Brand new airbrush sotar 20/20 not working

bubbles all the time. More when the needle is in than when it is withdrawn

ah, ok - I missed that. Your nozzle is not sealing within the brush body. You need to snug the hold down ring up a little more. I also like to use a bit of lip balm on the base of the nozzle taper, as it makes it much easier to get a good seal - but, snugging the hold down ring up should take care of you. Try just a tiny bit at time - no more than a couple of degrees and test again -
 
Two part pic.

First, if I need to use pliers on an airbrush I have a piece of old inner tube and the leather loop from a belt. I usually use the loop. It is so there is not direct metal to metal contact between the pliers and the part I am removing so the knurls don't get buggered.

Second is the o-rings I was talking about. I thought they might work. They did somewhat. If you click on the pic it will get larger, if you need it.

 
i tightened it (just finger tight but still tight) and it did reduce the bubbling a little when the needle is blocking, but just as bubbly when withdrawn, see video

https://photos.app.goo.gl/XKViYb6vctN5wvUe6

Are you saying that an improper seal round the nozzle is forcing air back into the cup which works blocks the water from flowing out of the brush?

I also added some food safe lubricant (for sealing beer kegs) to the nozzle, made no difference.

Do I really have to tighten it with pliers? What's all that about! Shouldn't this just work out of the box, the £8 airbrush I got from China doesn't have this problem. Must be a manufacturing fault?
 
it can take some snugging to get the nozzle base to seal. Paint is drawn from the brush by a rapidly changing air pressure at the nozzle tip. If air is allowed to enter the paint stream at all, it greatly reduces the change in pressure at the front - thus stalling everything out. If tightening the hold down ring a little more does not solve the issue, you may want to try checking the front edges of the nozzle for cracks - they can be very hard to see sometimes. Once ina blue moon a brush can sustain a damaged nozzle in shipping if the package gets banged around enough.
 
it can take some snugging to get the nozzle base to seal. Paint is drawn from the brush by a rapidly changing air pressure at the nozzle tip. If air is allowed to enter the paint stream at all, it greatly reduces the change in pressure at the front - thus stalling everything out. If tightening the hold down ring a little more does not solve the issue, you may want to try checking the front edges of the nozzle for cracks - they can be very hard to see sometimes. Once ina blue moon a brush can sustain a damaged nozzle in shipping if the package gets banged around enough.


We have a winner!* Thanks, I will return the brush as faulty and get a new one.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/vLd43NmQxaCJKdN98

* the nozzle is cracked as you can see in the photo.

Thanks DaveG
 
Oh, yeah, that one is hammered! Most times it is just a little nick at the very front edge. That right there is one of the drawbacks of having a needle that protrudes from the back of the brush. If it is fully inserted, and gets bumped at the back, it has nowhere else to go but through the nozzle. I always clip mine off so they do not stick out the back...
 
Hey DaveG :)
My replacement sotar arrived. It does not have a smashed up nozzle and does spray paint.
However when the needle it withdrawn I get bubbles and it causes the paint not to come out at first like it needs to get past an airlock. Is that because the regulator cap is not air tight? It was on incredibly hard when I received it.

Damn these brushes are fussy!
 
Hey DaveG :)
My replacement sotar arrived. It does not have a smashed up nozzle and does spray paint.
However when the needle it withdrawn I get bubbles and it causes the paint not to come out at first like it needs to get past an airlock. Is that because the regulator cap is not air tight? It was on incredibly hard when I received it.

Damn these brushes are fussy!

Bubbles in the cup on these is air getting past the nozzle base, and into the paint path. Try snugging up the "hold down ring" part of the head a couple of degrees, and test again... To avoid having to crank down on the hold down ring, I usually use lip balm of bees wax on the lower part of the nozzle taper, where it fits into the brush body. Tiny parts, so care needs to be taken, but it does work a charm. I stick the nozzle on a tooth pick to keep from getting wax IN the nozzle.
 
