airbrush frustration

Sticky this thread. Best thread ever. I have a Chinese copy of the CM-C Plus (looks the same, same parts, but probably made from recycled newspapers) and I had the exact same issues; paint splotches, irregular flow, mottled patterns, and so on (not helped by my equally cheap compressor and its even cheaper "moisture trap").

After reading this thread this morning, I thinned my paint a lot more than the 1:3 ratio Vallejo suggests, up to 1:1 or even a little more with 99.9% isopropanol and a few drops of Vallejo's thinner. I immediately got much better results. The paint didn't even build up on the crown like it did before when it would grime up in minutes. I also fiddled with the MAC Valve to see if I could make some sense out of that but I can't see any difference (if it says something in the Iwata manual I'd love to know what it says). Still some other issues but working on them (too many knobs and screws on these airbrushes...). But try the thinning, and thin a LOT, and hopefully it should work better (it's an expensive airbrush after all, it should work fine).

Heck I practiced on computer paper. I could write down what ratios and air pressure I was experimenting with on each sheet and then I had a reference  to show someone or to keep for later comparisons. The micron has a very small tip. It would be used for detail painting and fine lines. It would not be the best choise for spraying base coats. Because the tip is small- .24 mm the paint must be thinned. Try 1 to 1 paint to thinner and see how well it behaives. Try more thinner or less thinner to see what happens. A smaller tip and more thinner may require a little paint retarder to let the paint flow with out trying to dry on the tip. When you get the best thinning ratio then start adjusting air pressure. start at 20 lbs and work down to 5lbs. Some of the guys lately said Tamiya acrylics using denatured alcohol as a thinner worked well.  Iwata Fan,   Greg.

tho9900 wrote:

Ed - are ya checking that shipment, checking it twice?  haha.. sorry couldn't resist a Christmas pun as it's already getting too hot here...

Just checked it again Tom Looks like Tues it'll be here I think I better bring in some buckets as it's raining here & can't practice too well in the rain We were having 60 degree weather here the past couple of days

Ed - are ya checking that shipment, checking it twice?  haha.. sorry couldn't resist a Christmas pun as it's already getting too hot here... 

Check out this link:
http://www.howtoairbrush.com/

there are some "How-to" stuff on there.
 
HTH,
Eddie

Oh, as everyone else has said "Practice, practice, practice" Thanks fellas, I am also learning alot from this thread seeing how I'm awaiting my Badger 175 to arrive on Tuesday and then, I'll definately be  putting all this to use as I have plastic buckets for days to practice on

Taking on a new concept of painting can be quite frustrating and overwhelming for sure. But hang in there, it will all come together before you know it. While I'm getting the hang of my Iwata Eclipse HP-BCS, I'm following a few guide lines like I did when I learned to paint 1:1 cars years ago.

A 0.23-mm nozzle/head is ideal for thin viscosity materials.
Make sure you have the crown cap & nozzle cap attached.
Start with an air pressure between 15 - 25 PSI.
Paint thinned to a milk or ink consistency (I use enamels, my wife uses textile paints).
You might want to adjust the micro knob to allow full paint flow to start off with.

I started working on my technique with the trigger pulled all the way back.
I left the air pressure set at 25 PSI and worked on thinning the paint to the correct consistency (thinner than I thought). I got splatters and blobs when the paint was too thick.
Once I was able to spray a better pattern and layer of paint than a spray can, I played around with the trigger adjustments.
I worked on spraying dots and lines of different sizes.
I then worked on using different air pressures for different size dots and lines.
I used a quart can of enamel paint, a spray can of Krylon primer and a gallon of oderless mineral spirits (for thinning and cleanup) from the hardware store, and painted every milk jug and plastic bucket I could get my hands on.

Hang in there, you have a really nice AB and I'll bet it won't be long before you get some fantastic results.

Oh yeah... practice, practice, practice! 

The one thing I have never seen included in an airbrush package is experience.  That only comes with time and practice.  There are no shortcuts, there is no easy way, the ONLY way to learn to use an airbrush is by practicing.

If you can't coordinate pressure, paint viscosity, paint flow, and distance from the surface, then don't.  Pick a pressure around 15 psi and then work with the paint viscosity (how thin the paint is) until you get a mix that flows well.  If the paint doesn't spray well it's probably not thin enough.  If it doesn't cover well it's probably too thin.  Once you have found something that works pretty well in that range, then work on the paint flow volume and distance from the surface.  As the others have mentioned milk jugs work very well for this type of practice.

YOU have to find what works for you.  The airbrush you use, the paint you use, everything has to come together and for your particular circumstances you are the only one that can find that combination.

Also, from Iwata's web site I see that the CM-C+ has either a 0.18 or 0.23mm nozzle.  That is probably too small for modeling paints.  The pigment in them is probably just too large to flow properly.  You may have to get your paint quite thin to get it to flow and even then you may have problems.  That nozzle was designed for illustration paints and ink with very fine pigment.

I second everything that Ed, Bill, and Tom said, above!

Airbrushing is an art, and the learning curve is infinite—I know pros who have told me that they learn something about it almost every time they pick up a brush. Maybe they exaggerate, but not by too much.

You might also want to search on "airbrush" or "airbrushing technique" in the forum. There's an abundance of good advice already (much of it recent) posted.

which type of paints are you using, enamel or acrylic??  the irregular flow and spattering sounds a bit like the paint might not be thinned enough or if using acrylics, tip dry...  (or both) 

Bill hit the nail on the head... get a couple of gallon jugs and primer them with some cheap Krylon primer or such..   use that to practice spraying on the flat surfaces while playing with your thinning ratio until you feel it is right.  Don't try too get fancy yet... just concentrate on getting even flow.  Once you do that, try playing with getting an overall coat in an area with no areas of thin paint and such... keep going, trying one thing at a time until you feel more comfortable with that trick, then move on to the next.  I'd try this using the Paasche first... once you feel comfortable, try it again with the Iwata.  It won't take as long as you think, as soon as you start getting comfortable with one aspect of the brush I think the next thing you tackle will come faster.. 

Also the benefit of using a milk jug is that once you paint it, it will still look like a jug... if you use models to practice on, you'll never be satisfied with the results and feel 'it doesn't look "just right"'  Once you're comfortable with your brush try a single color scheme on something and I think you'll be more than happy... 

There are books available on airbrushing. Check your local library.

There are also plenty of people here who use Iwata's and I'm sure they'll come around soon to help you out.

The best way is to practice, practice, practice. Don't use paper or cardboard and the paints react differently than on plastic. Keep some used milk jugs to practice on.

Do NOT give up on modeling!!! It's a great hobby. I am in a very similar situation as yourself. I have recently gotten back into the hobby &  I truly enjoy it.  I am just getting the hang of an airbrush myself (a single action bottom feeder "cheapie) and am about to venture onto a Badger 175 which I heard is in the mail as I type  I cannot give any advice on your particular problem yet, someone who knows more will drop in soon. That's what I like about this forum... many helpful people here. So, please hang tight & relax.

Eddie