no-name airbrush identification

[Radek]

Hi

A friend found this airbrush in some dark closet and gave it to me as he figured I'd have more use of it. Want to order some new seals and try it out, but there is no engraving on it. And the friend can't remember what make or model it is. Shame to throw it away so perhaps someone here recognises it? I know there are hundreds of these china airbrushes out there but perhaps it's a copy of a more well known brand? Hoping new seals then will be compatible.

Cheers

 

 

 

Edited March 31, 2017 by Radek

[old thumper]

It does look like a cheap Chinese one. If so then I don't think it would be worth buying seals for, you could probably buy a new one for about the same cost.

[malpaso]

Does it actually need new seals?  Why not just try it out?

[Radek]

Thumper, you might be right. Shame though as it looks almost unused.

 

Malpaso, yes. One is damaged and looks very dry. I suppose I could try a makeshift repair.

 

Thanks guys

[mollythedog]

Cheap airbrushes are much denigrated-sometimes with justification,often not. I have several now and rarely use my Iwatas,finding the £15 ones far better. Yes, really. 

If you can find a supplier in your locale look for a set of seals for the Veda range-they sell their seals in small sets-cheap and they work,chances are you'll find one in the set in the size you need. 

Bartsharp in England sell them for £3.99, got to be worth a try . No connection,just bought them and know they work.

 

HTH

 

mtd

[Bangor Lad]

I agree with mtd. I have several different airbrushes across a wide range of prices and to be honest I get on best with some at the cheaper end of the scale. I suppose the benefit of investing in a top notch model is that you should get a longer life and better support in spares etc. but it always depends on how much you want or can afford to spend and how much use. 

Cheers

[old thumper]

The trouble with the cheaper ones is the seals don't like strong solvents like alclad II thinners.

[mollythedog]

You could well be right on this. I use mine for acrylics, Vallejo mostly,and as long as they are kept clean and were of decent manufacture to start with, work trouble free.  I doubt most "average" users would tell the difference. But when I did spray Alclad I'll admit it was with an Iwata (or Rich Pen,even "better" IMHO). Vallejo do some pretty good metallics that might work better on a cheap'un. But clean clean clean after if you don't want metal flakes in your ESDG for months after.....

[old thumper]

I use enamels only and have had a number of these cheap airbrushes. While they work they work fine, but the solvents used with enamel paints always rot the rubber seals in the end.

[dragonlanceHR]

Radek,

 

check out this video, some good advice is given. But unlike the person in the video, I would wait for seals to go before replacing them with beeswax.

 

Vedran

 

 

[Radek]

2 hours ago, dragonlanceHR said:

Radek,

 

check out this video, some good advice is given. But unlike the person in the video, I would wait for seals to go before replacing them with beeswax.

 

Vedran, I have seen that video, but still, thank you. That guy has some great advice.

As for the cheap vs expensive airbrushes: I do not doubt the more expensive airbrushes have better surface finish and pure silicone seals. Though considering results only, I'm biased towards the cheaper ones. 

My only other airbrush is a Sim-air sp-35c. (Same things as the sparmax sp-35) definetly on the cheaper end of the scale. I couple that to a small simple compressor that does not have a tank. It did take me awhile to get a hang of things, learn mixing ratios for gunze paints, what solvents to use and how thick/thin to apply the paint. At times I was sure I had chosen the wrong path and should have bought proper and more expensive equipment to start with. But now, even though I have yet to try a premium brand airbrush I don't find myself limited in any way. So far I can get my setup to do anything I want it to.

For those starting out I would still recommend to get the best they can afford. If only for the peace of mind that it's not their equipment that is lacking

Have yet to find an evening to test this no-name airbrush but many thanks for all the replies.

[rayprit]

On 01/04/2017 at 5:52 AM, mollythedog said:

Cheap airbrushes are much denigrated-sometimes with justification,often not. I have several now and rarely use my Iwatas,finding the £15 ones far better. Yes, really. 

If you can find a supplier in your locale look for a set of seals for the Veda range-they sell their seals in small sets-cheap and they work,chances are you'll find one in the set in the size you need. 

