No paint coming out of Iwata airbrush

[Gardner95x]

Hi,

 

Hope everyone's staying safe at the moment 

 

I have a problem with my Iwata Revolution HP CR airbrush where it'll spray paint really well for a moment then it will just stop spraying completely.

 

If I want paint I have to pull the trigger back and forth for it to work?

 

Is it broken?

[Head in the clouds.]

What is your cleaning regime?

 

[Gardner95x]

40 minutes ago, Head in the clouds. said:

What is your cleaning regime?

 

After every use or when I use a different color, I use Vallejo cleaner and spray that 

 

I lube it afterwards too

Edited April 17, 2021 by Gardner95x

[Greg B]

Do you take it apart and clean it?

[bmwh548]

- nozzle full of dried paint

- contaminated paint (sludge/grit)

- incorrect thinner being used

- the dropper style bottles are very handy but paint dries up around the dropper and bits can fall into the paint cup when you squeeze the bottle, give it a wipe with a clean tissue before that

 

Give the airbrush a really good clean (you might have to take the nozzle off to make sure it's properly clean) and before putting paint in the airbrush cup do two things:

1 - make the paint-thinner mix in a clear cup and check the mix for sludge and/or gritty-ness;

2 - run a few drops of the correct thinner through the airbrush before putting the mix in the paint cup (and that, obviously only if the mix looks good in the clear cup). 

 

Edit: if you do take the nozzle off be very careful when you put it back on. They're fairly easy to break if you overtighten.

 

Edited April 17, 2021 by bmwh548

[dnl42]

I strongly recommend @bmwh548's steps 1 & 2 every time you use the airbrush. In particular,  always look at the atomization pattern when you spray thinner to make sure it looks good BEFORE you put paint in the cup. 

[Gardner95x]

Okay will have a look, do you still have to thin model air then?

 

Could I soak the parts in airbrush cleaner?

[Bonhoff]

I normally thin Model-Air.

 

Could you be getting 'Tip drying?" - I find that it's a regular occurance with Vallejo paints.

 

A cotton bud dipped in thinners and applied to the tip of the airbrush often helps.

 

Apologies if you knew this already...

 

KR's

 

IanJ

[Gardner95x]

3 hours ago, Bonhoff said:

I normally thin Model-Air.

 

Could you be getting 'Tip drying?" - I find that it's a regular occurance with Vallejo paints.

 

A cotton bud dipped in thinners and applied to the tip of the airbrush often helps.

 

Apologies if you knew this already...

 

KR's

 

IanJ

Okay didn't realise you could I'll try that. 

 

I'm new to modelling so trying to learn what I can.

 

I took the airbrush apart fully and when I removed the nozzle I found a bit of paint or something lodged in there. Have removed it and cleaned it so I'll test it out in a bit 

[Greg B]

You should be taking it apart after every session. Just spraying thinners through it wont fully clear all the paint build up in the brush.

[Gardner95x]

8 hours ago, Greg B said:

You should be taking it apart after every session. Just spraying thinners through it wont fully clear all the paint build up in the brush.

Hello,

 

Just an update, have completely took it apart and soaked and cleaned in airbrush cleaner seems to be okay now! So should always strip it down after each use?

[Greg B]

Just now, Gardner95x said:

Hello,

 

Just an update, have completely took it apart and soaked and cleaned in airbrush cleaner seems to be okay now! So should always strip it down after each use?

Yes. As above, just spraying thinners through it will not remove all of the paint.

[Gardner95x]

Just now, Greg B said:

Yes. As above, just spraying thinners through it will not remove all of the paint.

Okay thanks again for your help👍

[kiseca]

On 4/18/2021 at 10:57 PM, Gardner95x said:

Hello,

 

Just an update, have completely took it apart and soaked and cleaned in airbrush cleaner seems to be okay now! So should always strip it down after each use?

 

The Iwata recommends not removing the nozzle unless needed, and says spraying through it should be sufficient. On mine, after each colour I spray through with thinners until it's coming through clear, and the blowback doesn't throw anything back into the cup either. I also 

 

I use Vallejo Model Air from time to time too. I don't thin it, but I do have to spray it at a higher pressure than other paints (including their own Metal Color series) and I don't leave it standing at all. It's in the cup, the lid for the cup is on it's sprayed, cleaned without waiting at any point. It dries really quickly and I also won't spray with it for long periods without cleaning it out.

 

When finished for the day, I clean with thinners (water for Model Air) at higher pressure (about 20 - 25psi) until it runs clean. I then remove the needle and clean that, and the cup, with an earbud soaked in Vallejo Airbrush Cleaner. I remove the tip cap (not the nozzle cap nor the nozzle itself) and clean that too, as well as the exposed front of the nozzle on the airbrush. Finally, I reassemble and spray a cup or two of airbrush cleaner through the airbrush making sure it runs smoothly and stays clear. Whenever spraying while cleaning, I will block the nozzle for a few seconds and use the blowback technique also recommended often on here and in Iwata's instructions.

 

When reassembling, rotate the needle in the nozzle before tightening the retaining nut to help it seal well. This is also recommended in the Iwata manual and I find if I don't do this then I will often get a little bit of blowback when I block the nozzle even if the trigger isn't depressed.

 

I'll finish off by spraying water through to soak up all the cleaner and make sure there are no thinners left (esp if I've been spraying enamels) and also run with the trigger pulled back and the cup empty. At first it will make spitting noises as it drags through the remaining wet bubbles but eventually will settle into a smooth, dry sucking noise. At that point I'm happy with it and will pack it away after drying out the cup.

 

I've had the airbrush for 7 or 8 months now and that routine seems to have kept it working smoothly for me. I haven't had to remove the nozzle to clean it yet.

 

On my previous (budget) airbrush, I removed the nozzle after every day's use and cleaned it. I only stopped with the Iwata because the instructions recommended not doing that unless there was some kind of problem.