H & S Ultra - no airflow

[NigelC]

Hi everyone,

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I've done a search and drawn a blank.

I have had an H & S Ultra airbrush for nearly 4 years but which, for various reasons wasn't used for a long time.

The issue is that it refuses to pass air when the trigger is pressed. I know the compressor etc all work fine because they work with other airbrushes, and the adaptor/connector is okay because it does pass air when the disconnected and the central brass part of the valve is depressed.

But put everything together and ... nothing.

It feels like the ball at the bottom of the trigger isn't really pushing the valve down.

Does anyone have any experience of this problem?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Pin]

Have you disassembled it to see what exactly is wrong? H&S airbrushes are well engineered so it is very easy to do.

 

 

The valve is "M" part, there is a small rod, on the top with a spring inside, have you checked that it works? 

[dnl42]

@Pin shows the right approach. First, make sure it's been reassembled correctly. Then start from the air connection, Q, onward. I think you wrote that air gets past the Q part.  Does air still pass through the M part? I might try this without the body, but it's probably best to try with the valve assembly (M,N,O,P,Q,U1) attached to the body (R). If that works, attach the needle & nozzle assembly (A,B). Keep going until you find it doesn't work anymore.

 

HTH

-- 

dnl

[NigelC]

thanks for posting the photo - I was looking for something similar.

 

With Q to U1 connected to the airline, if I press U1 air comes out.

When that is connected to the body, it doesn't.

It seems to be that D isn't depressing U1 enough for the air to flow.

 

 

[little-cars]

Hi,  

 

This sounds like a paint blockage in the air passage in the airbrush body.

 

Strip the brush down so you just have the hose with the attached and the air valve & airbrush body.

 

Check air is coming through the air valve.  

If OK, then attach it to the bare body and check air is getting through.

 

If not, take the air valve off the bottom of the brush and check the bottom of the brush.

You should see a small hole where the air  valve was screwed in, where the air goes into the brush body. Check that this is not clogged.

 

If that is looks clear, have a look into the front of the brush body.

You should see a small open D shaped opening on the right of the inside of the body.

This is where the air comes in to the .

Have a look with a magnifier/light to see if there is any paint that is sealing the D shape area and stopping the air flow.

 

If there is paint in there, use airbrush cleaner with cotton buds, microbrushes and cocktail sticks to clear the blockage.

 

Paul

 

 

 

 

 

[TimB]

When my airbrushes have become clogged, I have used a cheap ultrasonic cleaner to remove hardened paint but be careful that there are no parts touching metal to metal as the vibration canl also cause wear (unless the bits are tightly screwed together).   I now clean them more carefully in use, but still do a strip clean and reassemble about annually.

Regards

 

Tim

[NigelC]

Thanks @little-cars Paul. I think a combination of a bit of crud in the works and overtightening of the whatsit (U1) into the thingummy (R) 😀 is what's caused the lack of air. Another clean and a bit less elbow-grease and I have airflow again.

 

On the other hand, I have foam at the tip rather than spray, but I think that's a problem for another day. I have a rather nice Cornish lager that I need to be outside ...

 

 

[dnl42]

In addition to @little-cars, Don's Airbrush Tips is an excellent source of info for all things airbrush. In particular, see the Troubleshooting page. 

[bmwh548]

You might be screwing the air valve too tight. The rubber seal around it gets compressed so hard that it actually blocks the air holes. Screw it in less and test it. I made that mistake myself a long time ago.