Bartsharp in England sell them for £3.99, got to be worth a try . No connection,just bought them and know they work.

 

HTH

 

mtd

 

Same here, I have several airbrushes and find the cheapest to be the best...........

[dragonlanceHR]

Hey, I'm also a proud Sparmax owner (my DH-103 is now 10+ yrs old and recently a DH-825). These are quality tools and well priced.

I use a home made compressor for decades (fridge compressor, 2 liter air bottle from an old fire extinguisher - used to have a bigger one from a truck pressure system; pressure switch from a water hydropack, pressure regulator+filter).

 

In your place, Radek, I would upgrade the compressor with a tank and a pressure switch, Sparmax sells a set (tank, pressure switch and cables/fittings) to upgrade their tankless compressors, but other brands could be upgraded too.

 

You get a wider range of pressures/airflow to play with.

 

Vedran

 

 

 

[old thumper]

This stuff can be used to replace seals.

 

Edited April 3, 2017 by old thumper

[Radek]

Vedran

 

Never tried using a tank. Haven't been bothered by the pulsating as I paint finer detail with a very low opacity. Only build 1/72 and still it's enough. My only issue is that at the very low pressures I use, the regulator becomes very sensitive. You think a tank would help with this? If so I should definetly try one.

 

 

Thumper

I'll try some thread lock.

[dragonlanceHR]

Radek,

 

if pulsating is no problem, you might look into getting an aditional finer pressure regulator meant for lower pressures. Possibly something used in pneumatic jigs, f.eg.look in Festo catalogue.

 

The advantage of the tank is that, beside eliminating the pulsation, the compressor doesn't work all the time, thereby increasing it's lifespan.

 

Vedran

 

[Radek]

Thank you vedran.

 

Think I'l order that sparmax 2.5L extra tank. Guessing their regulator will be better than mine. Needing is one thing, buying new stuff for the fun of testing it, is another  

[colin]

Be careful with using thread lock on the nozzel, it doesn't take much force to shear that fine thread

[rayprit]

2 hours ago, colin said:

Be careful with using thread lock on the nozzel, it doesn't take much force to shear that fine thread

 

As Colin mentioned.    This product, does just what it says on the label

[old thumper]

3 hours ago, colin said:

Be careful with using thread lock on the nozzel, it doesn't take much force to shear that fine thread

 

You are absolutely right it doesn't take a lot of force to break the nozzle in two, I know because I have already done that once while over tightening one to make a seal. Thread lock is not a permanent fix, bolts etc will come undone easily enough, but just as you say the user needs to be careful.

[colin]

it depends on what thread lock you use, I'd stick to bees wax

[Black Knight]

I only ever use bees wax on my a/b.

[old thumper]

Trouble is bees wax doesn't always work though. Plus white spirit and turps will melt beeswax, which can be awkward if you use enamels.

Edited April 5, 2017 by old thumper

[colin]

Bees was just coats the threads which makes removal of nozzels and such easier, it does help to seal the threads as well but is not used to replace a seal, and will have to be renewed as part of the maintence of the airbrush when is stripped down.

Which is where you may have a problem if you use thread lock. Also I'm not sure if the thread lock can replace seals,you would have to put a hell of a lot around there to replace a rubber seal, ptfe tape might work though.

Edit: I've just watched the video, I have Iwata's and there's no rubber seal on the nozzel shown,if you need to put bees wax around the nozzel like he does, probably best to get a new one as I've never had to do that on any airbrush I've had, he's threaded the nozzel into the spray head without using any bees wax and the surounds the nozzel with the stuff, that's not the way of doing it.

 

[old thumper]

Colin, some people recommend bees wax to replace expensive or difficult to obtain seals (particularly on cheaper airbrushes when it isn't worth spending money on them). Some report that bees wax will act as a seal while others disagree. Thread lock has it's risks and is not perfect but it does create a seal. In my opinion the thing with the neo is that for the price you may as well buy a new nozzle with the o-ring on it than just the o-ring, with the £15 airbrushes I would sooner just buy a new one than spend money on seals, the old airbrush can then be used for spares if need be. One of the best thing about chinese airbrushes is that they are cheap enough to throw away and replace.