"Looking to move up in the Airbrush world" Topic

I've been using an Iwata HP CS for 7 or 8 years now. I mainly paint 15mm. Lots of WW2 tank camo. While its been a good airbrush, I'm looking to step up my game with something even better. What would you guys consider a "Step up"? I'm looking at a harder & steenbeck new evolution CR plus, but I'm willing for guys with experience to steer me in another direction.

You've already got one of the top line airbrushes, TSD101. About the only "step up" you could make, that I can think of, is one with changeable needle & seat sets, to allow more variation in spray size, and screw-on cups so that you can pick a cup for the amount of paint you need.

I don't know what you have available in the US, but Badger, Sparmax, Paasche or Iwata should all have something like the AB134B ( link ) from Runway 13.

Well, one of the reasons I was thinking of getting a new airbrush is that I am wondering if mine is simply wearing out after a near decade of use (I got mine gently used). I'm not getting quite the same results as a few years ago, and frequently suffering dry tip issues and clogs. Mostly using hobby airbrush paints and thinned Vallejo. I clean with those tiny pipe brushes and cotton swabs with airbrush cleaner and it LOOKS clean, but I'm wondering if there's paint build up somewhere I cannot see.

I'm wondering if its safe to disassemble and run through my ultrasonic cleaner and if that would help.

As long as you don't use an ammonia-based cleaner then it should be fine to give it a bath. There's places where even the thinnest pipe-cleaners and brushes can't go, so there could be some paint clogging in the nozzle. I haven't played with an Iwata, but if there's any 'O' rings used have a look at them, too. They go hard after a while and may not be sealing properly.

Paint drying on the tip when using acrylics is just a fact of life, at least for me. I tried all the "fixes" scale model sites suggest- lowering air pressure, thinning the paint more, etc, but it still happened. I tried a retarder once. It worked so well that the paint wouldn't dry at all, and I had to strip it off using IPA.

I'm thinking 99% water and a cap full of simple green might do it. Label doesn't list ammonia.

That should do the trick, mate. It might help to give it a half hour soak before arcing up the cleaner. Dried paint can be nearly indestructible- unless it's on a model or a mini.