Issues with new H&S Infinity airbrush

U

Ucuetis

Guest
Hey all, I was hoping for some advice.

I have been airbrushing scale models for around 8 years now, during that whole time I faithfully used my Iwata HP-C Plus until I dropped it on a stone floor and dented the whole front end and threads. I decided to pick myself up a new airbrush as a treat and I heard good things about the Infinity, plus the spares are much cheaper compared to Iwata (a whole front end, nozzle plus needle is only £42 vs £85 for the Iwata!) so I picked up a Infinity CR Plus with the 0.2 and 0.4 needle/nozzle sets. I've only had it for around a week.

The issues is I find the trigger and needle very slippy compared to my HP-C, the trigger feels very loose, I can achieve fine lines but if I so much as bump the trigger even by a hair the airbrush blasts paint out in a full cone, regardless of the pressure, I've tried anything from 10 to 25 PSI and I still get the same issues. Which isn't good for me as I need consistent fine lines for my work as I work on 28mm projects. I've tried various brands of paint and inks. Is it just me or is the trigger meant to be this loose? Are H&S airbrushes really this loose? This happens with both the 0.2 and the 0.4, is there something I am missing because I'm new to H&S?

I adjusted the trigger tension for air to the point I am happy but the action for the paint still feels stupidly loosey-goosey to the point it feels the needle is just floating in the airbrush.

Also another issue I've found is that if I start a movement with air as you are suppose to the airbrush randomly spits out paint, even though I didn't pull the trigger back for paint, as if wet paint is sitting on the needle. I've managed to ruin a couple of projects because of this issue. I tried twisting the needle as I am seating it back in but the same issue happens.

I'm really hoping I haven't broken anything already, I've only had it for a week...

If anyone has any idea it'd be a great help!
 
In regard to the spitting I’d say at a guess that your paint is to thick for the brush you are using, it sounds as though it’s clogging the nozzle
What paint are you using, are you reducing it if so with what and at what ratio.

My only suggestion re the trigger is making sure the the needle tension is tighter. If you push the needle in and twist the needle then you risk flaring or splitting the nozzle
 
In regard to the spitting I’d say at a guess that your paint is to thick for the paint you are using, it sounds as though it’s clogging the nozzle
What paint are you using, are you reducing it if so with what and at what ratio.

My only suggestion re the trigger is making sure the the needle tension is tighter

How would I go about adjusting the trigger tension on this airbrush, is there a screw or something?

I am using Vallejo Model Air thinned with Golden Airbrush Medium at a ratio of 60 paint 40 thinner. I also use a custom mix of flow improver, deionized water and retarder for Citadel paints. I am using the thinning ratio and mediums I've always used without issue when I had my HP-C Plus.

To note it isn't dry paint that is sitting on the nozzle when it sometimes spits out paint with the air, its wet paint, you can physically see it on the needle.
 
Just so we will all be certain of which part being discussed here’s the parts sheet
034D04B6-01A4-48F0-BD9B-22732BF576F9.jpeg A44D0FCE-ED9B-4200-9E10-BFE54852EF3E.jpeg
 
if the nozzle isn’t cleaned properly then the clot/dried paint will stop the needle searing properly. Resulting in wet paint being released as soon as you press for air.

I have the infinity, it doesn’t play well with Createx Illustration paint.

Don’t assume because your current paint or paint/ mix ratio worked with you .35 eclipse that it will work with a .4 needle of the H&S.
The .2 needle requires almost water viscosity to spray properly.

While we wait for @DaveG to chime in (he’s our resident Airbrush nerd)
How about following the Dragons advice and do a quick intro- details of what info we like are on the Dragons board :)
 
How would I go about adjusting the trigger tension on this airbrush, is there a screw or something?

I am using Vallejo Model Air thinned with Golden Airbrush Medium at a ratio of 60 paint 40 thinner. I also use a custom mix of flow improver, deionized water and retarder for Citadel paints. I am using the thinning ratio and mediums I've always used without issue when I had my HP-C Plus.

To note it isn't dry paint that is sitting on the nozzle when it sometimes spits out paint with the air, its wet paint, you can physically see it on the needle.

