Hey all - my Iwata HP-C Plus has been acting all kinds of grumpy over the past few days, despite regular cleanings. The biggest issue is a lack of fine lines…it won’t spray until the trigger’s about halfway back, and then it comes out like a firehose. Or in other cases, I’ve had inconsistent spray. All this with paint mixes that normally spray without incident (Vallejo 50:50 with Future, 1 part Tamiya to 9 parts iso for post-shading, straight windex, etc).
I’m pretty regular with the cleaning process. Various acrylics are flushed with Windex (often several cupfuls), then followed with water to flush the Windex out. I’ll pull and wipe the needle, swab the color cup and such usually whenever I change colors, and certainly at the end of each session. Clean out the (excessively tiny) nozzle as well.
Yet, last night, I noticed a hard, rough texture at the very bottom of the color cup, beneath the needle. Couldn’t get it up. Even tried chiseling at it with a toothpick. No dice. I’m wondering if it’s maybe snuck its way into the needle channel between the cup and nozzle and fouling things up from there. Problem is 1) outside of a paperclip or something, I don’t have anything small enough to fit that channel and 2) what could I use for a deep clean? Would lacquer thinner be an appropriate option?
Acrylics don’t flush out as well as you may think. It’s probably just built up in the tip(nozzle) and maybe the passage in the front of the brush leading to the tip. As it builds up you have to pull the trigger back further and further to get the same paint flow and then after a while it’s either off or on with no in between.
I use a needle and a toothpick to clean the tip. I use one brush that has a .15mm tip and a nice pointy toothpick will go most of the way in. I use an old sewing needle to get the very end of it. For the larger tips the toothpick is enough. For cleaning the passage in the head, or in the body of the brush if that’s the way your Iwata is made, those little interdental brushes meant for cleaning between your teeth will reach in far enough to do the job and they’re inexpensive. Just dip it in a little thinner and have at it. You can use pipe cleaners but be careful that you don’t damage the needle seal with the wire centers.
Try this, soak the tip in some thinner and pick out a nice pointy toothpick. Dip the toothpick in some thinner and gently insert it into the tip(from the rear) and turn it a couple times. Pull the toothpick out and see if there isn’t a bunch of paint on it.
My tip here (is it a pun yet?) is to take a piece of tissue, and form a long spike/cone out of its corner to clean the insides of the nozzle (we’re talking Paasche VJR here). Sometimes I use a brush to put some acetone in the nozzle and then the tissue cone to take out the residue. The nozzle is metal, so the acetone melts out anything inside. A single hair pulled out of the broom is good for unclogging the nozzle, should some foreign object block it, but that didn’t happen to me for a long time now. You have to be very careful as to stick any metal object into the nozzle, so as not to damage it. It’s unlikely, but you also have to check for corrosion of the airbrush, most likely the paint residue deoposit would be the problem. I personally remove the needle after every painting, after flushing the airbrush and wipe it with tissue, and it leaves a trace of paint on the white tissue every time. Just goes to show flushing itself doesn’t substitute for disassembly and cleaning every part every now and then. Hope this helps, have a nice day
Try places that sell supplies for paint spraying equipment. I found a set of small round brushes made for cleaning spray tips and the smallest ones work great on airbrushes. Lacquer thinner will even blast acrylics loose but be very careful of rubber parts! DO NOT SOAK any components containing o-rings or seals in it.
Well, the airbrush went through a thorough deep cleaning this weekend while I was busy elsewhere with the Wildcats. Gave everything a long bath in the ultrasonic cleaner, then soaked the tip, nozzle, and forward section of the airbrush (it’s all metal from the cup forward!) in lacquer thinner for 48 hours. Pulled it out, cleaned it with q-tips, toothpicks, and q-tip cotton yanked off and shoved around with q-tips. Gave everything ANOTHER bath in the ultrasonic, then cleaned again. The grit…whatever it is…is still there. I don’t know that anything short of sandblasting will get it out…but the tip and nozzle and needle are all sparkly and everything seems to be spraying right again…
Is it possible that some of the solvents(windex, lacquer thinner, etc.)may be etching or slightly dissolving the metal of the brush? Seems a stretch but may explain why you have not been able to lean it out.
I also find that letting it soak in something like simple green for a while after taking it appart then hitting it with a really good pipe cleaner not the art and crafts kind works great.
Iv also gotten into the habbit, since I use mostly acrylic, to have a tub of water. when im done I submerge the whole front, where the jar goes and the tip, and just spray and spray just get water circulating throuhg it for a while