Needle Quality

Johnny

Double Actioner
As I mentioned in my introduction, I'm brand new and bought a Master G233 ($30) to learn with. I plan on weathering model railroad cars.

I have found out that Iwata Neo Needles & Nozzles will fit the Master G233. I have tried and they do fit properly. But I digress....

I'm noticing that brand new needles (stock or otherwise), right out of the packaging, have slight bends right at the tippy tip of the needle. All one has to do is look at these needles crooked and the very very tip bends! These needles, in my opinion, are not manufactured with the toughest steel.

Example: The tippy tip of a needle can be straightened with my fingerprints or fingernails. THEN - when I look at the needle under high magnification it's not 'perfectly' straight. Remember - I'm referring to the very tippy tip. There's always a slight wave to the straightness or lack of straightness. Does a wavy straight needle tippy tip impair the paint flow?

I watched one YouTube video where a guy snipped off that flimsy tippy tip and re-sharpened the needle.

Am I being overly anal about this or is it normal?

I hope this all makes sense.

John
 
Hmmm, there is more to the way a brush works than "the pieces fit". Especially with a needle, nozzle, and nozzle cap. While the Neo nozzle may physically fit the Master, doe snot mean that it is a good match for the nozzle cap. Nozzle protrusion, as well as clearance within the cap orifice will have an effect on performance... or lack of.

As far as clipping the tip of a needle, and reshaping - there is enough to learn using a well made, good performing airbrush the way it is. Adding experimenting with the needle is a recipe for a never ending litany of issues that will be near impossible to diagnose.

My advice, just spend your time practicing with the airbrush. It really is best to just learn as much as you can about how and when it works the best.
 
Hmmm, there is more to the way a brush works than "the pieces fit". Especially with a needle, nozzle, and nozzle cap. While the Neo nozzle may physically fit the Master, doe snot mean that it is a good match for the nozzle cap. Nozzle protrusion, as well as clearance within the cap orifice will have an effect on performance... or lack of.

As far as clipping the tip of a needle, and reshaping - there is enough to learn using a well made, good performing airbrush the way it is. Adding experimenting with the needle is a recipe for a never ending litany of issues that will be near impossible to diagnose.

My advice, just spend your time practicing with the airbrush. It really is best to just learn as much as you can about how and when it works the best.
**

Thanks for the reply Dave. The question here is 'well made'

What about the point I made about the very tips of these needles being so malleable, soft and very easily bendable?
 
As I mentioned in my introduction, I'm brand new and bought a Master G233 ($30) to learn with. I plan on weathering model railroad cars.

I have found out that Iwata Neo Needles & Nozzles will fit the Master G233. I have tried and they do fit properly. But I digress....

I'm noticing that brand new needles (stock or otherwise), right out of the packaging, have slight bends right at the tippy tip of the needle. All one has to do is look at these needles crooked and the very very tip bends! These needles, in my opinion, are not manufactured with the toughest steel.

Example: The tippy tip of a needle can be straightened with my fingerprints or fingernails. THEN - when I look at the needle under high magnification it's not 'perfectly' straight. Remember - I'm referring to the very tippy tip. There's always a slight wave to the straightness or lack of straightness. Does a wavy straight needle tippy tip impair the paint flow?

I watched one YouTube video where a guy snipped off that flimsy tippy tip and re-sharpened the needle.

Am I being overly anal about this or is it normal?

I hope this all makes sense.

John


I had the same issue buying the .35 Iwata needle and I was told there was a batch made that were all bent. So frustrating! I posted about it on this forum but slightly different than yours since my needle was bent (and sized) different along the whole length of the needle.
 
DaveG is the go to guy when it comes to needles and nozzles and with having said that I feel I need to point out that you get what you pay for a master airbrush isnt top quality and you cant expect a quality needle in that airbrush the same goes for the Neo airbrush that is not made by Iwata but for Iwata

The master airbrushes will get you the practice time and give you the feel for the airbrush in general
 
**

Thanks for the reply Dave. The question here is 'well made'

What about the point I made about the very tips of these needles being so malleable, soft and very easily bendable?
I don't see wavy needles very often out of the package. Chinese needle excluded- Straighten them best you can, and then just paint. There is a tool for fixing bent needle, "sharpenair" - with them, at least you are using a consistent angle.
 
What I do, and will continue to do, lol is to straighten a bent needle using a simple pencil. I have an area on my bench covered with hard shiny laminate flooring...Ha Ha...(I like to re-use) lol
I dampen a spot on the hard surface with water or reducer, or anything wet....then set the needle in between that and the pencil. Put some pressure on the pencil as you slowly pull back while also twisting....I do this until it is straight. I learned that from here...
Of coarse if the needle has a big hook, almost to the point of breaking, this will not work to well. Thats when that needle gets used as a pick for weeding vinyl...or sanded for a cleaning needle...so many uses...lol
 
... Neo airbrush that is not made by Iwata but for Iwata

I hear this statement all the time, and I just want to point out that Iwata in fact makes no airbrushes. They are made for them by another company, and branded. It is also true, that the Neo is made in a different facility than the others. The Taiwanese facility that produces the Neo also produces a bunch of other name brand brushes for other companies. The Neo kind of gets a bad rap, and I suspect the issues that helped it earn that reputation are actually a thing of the past. I have not experienced any sort of quality issues with the half dozen (or so) examples of the Neo I purchased.
 
I hear this statement all the time, and I just want to point out that Iwata in fact makes no airbrushes. They are made for them by another company, and branded. It is also true, that the Neo is made in a different facility than the others. The Taiwanese facility that produces the Neo also produces a bunch of other name brand brushes for other companies. The Neo kind of gets a bad rap, and I suspect the issues that helped it earn that reputation are actually a thing of the past. I have not experienced any sort of quality issues with the half dozen (or so) examples of the Neo I purchased.
I have to totally agree...There is a Neo in the group of brushes i bought, and it sprays great. It reminds me of the Badger patriot
 
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