Beginner airbrush clog and splatter

T

Tnessi

Guest
Hi, I'm fairly new to airbrushing, and I've been experiencing some issues with my Iwata Neo airbrush and compressor. I started practicing with Iwata Com-Art paint and had no trouble. I primarily paint shoes, so I began using the airbrush to get faster coverage. My first pair went great, and I got complete coverage with no problem. I used Angelus Paint with there 2-Thin airbrush additive. That was the last time my brush worked correctly.

At this point, I have to completely clean my brush every 5 minutes in order to prevent it from completely clogging. I strain my paint, I check my needle, I clean with both warm water and Iwata Airbrush Cleaner, and I use reducer always. I'm not sure what else to do, and from a beginners point of view, it looks like it's in perfect condition.

thanks...
 
It sounds to me like your nozzle might be dirty. I'm not familiar with that brand of paint so I'm not sure what advice to give you. You may need to soak the nozzle overnight?
 
Okay more information please.
I know the airbrush is a neo Gravity feed or bottom feed ?
What compressor are you using one with a tank or one without?
I do not know the brand of paint your using being on anything textile I use Wicked Color or the old trusted Createx made just for textiles.
If it is clogging that fast I say your paint is not reduced enough, The additive may not be a reducer but more of a transparent base. But as I said I have never heard of the paint you're using.
 
Hi
I’m like you, very very new to airbrushing and have asked loads of questions on here over the last few weeks regarding flow problems.
I feel maybe what I have learned it would be good to pass some back so maybe the paint you are running is to thick, there is an Airbrush tutor vid on youtube where he discusses viscosity of paint which might help you out a bit and loads of vids on stripping and cleaning correctly.
If you search for my thread on here reagarding me dropping my airbrush one of the guys called airbrush dreams posted a 20minute vid on how he cleans his brush which would help you no end as it has me so maybe worth having a look.
Maybe give it a good clean and try the com-arts again which would help you decide if its the paint or the brush?
 
Okay more information please.
I know the airbrush is a neo Gravity feed or bottom feed ?
What compressor are you using one with a tank or one without?
I do not know the brand of paint your using being on anything textile I use Wicked Color or the old trusted Createx made just for textiles.
If it is clogging that fast I say your paint is not reduced enough, The additive may not be a reducer but more of a transparent base. But as I said I have never heard of the paint you're using.
I'm also as of today using wicked colors on a goalie mask. Unfortunatley it's still happening. I'm going to do a deep clean to rule out a bad clog.
 
It sounds to me like your nozzle might be dirty. I'm not familiar with that brand of paint so I'm not sure what advice to give you. You may need to soak the nozzle overnight?
I'll definitely try that... Thank you
 
Hi
I’m like you, very very new to airbrushing and have asked loads of questions on here over the last few weeks regarding flow problems.
I feel maybe what I have learned it would be good to pass some back so maybe the paint you are running is to thick, there is an Airbrush tutor vid on youtube where he discusses viscosity of paint which might help you out a bit and loads of vids on stripping and cleaning correctly.
If you search for my thread on here reagarding me dropping my airbrush one of the guys called airbrush dreams posted a 20minute vid on how he cleans his brush which would help you no end as it has me so maybe worth having a look.
Maybe give it a good clean and try the com-arts again which would help you decide if its the paint or the brush?
Okay, Thank you very much. I'm going to do a deep clean as well as lube the airbrush considering I haven't done one since it came factory built.
 
Okay, Thank you very much. I'm going to do a deep clean as well as lube the airbrush considering I haven't done one since it came factory built.

Be careful not to overlube, look for videos on youtube first. There are loads of informative videos which are pretty universal to a degree
 
Just as some helpful information, just because you "clean" your airbrush doesn't mean it's actually clean. That's why I pointed you towards the nozzle. A very tiny amount of crud left over in there can cause major problems and leave you scratching your head.
 
Just as some helpful information, just because you "clean" your airbrush doesn't mean it's actually clean. That's why I pointed you towards the nozzle. A very tiny amount of crud left over in there can cause major problems and leave you scratching your head.
Okay, Thanks
 
A quick look at Angelus Paint website shows that the airbrushes they promote/sell are .5mm needles. As mr.micron said above, we don’t know which version of the neo you use. The neo gravity is a .35 but the siphon is .5 So if you are using the gravity feed that will be part of your problem.

If you are not using the recommended reduction or pressure that will compound your issue.
 
Yeah +1 on the be careful with the lube. An airbrush really does not require lubricant to work correctly, and in many cases lube does more harm than good.
 
+1 for all of the above and definitely do not lube your airbrush with the Blue Iwata Superlube. It has a habit of gumming up the airbrush. It sounds like the most likely thing is that your paint needs to be reduced more for the brush you’re using. It’s probably not clogging, but the paint is too thick to pass through the nozzle.


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A quick look at Angelus Paint website shows that the airbrushes they promote/sell are .5mm needles. As mr.micron said above, we don’t know which version of the neo you use. The neo gravity is a .35 but the siphon is .5 So if you are using the gravity feed that will be part of your problem.

If you are not using the recommended reduction or pressure that will compound your issue.
I'm using a .35 but generously adding 2-Thin. do you recomend anything else than to add more reducer, I'm using a Neo compressor, so i'm limited on my pressure choices.
 
+1 for all of the above and definitely do not lube your airbrush with the Blue Iwata Superlube. It has a habit of gumming up the airbrush. It sounds like the most likely thing is that your paint needs to be reduced more for the brush you’re using. It’s probably not clogging, but the paint is too thick to pass through the nozzle.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
okay, thanks
 
I'm using a .35 but generously adding 2-Thin. do you recomend anything else than to add more reducer, I'm using a Neo compressor, so i'm limited on my pressure choices.
mainly the compressor you have while it shows 50 psi while no air is passing through the airbrush when you pull the trigger it is dropping down to about 15 to 20 PSI. For textile work this is a no go . Textile need higher pressure so the paint gets pushed into the fibers most textile work I have done I am at the very least at 35 PSI sometime depending on the paint and the item I go as high as 50 PSI.
So if you're going to use that compressor you will have to reduce the paint a lot I am not sure what 2-thin does if it is the reducer for the paint you're using then add more.
Com-art is super thin paint it will flow straight out the bottle through a .15 set up so at the low pressure you have with that compressor it flows great.
 
How do you guys recommend cleaning for momentary clearing of the cone. Many videos I've seen recommend back flowing (making bubbles). Is this the right way to do it if I'm changing colors or taking a break?
 
If your taking a break just do a quick shake of the cup and then a blast of air and paint to blow all the dry paint off the tip and you should be good
If your changing color in the cup dump the paint and rinse the cup with water if its a water base paint if not use the correct cleaner for the paint, then refill the cup again with water and backflush(bubbles will come up in the cup along with what paints in the airbrush itself) then dump the paint out and spray some water thru it,then add the next color paint and do a quick test spray and you should be good to go!
 
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