Iwata HP-CS issues

Another possibility is the curved lever that rubs against the back of the trigger and pulls the needle back needs some of that blue lube now and then. It can "rub" enough to make the trigger feel sluggish.

Yep that's all I'm wondering bin using siphon feed for so long just looking for reason to buy a gravity feed

You know teaching a old dog a new trick.  :D

mgh, glad to hear the 3-in-1 sorted things for you. Hope it says sorted. Mine still working like new again thanks to modelmaker66.

blackdog, not sure what you are asking about the HP-CS. All I know is it seems to be widely used by scale modelers and I like mine just fine. It was my first gravity top feed brush, no going back for me. Started with a bottom feed decades ago, went to a side-grav feed less decades ago. I think you'd like the top grav feed.

Glad to hear you got it worked out. Happy spraying to you.  :)

All my ab are bottom feeds it's just what I grew up with. I have had my hp-Bcs for several yrs and that was the only thing that ever effected it. I would like to invest in a nice top feeder. Anybody have any advice on the hp-cs

Chrisk-k

blackdog62

On the iwata if you tighten down the hose to much it puts pressure on the trigger a causes the trigger to feel stiff or spungie I have noticed it's worst after market gadgets such as water traps quick connect ext or just the hose.

I deal with it by using Teflon tape and don't tighten as fare. And there high volume an so they like higher pressure. But everybody mixes different.  Hope this helps.

 

Something's not right with your Iwata, I guess.  I have three Iwata AB's - HP B+, HP-CS and Revolution SAR - and none of them exhibit the behavior you mention.   Yes, I do very firmly tighten the hose, couplings, etc.. 

I do believe. I wata makes some of the best airbrushes available. On the other hand I have never tryd I think it called a theyer chandler not sure if that's even close....:D

Mine only seems to do it with after market parts. I'm using a after market quick conect with a mac. Valve now and its fine. I wish I could remember wich part coused that but I can't sry I'm a gadget guy I'm always trying different. Items.

Eureka!  The 3-in-1 oil appears to have done the trick.  I had to go buy a bottle, and the drops that came out of the applicator were large (couldn't find the old pen-type applicator), so I put some on a needle and put a small drop below the trigger yesterday morning.  I did just a little bit of airbrushing today, but ran 4 different colors through it, and the trigger worked perfectly.  I have some building to do before I will be able to sit down for an extended AB session, but so far so good!

For me, the issue was not over-tightening the hose connection.  I have been using the small water trap that came with the brush, and was able to loosen it almost a full turn before it began to leak air, and it did not help.  After applying the oil, I re-tightened the hose connection.

Strange thing is, I would bet almost anything that I had tried a drop of Iwata Super Lube below the trigger earlier, and it had no affect on it.  I would have thought the Iwata oil would have worked.

I will update this post in the future when I have been able to do more airbrushing.

Thanks for all the help, it looks like I may have the issue resolved.

blackdog62

On the iwata if you tighten down the hose to much it puts pressure on the trigger a causes the trigger to feel stiff or spungie I have noticed it's worst after market gadgets such as water traps quick connect ext or just the hose.

I deal with it by using Teflon tape and don't tighten as fare. And there high volume an so they like higher pressure. But everybody mixes different.  Hope this helps.

blackdog62

On the iwata if you tighten down the hose to much it puts pressure on the trigger a causes the trigger to feel stiff or spungie I have noticed it's worst after market gadgets such as water traps quick connect ext or just the hose.

I deal with it by using Teflon tape and don't tighten as fare. And there high volume an so they like higher pressure. But everybody mixes different.  Hope this helps.

Well thank you moneymaker66 happy to help and hope it works out.

That is absolutely true and I forgot it! Do what blackdog says and it will solve the problem if ant remains. Tightening too much causes the o ring to swell slightly. Backing it off a bit allows it to return to its proper shape. Happens a lot with Harder an Stenbeck airbrushes Excellent save blackdog!

On the iwata if you tighten down the hose to much it puts pressure on the trigger a causes the trigger to feel stiff or spungie I have noticed it's worst after market gadgets such as water traps quick connect ext or just the hose.

I deal with it by using Teflon tape and don't tighten as fare. And there high volume an so they like higher pressure. But everybody mixes different.  Hope this helps.

Glad it helped Greg!

Thanks for letting me know Greg.  I will have to hunt up some of that oil.

mgh, FWIW, I tried modelmaker66's 3-in-1 idea tonight on mine as suddenly it was stuck spraying air when I fired up my compressor. Took it a few minutes to do whatever it did, but for now at least it is as positive an action as when it was new out of the box. Hope it stays that way.

