Question about Iwata Eclipse AB

You may also want to have an extra .35 needle and nossle for back up. Needle tips bend and nossles get scratched on the inside, if your not careful, the voice of experience.

                                                                        doc

MaxPower wrote:

I've had that brush for a couple years now and I like it. It is finicky about being cleaned and lubed in my experience. I build 1/32 mostly and I paint all my smaller parts with it and details. Frankly I found not to like it a lot for painting an entire fuselage on a 1/32 aircraft and so I use my Badger for large area coverage.

I agree. Using the .35 is like trying to paint an airliner with a spray can. I use the .50 for most all of my work, only the small stuff gets the smaller combo.

My 0.35 Sparmax does everything I need.

Oddly enough I do get occasional clogging issues using Tamiya metallics if I don't thin sufficiently or work too slowly and allow the paint to settle in the cup.

nophster wrote:

So the needle size is only related to the viscosity of the paint, and not the desired spray pattern?

It is true for the most part. The finer nozzle gives you more linear control in drawing finer lines and better atomization with very thin paints. It is also better for NMF paints. I use the 0.35mm only.

The 0.5mm nozzle gives you shorter trigger travel when you need more paint quick. Some modeler actually prefer the 0.5mm nozzle/needle for that. The very fine line may be important to artist, but not to modeler in most situation.

Try both and find out which one you prefer. I know of few modeler who exchanges needle/nozzle on the Iwata regularly. Most just settle on one or the other.

nophster wrote:

That's a relief! So, when would I use a 0.35mm and 0.5mm?

I use the 0.35mm all the time with thinned acrylic and enamel on plastic, from hair line to wide stroke.

The 0.5mm would be handy for more viscous (thicker) paints on T-shirt etc.