Golden airbrush medium doesn't thin your paint, at least unless your paint happens to be a lot thicker than the medium, the purpose of the medium is to make non airbrush specific paints flow through an airbrush, it also will to some extent make your paint more transparent, I don't recommend using it with your Vallejo paints, it could be causing a reaction like premature separation which could be causing your clogging, try your Vallejo paints without the medium using only Vallejo thinners to see if there is any difference.

Having said that H&S brushes are well known for trigger problem, I battled for 6 months with a silverline evolution before finally getting rid and buying my first Iwata, now I just wouldn't buy anything else, fixing your Iwata may have been expensive but it would have been far cheaper than the troubles you bought in its place:(
 
Golden airbrush medium doesn't thin your paint, at least unless your paint happens to be a lot thicker than the medium, the purpose of the medium is to make non airbrush specific paints flow through an airbrush, it also will to some extent make your paint more transparent, I don't recommend using it with your Vallejo paints, it could be causing a reaction like premature separation which could be causing your clogging, try your Vallejo paints without the medium using only Vallejo thinners to see if there is any difference.

Having said that H&S brushes are well known for trigger problem, I battled for 6 months with a silverline evolution before finally getting rid and buying my first Iwata, now I just wouldn't buy anything else, fixing your Iwata may have been expensive but it would have been far cheaper than the troubles you bought in its place:(

Ah, I didn't realise that about Golden, I picked it up very recently on a recommendation as before I always used the custom mix I mentioned with no issues, I tried both and to no avail. I don't believe the medium is causing me the issues as I think I fixed the spitting. I found out the O-ring wasn't seating correctly at the front end, reseating it stopped the wet spitting it seems. I don't think it really was a thinning issue as I also used airbrush ink and the issues still remained.

I tightened up the trigger and it feels a tiny bit better but it still feels really loose, as does the needle. It makes it so difficult to not blast the crap out of the subject, I need the trigger to do what I want it to do, it seems its too eager if that makes sense? it's either 1 or 100 with the action which is absolutely no good for 28mm...

And it's a little disheartening to hear you had issues as well. I found out it would of cost me like £150 to refit and repair my HP-C Plus with new parts and to get it professionally cleaned so I though it'd be best to buy a new brush, kinda starting to wonder if that was a good idea if I cannot get the trigger and needle action to where I like it on the Infinity. I actually loved my HP-C Plus as it was very forgiving when it came to thinning and you could get the trigger to whatever setting you liked.

Do you have any other ideas on how I could potentially get the trigger action tighter besides the leaver adjusting screw?
 
cute doesn't work lol

angry_dragon_w1.jpeg
 
Ah, I didn't realise that about Golden, I picked it up very recently on a recommendation as before I always used the custom mix I mentioned with no issues, I tried both and to no avail. I don't believe the medium is causing me the issues as I think I fixed the spitting. I found out the O-ring wasn't seating correctly at the front end, reseating it stopped the wet spitting it seems. I don't think it really was a thinning issue as I also used airbrush ink and the issues still remained.

I tightened up the trigger and it feels a tiny bit better but it still feels really loose, as does the needle. It makes it so difficult to not blast the crap out of the subject, I need the trigger to do what I want it to do, it seems its too eager if that makes sense? it's either 1 or 100 with the action which is absolutely no good for 28mm...

And it's a little disheartening to hear you had issues as well. I found out it would of cost me like £150 to refit and repair my HP-C Plus with new parts and to get it professionally cleaned so I though it'd be best to buy a new brush, kinda starting to wonder if that was a good idea if I cannot get the trigger and needle action to where I like it on the Infinity. I actually loved my HP-C Plus as it was very forgiving when it came to thinning and you could get the trigger to whatever setting you liked.

Do you have any other ideas on how I could potentially get the trigger action tighter besides the leaver adjusting screw?

The blasting you mention is exactly the same problem I was having, I had to pull the trigger back quite a way before I got any paint and blast just as you're having, as well as this the chrome finish on the brush tarnished after it's first use and stayed so, the trigger just like yours was spongy, after cleaning I had to remove the head and replace several times just get a goid seal, after six months I lost the plot and trashed the brush completely, then bought my first Iwata which was the the high line HP-BH.

I'm afraid to say your spongy trigger is with you for the rest of yiur days, if there is someway to to send it back to be checked, that's what you should do, but I personally would ask my my cash back altogether.

