Delay when pulling back on trigger

You can soak a gun, just remove all the rubber bits. The teflon bits are fine. Any rubber part but be kept away from solvents and cleaners.

Go to a hardware store and get am o-ring that will fit. It is not critical that it needs to be an Iwata part.

AndreZA said:

You can soak a gun, just remove all the rubber bits. The teflon bits are fine. Any rubber part but be kept away from solvents and cleaners.

Go to a hardware store and get am o-ring that will fit. It is not critical that it needs to be an Iwata part.

Click to expand...

How easy and often should one change the rubber bits? Man I guess I should do a ton more homework about the internals as I didnt know I had teflon parts and rubber. I will get some new o-rings too. Thanks for the help, apparently I need far more than I perceived. I've been into firearms for years and take those all apart and clean and lube with ease.....this is more delicate and new to me. But I like that I need to learn I guess, just dont want to cost myself unnecessary expenses and waste too much time being ignorant. Already had 2 buy new needle and back up nozzle

In the Eclipse there are 3 rubber o-rings, in the head, on the handle and on the airvalve. The handle one is purely decorative and to make the cut out line-up. I'm sure you can use that on the head. I'm sure they do perish over time but contact with oil and solvents can decrease their live span. The teflon seal in inside and needs to be replaces 2 or 3 times in a a life time. There you will have to get the right product but it is very easy to get out and replace.

I thank you for spending time on me. ....much appreciated

That's why we are here is to help!

If I can jump in here? I have the same brush hp-cs, and I too have been having issues enough so I hung it up for a while, constant trigger flow is no where to be found, and the spring really don't feel like it is stiff enough but I'm a newb as well. I've tried 6 to 1 , 10 to 1 , and even 20 to 1 , all with a psi from 5 to 25 psi, using wicked black and wicked reducer and even giving windex a go. My needle and nozzle are both new. Some times the paint comes out like it should some times not until half way back and some times just a nice big wad of it. There is no constancy at all with it. I've been spraying on news print and regular print paper. I feel I have cleaned , lubed , mixed all things 95% correctly as to my knowledge and from my research. Maybe it's the brush? That's two people with similar issues. One thing I have noticed is when pulling the trigger the needle don't go just in and out kinda has a slight up motion, the needle is straight I've tried several needles and nozzles and same result, I dunno if that is common but for 140 buck I'd like some square are straight machining?

@racin707
Up your pressure if you can and see what happens. I don't think everyone's gauges read correctly. I've heard some pretty ridiculous claims.
First thing is find out if it will spray water.
Second.. the mechanism will move up and down a slight bit. It's not crooked. I'm pretty sure it has more to do with linear motion, the arc of the trigger, machining tolerances and necessary slop to prevent binding.

I always recommend this brush as all the struggles I had when starting out went away when I got it. I had heard awesome things, and still do about what a great workhorse it is, and also capable of surprisingly fine detail. Once I got to know it, it all proved to be true, it was great to learn with, and as I got better was able to get more and more from it, and I am still using it a couple of years down the line.

If you are using proper airbrush paint, strained and properly reduced at the appropriate psi (this is a balancing act which can take a whole lot of time, practice, determination and experimentation to dial in as too many variables mean there is no magic formula), and if it is properly cleaned (a lot of my issues apart from my crappy brushes early on, were because I thought my nozzles were clean, looked clean and had spent ages cleaning - still weren't clean ) and it still isn't performing properly, then maybe the brush is defective, which i guess does happen from time to time, although Iwata do test the brushes and include the tests with the brushes sometimes, so is pretty rare. The only other thing I can think of, depending where you bought it from, is that maybe is wasn't a genuine Iwata (I hope not, and I only say it because I watched a tv show where everything from clothes to washing powder that looked genuine, turned out to be fake).

Anyway depending on how long you have had it, it should be under warranty, and Iwata should either refurb or replace it either through the vendor or direct (I had this with a devilbiss DAGR, which was replaced with an even worse one - but that's another story). They will want to test it themselves, so it is a bit of a pain that you will be without it for a bit, but if it comes back working will be worth it, just make sure they don't try and stick you with any postage costs.

BTW racin $140 is cheap compared to the uk which works out at anywhere from $185 to $200 plus - not that that's any consolation when you have something that isn't working properly. Hope you guys can get sorted out.

