Sotar 2020 bubbling in cup; even after cleaning

[28ZComeback]

Greetings, I use a Sotar 2020 and love the thin lines I get and feel of the trigger; however I am having constant clogging problems and it’s killing my joy. The last clog in March was insurmountable and necessitated mailing the whole thing to Illinois for maintenance. They added some new internal sleeve and new tip. The brush at first worked great!  Used it for the first time on Friday after maintenance. I shoot acrylics and clean by shooting alcohol. I used it this evening for the second round. Much to my displeasure I experienced the same problem: it clogs and bubbles after about ten minutes of use. Air is coming out but paint cup is just bubbling. What makes this so frustrating is I then take it apart,,clean the needle, all the airways and up with dental brushes and turpenoid. Reassemble the brush. Go through that process only to have the paint cup bubbling again when I turn on the compressor. It leaves me with these thoughts:  1) the acrylics are clogging something that I am unaware of;  2) I have a lemon 2020 Sotar; 3) the Sotar 2020 is just a bad design for everyday acrylic use: or 4) something in the way I use the duel action pushes the paint backwards and blocks some valve. I am sending it back to maintenance tomorrow am. due to frustration and to keep from throwing the thing in the waste can.  Has anyone experienced this problem and how do you overcome it?? I know I am about 10 IQ points lower than the average modeller but this hobby should be fun: not constant airbrush cleaning; disassembly and trouble-shooting.

In the meantime, is there an airbrush that is user-friendly and requires minimal maintenance and cleaning which also 1) shoots fine lines; and 2) is simple to use for those of us with simple minds? 

Thanks for your comments and advice.

[colin]

You seem to be having a lot of problems with this airbrush

What paints are you using as it looks, if it's not the same as above, a paint issue with it.

What paint and what thinner, does it do it with all paints that you use or just certain ones

[28ZComeback]

Thank you. Acrylix paint and Tamiya. Thinned wifh Tamiya thinner. 

[colin]

Are they both causing the same problem, as Tamiya paints thinned with X20A normally spray really well even through a .15 needle when thinned right, not sure about Acrylix as I haven't used them.

Do you mix the paint before putting it into the airbrush

 

[28ZComeback]

I do mix in a paint cup before pouring to the airbrush. Thanks 

[colin]

Is the paint thin enough and I know Tamiya and X20A thin ok, do the acrylix thin ok as I know some acrylic paints react badly to ipa which is in the x20a thinner.

Mix some of the Acrylix and thinner together in a cup and leave for a while to see if it go's like glue.

The only other thing is, if it sprayed ok after you got it back from the repair and it's only started doing this again after you stripped it down to clean, you may have missed something out after re-assembly.

Failing than get a Iwata 😉

[28ZComeback]

Gents I think I solved it. I bathed the whole works in lacquer thinner and after a few sputters saw a spray pattern. Thank you again, 

[malpaso]

Have you got the aircap nipped up tight?  That's always what I need to do if everything's clean and I still get bubbling.  Just a tweak; sometimes it doesn't seem as if I've actually tightened it any more, but the bubbling stops.

[28ZComeback]

I think I figured it out!! Cap tight but the interior was plagued with dried Tamiya. Many thanks