Tips for painting in humid conditions?

[Gore Hunter]

Here in Chile we're in winter season, and we've had some cold rainy days lately. I do use a filter in my compressor, but it has let water pass anyway (I notice because I press for air and splash! a bunch of water lands on my artwork). I have a stove near my painting area (not in the same room though), to warm the place a little bit. Is that recommended? Any advice to keep me painting in these conditions?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mr.Micron]

install water traps at the hose to compressor and add the pistol water trap at the airbrush .
If you using water based paints then how you heat should not be a problem , It is only a danger when using urethane paints.

 

[markjthomson]

Yup - water traps! I'm in New Zealand so very similar current weather...

 

[JackEb]

as above, add another trap at the brush, and remember to drain the tank regularly.... I open the drain valve on mine at the end of each session, regardless of the weather.

 

[Gore Hunter]

Thanks, just what I thought... seems like I'll have to get a pistol water trap asap, considering winter has just begun


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[markjthomson]

I use the bigger one with a pressure gauge... the pistol grip ones can be dodgy... get a good one. I believe the grex one works well and is durable.

 

[Malky]

Here in Chile we're in winter season, and we've had some cold rainy days lately. I do use a filter in my compressor, but it has let water pass anyway (I notice because I press for air and splash! a bunch of water lands on my artwork). I have a stove near my painting area (not in the same room though), to warm the place a little bit. Is that recommended? Any advice to keep me painting in these conditions?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is it possible where you live to hire (or purchase second hand) a dehumidifier? when relative humidity is high moisture is obviously being pushed everywhere, even drying times of paints are affected so the use of a dehumidifier would decrease dramatically the humidity in the space your working in, where I live they are generally fairly cheap to hire, because here in Holland it is compulsory to use water based paints and finishes indoors painters here and sometimes plasterers use them a lot during and after long periods of warm rain.

 

[Gore Hunter]

I'll have to look for them! Sounds very useful.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Gore Hunter]

Ok, frustration time is here. This bloody thing keeps spitting water right from the beginning. As you can see in the picture, the filter is not even wet. Air is not THAT humid either. I thought maybe a load of water was around inside the hose or something, but it's the third day in a row with this issue. I've tried to press for air to get it out, but it just won't stop. Already ruined my second portrait attempt so I'm off to play some videogames to chill down -_- What can I do? Should I check anything besides the filter?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JackEb]

if your not seeing water in the compressor filter, but you're getting water at the brush, then I'd say you need a filter for the airbrush end. it sounds like it may be building up in the hose.

 

[RebelAir]

Silly question maybe but can ya turn that tap into an off position so it collects or does it just keep spitting? Seen another do similar but it was just that it caught a lot of water and was needing emptied every few minutes, that was a hot and humid day though and in the shed ..Its easy to clear a hose, just unattach everything and open the bugger up and blow out at full pressure anything collected in there but how much water is collecting in ya compressor or using a silent one? If its a silent compressor or instant compressor they can become a water pump with no extra cash needed..Just add humidity of any sort..

 

[AndreZA]

That is a bleed valve and it looks like it is positioned horizontally. Is there no way you can get it vertically? Otherwise you can attach a coiled plastic hose that will cool the air down more and then another water trap and then the airbrush hose and finally a pistol filter on the gun.

 

[Gore Hunter]

Silly question maybe but can ya turn that tap into an off position so it collects or does it just keep spitting? Seen another do similar but it was just that it caught a lot of water and was needing emptied every few minutes, that was a hot and humid day though and in the shed ..Its easy to clear a hose, just unattach everything and open the bugger up and blow out at full pressure anything collected in there but how much water is collecting in ya compressor or using a silent one? If its a silent compressor or instant compressor they can become a water pump with no extra cash needed..Just add humidity of any sort..

Yes, the filter collects water at the bottom if I don't empty it after several days of use, but I got used to do it at the end of each session, and as you can see, now it was dry. Yesterday I unattached everything so I could get the water out of the hose, I'll do it again today and see if the water is gone.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Gore Hunter]

That is a bleed valve and it looks like it is positioned horizontally. Is there no way you can get it vertically? Otherwise you can attach a coiled plastic hose that will cool the air down more and then another water trap and then the airbrush hose and finally a pistol filter on the gun.

