Nev Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 I have an Iwata Revolution BR, less than a year old, and used less than 10 times. The problem is that I can depress the trigger and get air/paint flow, but when I pull the trigger back the flow of air/paint does not increase. Furthermore, the default "flow" seems higher than normal ie when I just press the trigger and don't pull it back. I tried taking it apart and putting it back together once and that remedied it for a short time. Did it again today and no change. The tip of the nozzle didn't seem to be sticking out as much as it did before either...... :help: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousA667 Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 Sounds like you need to give your brush a good de-coke. There is probably a build up of paint either within the tip or on the needle. Every time you use the brush you need to be meticulous about cleaning up after a session and every now and then remove the needle and give it a wipe with some solvent to get rid of any paint residue. peebeep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ant Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 (edited) Hmm, I've used the revolution CR for all my airbrushing up until recently. Not had this problem with it though. It sounds to be like either the needle or the nozzle are not seated properly. Are you instantly getting paint as soon as you press the trigger down? That would indicate that the needle is not far enough forward in the nozzle. Any chance of some pictures of the nozzle with needle inserted, but with the nozzle cap removed? And ditto what peebeep said. You have to clean it out very thoroughly or it will quickly and easily go wrong. This isn't the chore people make it out to be. However, I do remove the needle from mine and clean it after every session. Edited June 30, 2008 by Ant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darson Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 Definitely sounds like a clog up to me as well. Get yourself some lacquer (cellulose) thinner, remove all the rubber O-rings etc and give the thing a good was out. Regardless of whether you use acrylic or enamel paint you should always give your AB a complete clean and lube once a month. HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nev Posted July 1, 2008 Author Share Posted July 1, 2008 Hmm, I've used the revolution CR for all my airbrushing up until recently. Not had this problem with it though.It sounds to be like either the needle or the nozzle are not seated properly. Are you instantly getting paint as soon as you press the trigger down? That would indicate that the needle is not far enough forward in the nozzle. Any chance of some pictures of the nozzle with needle inserted, but with the nozzle cap removed? And ditto what peebeep said. You have to clean it out very thoroughly or it will quickly and easily go wrong. This isn't the chore people make it out to be. However, I do remove the needle from mine and clean it after every session. Yes. I'll post some pictures tonight for you. Thanks for the replies so far guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg B Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 I've had that problem as well Nev and it was due to old paint in the tip. One of the things I do with my Airbrush after every session is during the strip down: remove the nozzle cap. unscrew the tip nozzle with the spanner provided (the tiny bit the needle protrudes from, be carefull when replacing it and do not screw too tight otherwise you will shear it) and use a bit of twisted kitchen roll soaked in cellulose thinners to ensure that is clean. Using some TePe inter dental brushes (you can get them from Boots etc, they are used normally to clean the caps between your teeth and are a couple of quid for a pack of 10) dip that in the thinners and use it to scrub out the feed of the airbrush (back to the cup). That normally drags out the rest of the shoite. I then use the finest grade micromesh and carefully give the needle a quick rub going from rear to tip. Lightly lube the needle with the Iwata stuff. Reassemble. Jobs a good un. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nev Posted July 1, 2008 Author Share Posted July 1, 2008 Heres the pics I must confess, I never realised how much gunge was in there till I took the nozzle cap off (there was a little fibre of paint sticking out of the needle tip). I do flush it through with solvent after every session - looks like I might have to take the nozzle off as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ant Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 (edited) OK, well, it's clearly full of old paint that needs to be cleaned out. Also, the end of the needle should be poking out of the nozzle when fitted properly. That's why you've turned it into a single action brush. As mentioned before, you need to take out the needle, remove the nozzle guard and remove the nozzle carefully with the supplied spanner. Clean all of those with something nasty that will dissolve anything (cellulose thinner) or liquid reamer by premi-air is good (similar to badger airbrush cleaner). Considering the mess yours is in, I'd also consider buying some pipe cleaners and taking out all the innards (trigger and needle chuck etc) and give the whole inside a clean out in case there's paint back there. The front of your brush should look more like this ... And the nozzle you want to reveal, remove and clean is this ... Edited July 1, 2008 by Ant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilkeau Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 (edited) Spraying thinners through an airbrush in the fond hope that you're cleaning it is frankly only slightly better than shaking the paint out, and as others have advised breaking the brush down as far as possible to clean individual components with cellulose thinners and liquid reamer is really the only way to go. I would suggest that you add backflushing to your cleaning regime: after shooting a cupful or two of thinners through the brush, remove the needle and flush through again, but this time blocking the nozzle with some tissue, which causes air to bubble back into the cup. You will be amazed and slightly and slightly digusted at how much gunk this will dislodge from the taper of the nozzle. Nick Edited July 2, 2008 by Bilkeau Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nev Posted July 2, 2008 Author Share Posted July 2, 2008 Spraying thinners through an airbrush in the fond hope that you're cleaning it is frankly only slightly better than shaking the paint out Well, one of the reasons I went for the Iwata was the number of people who said about how easy it was to clean - "just spray some solvent through, no need to strip it and clean it". Clearly not the case! Anyway, I've completely stripped it, soaked the smaller bits, blown liquid reamer through it etc, and quite frankly I was amazed at how much gunk came out considering how little I've used it. Stripping and reassambling has also given me a bit more insight into how it actually works. Hopefully this will be my last question - how far out should the needle protrude from the nozzle? As far as it will go? That's what I've done, based upon what Ant said about paint coming out or not as soon as the trigger is pressed. Many, many thanks for all your replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousA667 Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 The needle should shut down the nozzle completely. Release the nut on the needle chuck so that it is freed up, then gently move the needle forward until it won't go any further. Don't push hard as you might burst the nozzle tip. Once you're satisfied the needle is correctly located tighten up the chuck and everything should be working fine. peebeep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Don't be too hard on yourself though Nev - I went through the same process with my airbrush (my first one). I didn't have BM to ask questions on at that point, and just blew some thinners through. Sure enough it was clogged up pretty quick, so I improved my clean-up routine with a partial strip-down. It clogged again, so I improved my routine again. Now I strip the thing completely (different brush), and have no problems. Can't echo the comments about not pushing the need home too hard. I think I may have overdone it one day, and next time I came to spray, paint all over the place. I suspect that expansion & contraction had also played a part, but replacing nozzles gets expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denstore Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 (edited) Someone here recommended to put the end of the needle beneath your fingernail when pushing the needle in place. Not bad advice really. There shouldn´t be any force required, and if it is, there´s something wrong. Another advice. If the brush is really dirty, try to remove the needle from the front. It saves the life of the seals a lot, since every time we extract the needle out from the back, we will clogg upp the seals. Edited July 2, 2008 by denstore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 I always draw the needle out of the front... messy fingers, clean airbrush Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denstore Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 I always draw the needle out of the front... messy fingers, clean airbrush Exactly. Since I started with this, my seals have stod time a lot better. So, for me the ending of a spraying session is always: * Spray cleaner or thinner until it seems clean * Hold airbrush fully open. * Remove cap and nozzle. * Loosen needle chuck and push the needle gently forward. * Grab the needle with a rag or some tissue paper, and pull it out from the front. * Clean all parts as good as possible. But this doesn´t work on all airbrushes. Some airbrushes with thicker bodied needles can´t be disassembled that way. In those cases, you´ll better invest in a couple of spare seals, and check for back leakage every session. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ant Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Unfortunately, Iwata airbrushes don't allow easy removal of the needle out the front without removing the nozzle which requires the use of a spanner. Cleaning it out really isn't that big a deal though. I use a similar routine to those listed above ... * Pour out unused paint * Spray out remainder paint * Add paint thinners to colour cup and wash it around using an old paintbrush * Spray a little of this mix through the brush into rag and wipe over outside of brush, pour out the remainder of this mix * Repeat process of adding thinners and washing out the cup with brush, spray more of this (cleaner) mix through brush, pour out the rest. * Add nasty thinners (liquid reamer or similar) to colour cup and wash around, spray through a load through the brush and use cotton bud to clean the front nozzle guard / cap while pulling back on the needle. * Remove needle and wipe through rag soaked in nasty thinners. * Reassemble and check function Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denstore Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Unfortunately, Iwata airbrushes don't allow easy removal of the needle out the front without removing the nozzle which requires the use of a spanner. Cleaning it out really isn't that big a deal though. I use a similar routine to those listed above ...