Airbrush Iwata....Blowing Alclad Fuzzy Paint

I’ve been airbrushing for many years. I use acrylics, enamels, and Lacquers.

I just tried spraying some Dura aluminum Alclad with my airbrush and it is blowing out fuzzy.

any ideas why?

I have this same problem with certain bottles of Alclad. Even though I shake the bottle well. It seems some bottles are just junk or have a short shelf life. I would try different air pressures just for the heck of it but most likely the bottle is junk.

I wouldn’t determine it’s junk just yet, try this. 8-12 psi shot in fairly close and slow down your passes. Keep the spray light though. You’re gonna want a gloss finish to put it over, usually black gloss base coat.

Hi Nathan,

Taking a gamble and nothing to loose because it’s only plastic I added some lacquer thinner and it worked.

Anytime I do metal finishes black is the base. Thank you for chiming in.

Sounds like the bottle is dry out on it’s own. Hopefully adding thinner works for awhile. Good luck!

I have found Alclad to have a pretty good shelf life. The only bottle I’ve had go bad was about three years old and only an eighth of an inch left in bottom.

I have had some contamination problems getting paint thinner mixed into it. That sure ruins it. If I have been using enamels and clean a bottle with paint thinner I have to be sure it is dry before putting in the alclad. I also make sure the airbrush is thoroughly empty of paint thinner. I run lacquer thinner through the brush for a minute or so.

Because Alclad is so thin, I find I have the needle very close to closed, so it needs to be very clean. I find a slightly dirty brush that still works with enamels needs to be cleaned before using it with alclad. Also, if I am doing a long session with alclads I may have to stop and clean it a couple of times (on the other hand, I find alclads clean out easier than enamels).

I had the same problem with their black primer which is excellent but went bad too quick.