Bubbles in the cup on these is air getting past the nozzle base, and into the paint path. Try snugging up the "hold down ring" part of the head a couple of degrees, and test again... To avoid having to crank down on the hold down ring, I usually use lip balm of bees wax on the lower part of the nozzle taper, where it fits into the brush body. Tiny parts, so care needs to be taken, but it does work a charm. I stick the nozzle on a tooth pick to keep from getting wax IN the nozzle.
ok thanks, I tried that and now no bubbles when it sprays, but bubbles when the needle is closed.
Suspect I am going to need to crank down on it. If only they came with a seal or the hold down thing clamped down properly before the thread ran out!
 
I would check and reclean the cup area (for a lack of proper term) where the nozzle sits in the head. Mine will do that when it is not 100% clean. Use some acetone or something and a toothpick or something solid enough to clean it well. I could not figure it out for a while either. Tightening the cap will help but will not get rid of the issue if the so called area does not seal....
Good luck
 
I would check and reclean the cup area (for a lack of proper term) where the nozzle sits in the head. Mine will do that when it is not 100% clean. Use some acetone or something and a toothpick or something solid enough to clean it well. I could not figure it out for a while either. Tightening the cap will help but will not get rid of the issue if the so called area does not seal....
Good luck
Thanks TWood, I did that but didn't help.
I've returned the second one now. Thanks for the help on here it was much appreciated.
Really sad to return it and give up on the SOTAR as it fits in my hand so nicely and I loved the action and how it looked, but god knows how it works when you actually put paint in it given how fussy it is with just water! They really should just put a damn washer on the nozzle.
 
Thanks TWood, I did that but didn't help.
I've returned the second one now. Thanks for the help on here it was much appreciated.
Really sad to return it and give up on the SOTAR as it fits in my hand so nicely and I loved the action and how it looked, but god knows how it works when you actually put paint in it given how fussy it is with just water! They really should just put a damn washer on the nozzle.

Sorry to hear you returned it. Did you even put paint through it?
 
yes I did - because of the airlock due to bubbles before you withdrew the needle, as you withdrew it you got a surge of paint after the air. Which ruined the whole point of having a specific fine detail brush!
What I meant was imagining having used it in anger for a while, getting paint clogs and having to clean it out, then having to fiddle with greasing the nozzle and clamping down things - it just needs to be more robust to be useful as a tool.
I ordered a harder and steenbeck infinity CRplus instead, it has a PTFE seal at the base of the nozzle. I know I don't like it in the hand nearly as much but I won't have to worry about any of the above!
 
yes I did - because of the airlock due to bubbles before you withdrew the needle, as you withdrew it you got a surge of paint after the air. Which ruined the whole point of having a specific fine detail brush!
What I meant was imagining having used it in anger for a while, getting paint clogs and having to clean it out, then having to fiddle with greasing the nozzle and clamping down things - it just needs to be more robust to be useful as a tool.
I ordered a harder and steenbeck infinity CRplus instead, it has a PTFE seal at the base of the nozzle. I know I don't like it in the hand nearly as much but I won't have to worry about any of the above!
What line of paint are you using and what psi ?
 
yes I did - because of the airlock due to bubbles before you withdrew the needle, as you withdrew it you got a surge of paint after the air. Which ruined the whole point of having a specific fine detail brush!
What I meant was imagining having used it in anger for a while, getting paint clogs and having to clean it out, then having to fiddle with greasing the nozzle and clamping down things - it just needs to be more robust to be useful as a tool.
I ordered a harder and steenbeck infinity CRplus instead, it has a PTFE seal at the base of the nozzle. I know I don't like it in the hand nearly as much but I won't have to worry about any of the above!