The only problem you had with your iwata was the damage caused by dropping it, other than that it served you well, so i would suggest that yiur in a positiin to do so, and if you can get your money back just buy another new Iwata and get back to where you were, it's a sad situation without a doubt, but almost all of us have had to deal with it at some point.

I don't know where you are in the world but www.air-craft.net are reasonably priced, an HP-B+ for example is a good £40 - £60 cheaper than most other places, it doesn't cost anything to have a look see:)
 
I don't know where you are in the world but www.air-craft.net are reasonably priced, an HP-B+ for example is a good £40 - £60 cheaper than most other places, it doesn't cost anything to have a look see:)
I agree with Malky. I googled for the whole europe for airbrush prices and air-craft was the cheapest one. Plus you get 10 year extended british warranty on airbrushes if you buy from them. In my country for example you get 5 year warranty on Iwata.
 
I would contact the manufacturer, it may be just a difference in how the trigger feels between guns, and you are just not used to it, but it could also be a manufacturing issue if it has been like this from the start. They may be able to suggest a solution if someone here does not have an answer (though usually someone does, give it a couple of days), or if they have proper customer service they should (and if they don't suggest this then, ask - insist if needed) ask you to send it back for testing, and either repair or replace. This will leave you brushless for a while, but at least you know when it comes back that all is as it should be with this brush. Alternatively, it should be under warranty and you should be able to return for a refund.

Just an additional thought - Not familiar with this brush, but is it one with two sizes you can swap out? If so make sure the correct needle is with the matching head, if the smaller one is in the larger head it will be too 'loose' for want of a better word.
 
Still waiting for that intro, at least then we would know what area of the globe you are located and could recommend local vendors
 
One issue is that everyone is different, and the way they may describe what they feel can vary greatly. That being said, the H&S is a wonderfully made brush. Fit and finish is up there with the very best. Some of it's quirks made it a brush that I was not comfortable using, when I know there are others I get along with much easier.

It sounds to me like what you are experiencing is simply a lack of trigger control with this particular brush. I mean, I know how the brush is made, and the needle can not be "loose" - as long as your needle chuck is tight, the needle moves with the trigger in exactly the same manner as it does in the HP-C. The Iwata is a brush, with it's .3 set up, that is a bit more forgiving with paint reduction, and will spray a very broad variety of paint very well. The H&S is a bit more finicky with this, and needs the paint to be reduced to a consistent consistency to operate at peak performance. What happens when the paint is not reduced properly is that you wind up having to draw the trigger back much further to initiate flow, and then it comes out heavy till you back off. This is usually remedied by further reduction of the paint with a decent thinner. If you feel the trigger pull is too light, and you have already turned the spring adjuster in all the way, you can look for a stiffer spring that will fit the brush. Ball point pens can often be good donors, or you may get a bit more creative about where you look.

Color spitting when you move the brush? This is a very odd one. There are not many options here... If the needle cap is on, perhaps you are getting paint build up in the cap itself, and an air blast will blow it off. If your needle is not seated all the way, paint can run through the brush, but you would have spray every time you press the trigger. Only other thing I can think of is that you are stopping the air before stopping paint flow, and are holding the needle back, allowing paint to flow to the tip, then when you hit air again, you get a blob. Intermittent blobs of paint while working? This can often actually be water being blown through your brush from your air source. What compressor are you using?

Make sure that you are using all the right parts when doing a size change. The nozzle, nozzle cap, and needle all get changed together. The parts are each marked in a certain way to indicate size, so double check that you have the right ones in use.

If working with Vallejo, have you tried flow improver? I hear it makes big difference with that paint.

Now, with the H&S... for me, there is a bit of "sponginess" to the feel of the trigger. I think it has to do with construction of the captured auxiliary lever. Even though the parts are smooth as all get out, there is just something about the movement that feels soft, or a little ambiguous as compared to others that I have used. For me, it was a deal breaker, but others use that brush to produce some really wonderful results.
 
One issue is that everyone is different, and the way they may describe what they feel can vary greatly. That being said, the H&S is a wonderfully made brush. Fit and finish is up there with the very best. Some of it's quirks made it a brush that I was not comfortable using, when I know there are others I get along with much easier.

