Air and Paint Plumbing for Testors Aztek Nozzle

[Neal Rosenblum]

Hey Everybody,

I am trying to use a Testors Aztek nozzle for spraying water from a small reservoir for an application that does not involve paint. I am trying to figure out the plumbing of the air and paint flow paths in a Testors Aztek nozzle.

Please see the attached PDF showing the Testors Aztek nozzle and where I think that the air and paint flow through the nozzle. ARE MY ASSUMPTIONS CORRECT?

I have designed and fabricated a small manifold and it is not working properly and I am wondering if anybody can confirm whether or not my assumptions about air and paint flow paths are correct. I basically screw the nozzle into the manifold. I have two screw-in barbed connections and attach tubes to these barbed connections. I run the tubes to both air and water supplies. The air is from my air compressor and is regulated down to the 15-20psi range.

In regards to the water, I have tried to siphon the water from a reservoir. I have also tried to hold the reservoir above the nozzle for gravity feed. I believe that this nozzle should be able to do either siphon or gravity feed.

I have placed an o-ring at the bottom of the hole to keep the air and water separated.

Finally, I have placed a screw in the base of the manifold to adjust the flow of paint? Or air?

Thanks in advance.

--Neal (geometrixeng@gmail.com)

 

[tattoo_harbo]

from what I see the screw is holding your needle all the way closed. unscrew it until it flows the way you want it to

 

[Don Wheeler]

You've got it backwards. The paint flows through the middle and the air around it. Have a look at this page.

Don

 

[Neal Rosenblum]

from what I see the screw is holding your needle all the way closed. unscrew it until it flows the way you want it to

Dear Tattoo_harbo,

That is just a snapshot of my 3D computer model from my computer screen. I have turned the screw in and out to play with the flow and am still having issues. Thank you.

--Neal

 

[Neal Rosenblum]

You've got it backwards. The paint flows through the middle and the air around it. Have a look at this page.

Don

Dear Don,

YES!!! Thank you!!! That is what I cold not figure out. It looks like the paint connection on the Testors Aztek airbrush is very far forward near the tip. And the air enters the paintbrush from the bottom or rear. But the link that you have provided is awesome. It shows the true "anatomy" of the paintbrush. That is exactly what I could not figure out short of purchasing an airbrush and dis-assembling it.

Thank you. I will let you know how it goes. I should be receiving some high-res 3D printed parts tomorrow and I will test the idea shortly after I receive the parts. I own a 3D printer but the ABS plastic that my machine prints is somewhat porous and allows "communication" between the air and liquid. There is really no good way to waterproof the small features. The high-res part will not suffer from this issue.

Thanks,
--Neal

 

[Don Wheeler]

Neal -- Good luck with it. I hope you do let us know how it works out.

Don

 

[TBurns]

You've got it backwards. The paint flows through the middle and the air around it. Have a look at this page.

Don

Seconded! The needle adjustment in the center of the Aztek nozzle adjusts *paint* flow, not air.

 

[Neal Rosenblum]

Neal -- Good luck with it. I hope you do let us know how it works out.

Don

Hey Don,

I have gotten pretty far with this product. I am now successfully atomizing water at 20psi. The small "medical device" type of pump that I am using has a flow rate of 2.2 LPM @ 20psi and it does an awesome job. The only problem with the design is the noise from the pump. The pump is a diaphragm pump. Internally the device reciprocates to pull air in and then push it out. I have tried to isolate the pump as well as block and absorb the noise within the enclosure. I have had no luck doing this. My next attempt will to create a thick shell around the pump (3D printed of course) to try to block noise.

While noise is probably not an issue with all of you artists and hobbiests, any suggestions to reduce the pump noise. Is an airbrushing pump loud or quiet?

TIA,
--Neal

 

[Don Wheeler]

Airbrush compressors can go from moderately loud to practically silent, depending on how much you want to spend. The quietest are based on refrigerator design. If you really want silence, go bottled CO2 or nitrogen gas.

If you put your compressor in a box, make sure to allow plenty of air flow for cooling. They generate heat.

Glad to hear that you're making progress. Can you reveal the purpose of this device?

Don