H&S dead as a doornail

L

liberalchimp

Guest
Hi, first time poster, I have a standard H&S evolution that was starting to show some wear and tear on the nozzle and needle, so like a good consumer i bought myself a nice shiny new set of both. Now my airbrush seems completely out of commission and i dont understand why:
- I have installed a new .2mm nozzle and .2mm needle.
- the airbrush has been cleaned thoroughly, air comes through well and when the tip is blocked blastback causes bubbling in the cup.
- the seals seem in working order, all the internals are moving smoothly.
- i filled the cup with cleaner but none came through when i attempted to spray, the needle moves back, air flows but it just sits inert in the cup.
-even when i move the needle back and forth manually (that usually at least forces paint out the tip) nothing occurs
-the only thing i could think of is that the nozzle was a dud so i've ordered a new one in the hopes that'll be the magic bullet to my problem.
thanks and i hope someone with great knowledge can help
 
I assume you are replacing like for like (it was originally a .2 needle & nozzle) and your not putting a .2 into a .5 air cap ?

have your tried upping the PSI ?
Is everything sealing properly, try a little liquid soap around the head threads and hit the air with the tip blocked to pick any leaks
What was the last thing to be put through the brush before you packed it away. ?
There will likely be 101 questions before we can start borrowing down what your problem could be.

@DaveG, have you any thoughts?
 
If you still have the old nozzle you removed, you may want to compare the new one and the old one side by side. They should be the same length. In order to establish paint flow, the air moving over the nozzle creates a suction. In order for this to occur correctly, the very tip of the nozzle must protrude from the nozzle cap, at least a slight amount. Are you sure you have the nozzle cap screwed on far enough? Silly question, but is the seal (white ring) on the base of the new nozzle? Are you 100% sure the nozzle cap is the right one for the .2 nozzle? Have you tried putting the old set up back together?
 
I had a .2 nozzle that wouldn’t work at lower pressures. If you turn up your psi and it starts working, it could be the same problem.


 
Main thing I noticed on my Infinity is that is you take it apart to clean the nozzle too much the seal no longer seals tight and requires more PSI to allow it to spray.
I have also had one nozzle that looked like the seal was sunk into the nozzle where a gap of about 1/64th ring could be seen around the seal. It would not spray at all no matter what the pressure.
Defeats happen as well as small things missed during quality control inspections.
 
so my PSI is at max for my compressor, the new nozzle protrudes from the cap and has a seal. the replacement nozzle is allowing for the slightest amount of fluid to get through. last thing i put through was vallejo matt varnish
 
just a unbranded compressor with a tank, and the psi is 55 i think
 
just a unbranded compressor with a tank, and the psi is 55 i think

55 psi is more than enough. Did you say that you get bubbles in the cup when the needle is all the way forward? If that’s true, generally it would be that the nozzle isn’t fully seated against the body. Another cause of that could be a cracked nozzle, though being the nozzle is new, is less likely.
 
Just recently I to had the same problem with my Evolution. I purchased a 0.2mm needle and nozzle to replace my 0.15mm setup and when I fitted them I too had the same symptoms as you. What I had done was inadvertently fitted a 0.4mm air cap, which looked identical to the 0.15/0.2mm air cap. I originally thought that the bigger hole in the air cap would expel more air from around the nozzle. Wrong!! The opposite is true. Because of the taper and length of the nozzle it appears to obstruct the correct flow of air out around the nozzle which in turn will not pull the paint. Fitting the 0.15/0.2mm air cap solved the problem. So in short check that you have fitted the right air cap. I hope this helps.
 
yeah same compressor the whole time, i dont get any bubbling in the cup unless i block the tip, though some bubbling by the trigger (though im not sure if thats just leftover fluid from where its been in the sonic cleaner
 
Just recently I to had the same problem with my Evolution. I purchased a 0.2mm needle and nozzle to replace my 0.15mm setup and when I fitted them I too had the same symptoms as you. What I had done was inadvertently fitted a 0.4mm air cap, which looked identical to the 0.15/0.2mm air cap. I originally thought that the bigger hole in the air cap would expel more air from around the nozzle. Wrong!! The opposite is true. Because of the taper and length of the nozzle it appears to obstruct the correct flow of air out around the nozzle which in turn will not pull the paint. Fitting the 0.15/0.2mm air cap solved the problem. So in short check that you have fitted the right air cap. I hope this helps.
i havent replaced the air cap at all, so i assume if it worked for my previous .2 itd work for the new set unless im missing something?
 
Was your original setup a 0.15mm? Could it have been a 0.4mm?. Check the needle and nozzle. A single deep ring will signify a 0.4mm nozzle.
 
Was your original setup a 0.15mm? Could it have been a 0.4mm?. Check the needle and nozzle. A single deep ring will signify a 0.4mm nozzle.
defintely .2, ive replaced the needle/nozzle before and just bought the same thing this time from my amazon history, the only thing that weirds me out is that the new nozzle has 2 grooves in it which i take to mean .6 (the previous nozzle had none) , but after ordering a new new one i got sent the same thing
 
The new nozzles come with 2 rings. I think H&S had a lot of feedback with how to distinguish between the 0.15 and the 0.2mm. also the needles will be of the V2 style. It sounds like something could be stuck in your new nozzle. I know this may sound silly, but have you swapped all the components around, after marking them of course. Iv'e just had a go at replicating your situation with my Infinity, and I still come back to it being the air cap!! Just out of interest the air cap hasn't got some gunk or other debris stuck up at the end
 
Last edited:
yeah same compressor the whole time, i dont get any bubbling in the cup unless i block the tip, though some bubbling by the trigger (though im not sure if thats just leftover fluid from where its been in the sonic cleaner
Put water in the cup and with the needle all the way forward(not pulling back for paint), put the tip near a small mirror or polished piece of metal. If you get water showing up on the mirror/metal, you either have a split nozzle, or the needle is not seating properly. If you get nothing, the seal problem is at the base of the nozzle where the PTFE seal seats against the body. That could either be a bad seal on the nozzle , the air cap is not tight enough to make the seal, or debris or damage to the airbrush body where the nozzle seal makes contact.
 
Like jagardn said it could be the PTFE seal. This would mean that air is being pushed through the seal and stopping the paint from travelling along the needle to the nozzle. But if that is the case then you should see bubbles forming in the cup after pressing the trigger down. It still points to the air supply surrounding the end of the nozzle which should pull the paint through. but if the ring of air is disrupted at the nozzle end then the paint or any other liquid will not flow.
 
so nothing comes out when the needle is forward, a very fine spray does when the trigger is fully back. no bubbling in the cup, slight bit around the trigger on occasion. Could it be the rubber ring on the air cap? i put all the metal parts in restorer today so they're clean as a whistle
 
so nothing comes out when the needle is forward, a very fine spray does when the trigger is fully back. no bubbling in the cup, slight bit around the trigger on occasion. Could it be the rubber ring on the air cap? i put all the metal parts in restorer today so they're clean as a whistle
Bubbling around the trigger? That would be a strange one, unless your needle bearing seals aren’t working at all. Don’t think that would cause what you have going on anyway.
To check the air cap gasket, press down for air while dripping some water on the joint where the gasket sits. If you have a leak, you’ll get bubbles there. Generally soapy water works best for testing for leaks.
 
Back
Top