bmwh548

All modern airbrushes have the PTFE seal for the needle, but that's behind the paint cup so paint doesn't reach the trigger assembly. Bubbles in the paint cup mean an air leak between the nozzle and the airbrush body or blocked air passages at the front which would cause air to choose the path of minimal resistance (traveling backwards to the cup). If you were to have a leak between the nozzle cap and the airbrush body you would still have a somewhat functioning airbrush (you'd just have less air coming out through the front causing a "bad" behaviour. Examine the nozzle for some rings/grooves on it's base. Maybe it's become worn where it sits against the airbrush's body and it can't do an air tight seal. If you happen to have a new nozzle put them side by side and compare the tips. Perhaps it's flared up too much, causing an obstruction against the nozzle cap. It shouldn't happen with the Eclipse because of the nozzle design, but you can never know.

The Eclipse doesn't have a nozzle seal. My guess is - there's something coming between the nozzle and the airbrush body and it can't make it's "seal" - the nozzle just isn't seated properly and it's obstructing (even partially) the airflow that would normally go between it and the nozzle cap I would double check the air holes in the nozzle cap and airbrush body (maybe some dried paint got jammed in there) and check the airbrush body itself for any possible damage in the area where the nozzle sits.

If ventilation isn't an issue give Mr. Surfacer a go. I'm 99% certain you'll never want to try other manufacturers. It really bites into plastic, it's pretty much dry before you finish cleaning your airbrush, you can sand it without it peeling off and you can overcoat it with virtually anything.

Isn't Vallejo's primer latex based or something like that? I remember the general consensus was that you can't sand it because it just peels off. I use Mr. Surfacer 1000/1200, but it's toxic stuff so really good ventilation is a must.

Technically nothing is supposed to travel backwards, that includes the needle. Even if the seal is in perfect condition and adjusted properly you'll still drag paint backwards because the tip of the needle is smaller than the hole in the seal.

Not really sure what you call a pressure switch, but the plunger is probably the safety valve that purges the tank if pressure exceeds a certain pressure. The valve is supposed to be closed by default until the pressure exceeds 8bar (judging by the big red line on the pressure gauge). If it's stuck to open it's probably defective and needs replacing. What I would do is remove the entire thing and keep just the secondary tank. Remove the part with the pressure adjustment/pressure gauge/filter from your current setup. Connect the secondary tank to the compressor and add the part to the second tank (on the output, obviously). That way you'll keep the pressure adjustment and more importantly you'll have the factory settings for the actual compressor (starting pressure and stopping pressure). However: you need to keep in mind that purging massive amounts of air (like an air gun does compared to an airbrush) causes massive condensation in the system. These compressors aren't designed for that and the filter will most likely be unable to cope. Also: make sure the secondary tank has a valve underneath so you can drain it often (preferably after each use).

The CR Plus version has 3 PTFE seals for the needle so paint can't travel back, towards the trigger.

Well I'm not about to shell out the money for an Evo or an Infinity tail, they cost roughly half of the Ultra's "new" value, but I was just curious to see if it works on it. On the other hand I'd be quite chuffed if the triple seal trick works, I'll let you know when the package arrives. Honest opinion: the upgrade to the 2 prong nozzle covers is brilliant, but if you also start adding the quick fix tail and other stuff you might as well just get an Infinity from the start.

They changed the marking system in 2019 I believe. Not only on the nozzles, but on the needles too. Also the taper of the needle seemed slightly different to my eye when I compared the old vs the new, but it could just be my impression. Side-note: the Infinity tail fits the Ultra and it works as intended (and I'm 99% certain the Evo quick fix tail will also fit) if anyone is interested. Tried swapping the part last week with a friend's Infinity. I've also ordered the CR Plus internal screw (for the triple seal) and will try fitting that to the Ultra.

Exactly. They were both 0.4, but you can see the old one is definitely flared and probably it was closer to 0.5-0.6.

1. Neither of my nozzle caps had O-Rings on them, but I guess they might make that decision when they factory test the brushes? If there's leaks they just add an O-Ring? 2. That needle is going in way too far. The nozzle might not be "split" yet, but it's definitely deformed. When I got my replacement I put them side by side and was amazed at the difference. 3. Because I'm a brute I can't be bothered to wait for thinner to unlock my needle from the PTFE seal. I remove the nozzle, unscrew the rear and just tap the tail of the needle on the table. The shock breaks the paint seal and pushes the needle out. Then I just wipe it clean, reassemble, spray some thinner and I go back to work. But for safety reasons you should be gentle with it (letting thinner work, not smashing everything like Hulk).

The standard Ultra nozzle cap doesn't have a seal, only the Evo and Infinity ones have it (in the form of a special rubber O ring). You can swap (and I highly recommend it) to an Infinity 2 prong nozzle cap, it'll make life much easier in the long run. Back to your air bubbling problem: I would suspect the nozzle being enlarged and obstructing the airflow. You could've easily checked to see if the nozzle seal is at fault by swapping the seal from the 0.2 to the 0.4 nozzle.

I'd try 20 for Aqua, but the previous advice is spot-on: no two airbrushes are the same. Also remember to add some retarder to Aqua so the tip dry won't be that bad. Good luck!

I trim it carefully with a small scissor and then I use sandpaper to smooth everything down. The sandpaper also gives it a bit of a worn look which is far more realistic (to me).

Probably oily residue. I remember this happening with other brands too. Switch to brand-less white tack. Sometimes cheaper is definitely better.

Get the "adhesive" solution for decals and try it like that. Not sure what the Micro equivalent is (Micro Set? ), but Ammo's is the green one (Decal Set).

GSW Chrome. Used the brush version, it gives really nice results. Too lazy to give the airbrush version a go, sorry.

Tamiya definitely needs help if you're going to brush it. Grab their own retarder and thinner and experiment, but keep in mind drying time will be at least 24 hours. From personal experience I much rather go with Revell Aqua if it needs to be brushed on (being water based they dry slower than Tamiya and self level better). Another issue with Tamiya is that being solvent based you're going to reactivate the first coat when going in with a second one, that doesn't happen with Aqua. Just my 2 cents.

AK, Mr. Color, Tamiya, Hataka. They all have a lacquer based range, I'm sure there's other manufacturers too, these are the ones that came to me off the top of my head.

I too use tape for the edges and fill the inside with whatever I think would suit the purpose without damaging anything (tape, white tack, masking fluid, plastic foil). For that specific application I would have probably painted the plane and then masked the outside and then paint the inside. But you should take that with a grain of salt and practice on some scrap pieces. I use Mr. Surfacer which really bites onto plastic because it's based on nasty chemicals, the Vallejo stuff won't have the same adhesion force as it's more "eco-friendly". As for tape: Tamiya is the best by far; Revell is good, but the edges are kinda jagged - you can fix that by trimming them with a sharp blade on your cutting mat; Vallejo has nice edges, the tape itself is pretty good, but it doesn't have much "glue" on it, and might not stick over tricky areas; AK's tape is just a big no-no for me.

I grabbed 9 cans of "universal thinner" from Lidl the last time they had them in stock. They used to be called "Universal Cellulose Thinner", now it just says "Universal Thinner" on them, but the chemical composition marked on the labels is the same. It has a certain smell, but it's very tolerable compared to the automotive stuff I normally buy. It strips paints from the airbrush with ease, even dried out stuff and it's really cheap (I think it was 2-3 euros for a liter of thinner).

If you have two size nozzles (like 0.2 and 0.4) you might want to check and make sure you didn't mismatch the nozzle cover and the nozzle. Using the 0.2 cover with the 0.4 nozzle would cause a very similar behavior to what you're describing.

Not to split hairs, but I'm pretty sure that Tamiya only makes acrylic lacquers in the form of rattle cans. Which are very "hot" and shouldn't have an adhesion problem.

White tack, you just need a lot of patience to get it symmetrical. You don't need to get the entire contour in white tack, just the round part, the rest can be done with tape.

I've had that happen with lacquers (because they can get reactivated if your clear coat is too heavy and especially uneven), but water based acrylics aren't supposed to do that once they're fully cured. Could you post a picture of an affected area?