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Air Brush tip drying out while painting with Testors Acrylics

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SMH
  • Member since
    October 2017
Air Brush tip drying out while painting with Testors Acrylics
Posted by SMH on Sunday, October 22, 2017 4:37 PM

Like the subject says I'm having trobles with my airbrush tip drying out while painting with acrylics.

I use the paint stirght from the bottle and it sprays Ok at 20 psi but after a few minutes the tip dries out. I can get it broke loose by going full throttle, but it will dry out in short order.

Suggestions?

 

  • Member since
    July 2017
Posted by crazypat on Sunday, October 22, 2017 6:38 PM

hello SMH

when you airbrush do you do pretty much constant spraying or do spray a bit then look at is check that it ok than spray some more. if so it could be drying out in that time. i use vallejo paint in my Iwata HP-CP i don't have a problem with that. i also dont do long painting sessions. hopefully that is of some help if not hopefully someone more experienced can help you.

  • Member since
    January 2017
Posted by ecotec83 on Sunday, October 22, 2017 9:24 PM

A drying retarder/flow improver can help as can thinning the paint more. Giving the needle a good oiling with arbrish lube can help too. Made a difference with vallejo acrylics and primers that were clogging my airbrush constanly. But in the end I still had issues and have stopped airbrushing anything vallejo. Tamiya and mission model paints have very rarely given me any problems and are now my go to.

  • Member since
    November 2008
  • From: Far Northern CA
Posted by mrmike on Sunday, October 22, 2017 10:08 PM

My two cents is that what you're experiencing is pretty much normal. Acylics dry fast, especially when there's air blowing past them. Retarders seem to help, but I still get build up on the needle, it just takes longer. What works for me is to keep a Q-tip wet with lacquer thinner close at hand and just clean off the tip when it starts to get "dirty".

My airbrush has a tip guard that I don't use when I'm spraying, so a couple swipes from the gun to the tip clean up the dry material. That and a squirt onto scrap to blow off excess thinner, and I'm back in business.

Hope this will help you!

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by GMorrison on Sunday, October 22, 2017 10:12 PM

Airbrushing acrylics is definitely more difficult for me than enamels. Since I have a booth with a filter, I control  fumes pretty well, and in every other way like enamels better.

Back flushing a little helps too.

 

 Modeling is an excuse to buy books.

 

SMH
  • Member since
    October 2017
Posted by SMH on Monday, October 23, 2017 8:50 AM
Thanks for the replys. Looks like I'll have several ideas to try out.
  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: Twin Cities of Minnesota
Posted by Don Stauffer on Monday, October 23, 2017 9:09 AM

GMorrison

Airbrushing acrylics is definitely more difficult for me than enamels. Since I have a booth with a filter, I control  fumes pretty well, and in every other way like enamels better.

Back flushing a little helps too.

 

 

I prefer enamel, too.  However, I can see the possibility of the demise of paints with volatile hydrocarbons.  So I have set a goal of learning to airbrush acrylics just in case.

 

Don Stauffer in Minnesota

  • Member since
    September 2016
  • From: Albany, New York
Posted by ManCityFan on Monday, October 23, 2017 11:09 AM

I have had very good results using Vallejo Airbrush Flow Improver when spraying Tamiya acrylics.  A couple of drops per cup of paint, so the bottle will last a long time.

Using the recommended thinner/poly additive with Mission Model paints, I have had little dry tip issues even with extended sessions.  I REALLY like this paint.

D

Dwayne or Dman or just D.  All comments are welcome on my builds. 

SMH
  • Member since
    October 2017
Posted by SMH on Saturday, October 28, 2017 1:05 PM
Checking back in, what I found that worked nice was removing the tip guard and having a drop of vallejo retarder on a napkin and wiping the tip off. Worked nice
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