It sounds to me like what you are experiencing is simply a lack of trigger control with this particular brush. I mean, I know how the brush is made, and the needle can not be "loose" - as long as your needle chuck is tight, the needle moves with the trigger in exactly the same manner as it does in the HP-C. The Iwata is a brush, with it's .3 set up, that is a bit more forgiving with paint reduction, and will spray a very broad variety of paint very well. The H&S is a bit more finicky with this, and needs the paint to be reduced to a consistent consistency to operate at peak performance. What happens when the paint is not reduced properly is that you wind up having to draw the trigger back much further to initiate flow, and then it comes out heavy till you back off. This is usually remedied by further reduction of the paint with a decent thinner. If you feel the trigger pull is too light, and you have already turned the spring adjuster in all the way, you can look for a stiffer spring that will fit the brush. Ball point pens can often be good donors, or you may get a bit more creative about where you look.

Color spitting when you move the brush? This is a very odd one. There are not many options here... If the needle cap is on, perhaps you are getting paint build up in the cap itself, and an air blast will blow it off. If your needle is not seated all the way, paint can run through the brush, but you would have spray every time you press the trigger. Only other thing I can think of is that you are stopping the air before stopping paint flow, and are holding the needle back, allowing paint to flow to the tip, then when you hit air again, you get a blob. Intermittent blobs of paint while working? This can often actually be water being blown through your brush from your air source. What compressor are you using?

Make sure that you are using all the right parts when doing a size change. The nozzle, nozzle cap, and needle all get changed together. The parts are each marked in a certain way to indicate size, so double check that you have the right ones in use.

If working with Vallejo, have you tried flow improver? I hear it makes big difference with that paint.

Now, with the H&S... for me, there is a bit of "sponginess" to the feel of the trigger. I think it has to do with construction of the captured auxiliary lever. Even though the parts are smooth as all get out, there is just something about the movement that feels soft, or a little ambiguous as compared to others that I have used. For me, it was a deal breaker, but others use that brush to produce some really wonderful results.

Thanks for the insight. The custom mix I use to thin is a mixture of deionized water, Winsor and Newton Professional acrylic retarder and flow imrpover which works really well with Vallejo.

Maybe it is me being so use to the heavier pull of the HP-C... The pull of the Infinity does actually feel very ambiguous as you put it. I'm not going to lie is it a very nice brush which is obviously machined and designed really well. It breaks apart much more logically than the HP-C anyways, the parts are also cheaper as well.

I've just dropped a line to the shop I bought it from, it doesn't hurt to see what they say, perhaps there is a manufacturer defect that I am not seeing. If not I'll just have to try and get use to it as I don't see the stockist giving me a refund just because I don't like the action, especially considering I've used it for like 10 hours so far.
 
Thanks for the insight. The custom mix I use to thin is a mixture of deionized water, Winsor and Newton Professional acrylic retarder and flow imrpover which works really well with Vallejo.

Maybe it is me being so use to the heavier pull of the HP-C... The pull of the Infinity does actually feel very ambiguous as you put it. I'm not going to lie is it a very nice brush which is obviously machined and designed really well. It breaks apart much more logically than the HP-C anyways, the parts are also cheaper as well.

I've just dropped a line to the shop I bought it from, it doesn't hurt to see what they say, perhaps there is a manufacturer defect that I am not seeing. If not I'll just have to try and get use to it as I don't see the stockist giving me a refund just because I don't like the action, especially considering I've used it for like 10 hours so far.
Even though you have your mix worked out quite well for the HP-C, it may need to be altered for the H&S to work well. This would not be exclusive to the Infinity either - really, just about every brush works just that little bit different from the next, so things need to be tweaked accordingly to find the happy spot.
 
Here's trusted place where you can buy the parts for your airbrush, the link is for older High Performance series so can buy the spares and could be back to working with your good tool http://www.coastairbrush.com/partsairbrush/hpparts.asp

I personally haven't painted with H&S, only held this brand airbrushes in my hands, but all my fellows airbrushers say that Iwata ABs are better for different reasons. One is saying that HP-C is even better for detail work than Infinity. I trust them, as they have good skills in ABing.
My preference is HP-C over newer model HP-C+.
 
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