(then of course my Harder Steenbeck started sticking, but a thorough cleaning solved that as it always seems to with that brush) Was kind of comical, actually. Both brushes were sitting there blowing air by themselves :)

Thanks for the tip, modelmaker66

Dang, I used to have one of those applicators.  I would try anything right now (though I have not yet called Iwata).

When I first pick up the AB, the trigger will be working fine, but it only takes a few cycles with the trigger, and it will be sluggish again.

Hi!

I do not use any type of super lube on a air valve ever, nothing but problems! I use a drop of thin machine oil, you can find a needle applicator of the oil at a hardware store and apply a couple drops to the top or pin of the valve once there shows a problem, and that is only a couple times a year.

Enamel thinners can cause the rubber o ring around the valve pin can swell and impede the pins movement.This oil will help. also dropping some windex on it may help too, but I recommend the oil.

I have not, that may be what I need to do next.

mgh, have you consider contacting Iwata customer service and send your airbrush back to them for a checkup and possible repair? It may be time you have to do it.

At least, send them the description of problem you wrote here.

Wow, I am getting real frustrated with this Iwata.  It has worked flawlessly for  close to a year and a half, but now I am having weird problems.

A few weeks back I started having problems with what I thought was clogging, just could not get it to spray evenly, or flow was poor, or no flow at all.  I clean it up after every use.  Today picked it up, and it would not spray a thing.  I cleaned it all up, even ran some lacquer thinner through it.  Though experimentation, I figured out that sometimes when I put it back together it worked, and sometimes it did not.  Mostly, it did not.

I am not talking now of disassembling the piece below the trigger, I am only talking about regular cleaning break-down; taking the tip, nozzle and needle out, and re-assembling.  Sometimes it blows air back through the cup, like it is completely blocked.  When it is not spraying, I can loosen the needle, and pull it back a tiny bit, and that will not make it spray, so it does not seem to be from the needle.  Inspecting the tip I can see no issues, and if there was an issue with the tip, I would expect it to be consistently bad.

During 2 sessions, I have pulled it apart at least 30 times, running only water through it to test it.  It is inconsistent as heck.

I am trying to backtrack to see what I have changed recently.  I did put together a homemade spray booth, and after that used some enamels thinned with mineral spirits, and some thinned with lacquer thinner for the first time.  Recently I put a small drop of Iwata lube in the top of the trigger.  I put a new needle in it about a month ago when I first started having problems, even though I could not see anything wrong with the old one.

This has me baffled, I have had this apart dozens, probably hundreds of times through the months with no issues.  Now I seem to have issues every time I try to use it.

Anyone have any ideas?  I have not looked up Iwata support on the web to see what help they may offer.  Has anyone had experience with their customer service?

Thanks everyone!

And after mine sat dry for a few days, a bit of trigger sluggishness has returned. I've tried a drop of Iwata lube down there before, but never disassembled. Next step for me is to disassemble the assy again, and lube it up a tad inside.

Have you checked if the top of the rod is moving freely through the bottom of the brush boday? I didn't think to do that when I had mine torn down, will check it when I tear it down again. If there is any resistance, maybe run a pipe cleaner though it.

I just remembered that Iwata recommends a drop of lube up at the top of the trigger mechanism. I haven't done that in a long time, will be doing that too.

Mine isn't that bad, it is just there and doesn't feel exactly right.

I can say for certainty today that the dis-assembly yesterday did not help at all, the trigger is just as sluggish as it was before :(

Yes, that does help.

I must have gotten parts #8, 9, 10 & 11 out, but did not identify #7.  Don't feel like pulling it apart again right now :)  Upon re-assembly it worked much better.  Have not yet tried to run anything through the brush.

NathanT is correct that there is an O-ring as part of the assembly that is part #8.

mgh

Does it come out in 5 pieces?  Did you let the parts dry out, or did you clean them up with something before re-assembling?

4 pieces. The packing valve piston (part #7 on the diagram) is firmly attached to the guide body (part #8). It appeared to be more plasticllike than rubber.

I threw them all in my ultrasonic cleaner, along with the rest of the the brush since it was was torn down anyway. Didn't allow to dry (probably should). It seems to be fine for now.

I don't plan to tear down that lower valve assy routinely, sooner or later I'd lose the nut.

Hope this helps somehow.

Greg: I have not pulled mine apart yet.  I thought it was starting to move a bit more freely, but it is not.  Any other tips for me, other than being careful about the spring?  Does it come out in 5 pieces?  Did you let the parts dry out, or did you clean them up with something before re-assembling?

NathanT: check out the picture of part #7 in the description of each part below the diagram.  #7 is the "Packing Valve Piston".  The picture shows something coming up from the center of this.  It does not look like an O-ring.  So when you pulled yours apart, this Packing Valve Piston was in fact an O-ring?

Maybe I will have the time to get to the airbrush today.

Thanks for all the help.  I will be very happy if I can get this fixed!