Maximum pressure for airbrushes

Interesting to read about the plastic Aztec brush coming apart and the pressures some people have used metal brushes at. I had the thin Badger supplied airline rupture when attached to a canister standing in warm (OK hot!) water some years ago. I would have thought that a metal bodied brush would withstand a fair degree of abuse pressure wise and not likely something you would voluntarily subject it to. The weak link as in my case might be the fittings we use to connect the compressor to the brush.

Thanks to everyone for all the feedback. I'll have to get hold of Testors to find out what they recommend as far as maximum pressure goes. The agent i bought the airbrush from was less than helpful, their estimate of 25psi was based on the maximum the airbrush compressors that they carry produce. Indeed, as pathfinder related, my primary concern is with the plastic body of the A320 rupturing at the seams. Until such time i'll err on the side of caution and keep the regulator set to 20psi or below.

Of course, this all still theoretical as i'm probably only going to take the plunge over the weekend and go and buy the compressor.

Another reason for concern is that the regulator that comes with the compressor, albeit an ABAC compressor, looks more like a kid's toy than a serious piece of equipment - i'm still trying to source a decent replacement regulator and the quintessential moisture trap (which sadly this particular model does not have included).

Worst of all is that i'm already well on my way to joining the "aztek sucks" ranks, as this is already a replacement A320 because the first one started leaking air .... and, after all of two weeks, the new one has started doing exactly the same! Not being able to disassemble the body makes finding the problem all but impossible, and the 10 day turaround time to get a replacement is rather annoying.

Many moons ago i used an Aztec with the black plastic body. For whatever the reason, I accidentally put high pressure to it, 90-100 psi and it literally tried to come apart at the seams. End of plastic bodied airbrush! I don't honestly know, nor have I read any limitations on metal body brushes other than it creates a fog in the room with higher pressure and paint runs out very - very fast! I do use higher pressures (40 psi) if I've gotten lazy and not cleaned the brush after usage. Higher pressure does help to clean the tips but never that high to apply paint.

Ive had my 360 from 90-105 before

I have never heard of a maximum pressure for airbrushes, although I am not sure about the Aztek.
I have sprayed at 100 psi with my Vega 2000 and there were no problems.

Mike

When I spray Future, Dullcoat, or other similarly thin liquids through my Aztec, I'll use a pressure around 25 psi. As MusicCity said, painting is done at pressures between about 5 psi and 20 psi - depending on the paint, how thin it is, and the coverage spraying.

I also use a compressor with a 3 gallon tank (120 psi or so) that kicks on and refills whenever my pressure gets below 70 psi. None of that pressure ever reaches the air hose, A/B connections, or the A/B itself. The output regulator is never set above 25 psi (maybe 30 psi).

Hope this helps...

Unless it states in the instructions for the airbrush you'll probably need to contact the manufacturer to find out what the safe maximum pressure is. Many compressor accessories, hoses, blow guns, etc. are limited to 90 psi.

It's pretty much a moot point though since all the high pressure air is going to be on the compressor side of the regulator. The regulator is what needs to be able to handle the full 140 psi of the compressor. For airbrushing models you'll seldom need more than 20 psi.