Just a few thoughts - I am not saying you didn't make a good choice by going with the H&S - but, will say the Sotar has been around since forever. I got my first one in the early part of the 1990's, and now have maybe a dozen of them. I don't find them to be any more demanding, or finicky, or fragile than just about any other brush that I own. Like any brush they do have a personality of their own. It just takes a minute to learn to get along splendidly with one. Once in a blue moon, (maybe a bit more often as of late,) you get one that may require a slight tweak here or there to get up a running. Hardly ever more than snugging up the hold down ring to seal the nozzle, though. I should also mention that the nozzle, hold down ring, and regulator cap are shared with the Krome and Renegade series of brushes, bringing the potential number of brushes out there into the tens of thousands, I am sure.

That said they are not my favorite brush. I have a lot of others that I would grab before one. But, that is simply my own personal preference - and the fact that I have a decent selection to be able to choose from. I still have my first one, and it is a great brush that I would never feel compromised using each and every day.

The H&S is a lovely brush - beautifully made and finished. I can assure you though, they are not without their own potential issues. That teflon seal on the nozzle base is not a guarantee that you will not get bubbles in the cup, as the teflon can, and will compress over time. Once compressed, it will no longer seal. Over-tighten it just once, and you will need to replace the seal. The multi disc packing seal can also be a pain to get adjusted correctly...

There are not many brushes out there that have been around for a while, that have not proven to provide the ability to produce results capable of fulfilling the users needs. It simply comes down to learning how to use what you have, and their individual nuances.
 
Last edited:
Just a few thoughts - I am not saying you didn't make a good choice by going with the H&S - but, will say the Sotar has been around since forever. I got my first one in the early part of the 1990's, and now have maybe a dozen of them. I don't find them to be any more demanding, or finicky, or fragile than just about any other brush that I own. Like any brush they do have a personality of their own. It just takes a minute to learn to get along splendidly with one. Once in a blue moon, (maybe a bit more often as of late,) you get one that may require a slight tweak here or there to get up a running. Hardly ever more than snugging up the hold down ring to seal the nozzle, though. I should also mention that the nozzle, hold down ring, and regulator cap are shared with the Krome and Renegade series of brushes, bringing the potential number of brushes out there into the tens of thousands, I am sure.

That said they are not my favorite brush. I have a lot of others that I would grab before one. But, that is simply my own personal preference - and the fact that I have a decent selection to be able to choose from. I still have my first one, and it is a great brush that I would never feel compromised using each and every day.

The H&S is a lovely brush - beautifully made and finished. I can assure you though, they are not without their own potential issues. That teflon seal on the nozzle base is not a guarantee that you will not get bubbles in the cup, as the teflon can, and will compress over time. Once compressed, it will no longer seal. Over-tighten it just once, and you will need to replace the seal. The multi disc packing seal can also be a pain to get adjusted correctly...

There are not many brushes out there that have been around for a while, that have not proven to provide the ability to produce results capable of fulfilling the users needs. It simply comes down to learning how to use what you have, and their individual nuances.
I'm sure that's true and I believe you, you clearly have many years on me with an airbrush! I appreciated your help
Likesay I was sad to give up on the SOTAR, loved the feel of it, but two for two not working out of the box, I had to call it a day at some point :)

The air cap seal on the HS will be hard to overtighten by hand, so hopefully I won't make that mistake. What is a multi disc packing seal?
 
I'm sure that's true and I believe you, you clearly have many years on me with an airbrush! I appreciated your help
Likesay I was sad to give up on the SOTAR, loved the feel of it, but two for two not working out of the box, I had to call it a day at some point :)

The air cap seal on the HS will be hard to overtighten by hand, so hopefully I won't make that mistake. What is a multi disc packing seal?

Bubbles in the cup are kind of a common problem on the H&S - it is usually very minor but persistent, when it happens ;). The needle packing (the seal around the needle) behind the color cup on the H&S consists of 3 teflon disks in a hollow retaining screw. If they are not adjusted properly, paint will migrate back into the trigger area of the brush. If they are over-tightened, the disks compress, and will then not seal any longer, because they need to compress in order to seal around the needle, but they are already squished... vicious cycle :mad:.
 
hope I never need to mess with that stuff then!
Used it in anger today and loving the quick release/set restrictor on the H&S.
 
Back
Top