Airbrush Issues

[LSP_Kevin]

13 minutes ago, denders said:

Don't draw any blood.  It's really pointy.

 

Jeez, I do enough damage just with the needle! Believe it or not, I lubricate the needle after cleaning it by rubbing it on my forehead - and have the scars to prove it!

Kev

[denders]

 Well, there's the Iwata grease in the little tubes, Paasche has a light oil, and there's Badger REGDAB Needle Juice. I've actually stopped putting any of that on the needle. I just sort of got the idea that the lubricant was causing problems with the acrylic paint.

[D.B. Andrus]

Hey Kev

 

I assume that the conical nut at the rear of the airbrush that holds the needle is actually holding the needle tightly. If not, it'll not draw the needle back when you pull back on the trigger to feed paint spray.

 

I get the spongy/sticky feeling with the trigger when the rubber bushing to the air supply gets a load of lacquer thinner on it when cleaning. The thinner causes it to swell and get weird until it thoroughly dries.

 

Have used my HP-B w/ .2 mm needle for 30+ years with no other than user caused problems.

 

HTH,

Damian

[LSP_Kevin]

Thanks everybody for your comments and advice so far - all much appreciated! The smart money with the Iwata issue has always been on it being a blockage in the nozzle. Now that I've given it an overnight bath in acetone, I decided to reassemble the airbrush for testing, and I started with a test-fit of the needle into the nozzle - and lo & behold, a small chunk of detritus did indeed get pushed out the end! And after a quick round of testing, I can confirm that the airbrush's performance has improved. Instead of having to pull the needle nearly halfway back along its travel to initiate paint flow, it's now somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4 - so less than half the previous distance. So while much improved, that's not a 100% fix yet, so when my nozzle reamer arrives tomorrow, I'll be endeavouring to remove what must be some remaining material in the nozzle itself.

 

One final point about the Iwata: I've known for some time that the quick release fitting I use with it is a bit leaky, so I did an A/B test with and without it attached, and I definitely get slightly better performance going direct. I've got a replacement quick connect adapter on its way (proper Iwata one this time), so that should at least take that variable out of the equation - and stop the compressor coming on every 2 seconds when I'm using it!

 

I still have to do some more testing with the Evolution to see where it's at, so that's the next job.

 

Kev

[TankBuster]

Hi, I flush my Iwatas with acetone and tamiya airbrush cleaner after every use and between colors, I will strip down when trigger gets stuck, not very often, and clean needle and nozzle I also use the fine airbrush brush made by Tamiya and wet it with airbrush cleaner and put in front of airbrush up to the seal to clean it out, heaps of paint comes out on brush and in cleaner, then I flush with acetone. After this airbrush works fine, nozzel is also soaked in airbrush cleaner as are nozzle caps. Cheers.

[LSP_Kevin]

A bit of good advice I've had from a number of sources is that it's probably worth just replacing both the needle and nozzle on the Iwata. Both are original in my case, and probably due for a change. I can't see anything wrong with either, but that doesn't mean neither has a problem, even if it's jut a bit of wear and tear contributing to sub-optimal performance. As much as I prefer the performance of the Iwata, so far, the H&S Evolution has been much easier to maintain!

 

Kev

[Woody V]

I have one of those Iwata cleaning kits, but it didn't include one of these. I actually made one from the H&S brand one.

Where did you get this?

[denders]

Amazon. Search airbrush parts and accessories. It may be included with "Cleaning sets" but I think I found it as a single item too. And, no, it didn't come with my Iwata set, I just have it stored in the case.

[LSP_Kevin]

The one I ordered is from Amazon, as part of a small set that includes reaming wires and brushes. It's ABEST brand, which ironically is the same as the $24 airbrush I bought last year, but never used until yesterday! While I was on a roll with the airbrushes, I decided it was time I actually pulled the thing out and use it. Apart from the hose not fitting properly without a quick connect adaptor in middle, it actually sprayed OK! Very cheap feeling, though, which I guess is not really surprising. Oddly, the packaging doesn't tell me what the needle/nozzle size is, so I have no idea. It's either 0.2, 0.3, or 0.5, as that's what the empty checkboxes on packaging say.

Kev

[LSP_Kevin]

According to my Amazon order, the ABEST airbrush is 0.3, so probably OK as a dedicated gun for primers etc. Still need to test my 2 unused DragonAir units!

 

Kev

[TankBuster]

16 hours ago, Woody V said:

I have one of those Iwata cleaning kits, but it didn't include one of these. I actually made one from the H&S brand one.

Where did you get this?

Hi , I ordered one yesterday from amazon au it was $9 Aus delivered, I searched for Iwata reamer and 2 or 3 came up in the list, sold by Abest and I would say its coming from China. Cheers.

[LSP_Kevin]

17 hours ago, TankBuster said:

Hi , I ordered one yesterday from amazon au it was $9 Aus delivered, I searched for Iwata reamer and 2 or 3 came up in the list, sold by Abest and I would say its coming from China. Cheers.

 

Same one I bought, which arrived today. Haven't used it yet, but I have been warned to be careful with it, as it can wreck the inside of the nozzle pretty quickly. Some commenters even warned me off using it at all. I'll give it a gentle try, though.

Kev

[Furie]

Hi Kev, actually you have to go gently with this tool, and you just have to put your tip in contact with the nozzle, without pressing then turn gently to remove the residue of dried paint.
That’s why I advised you and put the links of the needles which are perfectly calibrated for the diameter of the nozzle and allow to clean it without damaging it.

[Woody V]

2 hours ago, Furie said:

Hi Kev, actually you have to go gently with this tool, and you just have to put your tip in contact with the nozzle, without pressing then turn gently to remove the residue of dried paint.

 

That's absolutely correct. The tip of the nozzle is incredibly thin, something I found out the hard way because I managed to deform one with a reamer. I had a nozzle clogged with what appeared to be lint and using the needle to remove it only pressed the clog tighter to the wall of the nozzle. Careful use of a reamer was the only way to scrape the clog off. 

I also stopped using paper towels to clean my airbrush cup and switched to these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09TSM852Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[TankBuster]

Hi, I will be super carefull with mine, I use a sharpened toothpick at the moment and gently poke it through the nozzel hole and twist around gently this usually does the job. Cheers.

On 11/3/2023 at 4:12 PM, LSP_Kevin said:

 

Same one I bought, which arrived today. Haven't used it yet, but I have been warned to be careful with it, as it can wreck the inside of the nozzle pretty quickly. Some commenters even warned me off using it at all. I'll give it a gentle try, though.

Kev