Iwata Neo advice

[aka1878]

Hi all,

 

Just a quick question; can I put a 0.2mm nozzle and needle in a Neo?  I struggle to get very fine lines with the 0,35 that's in there so rather than a new brush thought about a new needle!

 

thanks in advance

Andrew

[little-cars]

No, the Neo smallest is a 0.35mm ,  if you want 0.2mm  you have to either go up to an Iwata B+ in the Iwata range. The cheapest 0.2mm is the H&S Ultra at £62.

 

http://www.modellingtools.co.uk/harder--steenbeck-ultra-solo-airbrush---02mm-nozzle-set-and-2ml-paint-cup-3702-p.asp

 

Paul 

[aka1878]

The internals on these things aren't interchangeable then?  Shame...

Is there a discernible difference between the .2 and .35 or would I just be frittering away money?

[little-cars]

The H&S 0.2mm nozzle set has the range of about 13mm down to 1mm width.

The H&S 0.15mm is 10mm to about 0.5mm width.

 

Paul

[GPBooth]

Paul's recommendation of the H&S Ultra is a good one.  I don't know about the pricing in the UK, but you might also check out the Sparmax SP-20X, which also has a 0.2mm nozzle.  Sparmax does a lot of subcontracted work for other manufacturers (cough *Iwata* cough) so their products are of very good quality, and the pricing is probably similar to the H&S.

 

I'd be interested, though, to know what parameters you're using when trying to spray fine lines with your Neo (ie: pressure, paint, thinning ratio, distance from subject). I've had a Neo CN since they came out.  I originally bought it because it was inexpensive and I was curious, but it's quickly become my "go-to" airbrush for general purpose painting and even when I'm too lazy to drag out my HP-B or -C+.  With some acrylics - Tamiya and GSI - and solvent-based paints I've found that I can get some pretty fine, repeatable, consistent lines with it. Using lower pressures (approx .5 bar), and removing the needle cap, I can work down to below 1mm, so it is capable of spraying very "small" if you need it to.

[aka1878]

My equipment isn't that flash to be honest and so don't have variable pressure on my compressor as it's just a cheap number.  Life commitments mean I don't get to spend the time doing this that I would like so I can't really justify spending lots of money on my equipment, but having said that, if I was able to find a cost effective compressor then I might consider it if it gave me more control.

 

Paints wise, I use a bit of a mish mash, but mostly Vallejo and Tamiya although I have just picked up some Gunze to see what they're like - primarily because I thought the Vallejo RLM colours were far too samey and didn't really reflect the original paint chips very well - but also because I find the results with Vallejo variable.  I generally mix 2:1 paint to thinner on the Vallejo and then 1:1 on Tamiya.  Tamiyas paints are my favourite to paint with but I find the colour mixing process a little tedious sometimes - this is coming down to the amount of time I have to spend on my hobby - and end up going to the good ol ready mix Vallejo!

 

As for spraying distance, it varies, but it doesn't seem to make much of a difference as to whether I'm an inch or a mile from the plastic, I end up with a wide spray pattern.

 

Any suggestions would be welcome!

 

Andrew

[Dads203]

The compressor is more important than most people give it credit for, spraying fine lines is about the correct pressure from the comp and correctly thinned paints, a tank is good option to reduce pulsing. If you can't accurately control pressure then you'll struggle in getting consistent fine lines.

 

Distance from the model is also another factor, when I'm spraying tight cam schemes then the needle is a few mm away from the surface of the model, in the past I've bent the tip on my airbrush as it's touched the models surface whilst spraying. 

 

Different paints spray differently so one set up for Tamiya paints will not be optimised for Vallejo paints and even different colours from the same manufacturer as the pigments vary can throw the setup slightly.

 

Have a play at around with pressures and thining ratios as I think you'll find you can tune your setup even more.  A 0.2 needle might give you a few issues with spraying Vallejo, that's what I found in the past with my Iwata CMC airbrush with a 0.23 needle, it really doesn't like Vallejo that much. 

 

I would look look at a Iwata Revolution with a 0.3 needle if you are thinking about upgrading your brush and you'll find it light years ahead of your Neo setup.

 

http://howtoairbrush.com/airbrush-paint-and-air-pressure/

 

http://howtoairbrush.com/distance-determines-results/

 

Dan 

[Darby]

I've used a Neo with 0.35 for s few years now and get Luftwaffe squiggle and Italian smoke ring without problem. I've even sprayed a stripe perch pattern on 3/4'' Devon minnow lures. As above comments it's about the correct equation with compressors, pressures, distances and mixes. For fine lines I use enamels thinned, low pressure and get close to the subject. Practice this on an old model and see how you get on.

[aka1878]

Sounds like I need a better compressor - I think this is what they invented Black Friday for...

Thanks for the advice everyone!

[Gremlin56]

Agree completely with Dan and Darby, pressure, paint thinning and distance are more important than nozzle. You will probably have less problems with a .3 nozzle too.

Check out the Badger Krome and their new Extreme Patriot, both lovely bits of kit.