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Hi, 44 yo modeler here - actually my first time posting, but been a subscriber for years!
I just got my first airbrush, a metal body Aztek, with a Master Air tank compressor. I've followed instructions to the "tee" and cannot get it to reliably spray paint during its first two runs. Here's what I did on test #1:
I loaded up som Tamiya flat black acrylic 2:1 thinned with Tamiya AB thinner and put it in a gravity cup. I set the dial on the back of the brush to the far right (single action) - it sputtered and coughed and threw a few passes of paint. I set it to dual action (dial all the way to the left) and it stopped working properly. Paint barely came out, but coughed out of the sapce around the trigger a couple of times. I stopped, cleaned the tip in windex overnight, and sprayed a bunch of windex thru the brush in both action modes until it ran clear. (Or clear blue in the case of Windex;)
Test #2:
I tried painting again today with a siphon bottle of the same thinned paint and now it wont spray any thing at all - just air. So I filled a gravity cup with windex and got it to spray but it was frothing and bubbling windex out of the gap around the finger trigger. after a while, the froth turned black - maybe some old paint? I ran it until it was clean but I'm bewildered: why wont it spray paint properly? Why wont it work with a siphon bottle? This brush is brand new!
Can anyone shed some light on this? I'd greatly appreciate some advice! Thank you. Rob
My advice is to contact Testors about a replacement. Somehow paint got into the body of the airbrush and eventually it will cause trouble. When you get a new one, try it with plain water first.
Don
https://sites.google.com/site/donsairbrushtips/home
A collection of airbrush tips and reviews
Also an Amazon E-book and paperback of tips.
What nozzle are you using? had mine for well over a decade and used only the grey nozzle without a problem although I have always used enamels. Paint may need to be thinner also.
Mick.
Some stuff that might be interesting.
https://sites.google.com/view/airbrush-and-modeling/home
On The Bench.
Tiger 1 and Tooheys.
When you say 2/1, what part is the 2 ? If it's 2 parts paint it just may not be thin enough. I cut Tamiya paints 100% ( 1/1) usually, with a few exceptions.
Not being a acrylic user I can't help a lot but I use a little electric Trumpeter stirrer for my enanel and stir for a few minutes at least, should not need cheesecloth., if you have lumps in the paint just through it out.
Have you played with air pressure? moisture can do what your describing but you should be right if you have a tank on the compressor.
Looking forward to hearing what happens.
Keep thinning until the brush is happy with it.
dreadpyratThats good to know....for me: 2 parts paint, 1 part thinner. I'll try 1/1 next. Thanks!!
It's goning to seem thin, but it usually sprays fine with maybe one added coat. I mix just shy of 1/1 to 1/1 to 10 or 15% over 1/1 or so. What ever gives the right flow down the side of the cup and resulting spray pattern..
The Aztek is a problematic airbrush. The changeable tip "cartridge" is the cause. Unlike any othe airbrush that I'm aware of, the spring that works against trigger pull to move the needle and open the orifice, is in the paint path. Most airbrushes have the needle and spring in the main body, and the paint is introduced forward of that.
You'll have to learn how to take the tip assembly itself apart in order to remove the spring and other parts and clean them.
I struggled with my Aztek for a few years, and finally switched to a Badger.
Another often overlooked problem with all siphon airbrushes is that the pot needs to ingest air just as fast as it gets sucked out. There's some type of relief hole on the cup. Make sure that it is completely clear.
Modeling is an excuse to buy books.
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