Iwata CM SB accepts Testor paint cups (also gravity feed side cups...)

ignis

Needle-chuck Ninja
One of our members mentioned it in a thread in this forum I believe, but today I tried it and it actually is very easy to do. Iwata's unsurpassed Custom Micron SB can be fitted with the paint cups of Testor's Aztek. You can even make the Iwata have a gravity feed side cup which combines the advantages of side cups and gravity feed. More on this potentially useful mod in my blog: CommuniCats: Make Iwata CM SB gravity feed
 
Told ya. But I was skeptical and was going to try it and basically write about it just like you did.
 
So I got my SBS and fitted my friend's Aztek cups and bottles. I only tried painting with the white cup and it works 100%. It is lighter aswell. Only downside is that when you remove the cup, the paint runs out. I guess that it the thinking behind the cups with the nozzles in the middle. I will try that this evening.

bottle.jpggravity_cup.jpgsuction_cup.jpg
 
Graphic Air sells paint cups that fit onto the Micron with a small metal adapter that prevents paint from being spilled when removing the cup. The adapter was necessary since the cups were initially created to be mounted on the now out of production Conopois. The fit of the Aztek cups is more stable however, less wobbly. A complete set contains several large volume cups and smaller ones.
 
I think the metal bit is actually an adapter to make the cups fit the smaller Iwata holes. The paint runs out of the gravity cups because that is what liquid does, it flows to the lowest point. With the suction feed cups the paint needs to be sucked up and that is why it does not spill when removed. I'm sure if you fill the cups past the outlet nozzle, it will run out aswell. this is because liquid levels itself.

Testors also have something similar and it even looks easy to clean.

t350_f25f5310140478c8682e72c3305d424d.jpg
 
Here is the story about the metal adapters. The lid to me is the most important since it keeps the paint inside the cup. It allows spraying onto the surface at sharp angles, which is imperative for fine detail airbrushing. The downside of the original Iwata cups was always that there was the risk of paint spills.
 
So last night I tried the Aztek side feed cup (two tone one in the pics above) and it works amazingly well. It also comes apart for easy cleaning. I think I will get a couple of those.
 
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