H&S Infinity needle sticking

[iSteve]

I guess this is a problem created by me through my cleaning practices, but more recently I've been having some problems with dried paint keeping my needle from moving. Once in a while, I get it happening when I've been using my thinned Tamiya paints, but more often after spraying Stynylrez primer.

Typically, after spraying one colour, I blow IPA through my brush along with some wiping with a cotton swab in the cup area. I blow through until it comes clean both in the cup and from the spray. Occasionally I cover the nozzle and back flush to get the paint rinsed out of the body. Yet if I leave the brush for a while, once in a while the needle gets stuck and I have to break down the brush and do a thorough cleaning. This may sound typical, but I'm talking about having a perfectly clean brush after a complete thorough clean, spraying some thinned Tamiya black, doing a simple clean with IPA as described above, and then leaving the brush alone for a day or two. Go to use the brush again and the needle's stuck. Pull it all apart and there's black paint on the needle. Shouldn't the PTFE seals prevent this? Happens on both my Infinity and Infinity CR Plus.

Stynylrez is worse. I've found that I have to clean with lacquer thinner as I get very tiny beads of Stynylrez floating in the IPA which take forever to blow out. It just doesn't seem to react well with IPA. So, clean with LT and then rinse with IPA. Even still, it seems I have to go through a lot of LT before it's finally clear of Stynylrez.

One thing I noticed that I may have been doing wrong is the instructions say to pull the needle out from the back when cleaning, not pushing through the front. I've been doing the latter since I had been taught long ago with my Badger brushes to pull through the front to prevent paint being pulled back through the body. I've been now pulling the needle out the back and there doesn't seem to be problem doing so.

So how do I get at the paint sitting inside the body without having to break it down every time?

[little-cars]

Quick question, should you be using IPA with Stynylres primers ?  

Do they not have their own thinner & Cleaner ?

 

Paul

[iSteve]

6 hours ago, little-cars said:

Quick question, should you be using IPA with Stynylres primers ?  

Do they not have their own thinner & Cleaner ?

 

Paul

 

Actually Paul I'm not sure about the IPA. I just assumed that since Stynylrez was water-based, IPA should clean it up. Since I haven't found a need to thin it, I didn't bother getting any thinner and I prefer "all-in-one" solutions to cleaning (well, two since I also use lacquer thinner to clean Alclad and dried paint) so didn't bother with Badger's cleaner. I'm still at a loss as to why the Tamiya paint locked up my needle. I'd really appreciate your insights Paul as I know you're the resident H&S expert.

[little-cars]

Depends on the type of acrylic. Vallejo Model air can gel when you put IPA through the brush to clean it.

 

Always best to start with the manufacturers recommended thinner / cleaner to start with.  You then know there isn't any compatibility problem.

The fact that you are seeing tiny beads of paint in the primer sounds like it's gelling,  you need to go down that route and clean out the brush completely and use the appropriate cleaner.

 

Ta,

Paul

Edited April 27, 2017 by little-cars

[sergant-san]

Badger recommends to use MODELflex airbrush cleaner.

[fewr9fkr9595]

With stynylrez I first get rid of as much as I can first using water and a paint brush to agitate it then pouring out of the cup rather than spraying it out. 

Then vallejo airbrush cleaner does the trick 👍🏿

[Grey Beema]

I have an Iwata airbrush and usually only spray Tamiya or Xtracrylix but I keep a bottle of Medea Airbrush cleaner handy to flush the Airbrush through after the water.  On finishing spraying I usually go though the ritual of emptying the cup, spray through with water, spay through with half a cup of cleaner then I take the nozzle off and clean it, water and cleaner on paper towel and I take the needle out and do the same.  On putting the brush away I put a little dribble of the cleaner in the cup and work it around the needle.  Robert is your mothers brother and its ready for next time..  Hope this helps..

 

 

 

[Hotel Papa]

In any internal mix airbrush there's a section between the paint canal and the needle packing that is not really reached by flushing. With each backward movement some paint is drawn there, where it can remain happily after flushing.

What may help is repeated operation of the needle during flushing. I always remove the needle for final clenaing however. I especially like how easy the needle can be removed towards the front in the H&S. This helps with not contaminating the rerward areas with paint. Careful with needles that have "pressed on" markings at the end, however. These can damage the packing when pulled out through the front.