Iwata Eclipse HP-CS, cant get the pressure up

Mackebe

Young Tutorling
Hi there

I use my airbrush to paint plastic models. Normally i need about 20-23 PSI, but now i got myself a new primer which requires around 33. My compressor has a maximum loading pressure of 58, but for some reason i cant seems to get more than 24 when i am using it. I even visited the store i bought it in and tried one of theirs with my airbrush, same deal. The airbrush must be the problem here, but i cant here any leakage what so ever.

Thanks for any help!

//Mackebe
 
The max pressure is what the the machine can produce without anything connected to it. ALL compressors' dials drop when you press the lever on the airbrush. There is no getting away from it. And the settings on paint bottles are just guides, not fact. Thin the paint and spray on a lower pressure.

BTW, you should go and introduce yourself. https://www.airbrushforum.org/introductions/


Yes i know the pressure will drop but a member at a modelbuild page on Facebook has the same compressor, but not the same airbrush and he can get his up to 33 PSI. He has a 0.4 needle and i got 0.35, is this i dont get...

//Mackebe
 
Is it a tank or tankless compresser ?
Tankless compresses will not have high working pressure qhile the guy on your modeling forum may have the same compresser he may have added a tank so it can build to high pressure.
 
Is it a tank or tankless compresser ?
Tankless compresses will not have high working pressure qhile the guy on your modeling forum may have the same compresser he may have added a tank so it can build to high pressure.

Thats the part i dont get, he has the exact same setup as me, besides from the airbrush...
Its tankless.

//Mackebe
 
Thats the part i dont get, he has the exact same setup as me, besides from the airbrush...
Its tankless.

//Mackebe

In addition to pressure there is also volume of air - CFM. The Eclipse is a brush that will allow for a high volume to be moved through it, where as your friends .4 may be more restrictive in air passages - your compressor simply isn't producing the volume of air to allow 33psi to build. Not every compressor is appropriate for every airbrush. You would never try to spray a whole car using that little compressor, right?
 
In addition to pressure there is also volume of air - CFM. The Eclipse is a brush that will allow for a high volume to be moved through it, where as your friends .4 may be more restrictive in air passages - your compressor simply isn't producing the volume of air to allow 33psi to build. Not every compressor is appropriate for every airbrush. You would never try to spray a whole car using that little compressor, right?

Oki, didnt know it was that big of a difference between airbrushes, since the needlesize only differ 0.05. He has an Harder Steenbeck Infinity.

Of course i would paint a whole car with that compressor....in 1:24 scale ;) You are talking to a model builder :D

Thanks for all the help guys!

//Mackebe
 
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Oki, didnt know it was that big of a difference between airbrushes, since the needlesize only differ 0.05. He has an Harder Steenbeck Infinity.


//Mackebe

You’re confusing what DaveG has said with what you are thinking.
Dave didn’t say your airflow issues are related to needle size. He said it’s likely to do with the air channels built within the airbrush. if you want the exact same performance as you friend then buy the EXACT same equipment and paint.
 
Oki, didnt know it was that big of a difference between airbrushes, since the needlesize only differ 0.05. He has an Harder Steenbeck Infinity.

What JackEb said - it is a mistake to confuse needle size with anything that happens with air flow. It is also difficult to compare one brand of airbrush with another for any real practical purposes, other than in general terms. Each brand has it's own personality.
 
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The other thing you can try is used it at the pressure it will go to by using some reducer in the primer so it's not so thick
 
Where are you measuring the pressure, at the tank outlet or end of the airbrush? Without any airbrush attached, what is the pressure that comes out when you open the dial fully?
 
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