I have tried several different psi from 8ish all the way up to 45 (just painting a b&w portrait on art paper). Nowhere can I achieve tight lines except when the psi is low around 15 and the paint is thinned at least around 6:1 or more. The amount of tip dry is excruciating; but worse than that is the trigger sticks after a while and the paint consistencies are so difficult to manage (staying same psi and paint, having swirled paint cup every 30-45 sec), that when the trigger is engaged in double action the amount of paint that comes out is never the same. I have also replaced the nozzle and needle to see if there is a change. I still keep running into the same problems. I keep a clean nozzle handy and swap it out as soon as I start to have problems and does not seem to help. The needle has been properly lubed (not too much and a wipe). I think I will have to quit until I can get a better heater, or the weather changes. I also use thread tape to cover all areas that could show signs of airleaks and still same problems.....
-ee to say the least. I know what I want to do and earn the control but I can't find much consistency to learn from. My excitement quickly has been revoked. When it works and is flowing well it is a marvelous thing and I feel like I can perform fairly well, and before long.........and I'm done.

@JeyThomas
This is one of those problems where I wish I was there to see it first hand.

If you were willing, I'm sure there are a couple people on here who would take a look at it if you shipped it to them.

@Bossman
I wish there were people to see first hand as well. I learn best hands on anyways. Ed Hubbs was here locally @Full Blown Kustoms but he has since moved a few hours away (of course I wait til now to buy an AB). I think he does classes but right now I can't leave as I'm stay at home daddio nor have the money to throw at something like that. Someday I would really like to get to an airbrush getaway, until then I'll have to learn the hard way. Which is fine, it just seems to be a steep hurdle and a moderately frustrating one. There are so many different opinions of how to do things, and no real "set" of things to follow precisely for success.

JeyThomas said:

Well I went at it today for a bit and reduced paint more than I had been. Needed to turn down the psi and was getting good detail but a lot of tip dry. More so than I had envisioned and a bit annoying to be honest. My trigger also keeps getting stuck after I release the air (air stays on for 2-3 seconds after let off). I dropped some cleaner down in there and took it apart and was ok for 45 min and then sticky again....I need to soak the whole thing for a while I think? I also have leaks (seal up front is shot already) and cover with thread tape. Soon as I can figure this gun out I may actually be able to really enjoy it. when everything is working it is a really nice experience. I'm amazed by how much control there is and just as I start to get a rythem it goes to ****.

Click to expand...

I think you need to stop soaking your airbrush.

I'm kinda late to this thread, but it's been my experience that the leading cause of airbrush problems is not cleaning the airbrush. The SECOND leading cause is cleaning them improperly.

Everyone's in the loop these days about petroleum solvents for urethane and lacquers and their effect on rubber airbrush seals (synthetic rubber, actually, which does matter). What seems to go unremarked in the effect on the airbrush's metal components of many of the "safer" airbrush-specific cleaners that are around, almost all of which are for use with acrylics or inks. Many of these cleaners - especially the effective ones- can be very damaging to nickel and chrome plating, and to the substrate metals of the airbrush if left in place too long. The effects of long-term exposure to ammonia-based cleaners like Windex or Windowlene are frequently discussed, but even the most innocuous-sounding cleaners, made, marketed and recommended by major airbrush manufacturers, can attack plated surfaces and brass and can magnify damage around small nicks and scratches in an airbrush's finish if left to soak.

The plethora of cheap ultrasonic cleaners around today seems to have made things worse, not better. I find a lot of people seem to think that soaking their airbrush or its components in cleaner for long periods - even days or weeks - will solve their problems. But it's actually compounding them by getting into air valves, attacking brass components, and generally leaving behind residues that can gum up the valve and trigger actions. If you properly and thoroughly clean your airbrush after each use, or even periodically, there's not going to be anything left behind for the ultrasonic bath to remove.

IMHO, the proper way to clean an airbrush is (1) don't let the paint set up in the airbrush for hours or days after use, and (2) disassemble and clean the affected areas of the airbrush with an appropriate cleaner or solvent, rinse and/or dry them, and reassemble the airbrush, lubricating where necessary with glycerin, Superlube, Needle Juice or similar.

I've been shooting the nastiest stuff - enamels, lacquers, acrylic lacquers, urethanes - for thirty-five years, and I've not yet had a problem with metal or plating damage or swelled rubber seals. I attribute this to not having left parts - let alone most or all of the airbrush - soak in cleaners or solvents. Even the hardest, most recalcitrant paints can be effectively and quickly cleaned with lacquer thinner or acetone (nail polish remover), which are nasty and stink to high heaven, but DO work and evaporate quickly, leaving no residue behind. In an extreme situation, either of these can be an effective "last resort" cleaning agent, even for acrylics or other water-borne finishes.

You observe that a soaking in cleaner likely damaged your nozzle, yet you are going to soak it again? If it's as damaged as you imply, it's probably better to just replace it. As to your air valve, do not just drop cleaner in there (if it damaged a stainless nozzle, what do you think it'll do to the brass components in your air valve?), wiggle the trigger a few times and call it done. To fix a sticky trigger you have to dismantle the trigger and valve assembly, clean the components (alcohol is good - Everclear or Vodka can be very effective as they're basically pure Ethanol), dry them and reassemble them. If it's still sticky or drags, then add a tiny amount of Superlube or Glycerin, or maybe a light machine oil . But just a very, very small amount,as you don't want the lube coming through in your airflow, and all of them, in time, will become "gummy" and the sticky trigger problem will return. You may, if the rubber seals in the valve are in good shape, find that no lubricant is required in the cleaned valve at all.

