I’ve been working with this brush(A470) for quite a while but recently i’ve been having these delays/curses. Let me explain said ‘curses’.
Ready to paint the B-17G…all paint thinned…all set…nozzle on tight…press trigger…and kaboom! my hands are doused in Lt.Gray paint. Apparently my airbrush was clogged in the suction part of the color cup. No worries! i clean up, salvage any paint left in my color cup and atempt another go! This time there can’t possibly be a clog, press trigger and psssssssssssssssssssss. Perfect i say as i start to spray only to realize that while yes i am bathing my model in air…there isnt any paint to acommpany it. I keep trying then let the hose build some pressure and press all the way down on the trigger and BAM! paint everywhere from the nozzle, but it sprays fine so i continue with a newly painted side on my spray booth. About 10 seconds into painting it stops…no paint just air…then sputters. My poka-dotted plane is now comming along well…if it were in the war…it would be first laughed at then maybe shot down for kicks. I put on a new nozzle figuring ‘Maybe its a bad or clogged nozzle’. Again same stuff happens so now i clean out everything! Everything is cleaned and set right…again same problems even after i change the color cups for fresh ones…
I am so glad im Getting a Badger 150. So HAPPY!
I’ve realized what my “type” of camo could be used for…Fly it in first…let all the Germans laugh at it and get distracted while the main force comes in. That is what my Camoflauge on my B-17G looks like…a poka-dotted wonder.
Just like to share my thoughts on my cursed airbrush.
I have the Aztek 8770 AB, I stopped having any problem with it when I disassebled the nozzle when cleaning. It looks like there will be paint left on the needle if you do not take the nozzle appart.
Been realy happy with the Aztek AB, just a little different to clean.
Hi,
I use an Aztek and when I started I had similar problems to the ones you describe. To solve them I made sure I clean it more regularly and mixed the paint right.
My paint (acrylics) is usually about a 50/50 mix with Tamiya thinners unless it is Vallejo Air, which is designed to go straight into an airbrush as it is. After each colour is sprayed I spray through a little thinner and then go to the sink and wash everything with an old toothbrush. The main thing to do is the nozzle. I use the brush to remove any paint from either end of the nozzle and then blow through it with my mouth. [:-^] Then remove any more paint residue. After that I clean out the cups and give the brush itself a rinse.
Since I started this regime I’ve not had any more problems.
Hope this helps.[:)]
i’ve had the same problem and like other people said cleaning the nozzle is important, including taking it apart, but i’ve found sometimes it’ll do what you’re describing even when the nozzle’s clean. you didn’t say which nozzle you’re using, try a bigger one. especially one of the plastic-needled ones like the red or orange. those hardly ever clog for me, i pretty much use the red one for mostly all acrylic spraying. the black or beige for ink and tried orange for clear coat with good results. also try lower pressure. paint the crap out of a piece of plastic to make sure it works right before you go pointing that thing at a model.
I have the Badger 150, and you will be happy with it. It will eliminate a lot of inconsistancy. Of course, all future problems will most likely be operator error. You have been warned! [:D]
I guess I got lucky with my Aztek A430. When it conked out, it simply refused to spray anything. In my case, the problem had nothing to do with dirty nozzles since I had not one but two previously unused nozzles, and it would not spray through either of them. I sent the body back to Testor’s and they cheerfully honored their warranty, although the turnaround was ultimately about three weeks.
Since you seem to get the same results, even after changing your nozzles, it seems unlikely that a dirty nozzle is the problem.
While waiting for the Aztek to get fixed, I got Badger 200NH. Although it’s not exactly like the 150, I have been extremely HAPPY with the airbrush upgrade.
I don’t know anything about the Aztek airbrush, but I thought your idea about sending in the funny looking aircraft to distract the Germans was pretty funny! That would be a good “what if” project! [:D]
Man, that bites! I had the same type of problems with the Aztek. They work great for a while, then, presto…it fails. After 6 years of this, and not to mention…the numerous nozzles I had purchased over the years…the bank was getting thin. It just cost too much to own and very enconvienent, having to send it away for a replacement at least 6 times due to each ones failure. Back then (1996), I replaced it with the simple Paasche-H. It sprayed the pants off of the Aztek…even fine lines! (1/32 inch.) I still use it occasionally for my 1/72nd scale jets. The wonderfull things about the ol’ H is that it can spray any type of media, easy to clean and it is extremmely consistant, and most importantly; very user friendly. The Iwata Revolution is my workhorse these days, but I imagine when or if it starts giving me trouble…I’ll reach for the ol’ H every time. 10 years going strong, with not so much as a replacement part…not bad for a 80+ year-old airbrush design.
What the Paasche H can do for a small 1/72nd scale Saab Grippen fighter…
