Airbrush problems

Misfit2

Well-Known Hunter
Ok so I just bought an Airbrush Kit. I have the full deal. I hooked everything up to paint my lid today and it didnt work...and then it didnt work right. At first the paint didnt come out but the air did. I figured it was something wrong with the bottle attachment. Then I used the cup and some paint came out but splotchy. I then figured it was an air leak on the tank and used some tape supplied with the kit to seal the threads. The regulator still reads 0 psi. Air is coming out though. Im using acrylic paints and thinned them just like the paint says. I have a big opening needle on the ends so I dont know what Im doing wrong. Any advice would be great.
 
Thats odd. The bottle might have a little hole besides the main one that gets attached to the airbrush. It might possibly be clogged. If it doesnt even have a hole, then I suggest drilling a small hole on the top of the bottle somewhere on the side. That hole is designed so that the paint sucked out is replaced with air. Otherwise your brush wont spray.

Now, its pretty wierd that your regulator is reading 0. Can you post a picture of your airbrush tip, and the regular setup?
 
Here ya go man.

CH 007.jpg


CH 008.jpg
 
Yep, I think your problem is the lack of that hole. Just drill a hole on the cap of your bottle somewhere and you should be good to go. If you have the same problem then I think the airbrushes needle might be a little bent.
 
You have the same brush I have. The Paasche bottle should already have the hole, so I would avoid making a new one. You are using the right needle (the '5'). My guess is that the paint isn't thinned enough or the compressor isn't cranked enough. You should shoot paint at about 10-15 psi. If you shoot higher than that, the paint drys before it hits the bucket. With you not getting any paint and then getting splotchy paint, my money is on the viscosity of the paint.

Try some distilled water by itself. If it shoots fine, then you know it's not a compressor thing. Remember to use distilled water or isopropyl alcohol to thin the acrylics. In my experience, you need to thin MORE than recommended. There is no gold standard, you have to practice until you get the right mix.
 
Hey bud I got the same airbrush kit, the bottle should have the hole already.
I shoot acrylic tamiya paint at 34 PSI per the instruction manual for acrylic paints, and has worked fine for me. For paints like Aclad II I shoot it at 15 psi.

I see that you have a very small compressor, I would suggest upgrading with one from Craftsman.

Make sure to clean your kit after every use, I see yours is really dirty so you might have it clogged somewhere.
 
Is that a Dual-Action brush? If it is, that could also have something to do with it. Pressing the button down allows some air to come through, but also pulling the button back all the way will open it up too much. That's when you get the splotching. When you pull the button back do it slowly until you get the kind of spray you're looking for.

This is considering that it is a dual-action brush. If it's not, sorry I couldn't be more help.
 
paint may be a little thick, it may have to be thinned .... i have had a pashe and there should be a hole in the top of the bottle , maybe thats clogged and not letting the air in.....
 
Sometimes airbrushes just hate their owners. I don't know the true name for the piece, but there's a little dial on the top that should control the width of the spray, you may have messed around with that.

Also, how thin did you make the paint, and what PSI are you painting at?
 
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