I'm about to treat my airbrush to the bottom of my boot...

My Aztek A4709 malfuctioned only after 18months use ; something went wrong with the trigger mechanism , so I sent it back to the Testor corporation . 5 weeks later I received a replacement airbrush body in the mail . You could try the same approach.
The Testor Corportion
440 Blackhawk Park Avenue
Rockford , ILLINOIS
61104-5158

I've noticed many of my problems with my Aztek came from not using the red tool to screw the tips in--hand tightening just didn't seem to cut it when spraying certain paints.

Let me know how it goes,
Dan

I guess I could try that Dan. Could possibly be the tips aer not getting a good seating since even a brand new one won't spray anything but air.

you know guys ...I'm wondering.... dose the ppl from Testors Corp. know all the good thinks that modelers say about the Aztek AB ... Do they take any action to improve the product

Rather than buy a new airbrush, I'd look to make sure you don't have paint trapped anywhere. I have a 430, and it had the same problem you described. I was ready to buy a new airbrush, but I decided to look further into it. I took the red tri-tip tool that came with the airbrush, used it to scrub each port out, and discovered I had several years worth of accumulated crud in the threads and back of the airbrush. After doing that, it works like a champ! I found the tip didn't go all the way down into the airbrush because of the paint in the threads.

I'm not sure Aztek deserves the beating it gets anymore. I think the early brushes weren't up to snuff, but their later stuff seems to work pretty good. I've got every brush they make except the 470 (got 'em for free in a dealer demo pack, the owner of the shop didn't know what to do with it, so he gave it to me), and have been happy with them. They've sprayed everything I've tried to spray (with appropriate care, of course). I do not think they are quite as tolerant of paint ratios as other airbrushes, but with care and practice, they are great performers.

Dan

QUOTE: Originally posted by Red_Lionking no body here talks about the Paasche anything wrong with them?

No. They make a good airbrush and have been one of the biggest sellers of all time. It seems that they are losing out to Badger and Iwata nowdays though.

Mike

try and fix the aztec as you seem happy with up until lately, but if you cant, you won't go wrong with an iwata hp-cs!! i've used paasche, badger, and omni, but iwata is the best airbrush that I"VE ever used. notice that the I'VE is capitalized, meaning my personal experience. later.

or a badger...

i've used a paasche VL and i like it, not as much as the hp-b/c/ch/cs

QUOTE: Originally posted by Red_Lionking no body here talks about the Paasche anything wrong with them?

I had been spraying with a paasche for over a year and it is a great all around AB. I then upgraded to 2 Iwatas. An eclipse HP-CS gravity feed and a Revolution BCR syphon feed. It was like when I played sax in high school band and went from playing a selmer student model to playing a Yamaha pro series. Night and Day. Yes alot of it is your own personal talent and some say all AB's do is push air and there is not much difference but there is a difference in craftsmanship and quality. Do your self the favor and get your self an Iwata.

I don't want to be redundant but I have had Badgers for many years and never had a problem with them. For me they are worth every cent you pay.

QUOTE: no body here talks about the Paasche anything wrong with them?

Nope, nothing that I know of. MikeV would be better suited to know how they perform on models though. I know several people who use them and are very happy with them, it just seems that Badger and Iwata seem to have the lin's share of the modeling market for some reason.

no body here talks about the Paasche anything wrong with them?

They can all be tempermental from time to time, but from everything I've read around here the Azteks tend to be more tempermental than most. If my Badgers act up it's normally because I left some paint to dry somewhere. They are so simple it's just hard for anything to go seriously wrong with them unless you bend a needle or trash a nozzle. Presumably the Iwatas are the same way. I like my Omnis, but either a Badger or Iwata would be a choice you could use for a lifetime.

I will definally be looking into a badger or something along that line. Just have to wait for r the rain to let up so I can get some decent paychecks. So it could be a while berfore I get to do anymore painting.

Just get a Badger!! and be happy

i would get an aztek for free... to destroy like i did to the toaster

Got two of those stinking aztec's!!! I'm a slow learner. but, never again will I buy a aztec. I've spent a small fortune on tips, and tear everything down to bare bones when cleaning, and they still act up on me. no more aztec's. you couldn't give me one.

I've got the same problem as you ... and I use the Model Master Pro AB ...which is the same as the A430. The AB is in use only for one year and now I think I leave it to R.I.P and move to Paasche VL. I won't touch another Aztek ...ever

Thanks Naplak , I'll give that a try.

As soon as I have the cash I am definatly getting a new brush. Can't complain to much. Only paid $40 for the set for this one and it has seen plenty of use.

I second that!!!

I don't mean to laugh at your misfortune, but I clicked on this topic for the sole purpose of seeing if it was about an Aztec! I couldn't stop laughing when I saw that, indeed, it was!
Sorry...I know it's not funny...

I'd recommend getting a Tamiya HG Trigger!

Get an Iwata...

No seriously. I used to have an Aztec and mine sort of did that too. I used lacquer thinner to clean it out. Dribble a little into it, and wrap it in foil for an hour or so -- the foil keeps the thinner from evaporating. Then blow lacquer thinner thru it.

Mine worked like new after that. And... after that I always used lacquer thinner to clean it after use.

Get an Iwata...

No seriously. I used to have an Aztec and mine sort of did that too. I used lacquer thinner to clean it out. Dribble a little into it, and wrap it in foil for an hour or so -- the foil keeps the thinner from evaporating. Then blow lacquer thinner thru it.

Mine worked like new after that. And... after that I always used lacquer thinner to clean it after use.

I have an Aztec, but haven't had the problem you describe. If you have air leaking from the trigger area, I going to guess that you have a seal that has failed. This might be caused by solvents and no parts of an Aztec - other than the tips - are tolerent to solvents. Don't know if there's a fix...sorry.

Good luck,

Not being at all familiar with an Aztek this may be going in the wrong direction, but if it's a siphon feed there should be a small hole in the cap for the bottle that lets the bottle breathe. Make sure that hole isn't plugged with paint and make sure the cap liner hasn't turned or slipped so that it covers the hole.

yeah it's an aztek...mine did that too. I didnt try to save it.