cleaning

B

BDTanner

Guest
i have several master airbrushes i clean them every time after using thoroughly as in tear dawn scrub through the sonic cleaner water test then a drop of airbrush oil in the paint pot and down the trigger air valve. then maybe 1 or 2 days alter i go to use them and nothing !!!! cant get the things to flow at all . question is is this a common issue or ??? what am i doing wrong that i cant get them to work properly next time ?im spending mosst of my time fighting airbrushes than painting. And no everyone does not do this it varies
 
So when you say nothing, do you literally mean nothing? Can you describe in more detail? :) What paint and reducer are you using?

Although master brushes seem to be one of the better copies, they can still be a bit hit and miss performance wise. But the most common cause of problems with any brush is a blocked or dirty nozzle. I know you are cleaning, but just because you have cleaned, doesn't mean it is clean. Even a teeny speck can cause the needle not to seat properly which really affects paint flow. And that tiny space can hold a surprising amount of paint, being able to see through, and get the needle through does not mean its good. If you are not confident with your paint and reduction, the nozzle is more likely to get blocked.

Also it might be possible you are over cleaning. You may have damaged seals/o rings, or possibly flared (very hard to see) the nozzle, or even cracked it. It could be that the air holes are blocked, or if you are only cleaning with water, that it is not taking off the oil, and you are adding more and gumming things up.

More info, and pics if possible may help narrow down the issue.
 
so after you have had them in the ultrasound unit, you test spray them and they spray ok ?
if you are just using the ultrasonic and blasting some air/water through it then you aren't cleaning it sufficiently, you may see some water spray through but that doesn't mean its clean. you may have just softened the paint enough for stuff to push through but when you leave it it hardens up blocking the passage.

You should be using something to clean the nozzle with,even though you've used the ultrasound - it will just loosen, not disintergrate, the paint. a long bristled artist brush in the nozzle is probably the gentlest way to do it and poses the least risk of damaging the nozzle.

why are you putting 'airbrush oil' in it ? Technically there is no such thing as 'airbrush oil', there is Lube but you don't put that in the cup ! it just a little smear on the very tip of the airbrush, a lot of people don't bother, it seems to cause more problems that it cures.
If you are using 'machine oil' the theres a good chance that is gumming up when it meets the water still left in the brush.
 
The only place you should put oil is on the air valve that's it as it will gum up the brush if you put oil in the cup,do your cleaning of the brush again and put it back together and make sure it sprays water then without putting any oil on or in the airbrush let it sit a day or two and then see if it sprays water still? if not its most likley not clean and as Jackie said it just hardened in the air brush! If it sprays water then you know its the oil your putting in the cup clogging the brush!
 
Well if the oil in the paint pot is correct then that might be my problem I use passche airbrush oil or a drop of glycerin. I thought it would keep the seals from drying out
 
Well if the oil in the paint pot is correct then that might be my problem I use passche airbrush oil or a drop of glycerin. I thought it would keep the seals from drying out
what paint are you using ?
 
..... i clean them every time after using thoroughly as in tear dawn scrub through the sonic cleaner water test then a drop of airbrush oil in the paint pot and down the trigger air valve.

ok, I'm sorry but here comes the 101 questions......
what 'cleaning' solution do you use prior to the ultrasonic ?
what do you use to 'scrub' the airbrush ? eg: micro cleaning brushes, cotton tips, pipecleaners etc

There is a SLIM possibility that the 'oil' has had the opposite effect and caused a rubber seal near the head to swell.
 
Back
Top