"Airbrushing trouble." Topic

Hi

I am new to airbrushing and am having some issues. The biggest issue is that after about twenty minutes the paint stops flowing. I get plenty of air but no paint.

I have my paint thinned to a milky consistency and Ive taken it apart several times and gave it a good cleaning. Still no paint comes out. Ive even just tried to flush it out with straight water and nothing comes out.

Ive been using a variety of hobby paints (vallejo, craft paint etc.)

What is my problem?

Chuck

What kind of a brush do you have ?

Did you strip it down completely and clean the needle ?

The last time a did a big priming session the paint was sticking to the front causing clogging, I won't let that happen again now I know ….

John

You've been blowing craft paint through an airbrush nozzle. Large pigment particles. My guess is your nozzle is clogged. In other words, there is enough space for the needle to pass through the nozzle, but nothing else.

Nozzles are tough to clean. You could leave it in SimpleGreen or other cleaner overnight, and then try to clear out the gunk with the needle itself in the morning.

???

Break down the brush and place the nozzle, nozzle cap, etc., in a shot glass with lacquer thinner.

Wait a few minutes and then clean with a pipecleaner/cotton swab combination. Allow to air dry.

Do Not use the tip – or any part – of the needle to clean anything!

Scratching/denting/taking the Needle out of true alignment will cause the spray pattern to be off center and ruin your work not to mention having to replace the needle.

Does sound like the culprit is your paint choice. Do a full clean and switch to dedicated ab paints, due to the as noted pigment issue.

I ran a thin piece of brass wire through the nozzle and pushed out some goop. That should do the trick.

Ive tried the Valejo air paints and had the same problem.

Chuck

what are you thinning with
and
what pressure are you using

the paint could be drying faster than it's spraying

what are you thinning with
and
what pressure are you using

the paint could be drying faster than it's spraying

Ive tried a variety of thinners. There was a guy on youtube that did nice work with an airbrush. He thinned with Windex. One of the guys in my gaming group uses Liquitex Flow Aid. I was using Flow Aid today.

Ive been keeping my pressure between 30 and 40psi. No good?

Good point: you could be getting tip dry and then build up esp. if the paint is sitting in the color cup for 20 minutes.

Windex is a good cleaner but prolonged use as a thinner can remove the plating in the color cup (its the ammonia content)

The goal is always to thin the paint where the spray pattern can be obtained at the lowest pressure possible. I thin Vallejo (Model Air) 60:40 (paint to thinner) and spray at 20psi.

Acrylics dry very fast: high pressure simply speeds the process.

Thanks Joe

Im new to airbrushing and can use all the tips I can get. I bought a starter set off Amazon last year with three airbrushes and a compressor. Not the best but they are something I can learn with until I can afford better.

What is your experience with spraying indoors? I dont have a hood or anything. Ive only been spraying out in the garage. With a Wisconsin winter coming Id like to be able to work indoors.

I got some really good tips about airbrushing from web searches

Look for a walk through strip down and cleaning. You should not have to push a piece of wire through the nozzle.

Run some cleaner (rubbing alcohol) through the brush to check that it is flowing. With the double action brush you should be able to get air and no alcohol coming out, and then air and alcohol when you press down, and then just air when you stop pushing down.

There are lots of things that can go wrong. Once the needle or nozzle is messed up you are pretty much done until you replace them.

The main value of ab paint is to learn the right paint dilution

John

Very wise words from John.

Definitely get a spray booth, or make one. Both for your long term health and the smell.

"What is your experience with spraying indoors? I dont have a hood or anything. Ive only been spraying out in the garage. With a Wisconsin winter coming Id like to be able to work indoors."

The only time I spray outdoors is if the object won't fit in the Spray Booth. My booth is 3' on the diagonal.

Outside, in a garage, you're still dealing with unwanted air currents, dust and particulates. Normally, this will force you to get the needle tip closer to the object than desired.

Years ago, when I lived in Kenosha in an apt. I used a scratch built booth / exhaust fan combo that I mounted in a Window. I know winters there can be brutal.

Now, quality portable spray booths are readily available:

link

Airbrushing can become like any 'hobby': expensive! Take your time with it and avoid the temptation to rush out and buy 'everything'.

Start slow and avoid the desire to paint models or hobby related items.

Instead: cut up some thin sheet plastic into 3" x 5" cards. Prime them with cheap Wal Mart Gray Primer. Don't use paper or cardstock as the paint will bleed.

Now, practice spraying a simple straight line of paint on the cards. Vary the width of the line and keep practicing. Once you've mastered straight lines try circles and dots. Again, vary the width.

When you can do these three, on demand at set widths of your choice you can basically airbrush any model with confidence.

Mottling and Camouflage are advanced skills but it all comes back to being able to paint a straight line, circle or dot – exactly where you want them.

More thoughts: organization of your spray area (portable or permanent) is important especially when you are just starting out.

You want to have all the required tools and equipment at hand: cotton swabs, thinner, cleaning solution, paint, nozzle wrench (if required), etc. Ensure you have adequate light in the room where you will be working.

This way you can concentrate on the spraying/painting and when finished break down the airbrush and clean it.

As an example, this pic. shows the spray booth area of my shop: the booth is covered to keep out dust. I prefer to spray standing up so all I have to do is turn slightly to my left or right to get anything I need for the current project.

This guy's site was really helpful to me when I started out:
link

And finding a video on youtube of someone breaking down and cleaning the particular brush I have helped me learn a lot of things I had missed.

This guy's site was really helpful to me when I started out:
link

And finding a video on youtube of someone breaking down and cleaning the particular brush I have helped me learn a lot of things I had missed.

Yes – Don's site – that was what I used to get going – highly recommend

John

Thanks for the link