B
Re: Diagnose my Airbrush woes!
How about cleaning it with IPA?
All models are equal. Some models are more equal than others.
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- Brickie
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Re: Diagnose my Airbrush woes!
Waste of good beer.
Not sure where to get IPA, actually. Have been assuming that Vallejo Airbrush Cleaner and Tamiya thinners covered most bases on that front between them.
Not sure where to get IPA, actually. Have been assuming that Vallejo Airbrush Cleaner and Tamiya thinners covered most bases on that front between them.
"If you can fly a Sopwith Camel, you can fly anything!"
A 7 | 12 B
A 7 | 12 B
- fredk
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Re: Diagnose my Airbrush woes!
Have you got a set of airbrush cleaning brushes?
Sounds like it needs a pull through cleaning to get rid of a particle of dried paint.
Sounds like it needs a pull through cleaning to get rid of a particle of dried paint.
Al speling misteaks aer all mi own werk..
Its not just how good your painting is, its how good the touch-ups are too.
Its not just how good your painting is, its how good the touch-ups are too.
- JamesPerrin
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Re: Diagnose my Airbrush woes!
Is the cap around the needle tip on tight enough. If loose it will cause low air pressure and no spray. Been caught out a couple of times by this myself.
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Re: Diagnose my Airbrush woes!
Isopropanol alcohol is more aggressive, I use it as a last resort.Brickie wrote:Waste of good beer.
Not sure where to get IPA, actually. Have been assuming that Vallejo Airbrush Cleaner and Tamiya thinners covered most bases on that front between them.
All models are equal. Some models are more equal than others.
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- Brickie
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Re: Diagnose my Airbrush woes!
Yep, checked that.JamesPerrin wrote:Is the cap around the needle tip on tight enough. If loose it will cause low air pressure and no spray. Been caught out a couple of times by this myself.
"If you can fly a Sopwith Camel, you can fly anything!"
A 7 | 12 B
A 7 | 12 B
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Re: Diagnose my Airbrush woes!
sounds like you could have a bit of dried paint on the needle tip you need to take the needle out and give it a good clean but be careful not to bend it i usually use zero airbrush cleaner also turn the compressor up high and give the tips a good blow out (do not use wire in them)
- Brickie
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Re: Diagnose my Airbrush woes!
I tried it with a brand new needle as well, as I wondered if I'd bent it or something.syd-baines wrote:sounds like you could have a bit of dried paint on the needle tip you need to take the needle out and give it a good clean but be careful not to bend it i usually use zero airbrush cleaner also turn the compressor up high and give the tips a good blow out (do not use wire in them)
Thought I had some little wire brushes somewhere, or indeed some little plastic interdental toothbrushes, but alas neither are to be found...
"If you can fly a Sopwith Camel, you can fly anything!"
A 7 | 12 B
A 7 | 12 B
- iggie
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Re: Diagnose my Airbrush woes!
I've had similar experiences with 'cheap' airbrushes; not thinning the paint enough turned out to be the cause in my case....
spluttering, and only getting any spray whilst working the needle in and out (as you describe) were exactly the symptoms I had
spluttering, and only getting any spray whilst working the needle in and out (as you describe) were exactly the symptoms I had
Best wishes
Jim
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Jim
If you can walk away from a landing, it's a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it's an outstanding landing
"Never put off till tomorrow, what you can do the day after tomorrow"
- Brickie
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Re: Diagnose my Airbrush woes!
I definitely had an incident of under-thinned paint a while back (some vallejo model air that turned out to have thickened a bit in the bottle), but it's just weird that I can't find any trace of a blockage now, and it won't even spray pure thinners.
"If you can fly a Sopwith Camel, you can fly anything!"
A 7 | 12 B
A 7 | 12 B
- fredk
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Re: Diagnose my Airbrush woes!
I had a similar problem. It was a microscopic bit of dried paint
Al speling misteaks aer all mi own werk..
Its not just how good your painting is, its how good the touch-ups are too.
Its not just how good your painting is, its how good the touch-ups are too.
- TobyC
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Re: Diagnose my Airbrush woes!
I use a sonic bath when paint gets really ingrained. Always sorts the problem out.
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