Need some airbrush advice please!

[ElectroSoldier]

There is no ideal air pressure for any paints. I dont know why people bother to tell us what air pressure they use at all, it makes no differences what so ever what pressure they use, it just makes them look like they know what they are talking about when they tell you I always use about xx PSI when I spray xxx paints.

The best pressure is the best pressure for the paint at the time you are using it.

 

Play with your airbrush, get it to a nice thinned level consistency and then play with the pressure settings on your reg, see what happens to the spray pattern when you change it from a high pressure to a low pressure.

 

Its the same as thinning. You turn the pressure up high enough you can spray your porridge through it.

 

Play with the bloody thing, get yourself a 60ml bottle of vallejo primer or what ever, 200ml airbrush cleaner and spray away, change the pressure of your reg from low to high watching whats happening to the spray pattern and what happens to the paint that hits the painting surface while you change it.

Its the best way to learn, you cant mess it up all you have to do is run some of the cleaner through it every 5-10 minutes to make sure its not drying up.

[Andy350]

8 hours ago, ElectroSoldier said:

There is no ideal air pressure for any paints. I dont know why people bother to tell us what air pressure they use at all, it makes no differences what so ever what pressure they use, it just makes them look like they know what they are talking about when they tell you I always use about xx PSI when I spray xxx paints.

The best pressure is the best pressure for the paint at the time you are using it.

 

Play with your airbrush, get it to a nice thinned level consistency and then play with the pressure settings on your reg, see what happens to the spray pattern when you change it from a high pressure to a low pressure.

 

Its the same as thinning. You turn the pressure up high enough you can spray your porridge through it.

 

Play with the bloody thing, get yourself a 60ml bottle of vallejo primer or what ever, 200ml airbrush cleaner and spray away, change the pressure of your reg from low to high watching whats happening to the spray pattern and what happens to the paint that hits the painting surface while you change it.

Its the best way to learn, you cant mess it up all you have to do is run some of the cleaner through it every 5-10 minutes to make sure its not drying up.

Thanks for the advice, I will have enough time to practice with the new compressor soon.  I never used to clean the nozzle during airbrushing, and so that would block and then send paint in the wrong direction causing blockages higher up.

[Steve Noble]

1 hour ago, Andy350 said:

 I never used to clean the nozzle during airbrushing...

You know, that's something I've never really had a problem with, the tip blocking or clogging during spraying. I would think it's down to the type of paints used and what you're spraying? If you are painting a mottled camouflage on a WW2 aircraft with the tip close to the subject and spraying very fine, I would think that's going to clog the tip up? As I model mainly cars and bikes I'm never spraying that fine. Usually I have the needle out, tip wide open as I'm painting large areas. That and the use of lacquer paints I'm sure helps too..

[Steve Noble]

9 hours ago, ElectroSoldier said:

Play with the bloody thing!!!

Single best piece of advice you'll ever receive right there. No one can set your airbrush up from words on a forum. Sure, we can give pointers. But it's easier to just practice and experiment to find what works with your set up. So, have a play with it on some scrap and find what works best...

[ElectroSoldier]

On 11/5/2019 at 12:52 PM, Andy350 said:

I bought a very cheap airbrush from Amazon just to see if I was going to continue to use, with my Tamiya acrylics it works ok.  But, whenever I've used Vallejo primers it blocks up, and even worse when I use Humbro Enamel.  I think it might be because the nozzle is too small.  I've even used the Vallejo airbrush flow improver but it still clogs up.

 

As I enjoy airbrushing can anyone point me the direction of a new compressor and airbrush please?

 

Many thanks

Andy

 

You say Flow Improver, thinking about Vallejo in particular. Have you tried a drying retarder?
Maybe its drying up in the nozzle as you are spraying it. I usually roll with a little of both to get more time and a nice even lay in paint, but the primers I use neat from the bottle.

 

Ive tried several of their primers and not had a problem with blocking up. White can give tip dry which might give the effect of a lose nozzle (bubbles in the paint cup) but blocking the paint channel Ive never had. Its normally pretty stable stuff, I use a HP-CS, HP-CH or an HP-SBS as a rule (ive a couple of the CM models but I never use them because while nice theres no need), Ive no idea what needle size they are, around the .3mm mark, Over the years I take less notice of those things as the play little part in what your doing unless you go really small but I never do as it doesnt relate to the size of the detail you can paint.

 

If it happens again just take the crown off, not the nozzle but the end of the airbrush the needle pokes through at the sharpe end, take a tissue or something and give the needle a wipe in a drag from back to front (remember you are cleaning a sharpe needle! dont stab yourself on it.

 

If it really is causing a paint channel blockage I dont know what youre doing wrong, unless the airbrush body itself is hot and you are taking to long to empty the paint cup and its just drying in its own good time.

 

Pick your pressure up until it blows out the paint. ignore peoples advice about air pressures its all a load of rubbish, roll with a pressure you like and gives the effect that does the job.

 

Flory models has done a few airbrush tutorials on youtube that are really really worth watching. Having used an airbrush for well over 30 years his is the only ones Ive seen that are actually worth watching. He doesnt tell you how to walk the path you walk the path with him.

He knows airbrushing is about 80% puff because people want to make it look like they are some kind of expert, where as he just wants to paint something. Which is all its all about.