| Airbrushes are really hard to work with,
aren't they? It would be interesting to see what brand everyone uses, but regardless of
the brand, until you use them a lot it can be difficult to troubleshoot your problems.
Here's a quickie guide that may help: If the paint comes out with difficulty, it may be too thick. Or the little air hole at the top of the bottle may be clogged (for those who use bottle feed). Or there may be a booger inside the bottle tube or the airbrush itself. If the airbrush "gulps" it is probably that the head assembly isn't tight enough. Pulsing or gulping is fairly hard to pin down but this is the most likely reason. (It can also be internal, a gasket or something) If the paint shows up as visible particles instead of a fine "mist", it is either too thick, the pressure is too low or a combination of these. I spray at between 35 and 40 psi usually. Those little compressors sometimes don't get up quite this high. For our work, you need a compressor with a good regulator valve. If the paint runs, it is too thin, or you are putting too much on at one time, or the pressure could be too high. If you are getting random "spits" that are thicker than the surrounding paint, and you can see them go on, either the needle is bent, the nozzle (or cone) is worn/frayed or the paint needs straining. Usually if the little spits seem not to be within the area you are painting, but instead fly off to the side, it is the needle or nozzle. If they happen within the spray area, it is probably the paint. I have begun to strain the paint, even when it is being actively used. They make little strainers, with varying meshes, and I use an 80 mesh. That's eighty little holes per square inch. You would be surprised at the little boogers that accumulate in the bottom of the bottle, even in a closed bottle that has been strained before! Some colors are worse than others. Always order extra needle and nozzle (or cone) assemblies when you can, because it is that late night spraying session just before the big show when your cone will be too frayed to paint! You can check this by removing the outer assembly, and holding a new cone up to the old one for comparison. If the old head is much larger, or shows a raggedness (and it doesn't take much!!) then the cone is worn. Replace it. Unless the needle is bent, you can continue to use it. After a painting session, remove your airbrush if you can, from the hose, and loosen the needle by turning the little knob at the back slightly and pulling the needle inward a little bit. Then place it in a jar, or whatever, and fill with water to cover up past the hole where the paint goes in. Don't fill the whole jar up, water in the part behind the trigger isn't necessary. If you can't take your airbrush off easily, then do the same thing but while it is attached, and make sure the jar won't just fall over with the weight of the hose. Also, it is better not to get the hose wet. H-R sprays the inside of their airbrushes with WD40. If your trigger is sticking, you may want to do this too, but you will then want to run water and paint through it to make sure no WD40 gets into your paint!!! Airbrushes can be difficult creatures, and sometimes they just go on strike. Walk away, then come back later and a) clean it thoroughly b) check the needle and nozzle c) make sure everything is tight d) make sure your paint is thin enough, and strained, and the bottle tube and hole are clean and e) think positive thoughts. Joanie |
