Frustrated with AB

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Painting and airbrushing
1

I am getting so frustrated trying to figure out how to get my new Paasche Talon AB to spray a smooth spray. This is my first AB and I am new to ABs but I have been reading and taking everyones advice (i think so anyway) but I still cant get a good spray.

I have my compressor on 22lbs. I have tried higher and lower. When I get below 20 I seem to get even more splatter. When I get near 15 - 10 the brush more or less just dribbles.

I took a video of me using my AB so you could see the splatter. This is an image captured from the video. If this doesnt illustrate my problem well enough I will post the video itself.

In the above pic I am using Tamiya XF 59 Dessert Yellow thinned with Tamiya X-20A thinner. I believe I have it mixed at about 60% paint 40% thinner. Am I doing something wrong or is the Talon just not meant for this stuff?

Please help. I am getting so frustrated.

2

how far away, from the surface was the airbrush when you painted this test piece?

and how far back did you pull the button.

3

Does paint come out without you pulling back the trigger?? Looks like the needle may not be in all the way , the tip could be loose.

4

The Talon is supposed to be a very good brush. Look at page 3 of the manual. You can get one here if you don’t have a copy. See if the troubleshooting info on skipping or spitting helps. You might want to try a different paint in case you got a bad bottle.

Don

5

When my Sparmax does that it usually means the brush is partially clogged.

Run a few drops of lacquer thinner through it and wipe down the tip.

I’d also suggest adding more thinner. I thin my Tamiya acrylics a lot more, at least 2:1, sometimes up to 4:1 thinner:paint.

6

Im very pleased to hear that because thats the impression I was under when I bought it. I am more than positive it is just my ineptness with AB :wink:

I will definite explore the manuals trouble shooting section. Thank you Don :slight_smile:

7

Thank you. I need to pick up some lacquer thinner it seems.

I thinned the paint more once but it seemed to be blown off the object i was painting easily. I am guessing my air pressure was too high?

8

I was a couple inches back and i had the trigger pulled completely back.

9

no… no paint comes out till I pull trigger. I checked the needle but its pushed in as far as it will go.

10

Yep. If you’re talking about “spidering” (blotch of paint with runs radiating out from the centre) - either the air pressure is too high or you’re too close or you’re just pumping too much paint (pulling the trigger too far back).

Too much paint at too close a distance. That’s equivalent to using a fire hose to water seedlings.

Practice on some scrap or a “hulk” kit. Start your air and then pull back slowly until paint just begins to flow. Learn the “range” of your trigger and how it controls the spray pattern at different distances from your subject. Once you get a feel for your airbrush, you will learn how much to pull back, how far to spray from the subject and so-on.

11

your AB must be clogged up somewhere. that looked like a pattern from too far away… like a foot or more.

it is not atomizing the paint. for a few inches and full back button, it should have dumped a solid pattern for sure. it did look better at the end or start of the pattern you have shown

12

did you talon come with a protective cap on the end, and if so…did ya take it off :slight_smile:

I did that once on my VL … hehe

13

No way! A foot away and that pattern would be 6-8" wide!

Is this your first time using an airbrush Harvezter?

14

I remember helping someone on here a few years back that was doing that with his Paasche VL.

He was so embarrassed when I asked him if he removed the protective cap before using it. [:D]

Hey, we all make mistakes but we learn from them and never repeat them. That is a good thing!

15

pretty much so :slight_smile:

16

and nope, no protective end cap.

I went out and bought some lacquer thinner today. I filled the cup, sprayed it through the brush and then took the brush apart and cleaned everything with the paasche cleaning brushes I bought when I bought the AB. I also soaked the tips in a little cup of the thinner too. I didnt think this would hurt them as they are all metal. If I am wrong about this please let me know so I dont do it again :slight_smile:

I reassembled the brush and ran some more thinner through it. One question: when I put the needle back in, I pushed it in as far as it would go before locking it down. Is this correct? I watched a video on youtube about cleaning an airbrush (it was an Iwata) and the guy did it like that so I just did what he did.

Thanks all, Jared aka Harv

17

That is correct - push the needle in as far as it will go, then lock it in place. Push it in firmly, but don’t use excessive force so that you don’t “flare” the nozzle.

18

haha, yes perhaps so, but it would probaly be pretty splattery looking :slight_smile: probably every dot of paint dry before it hits too :slight_smile:

19

Probably so at 22 psi. [:D]

It takes some time and lots of practice Harvezter.

We all had to pay our dues to get proficient with the airbrush and we all still have difficulties at times but it does get easier and more enjoyable, trust me. [:)]

20

I’m still learning with my airbrush (had one as a kid, but that was a long time ago and I wasn’t that good anyway).

However, I’m finding that it is much easier to get the hang of fine lines if you start playing with it on a porous surface, like paper or cardboard. Thin the paint way, way down. Like 60% thinner/40% paint or even thinner. Turn the air pressure way down to like 10 or 15psi.

Now open the nozzle a little bit, and get some paint flowing. (look at it from the side, against a dark surface, with a bright light behind you) If it won’t flow, open a little more or add air pressure until it does. Just very little changes in each. Play with the variations of those adjustments. Play with distances to the work.

It should be easy to do thin lines with the paint that thin and a porous surface. Once you get the hang of that, you need to try doing a non-porous surface. You will likely need to thin less and add more pressure, but now you have some practice and a better idea of what you and the brush are capable of.

Use old soda bottles for practice (A trick I learned here). It helps if you prime them first, makes the paint stick better and easier to see.