Oh PJ!

[Gern]

I got my grandson PJ an A/B set up at home a few weeks ago. He's got a H&S Ultra A/B which is a nice enough bit of kit. A week after he started using it, he brought it to me saying it wasn't spraying properly. On close examination he'd broken the tip of the nozzle by forcing the needle too hard against it. I got him a replacement and got things working again.

Yesterday, he brought it back with some problems which I fear may be terminal.

Firstly, the paint cup no longer fits tightly into the body of the A/B. In fact it wobbles about and falls out with the slightest touch. I suspect he's been heavy handed again and I cant think of a fix for it. Any suggestions? Would a couple of turns of PTFE tape do the trick?

Secondly, he told me the trigger just 'fell out' one day when he was cleaning it, so I thought he'd not tightened the trigger retaining nut tightly enough, so that was an easy fix.

Finally, he gets air bubbles around the trigger mechanism when spraying. I noticed there was no friction when pushing the needle through the area where the rear seal should be. I suspected that the rear seal had failed so I tried to remove it and check it for damage.
I have one of those seal removal tools, but when I tried to remove the seal, I couldn't get the end of the tool to engage with the seal locking cap. Is there any way the seal and locking cap could have come loose and fallen out if he'd been fiddling around with it? He doesn't have that special gadget used to remove the seal.

Should these problems actually be terminal, can anyone recommend a bomb-proof A/B, bearing in mind that PJ is clumsy enough to break ball bearings!

[LeytonO]

Blimey, don't think they make anything PJ proof by the sounds of it
Just get him a rattle can

[rtfoe]

Get him a Badger 150... the older model if you can still find it. Badger specifically made these for modelers I think. Very robust and old school. I've had mine close to 40 odd years now...looks grizzly but works fine.

Cheers,
Wabble

[stillp]

Just get him a rattle can

But stand well back!
Pete

[rtfoe]

Waaay back!
Wabble

[Gern]

Just get him a rattle can

He tried one once. Good job he was about 15 feet away from anything else! He wasn't too happy about how long it took him to clean his hands either!

[Gern]

I've had a look at some A/Bs. Lots of them have a tiny nozzle which needs to be undone with a spanner. I can't see those lasting more than 5 minutes before he strips the threads or splits the nozzle.

The ones which have larger nozzles would suit him better. I looked at Iwata brushes which have an excellent reputation for build quality, but they're out of PJs price reach.

I think his best option is a H&S Evolution. It has the larger nozzle, plus the paint cup screws on rather than being a friction fit so he's less likely to damage the fit through excess force.

I've got an Evolution which I'll let him try under supervision and see how he gets on with it.

Whatever happens, he's not going to be a happy bunny having to buy a new A/B - he's only had the Ultra to use on his own for two weeks. Up until then I was watching him and making sure he was being careful.

[Gern]

I've had another thought. I've seen some A/Bs where the paint cup is permanently fixed (Solder or welding?) to the body. All the ones I've seen though have a tiny nozzle which has to be removed with a spanner. Do any of them have a 'floating' nozzle similar to the H&S A/Bs?

[OldWalrus]

A bit late to the party, but would an Iwata Eclipse fit the bill? There are two models: BS & CS, both with fixed cups small or large and both with a compression (floating) nozzle.
They are not cheap, but there are a few good deals available from a quick internet search.

[Tim Marlow]

A bit late to the party, but would an Iwata Eclipse fit the bill? There are two models: BS & CS, both with fixed cups small or large and both with a compression (floating) nozzle.
They are not cheap, but there are a few good deals available from a quick internet search.

There is also an SBS model, which I have. Very robust and very easy to clean…..

[OldWalrus]

There is also an SBS model, which I have. Very robust and very easy to clean…..

Hadn't seen that one so did a search, very nice.
I've got a couple of coventionally (?) nozzled Iwata airbrushes where you just need to be a bit more wary when cleaning, but it's still easy.

[Tim Marlow]

Hadn't seen that one so did a search, very nice.
I've got a couple of coventionally (?) nozzled Iwata airbrushes where you just need to be a bit more wary when cleaning, but it's still easy.

Mine is hot rodded with a different tail assembly. There is a thread on here somewhere….i can strip it in less than 15 seconds…..

[OldWalrus]

I was a bit overawed when first entering the world of airbrushing, but reading the instructions and some good YouTube videos sorted that out. Ditching the awful bargain basement airbrush also helped, it was a perfect example of "buy cheap, buy twice" & as for the compressor....I can't even remember the brand.

[LeytonO]

I have an Eclipse CS and the suction type BCS which is probably even more foolproof.
Both have the floating one piece nozzle and seem to be very durable, 0.3 nozzle in the CS and 0.5 in the BCS.