Now what am I doing wrong?!

[stona]

I'm glad you've got it sorted Dave. These things can be very frustrating. A nozzle failing or splitting in that area is not something I've seen before (and is obviously difficult to see in any case!). We all live and learn.


Cheers


Steve

[stona]

I often take the needle out and spray cleaner through the open nozzle. It is only the same as spraying with the the needle full back plus a bit

Me too, every time I flush a brush I remove the needle so that I can wipe the bottom of the paint cup and then spray a little thinners through the open nozzle as I replace the needle.


You can only do this if you are prepared to remove and replace the needle from the back, something I've always done, despite dire and pointless warnings by some not to do so


Cheers


Steve

[Guest]

Great stuff Dave, all a matter of elimination. I often take the needle out and spray cleaner through the open nozzle. It is only the same as spraying with the the needle full back plus a bit

Me too, although I generally just draw the needle clear of the paint cup. Like Steve says, it makes wiping the cup easier.

[Steve Brodie]

A bit pointless as its now fixed, but i was going with nozzle, i tried cleaning mine with a reamer and couldnt understand why no paint was coming through, needle pushed through all ok - until i took it along to SMW 2015 and the good guys at Airbrush heaven spotted - a) needle was bent and b) i had opened up the nozzle so when pulling the needle back it was still blocking the tip!!. Fantastic things when they work but nightmares when they dont. I liken it to playing golf, you can hit a perfect ball, set back up again and whump, sideways into a bush - but you have done nothing different !!!!, stupid game i gave up !

[Guest]

Came late to this. When I had huge blockages some time ago (not your eventually discovered problem) I am pretty sure the cause was lumps of paint in the paint bottle (Vallejo Model Air) which I eventually saw making their way in to the cup. I now pour the paint into a small gutter (curved styrene sheet) to catch the blighters when they make their way down.

[Guest]

A bit pointless as its now fixed, but i was going with nozzle, i tried cleaning mine with a reamer and couldnt understand why no paint was coming through, needle pushed through all ok - until i took it along to SMW 2015 and the good guys at Airbrush heaven spotted - a) needle was bent and b) i had opened up the nozzle so when pulling the needle back it was still blocking the tip!!. Fantastic things when they work but nightmares when they dont. I liken it to playing golf, you can hit a perfect ball, set back up again and whump, sideways into a bush - but you have done nothing different !!!!, stupid game i gave up !

As I have mentioned else where, I now try to avoid airbrushing when I can by using spray cans, for example primer (Halfords) and, when needed, Tamiya Synthetic Lacquer (TS range). Nothing to do after applying the paint and no fiddling with bits. And no blockages nor uneven spray.

[Steve Brodie]

It does seem to take longer to clean at the end of a session than the actual enjoyment of spraying the model.

[stona]

It does seem to take longer to clean at the end of a session than the actual enjoyment of spraying the model.

I just timed running half a paint cup of white spirits through the brush and withdrawing the needle, followed by a wipe of the paint cup, then half a paint cup of cellulose thinners with a back flush and putting the needle back in, finally another half cup of white spirits. It's all I ever do between colours, and it takes about two minutes.


It's all I ever do to clean my brushes except for an occasional disassembly and deep clean. I do this if the brush stops working properly or about every six months, whichever comes first.


Obviously this only works for enamel type paints.


Cheers


Steve

[BarryW]

Graham.


From another angle... what is your source of air?


Perhaps the problem is pulsing from a compressor or a weak flow from an air can. Your description of how the water flows through might suggest an air problem.

[Steve Brodie]

I just timed running half a paint cup of white spirits through the brush and withdrawing the needle, followed by a wipe of the paint cup, then half a paint cup of cellulose thinners with a back flush and putting the needle back in, finally another half cup of white spirits. It's all I ever do between colours, and it takes about two minutes.
It's all I ever do to clean my brushes except for an occasional disassembly and deep clean. I do this if the brush stops working properly or about every six months, whichever comes first.


Obviously this only works for enamel type paints.


Cheers


Steve

How far do you pull out the needle. take it not past the air valve, just past the paint inlet ?

[stona]

How far do you pull out the needle. take it not past the air valve, just past the paint inlet ?

I take it all the way out, but you don't have to. I give it a little smear of WD 40 before replacing it. You do have to be careful doing this from the back of the brush as it would not be difficult to bend the needle tip. With my Iwata brushes the needle goes back in very easily with a little care and you soon get the hang of it.


Cheers


Steve

[Guest]

Graham.
From another angle... what is your source of air?


Perhaps the problem is pulsing from a compressor or a weak flow from an air can. Your description of how the water flows through might suggest an air problem.

Sorry Barry, it was Dave who had the problem which has now been rectified, damaged nozzle, as per post #13

[Guest]

I take it all the way out, but you don't have to. I give it a little smear of WD 40 before replacing it. You do have to be careful doing this from the back of the brush as it would not be difficult to bend the needle tip. With my Iwata brushes the needle goes back in very easily with a little care and you soon get the hang of it.
Cheers


Steve

I also pull and push back from the back of the AB. Harder and Steenbeck (who made my AB) advised me to do that "because the end of the needle [non- pointed end] has stamped on it a code giving the size of the needle, and putting that through the seal in the middle of the AB might damage that seal" (or similar words). Under a magnifying glass the stamping process seems to be a mechanical stamp (like in an industrial steel forge) which seems to displace metal up, and if so, that raised metal could scratch the seal.


The argument that I have heard for pulling and pushing back from the front is that paint cannot be dragged through the seal and therefore into the rear part of the AB.

[BarryW]

Sorry Barry, it was Dave who had the problem which has now been rectified, damaged nozzle, as per post #13

That teaches me to post on my phone..... sorry about confusion.

[Guest]

That teaches me to post on my phone..... sorry about confusion.

No worries Barry lol