needle seal hp sb+

Ronald art

Air-Valve Autobot!
I came across a little problem with my Iwata HP SB+ : the needle was stuck in the seal but I could remove the needle with a little forse but when I wanted to remove the seal so I could give it a good clean I found out my sight is not good enough to see how I can remove it.
Going in 'blind' with a screwdriver is not an option for me as I could damage the seal or nut .
I managed to get the airbrush working again after 2 full circles in the ultra sonic but I would still like to know how to remove that seal
 
Iwata has a needle packing tool in their tool kit, and I know there are at least a few generic ones starting to show up- Spraygunner offers one as their "no-name" brand.

The tool has got a screw driver blade that fits the packing seal retaining screw, as well as a 1.2mm rod that fits the seal. Remove the needle, and insert the tool. Rotate with light forward pressure, and you should be able to feel it engage the screw slot in the retaining screw - normally the seal and screw will come out together.

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Real beauty of the tool comes into play when you go to put the seal back in. The rod is the same size as the needle, so as you install the retaining screw, you can feel how tight the seal is on the rod by sliding it in and out without removing it. You adjust the packing without having to test fit the needle to get it right.

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tool ordered and like always postage costs more than the tool itself but I need it and it is still much cheaper than the Iwata tool kit :D
 
Before any manipulations with the seal packing nut I'd pour some paint remover for several times from inside and outside sides of the packing with some cleaning in between with interdental brush or "airbrush" cleaning brush and the solvent thinner. You'll have all the dirt to come off the channel, then you can freely do what you want to do.
Be careful with the stuff as int's nasty thing, you can get chemical burn if the remover would be on your skin for some time. Few seconds is not a big problem, but for longer period it's no good. What I want to say is wear gloves! And take your time.

There are at least two types available. One cheap - to buy the remover in the hardware small, another one is automotive more expensive variant. I use cheap one and works just great, and some other type that will not be available for you there. Anytime using the paint removers I get completely clean AB body, no matter what kind of paint dried inside.
 
thanks @Vladimir I was planning to do just that I think I will find some dried paint inside the seal as I own that airbrush for over 12 years now and never pulled it apart for a good clean
 
thanks @Vladimir I was planning to do just that I think I will find some dried paint inside the seal as I own that airbrush for over 12 years now and never pulled it apart for a good clean

OMG! never for 12 years:eek: That's you, and now imagine that people not that long in ABing like you sell their ABs on e-bay and what can be found inside the paint passages. That's why my only solution for those ABs is the paint remover;)
 
OMG! never for 12 years:eek: That's you, and now imagine that people not that long in ABing like you sell their ABs on e-bay and what can be found inside the paint passages. That's why my only solution for those ABs is the paint remover;)
I know it has been my bad this airbrush has been used with etac PS and later on with etac efx and I always cleaned it with alcohol as that is the only thing the PS and efx hate but I never pulled it apart for a real deep clean
I guess I was lucky as I did buy this airbrush from a ebay like site back in 2006 and it was in mint condition except for the little disk it was missing in the cup but back then I didnt know it had to be in there till I saw one in a teachers HP SB+
I stopped using this airbrush when I bought my micron in 2008 and picked it up again in 2012 when I was teaching my first students ( and last I might add ) and I used it as my rehab airbrush as I did give my micron in save keeping till I was sure I could try to use it again .
I now know what went wrong and caused the needle to get stuck in the seal : I used it to paint a helmet with etac PS and forgot to clean the needle when I was done using it and picked up the micron again
the trick with etac efx is that there is no need to always pull the airbrush apart as it keeps working and I only remove the needle once a month to clean it and remove the needle seal nut to clean that with a little dental brush when I feel the trigger movement isnt as smooth as it should be
 
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