* Pour out unused paint * Spray out remainder paint * Add paint thinners to colour cup and wash it around using an old paintbrush * Spray a little of this mix through the brush into rag and wipe over outside of brush, pour out the remainder of this mix * Repeat process of adding thinners and washing out the cup with brush, spray more of this (cleaner) mix through brush, pour out the rest. * Add nasty thinners (liquid reamer or similar) to colour cup and wash around, spray through a load through the brush and use cotton bud to clean the front nozzle guard / cap while pulling back on the needle. * Remove needle and wipe through rag soaked in nasty thinners. * Reassemble and check function But since I always remove the nozzle for cleaning, the little spanner has to come out anyway. And it keeps the brush healthier when the needle can be removed from the front. For me cleaning of the airbrush has become a kind of therapy. I really enjoy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tizzy Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Removing the nozzle is easy on an Iwata even if you have to use the spanner.It takes about 5 seconds if you take your time.Just be sure not to overtighten when refitting it.I put it back on with my fingers and then gently finish tightening with the spanner which usually ony takes half a turn.I usually drop the removed nozzle in some IPA or thinners to soak while i clean up the needle and the brush.Then before refitting it i clean the nozzle with a bit of twisted kitchen roll.When i am sure that the needle,nozzle,front end of the brush are clean,then after refitting the nozzle and needle,i test spray to remove any residue of cleaning fluids and to make sure no traces of paint remain.If all is fine,then i remove the needle backwards and put a thin smear of Vaseline on the middle part of the needle so that it will not sieze in the trigger mechanism.You can use airbrush lube for this,but Vaseline works just as well.The golden rule for extending the life of your airbrush is clean properly after each session and always remove the needle from the front when it is dirty.Only remove from the rear when you know the airbrush is clean.With luck your airbrush should last a lifetime.Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darson Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 I've got to say this is an excellent thread, too bad it wasn't around when I started airbrushing. As far as removing the nozzle on an Iwata I think it's only the Revolution series that requires a spanner, I know my Eclipse certainly doesn't. Btw, if anybody is interested I have a PDF called the ABCs of Airbrushing that was put out by a US modeling magazine a few years ago. It describes (and shows) the cleaning procedures for acrylic and enamel paints using an Iwata and a Paashe airbrush. If anybody wants a copy drop me a PM with an email addy that I can post an attachment too. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denstore Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 I think that applies just to the Eclipse, since it´s Iwatas own design. As far as I know, most of the other Iwatas have their roots in the Olympos HP and MP airbrushes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestar Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 Btw, if anybody is interested I have a PDF called the ABCs of Airbrushing that was put out by a US modeling magazine a few years ago. It describes (and shows) the cleaning procedures for acrylic and enamel paints using an Iwata and a Paashe airbrush. If anybody wants a copy drop me a PM with an email addy that I can post an attachment too.Cheers PM Inbound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osher Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 But since I always remove the nozzle for cleaning, the little spanner has to come out anyway. And it keeps the brush healthier when the needle can be removed from the front. For me cleaning of the airbrush has become a kind of therapy. I really enjoy it. I know what you mean, I do too! To open the nozzle, I use a flat sided tweezer, which grips (gently, of course) the flat sides of the nozzle. Too many people (myself too once) over-tighten it. It should be tight enough using a simple tweezer, about finger tight (a lesson learnt during the Gulf War when many, including me the first night, tightened their gas masks too high, leading to, in effect, strangulation. Many things, from Coke bottles, to gas masks, to nozzles on airbrushes, are fine finger tight!).You can try using beeswax. I've used it, but, frankly, it wasn't worth it, and the tight tolerances meant it fouled the threads. However, I had this problem recently, and traced it back to me putting that s shaped thing behind the control lever in backwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now