I'm using a Thompson Chandler, which is a subsidiary of Badger plus some Badgers mostly the double actions at this point. TC uses a cup the Badgers use a jar.
I seem to get very small amounts of splatter. Usually when I first pull the trigger on the paint. If I can start off the model it isn't to bad, but otherwise I end up with spots of paint. I keep it clean and have been varying the thinners and air pressure fairly low 8 to 20 psi but the problem seems kinda consistent.
The signs of water and not paint coming out are splatter that then blows of= f the paint but leaves streaks behind IN the paint. A water trap stops the = condensation in the line (but remember to empty it -- just like a spit valv= e on a brass musical instrument -- from time to time).=20
If the splatter is paint and it leaves paint streaks behind it may be press= ure buildup causing a "spurt" when you press the trigger.=20
snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:
Like I said above, I have 2 of them at this point. One on the regualtor and one is inline on the braided line I'm using (soon to bereplaced anywya.
Ho smear. just little dots. And just when pulling the trigger the first time after even the sammlest rest and the pressure builds up again. Not that I'm using fire hose like pressures 8 - 15 lbs.
Try thinning your paint more...sounds like it's drying in the tip. If you can also clear it by running the needle closed and then open, that's the issue.
Used to see that...then I started thinning my paint properly and it stopped. At least that's what I've seen using enamels, and I would think acrylics or any paint that dries faster might be even more prone.
Another thing of note is that the pressure may also build up in the line when you pause, and you may get a bigger initial blast that you want. I find it's always best to start my pass off the model anyway. I keep spare chunks of cardboard around just to test my flow on.
Maybe there is gunk on the needle or in the nozzle. Or else the thinning is not sufficient, or the thinner is not "wet" enough---that latter means that the thinner dries too fast.
Just out of curiosity what is the temp vs dew point temp when you spray ?
I've had problems spraying on a hot day when the humidity was very high and wound up spraying small ice crystals and had clumping of paint out of the airbrush nozzle.
Gernot Hassenpflug wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@localhost.localdomain:
Clean is not the issue. I have it down good how to strip and clean these particular airbrushes. I never let them sit with gunk in them, I always rinse with thinner (if enamels) and then water next or if it's acrylic.
I have to think I'm not thinning enough, it's difficult though getting a good mix for me. The looks like skim milk thing is kinda vague if your paint is a dark brown or green.
Yes. The newer Model Master enamels are billed as "airbrush ready", and pre-thinned. But I even thin those, and get excellent results. I have an adapter for my Badgers that lets me fit Testors jars directly to my Badger 200 and/or 150 - I top off with thinner and mix before use; "airbrush ready" or not.
Proper thinning is even more critical with gloss paints - way thinner is far better. And I use Model Master enamels and airbrush thinner. The airbrush thinner is a bit hotter than the brush cleaner/thinner.
I also don't mix one manufacturer's paint with another's thinner. I like to think of paints/thinners as being formulated to work together. That doesn't mean that another thinner won't work, it's just the way I do things.
Too humid or too dry both can cause problems when spraying ANY kind of paint.
Which BTW also has an effect on how much orange peel and fisheye you can/will see in a spray paint job
I just check the weather channel for dew point vs temp before I spray and plan accordingly. I'm now forced to spray outside or in the garage, SWMBO will not tolerate airbrushing anywhere in the house. I have snuck it a couple of times, but she don't know yet
Rufus wrote in news:8ImdnaDlGY5OJJzNnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@mchsi.com:
Actually, finish is not a problem. I do seem to get beautiful, flat, smooth, thin coats.
I used to worry about the thinners, but judging by odor (for enamels, anyway) they seem pretty much the same. I have Floquil, MM, Aeromaster and Humbrol thinners and a gallon can of paint thinner I got at Lowes. Frankly they seem interchangeable, it has never been a real problem.
Acrylics I'm a bit more fussy about, but even still rubbing alcohol and glass cleaner/windshield washing fluid seems to work really well which I attribute to the surfacants in it.
I have all of those myself, but I haven't used any of my Floquil stuff in quite some time. I even have a good stock of Aeromaster paints still around. In general I prefer Model Master, and they keep adding colors so I find I can get more and more of what I'm looking for from them these days.
If you use a wine-taster's sniff test you'll find each a bit different. Same base vehicles for all enamels, but I think they are or can differ chemically just slightly. Like with the paint retarder that you can get for Floquil.
Forex: I know that the airbrush thinner is "thinner" than the brush cleaner/thinner. That and that it's "hotter" means you may be able to get away with using less of it, and also will alter how it flows through your airbrush. That's something else to pay attention to - how "thick" your "thinner" is; it's specific gravity. Thinner thinner is better, just like thinner paint.
I think I do what I do because I had a paint mix actually curdle on me once...can't recall what I was mixing, but I seem to remember altering my habits after some such. So now I stick to using same brand paint/thinner combinations.
I use very few acrylics - for light lenses and for tinting canopies. So mainly just clear red, yellow, green, blue, and/or orange. Tamiya...and even I use their thinner! But here you illustrate the point of all thinners not being equal even better.
I have never mastered the art of thinning acrylics to the point where I can airbrush them reliably - mostly they dry between brush and target and produce a cute flocked finish - useful for Special Night, perhaps, but not for anything else.
However I always use the manufacturers thinner or a known appropriate substitute. I came to this decision after thinning some Revell synthetic enamel with white spirit (which is known as mineral sprits in the US, I believe), the thinner I used for all other enamels at the time.
The resulting mixture sprayed well, but refused to dry. After three days it was still sticky, not liquid but not touch-dry either. I did a lot of digging around the internet to discover that the Revell paint used an unusual mixture of hydrocarbons as a thinner, certainly not white spirit. All that was on the can was the usual warning, "Use only Revell thinners" or something similar.
So, although you might get away with using the wrong thinner, it's risky and you could end up with a fly-trap.
Humbrol paints explicitly allow the use of white spirit as a thinner, and Xtracolor specifies white spirit. Otherwise, I use white spirit to clean brushes and the airbrush after enamels: with brushes I give a final wash with detergent to get the solvent out of the brush, with the airbrush a quick dose of airbrush cleaner (usually toluene) gets rid of any stubborn leftovers.
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