Does the position make a difference? It wasn't fully horizontal, but it was in a 45 degree angle more or less... I think I can get it vertically, so I'll set it that way!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[AndreZA]

I'm sure as long as gravity just keep the water in the cup.

 

[Malky]

Does the position make a difference? It wasn't fully horizontal, but it was in a 45 degree angle more or less... I think I can get it vertically, so I'll set it that way!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have a felling that if you get it vertical and leave like that you just be blowing air out of it, as Andre said it's a bleed nipple, it's purpose is just to empty water out of it when you need to, while your working it should remain closed, I think your problem is moisture in the hose as suggested or high atmospheric humidity is causing your paint to separate, some paints require stirring frequently even in the cup and certain colours require it more than others, I've had this problem my self with older paints but it does happen even with new paints, olive drab green is one colour that comes to mind well known for this phenomenon.

Some artists use transparent plastic hoses so they can easily see if there is water/moisture in there.

 

[Gore Hunter]

I have a felling that if you get it vertical and leave like that you just be blowing air out of it, as Andre said it's a bleed nipple, it's purpose is just to empty water out of it when you need to, while your working it should remain closed, I think your problem is moisture in the hose as suggested or high atmospheric humidity is causing your paint to separate, some paints require stirring frequently even in the cup and certain colours require it more than others, I've had this problem my self with older paints but it does happen even with new paints, olive drab green is one colour that comes to mind well known for this phenomenon.

Some artists use transparent plastic hoses so they can easily see if there is water/moisture in there.

Yes, I also think it is water in the hose. I unattached the airbrush and got water out of the hose, but then I unattached the hose (and filter) and air seemed to be coming dry out of the compressor. Since the filter was dry too, I guess it was the hose causing the problem...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Malky]

Yes, I also think it is water in the hose. I unattached the airbrush and got water out of the hose, but then I unattached the hose (and filter) and air seemed to be coming dry out of the compressor. Since the filter was dry too, I guess it was the hose causing the problem...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Since your hose will usually be cooler than your compressor, the warm air produced will condense inside the hose and that's clearly where your problem is coming from, also as suggested a coil would solve this problem, but you could also position a cooling fan next to your compressor, some compressors have cooling fans built on such as dental compressors but some people attach their own fans, if the air is being cooled at the compressor, its already cooled when it reaches the hose and therefore not a problem, I would recommend the clear plastic hose so you can see exactly what's going on inside of it.

 

[RebelAir]

Since your hose will usually be cooler than your compressor, the warm air produced will condense inside the hose and that's clearly where your problem is coming from, also as suggested a coil would solve this problem, but you could also position a cooling fan next to your compressor, some compressors have cooling fans built on such as dental compressors but some people attach their own fans, if the air is being cooled at the compressor, its already cooled when it reaches the hose and therefore not a problem, I would recommend the clear plastic hose so you can see exactly what's going on inside of it.

Not exactly, fans cooling the air prior to entering the compressor doesn't really affect anything, any installed fan is to try to cool the motor itself as its the compression stroke that heats the air and the motor to high temps, if a fan helps dry the air a bit going in that may help or cool the motor then better for life of the compressor, but hot air in a hot environment is the best conditions as your matching outside heat with higher heated air that does cool quickly anyway to match ambient temperature and no condensation should occur in that condition, if its dry air.
Thats basically dessert conditions which luckily I have In summer anyway LOL as cold as crappers now. Most air has some degree of water built in and nothing but a trap will really help match those perfect conditions. Condensation is more of a drama to colder/wetter environments as that's when the air is already wet and the higher air temperature inside the pipe reacts more dramatically with the outside cold. Dehumidifying the air is the only real way to actually remove the water but proper setups for compressors ain't cheap..but saying that the cheapest invention, gravity can be used pretty easy to help trap water..

 

[Gore Hunter]

Yup, I agree... I think another water trap would be the best solution... or at least the one I can afford right now I took my compressor apart and gave a good clean to everything I could find, I also had it blowing air without the airbrush attached, so it could spit the water that was inside. There was plenty of water inside, probably in the hose, but it seems I managed to get it all out... today painted for about an hour and no water Still don't understand how that amount of water got inside... First time it happens to me...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk