Airbrush blockage?

[Jdog71]

I use an Iwata Eclipse HP-BCS. There are bubbles in my paint cup. I already cleaned dry paint off the needle..there really wasn't much. I was using a .35 when this started. I placed my .50 back in and had the same problem, so I'm thinking there is blockage in the paint 'port' for lack of a better word. I have a cleaning kit and tried snaking out whatever is in there..no luck. I gave up after an hour. I placed my finger over the end and no air backwashes out of the paint port at all. I use Tamiya paints properly thinned.Anyone have an idea as to how to resolve this?

 

[Jeep]

There HAS to either be hidden dried paint or a bent needle, my bet would be dried paint since both of your needles have given you the same issue.

What did you clean with?

normally I run 409 and water through my Eclipse between colors and use technical pen cleaner for the "put away" clean. You may need some wire "airbrush" cleaning brushes, normally I use pipe cleaners though.

 

[Grendels]

Since it is Tamiya paint, one thing you could try is to soak it overnight in alcohol. That might loosen up what ever is causing the blockage. Tamiya paints will strip off of a model with alcohol. I learned that one the hard way. Even if it has been cured for five or six days.

 

[Jdog71]

There HAS to either be hidden dried paint or a bent needle, my bet would be dried paint since both of your needles have given you the same issue.

What did you clean with?

normally I run 409 and water through my Eclipse between colors and use technical pen cleaner for the "put away" clean. You may need some wire "airbrush" cleaning brushes, normally I use pipe cleaners though.

I generally clean it with Windex and alcohol. I've been using Windex a lot. I do have the wire cleaning brushes, scrubbed the heck out of it. Its really strange.

Grendels, do you mean soaking just the needle overnight or the entire brush?

 

[Splashcoat]

Try this - pour some lacquer thinner into the paint cup and trigger the airbrush a few times, then let it sit overnight with the paint cup full of thinner. Hopefully, the crud in the brush should blow out the next day.

 

[Junkie]

A quick question: is Varsol considered a lacquer thinner? I honestly am not sure.

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

Nope, Varsol is a completely different animal. More of an enamel thinner. Very oily. You don't want to put it through your airbrush, as the oil in it will coat the inside of the AB, and the next time you run an acrylic through it....well you know, oil and water won't mix.

 

[sunsanvil]

You mention switching from the .35 to the .50 needle, but are you also swapping out the paint tip (aka "fluid nozzle") and regulator (aka "nozzle cap") with the corresponding ones? Perhaps that is implied but I have to ask as if one were to use a .5 needle with .35 head parts, well, that would explain a lot. Anyway...

To try to be a little more analytical here...bubbles in the paint cup means that, at least in part, air is finding it easier to work its way backwards from its outlets on the front of the AB body into the paint chamber/cup. It really has only one way of getting there: either through or around the paint tip .

IIRC the HPBCS uses a tapered seat paint tip like most Badgers. That means that the only way for air to get past it is if its not seated firmly and correctly. A badly bent needle might force it out of alignment but I'm more inclined check the orifice it sits in on the airbrush body. Even the slightest contaminant there will cause the tip to not seat properly and provide a short-cut for air to get back to the paint cup. Dig, and I mean DIG at the seat with a qtip soaked in pure booze or Vallejo's Airbrush Cleaner.

As a side note, I find Windex to be much too weak for AB cleaning of acrylics. I use alcohol for the flushing and Vallejo Airbrush Cleaner for the finishing.

 

[Chiefpettyofficer]

I often have the same problem, but Im using Vallejo Colours. They dry to fast :-(

After using Tamiya colours, I clean up my airbrush with Revell Airbrush-Cleaner. That works very good!

 

[Jdog71]

You mention switching from the .35 to the .50 needle, but are you also swapping out the paint tip (aka "fluid nozzle") and regulator (aka "nozzle cap") with the corresponding ones? Perhaps that is implied but I have to ask as if one were to use a .5 needle with .35 head parts, well, that would explain a lot. Anyway...

To try to be a little more analytical here...bubbles in the paint cup means that, at least in part, air is finding it easier to work its way backwards from its outlets on the front of the AB body into the paint chamber/cup. It really has only one way of getting there: either through or around the paint tip .

IIRC the HPBCS uses a tapered seat paint tip like most Badgers. That means that the only way for air to get past it is if its not seated firmly and correctly. A badly bent needle might force it out of alignment but I'm more inclined check the orifice it sits in on the airbrush body. Even the slightest contaminant there will cause the tip to not seat properly and provide a short-cut for air to get back to the paint cup. Dig, and I mean DIG at the seat with a qtip soaked in pure booze or Vallejo's Airbrush Cleaner.

As a side note, I find Windex to be much too weak for AB cleaning of acrylics. I use alcohol for the flushing and Vallejo Airbrush Cleaner for the finishing.

I have corresponding paint tips for both needles. I followed Grendels suggestion and soaked everything in alcohol overnight. When I get home from work, I'm going to give it another shot. I did clean the seat as well as I could, but I'll see what happens tonight. Windex has worked well for me in my very limited experience, but I will be switching to alcohol or some type of specific airbrush cleaner after this ordeal.

 

[Junkie]

For me with Tamiya windex never worked. Could be the cheapo brand I was using. Isopropyl alcohol and/or tamiya thinner worked every time.

Off topic but I just bought some distilled water. Gonna give Vallejo a try and use that to thin it. Got some proper lacquer thinner too to thin Mr Surfacer down down for airbrushing.

 

[Chiefpettyofficer]

Revell Airbrush-Cleaner works very well for Tamiyas and its not very expensive

Off topic but I just bought some distilled water. Gonna give Vallejo a try and use that to thin it. Got some proper lacquer thinner too to thin Mr Surfacer down down for airbrushing.

Revell Airbrush-Cleaner works very well for Tamiyas and its not very expensive

I ordered a Vallejo-Airbrushcleaner for my Vallejo Colours, maybe that works better

 

[sunsanvil]

Off topic but I just bought some distilled water. Gonna give Vallejo a try and use that to thin it.

While great for special effect brush painting water is not the best choice for airbrushing it, but we can start another thread if you are interested in my ramblings on the subject...

 

[Chiefpettyofficer]

While great for special effect brush painting water is not the best choice for airbrushing it, but we can start another thread if you are interested in my ramblings on the subject...

good Idea

 

[Grendels]

Yes I meant to soak the whole thing. When I had a blockage I did that, and it all came out the next day. The alcohol loosed everything up.

 

[Jdog71]

Yes I meant to soak the whole thing. When I had a blockage I did that, and it all came out the next day. The alcohol loosed everything up.

Soaking everything in alcohol worked for the .50 needle and nozzle, not the .35, so its possible the .35 nozzle or needle are bent. I haven't had time to look really closely at them.

I'm also wondering if there is a problem with a seal or something like that. This is a dual action brush, and when I push the button, it's spraying paint instead of just air. This has never happened until today. I'm starting to think I might need a new air brush. :-\

 

[JMac]

Yes I meant to soak the whole thing. When I had a blockage I did that, and it all came out the next day. The alcohol loosed everything up.

Soaking everything in alcohol worked for the .50 needle and nozzle, not the .35, so its possible the .35 nozzle or needle are bent. I haven't had time to look really closely at them.

I'm also wondering if there is a problem with a seal or something like that. This is a dual action brush, and when I push the button, it's spraying paint instead of just air. This has never happened until today. I'm starting to think I might need a new air brush. :-\

Just a thought;

I don't have Badger AB, I'm just looking at my Iwata and thinking that AB would likely be built in a similar fashion regardles of brand...if a 0.5 needle is considerably larger than the 0.35 needle, could it be that the inner diameter of seals behind the nozzle are too large for the 0.35 needle and air is blowing past the seal...

If it is a seal you can likely get a seal kit rather than buying a completely new brush.

JMac

 

[Jdog71]

Just a thought;

I don't have Badger AB, I'm just looking at my Iwata and thinking that AB would likely be built in a similar fashion regardles of brand...if a 0.5 needle is considerably larger than the 0.35 needle, could it be that the inner diameter of seals behind the nozzle are too large for the 0.35 needle and air is blowing past the seal...

If it is a seal you can likely get a seal kit rather than buying a completely new brush.

JMac

The airbrush I have, Iwata Eclipse HP BCS, allows for a .50 and .35. Each size has a corresponding nozzle and nozzle cap. I haven't read anything signifying a change in seal size for the two different sizes...though I may be missing something. The .35 worked for a few months, just recently started having the 'bubble' problem. I'm going to order a new needle and nozzle and see if that resolves it.

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

Yes I meant to soak the whole thing. When I had a blockage I did that, and it all came out the next day. The alcohol loosed everything up.

Soaking everything in alcohol worked for the .50 needle and nozzle, not the .35, so its possible the .35 nozzle or needle are bent. I haven't had time to look really closely at them.

I'm also wondering if there is a problem with a seal or something like that. This is a dual action brush, and when I push the button, it's spraying paint instead of just air. This has never happened until today. I'm starting to think I might need a new air brush. :-\

Just a thought;

I don't have Badger AB, I'm just looking at my Iwata and thinking that AB would likely be built in a similar fashion regardles of brand...if a 0.5 needle is considerably larger than the 0.35 needle, could it be that the inner diameter of seals behind the nozzle are too large for the 0.35 needle and air is blowing past the seal...

If it is a seal you can likely get a seal kit rather than buying a completely new brush.

JMac

No, not really, as the needles would be the same size up until the tip. That is where it is sized to .5, or .35.

You push down on the air, trigger fully forward and paint still comes out? Sounds like either the needle isn't seated far enough forward, the nozzle isn't seated properly, or you are missing something up front all together.

 

[Jdog71]

I have the needle up as far as it will go. The handle fits correctly, threads are screwed all the way down. Its really odd. When I look at the blowup of the brush I have at http://www.coastairbrush.com/eclipseparts.asp, everything seems to be in its proper place. The only thing I haven't looked at is the air valve guide body area. Doesn't seem like the problem would stem from that though, as air flow doesn't seem to be an issue...just the paint mix and draw from the cup (for the .35 needle).

Just wanted to mention, I feel like a total newbie at the moment. Not many boards would respond with as much useful information as this one. Thanks for the tips everyone, I'll get this thing figured out one way or another.