I have a Tamiya HG airbrush I’ve enjoyed using for over 20 years. I use Tamiya acrylics, thinned with Tamiya X-20A thinner on a 2:1 ratio, and clean it with Tamiya airbrush cleaner religiously after every use. I generally spray at a pressure of 15 to 20. When I’m pushing thinner or cleaner alone through the brush it sprays as expected. As soon as I add paint, it soon spits and clogs, eventually ceasing to spray any paint, even if the gravity well has paint remaining.
I’ve disassembled the airbrush, used cleaning brushes everywhere I can, but after reassembly I get the same condition. Any ideas? Is it time to retire the tool and get a replacement?
Thank you Edwin. I have performed a complete strip and cleaned all components thoroughly. The trigger moves freely back and forth; when I have only cleaner or thinner it sprays perfectly. I’m beginning to think it’s a paint issue although I encounter the same issue with flat or gloss paints.
I’ve experienced similar with my airbrush and it was due to paint build up within the nozzle. There was just enough space for clear liquids to go through but the moment I added paint it would stop working. I had to break out some serious magnifiers, but I was able to look at the nozzle while the needle was in it and noticed the needle wasn’t fully seating in the nozzle anymore.
My best guess is the paint would start to adhere to the buildup inside the nozzle and clog it up very quickly. Running the thinner through would clean up new paint but wouldn’t clear out the old.
I had to soak the nozzle in thinner for a long while to soften the build up and then very carefully use the needle to work the paint out. I was astounded by the amount and chunks of paint that started coming out of the nozzle.
If you can, I’d recommend looking at the nozzle while assemble under magnification and see if the needle is sitting fully. It should look like an almost smooth transition from the needle to the nozzle. If there is any kind of noticeable step or sudden shift in size between the needle and the nozzle then it is very likely paint has built up inside it.
Glaring error in that video, NEVER EVER pull your needle back thru the airbrush when cleaning, you’ll risk getting paint where paint should not get to. Always push the needle out the front before cleaning and, re-install it from the back after cleaning, pushing gently until the needle is seated.
If it is due to build up and can’t clear out the nozzle, replacing the nozzle would be the next best thing. Would be a shame to retire an airbrush that has served you well.
Let us know how it goes!
Thanks again for all the suggestions. I’ve cleaned, soaked, scrubbed and brushed everything but still no joy. Next and last on the list is finding a new nozzle. The saga continues….,
I don’t know why it’s so hard for airbrushes to just come with a nozzle-cleaning spike… In the absence of one of these beauties, try using a sewing needle to dig around the inside of your nozzle. Tempting as it may be given that it fits by design, don’t attempt to use your airbrush needle to scrape the nozzle interior. There’s no such thing as a “slightly bent” needle.
In fact have a look at your tip under magnification against a straight line like markings on a metal ruler to check for bends. Even “slightly bent” will disrupt airflow over the needle and cause misbehaviour of the spray that may not be detectable when running thinner but obvious when spraying paint
Not to start anything contentious, as I have heard that rule also. However, iwata’s official video have you pull the needle back to deep clean it. Check it out on youtube. I figure they would give good advice on how to clean their ab?
When the paint cup contains paint, and the needle is pulled back for paint flow, wouldn’t that part of the needle exposed to paint make it past the needle bearing anyway? Or if the bearing is scraping off the paint from the needle, then same thing should happen when the needle is pulled out the back.
As long as the flushing is all done well first, any minuscule amount of paint getting pulled back, if any, shouldn’t damage anything. This is different from a full on paint leakage into the body of the ab past the needle bearing. This happened to me before and a total stripping of the ab for thorough cleaning got the ab back in full working order.
