small blobs of paint that spews

Hi Connor,

Could you tell us which airbrush, paint and thinner you are using?  And, do you mean an occasional blob or a rough dusty looking surface?

Don

the airbrush i have is a Master Airbrush Compressor Model TC-20 and the paints i use is model master and i use lacquer thinner from walmart

don, its like occasional blob but not big or anything just theres a couple and small. im not really worried about it. its just im wondering what im doing to create it

Sometimes paint can build up around the nozzle and break loose in little blobs.  You may be able to clear them by giving a good blast off to the side once in a while.  If you watch many videos, you will see artists doing this.  A paint brush or cotton swab with some solvent would also work.  If your airbrush is a single action, and you let it sit for a short time without seating the needle, paint can leak and form a blob that gets blown off during the next spray.  If your airbrush is a double action, and you don't return the needle all the way forward before letting off on the air, the same thing can happen.  The sequence should always be air on, paint on, paint off, then air off.

Acrylics tend to build up on the needle.  But, with enamels and lacquer thinner, I wouldn't expect to see much of that.

Don

Mind you I use acrylics, but have found that pulling the trigger full pin on the airbrush will cause the paint to build up quickly around the interior of the nozzle.  This is where blobs of paint will join in on the regular spray.  If you ease off and allow several passes to build up the paint, you will find the nozzle will stay quite clean.

regards,

Jack

Jack,

That's a good point.  When you barely pull back on the trigger, the paint spray starts right at the point of the needle.  As you pull back farther, the spray originates farther back from the point and has a wider spread.  This, and the fact that the needle is being retracted means that paint is more likely to build up in the nozzle cap.

Don

ok thanks for the info about that. i would use acrylics but i dont like that shine. cause i just painted my wings and it looks shiny :/

speaking of acrylics. when you use acrylics do you still have to mix with thinner?

I think 35 psi is pretty high. I ordinarily use 15 psi, sometimes going to 20 for flat paint.  If you have to go that high to get decent flow, I'd suspect you need more thinner.

ok thanks for the tip.

Depending on what I'm doing & which brush (Paasche VL or H) I'm using, I'll shoot anywhere from 15 to 40 psi.  If I want light even fog coats, I'll thin my lacquer paints 4:1, and shoot high pressure (H).  If I'm trying for thin line, precise work, 4:1 at 15-18, and move it quickly (VL).  I'm usually doing overcoats / dustings for weathering at work, so I rarely thin 50/50, unless I need a base coat.