paint/operator/equipment issue

rtm58

Young Tutorling
I will try to make this brief. I think the root cause is me, and am willing to take advice to help.


Equipment:
Iwata HP-CS (gravity feed)
Iwata HP-BCS (siphon feed)
Iwata Neo CN (gravity feed)


Silent Air Compressor
Auto-Air colors and Wicked colors (water based)


All 3 brushes having the same problems. The common denominator is me, so I feel I am doing something wrong, but cannot figure it out. I dismantle the brushes after every use and clean them with a cleaning kit (Iwata).


Compressor is set at about 80 PSI


The paint will sometimes not come out at all, and then come out in a gush. I have to use the loosen-the-needle-and-move-it-back-and-forth method of clearing the gun. I also get the staccato effect,like it is partially clogged.



I admit I am not the greatest painter, but I do have a reasonable amount of control.


Is it possible the paints are too old? I have had most of them for several years, but always stored indoors. Mostly were the leftover giveaways from Airbrush Action Getaways.



SOME of the paints have chunks and some have gone completely solid. Those have been disposed of. Most, however appear to be normal, good paint. Any suggestions on what I am doing wrong or what could be wrong with the equipment?


Thanks in advance.


Ray
 
Pressure way too high 35PSI is max for airbrushing unless you are doing textile with a .5 nozzle set up then 60PSI
You do not talk about how you're reducing the paint or are you reducing it.
I only break down my airbrush if I have an issue that a simple blow out does not fix.
 
Ok, I will adjust the pressure. Thanks. I reduce the paint anywhere from about 25% to 50%. Probably need a way to measure better. How about straining the paint? I have tried that too, but the paint mostly appears to be too thick. Really appreciate your help. Now that I think about it, I remember the pressure being more in the 35 psi range during class (it's been awhile). My thinking was that if the paint is not flowing well, either I need to reduce more, or add more pressure. I realize most of my problems are going to be operator error and have no problem getting those pointed out. I just want to fix my problem so I can paint. Thanks, Mr.Micron for your help. I will start there and see if anything else pops up.
 
Try lowering the pressure as Herb says, and reducing the paint a lot more. Sounds like your having a lot of tip dry which could be the cause of the stuttering you’re experiencing. With like Createx, it’s not unusual to go with a Ratio of 5 - 10 drops of reducer to 1 drop of paint. Reduction tends to be very different from one person to the next. But try those ratios around 15 - 20 psi and see how you go.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Id guess you have buildup in your nozzles . swirl/scrape gently the insides with a needle after soaking and push out the gunk, repeat until no more comes out.
 
I’d guess there are multiple things going on

If you’re spraying at 60psi then you are likely suffering tip dry... fast flowing air and water based paint don’t play well.

Your paints have been sitting for a long time, they need a good mix, not just a quick shake. I have the Tamiya metal stirrer.. is great for reaching the bottom of the 2oz bottles in order to get the thickened paint off the bottom. I will often spend 10 minutes stirring a paint that has been sitting for longer than a month,( while I make a plan of attack on my painting)
Put stockings over the tip when you pour into your mixing cup / airbrush
 
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