Hello
New to airbrushing And canot figure out how much line presure should i be using. I am shooting mostly testors enamels.
Is it normal for a compressor to read 30 psi, but as soon as i press the triger on my airbrush it lowers the presure to 10 psi.
is this normal. I have to thin the paint to 80 thiner 20 pigment to be able to attomise the paint. however the paint is so thin that it rubs off the plastic, even after 5 days of curing.
any help would be appreciated thanks.
First: Welcome to FSM.
You should regulate the pressure down. It will take some experimenting to get the pressure right but I would start in the 15-20 PSI range. Depending on your exact set-up (type of brush, nozzle size, etc.) you may be able to go as low as 5 PSI. The pressure drop you describe is normal, a small tank (1-2 gallon) used with a regulator should reduce or even eliminate the pressure drop.
Post more info on your set-up and we should be able to help more.
Hello Henryw and welcome to FSM
My compressor has a small tank on it therefore the drop in pressure is far less excessive than what is happening with yours.
What type of compressor are you using ?
An 80 - 20 thinner to paint ratio (if I am reading that correct) is way to much thinner compared to paint IMHO. It should be the other way around. Some paints, such as Tamiya acrylics, I use straight from the bottle without thinning.
What type of paint are you using?
I spray my Tamiya acrylics at 25 psi with about 50/50 paint/thinner.
There is no right or wrong, just fiddle with it on scrap plastic until you get it to work.
good luck,