Anyways, I'm sorry to jump in here. I haven't even read to the end of the thread, but when I got to the part about adding cleaner to the trigger and air valve I though it best to say something, as I see this kind of thing a lot. For all I know you've already solved the problem. Airbrushes are precision instruments and can be expensive to purchase, so where cleaning them is concerned - let alone modifying them - I think the Hippocratic Oath should be invoked!

Good luck to you! I hope you get your HP-CS back to working order; it's a great 'brush.

Thanks TBurns for the in depth explanation and time you put in. I have yet to "soak" as the Wicked AB Restorer I ordered has yet to arrive. I have cleaned carefully and found that a nozzle was indeed clogged. This has been resolved and I have had better luck keeping my ab clean. I have not however solved the sticking trigger. When I take the entire gun apart and resemble it seems to work fine for a short period of time. I have cleaned the trigger area with alcohol as I figured too much lube in there was the case from the beginning. What I perceive to be happening is that the trigger is just not fitted well for the slot it sits in or other way around. I can see metal wear marks as it must be a tight fit. I'm willing to bet a little lube or wear will work itself out. It is not a constant thing (the air sticking on). Sometimes it does it sometimes not. I will take yours and others advice and not soak my ab. I have had pertty good luck cleaning it and keeping the nozzle free as of late. Last two times especially I've had no issues other than the trigger sticking. Not really a huge deal to have the air on for a few seconds longer than I release...
The more I actually get out there and
paint the more things seem to work. I chalk it up to being a young tutorling and fortunately have you fine people to help me get back on track. Thanks again!

@JeyThomas

Just to make your problem crystal clear with me, the air stays on and the trigger stays pressed for a few seconds after release?
Have you taken the actual air valve apart to see if there is some sort of substance causing it to stick?

You can pull your needle, trigger, and the chucking stuff out of the way, and manually push on the airvalve with the back of an your needle or an old needle if you're scared of damaging your good one. See if it sticks without the trigger. If it does.. it's the air valve. I don't have an eclipse, but there may be an oring.. Just found you a web site.

http://howtoairbrush.com/iwata-hp-cs-airbrush-valve-replacement/

basepaint said:

Try 10 to 1 and see if that helps any,If its clean then reduce the paint a little more or uping the pressure should do the trick, I have the same brush and sometimes reduce up to 20 to 1 depending on what needle/nozzle I have in it

Click to expand...

I have reduced paint slowly, making brand-new different batches each time. I found 1:6 was good, 2 attempts a week apart with 1:7 was terrible. No problem shooting the 1:7 mix (Wicked black: Wicked reducer). The issue was that I couldn't create any depth/darkness. The paint was so reduced at 1:7 that where I wanted a nice dark line had to be oversprayed numerous times making it 'yicky', and I could never really get a dark black. After numerous passes my nice thin line had gained a little bulk, . For me, 1:6 is the max I will run, 1:5 or 1:4 is where I need to paint.

Bossman said:

@JeyThomas

Just to make your problem crystal clear with me, the air stays on and the trigger stays pressed for a few seconds after release?
Have you taken the actual air valve apart to see if there is some sort of substance causing it to stick?

You can pull your needle, trigger, and the chucking stuff out of the way, and manually push on the airvalve with the back of an your needle or an old needle if you're scared of damaging your good one. See if it sticks without the trigger. If it does.. it's the air valve. I don't have an eclipse, but there may be an oring.. Just found you a web site.

http://howtoairbrush.com/iwata-hp-cs-airbrush-valve-replacement/

Click to expand...

You are correct. I was recently told by iwata to take the back of my needle and apply a small amount of lube to the piston area. I did this and used half of a drop which seemed to last for about 2 days (last night stuck once few times but I was done painting). When the sticking happens again repeatedly, I will try your test to see if it is the trigger fit or something in the piston area needs replaced. Thank you

After all the cleaning and lubing and the problem is still there I would consider taking the air valve out and looking for a burr or dried paint or something, just a thought.

Good luck with it, Jim

is there a tutorial somewhere that i can see someone taking the air valve out? Does it all come out easily?

Check this out...http://www.airbrushforum.org/threads/airvalve-removal-made-easy.7579/ This may help.

http://www.airbrushforum.org/threads/airvalve-removal-made-easy.7579/
http://howtoairbrush.com/iwata-hp-cs-airbrush-valve-replacement/