Today I tried a new brand of pre thinned acrylic paint on some box cars with an airbrush. The nozzle rapidly clogged and I had to constantly adjust the paint flow and I had to clean the nozzle a few times. Although I am not an expert with the airbrush, I painted many structures and a few cars in the past without experiencing that kind of problem. I usually use Tamiya paint and I had some experiment with a few other brands.
What am I doing wrong?
Too much pressure? Not enough pressure? Too tick a paint?
Any comment will be appreciated.
Guy
Modeling CNR in the 50's
Hi Guy!
Tip dry could be the result of one or more things. You already mentioned a few, weather conditions and humidity could be factors. I see from your avatar you're from Canada, so I would presume low humidity is probably not a factor. Here in Las Vegas, NV, there are days with high temperature and low humidity that airbrushing is futile.
My guess is the air pressure was set to high, which has a tendency to have more air flowing than paint, and cause tip dry. What were you running your psi/kpa at? Since you were using a new pre-thinned acrylic, what did the manufacturer say to run at?
I used to run my airbrush at 30 psi. Since dropping to 15-20 psi, seems like I have less tip dry.
Do some more experiments at lower psi/kpa settings.
Edit: I have used windshield washer fluid in my mixture of acrylic paint. It seemed to reduce tip dry. But since lowering my psi setting, I haven't seen the need for windshield washer fluid.
Terry
Inspired by Addiction
See more on my YouTube Channel
Guy, Considering you've had success with other paints I'd be inclined to think that the airbrush ready paint was too thick for your needle/tip size. My 1980s Badger 200 single act bottom feeder requires 20-28 PSI and a larger tip and needle to realiably shoot the acrylics I've tried and even then it still balks sometimes.
Only tried an airbrush ready paint thru the 200 once and it clogged, thinned the paint out some and increased pressure and was able to finish the job, but good thing I wasn't needing a good finish. Did help keeping a wet pipe cleaner handy to swab the tip now and then.
My new Badger Patriot double-act top feeder seems to be happy shooting acrylic, lacquer or enamels at 12-15 psi with standard needle & tip and following paint mfg. recommended thinner & thinning ratios.
regards, Peter
Guy, this is not unsual. I only use acrylics (Rapido these days, which I like very much) and I always have an extra bottle filled with distilled water on the side. Between coats, I switch bottles and clean the nozzle to keep it clean. It also gives me something to do while the paint dries...
Good luck and keep showing us your work!
Simon
Hi Simon,
I also used Rapido paints recently with varying results; I had good results with the black paint but not with the CP Red. At which pressure do you use these paints? Rapido recommends 20-25 psi.
I like their primer. It covers easily and it leaves a smoother finish than some rattle can primers I used in the past.
I usually go with 30 psi. I very much like their grimy black. Haven't tried anything else... I also did some detail work with a brush. It needed two coats, but contrary to what I heard, it worked fine.