i know i do. i’ve owned 2, and both, quite honestly, suck. The double action blew a gasket or something and can’t be repaired, and for some reason, my single action leaks paint.
am i the only one out there?
dude! dont f*** wit aztec they rule! i got some high dollar passhe for christmas and it suck donkey ballz!!! i used it once and threw the whole thing in thinner, its been there ever since!! haha its prob. dissolved by now.[:(] anyway, aztecs are easy to use, affordible! and by god i love aztec!!! maybe its your commpressor bud! dont jump to conclutions! anyway… sory dude! its those damn putty fumes!! [^] putty = [|)]
I am having troubles with mine, but that is more because it is my first and I’m smacking head stupid stupid stupid stupid! Who else would be dumb enough to try and clean a feed pipe with pipecleaner shorter than the pipe. D’oh!
I’ve had some trouble getting mine really clean, but the nozzles are so cheap if you can’t get to work quite right trash it and buy a new one. I’m still very fond of my “OLD” Badger single action though.
I never really had good luck with my Aztek either. Mine always seemed to leak paint, or clog up really bad. I’ve been using a Badger Model 150 for about three years now and haven’t had to replace anything or had any trouble with it.
Been using my Aztech for a few months now with no major problems.
After painting, I spray with thinner to clean the inside, remove the nozzle and let soak in thinner for about 10 minutes. Good as new[:)]
Thought about buying one,but my local dealer,who teaches air brushing for a living,talked me out of it.I opted for a Gabbert triplex F,and must say that I love it!My dealer pointed out that the Aztec is to light,and the nozzles are hard to clean.Also,the needle/nozzle combo on an aztec cannot be dissasembled for thorough cleaning and inspection.By the way my cousin is using a 30 year old Thayer & Chandler A1.
Sorry cader28, didn’t mean to give you a paper cut there over the aztek.
I started out using an Iwata micron and loved it. But like any precision instrument it has to be treated with kid gloves. And the maintenance on a piece of equipment like that equals the price.
I started using Aztek years ago and have been using a 430 now for a while. Its a good little brush. The beauty of it is in its simplicity. Once you get over the psycological hurdle of the thing being so light because it is made of plastic (or a composite) it just takes some rethinking as well as new work habits to get used to. (I’ve been looking at the new metal bodied version just because I would like the extra weight in the brush) I’ve used it for illustration, doing detail work on props, models and other applications with little or no trouble. Despite what the factory says or reccomends, you can take apart the head for a thorough cleaning. But remember those parts are fragile and are not made for this repeated type of unauthorized maintenance. As has been said before this is not for the timid. But I look at it this way. I was going to toss the head anyway so no matter what I do to it it can only be an improvement. Worse case you toss the head and buy a new one for $8 or $9. If you drop it, because it is light it doesn’t do alot if any, damage to the nose, as opposed to lets say an Iwata that if you dent the nozzle thats $20, a new needle as much as $10, close to to half the price for an upscale aztek kit, so the $9 for the whole assembly isn’t bad. With proper work habits and practices the heads shouldn’t give anyone trouble. The body has a lifetime warranty. Until I became familiar with mine it was a fight with the brush to see who would shoot first. Spatters, back pressure into the cup, clogs, I constantly fiddled with the thing. But I worked through it. Once I realized what each problem was and what was causing it I was able to fix it.
Like anything, with familiarity and practice comes success and satisfactory results. The more you use it the more comfortable you become with it and see its shortcommings and assets. The most important thing is not to expect it to do something it is incapable of doing. Or to expect more from it than is possible. The first model you built may not be the best but the recent models you have built have no doubt stepped a quantum leap from that first one. Because you know what you are capable of and work within your expectations and abilities.
Each person has his or her dislikes and likes. I know guys that say the same thing about Iwata, Paasche, Badger, Vega (Thayer-Chandler) etc. Chevy vs. Ford. Panzer vs. Pershing, Corsair vs. Zeroe and so on. Go with what feels comfortable for you and what you are happy with. If the Aztek is your bane then I suggest you find a different one. Because no matter what you try or practice you will always look at it with a jaded eye. You will expect to fail or have a problem and therefore get frustrated with it and dislike it even more. A sort of success and satisfaction at failure. “See, I told you this thing sucked!”
I’m not trying to lecture you on the philosophy of airbrushing, nor am I trying to sell you back onto Aztek. It does have its shortcommings. Its too light for many. There is a limit to its capabilities. I probobly wouldn’t run automotive laquer through it, that will kill almost any airbrush. For those who like to tune up their airbrushes, you can’t. And I do honestly belive that Aztek is like a Fiat. You either get a good one or you get the spawn of the antichrist. There is no in between. I am more trying to alleviate your frustration through information and seeing it in a different light. Playing devil’s advocate so to speak. (Maybe in this case literaly)
I wish you luck in your pursuit of the perfect airbrush. Endeavor to percivere. Or might I suggest 1-800-BearAir or 1-888-Bearcare (their after sales servcice line)
If you like, e-mail me and maybe I can help you with some fo the problems you’ve been having with it.
Mike
HONK!!! Fletcher
ya, go build some snap togeather kits! aztec rules!!! [:o)]
just because revell is rated as a snap together, doesn’t mean that what he builds. For all you know, his work could be among the best in the world. Also, Aztek airbrushes are also seen as ‘starter brushes’, which would somewhat coincide with snap together kits. Is that not being a hypocrite?
Junior, just because revell AG is rated as a snap together, it doesn’t mean thats what he builds. For all you know, his work could be among the best in the world. Also, Aztek airbrushes are also seen as ‘starter brushes’, which would somewhat coincide with snap together kits. Is that not being a hypocrite?
Renarts, i believe that both my airbrushes are not the spawn of the antichrist, they do in themselves form the entity OF the antichrist…they are starting to hiss at me when i walk in the room…JK
And for some reason, i just posted two nearly identical messages. The server at my school (yeah, I should be working) just crashed, i think thats the problem.
no, im not meaning it that way. i was just joking. settle down. and stop using big words! [:X]
I’m on the fence but I’ll give you a small honk. My dual-action one was used less than 6 times and seems to have died a mysterious death. The single action is good for general purpose spraying but seems to have a hard time with fine detail. That problem could also be related to the quality of my compressor. Anyway, the nozzles are cheap so that is a plus. Doing planes that have a lot of camo is difficult. Armor is a little easier since the color schemes are less elaborate.
I’ve never used an Aztec, but boy do I love my Vega’s.
I only use acrylics through my aztech and let all the pieces i can soak in alchohal between uses. Flat paints from model masters glog really bad but tamiya flats are awsome. I have only been using it for a little while but know some one who has had theirs for a long time. He does the same thing (were I got the idea from) and has never had problems.
Like all other precicion instruments you must learn to use it properly…AZTEC airbrushes are as good if not better than most others on the market.and as for it being considered a starter airbrush…my 4709 kit cost £100 sterling and is a dream to use and simplicity itself to keep clean…iv’e even blended shadows on 1:35th scale figures with it…and what other airbrush co…gives a lifetime guarantee on its product.? [nozzles excluded] and why pay extraordinay amounts of money for say a
devilbliss or an iwata… which when it comes down to it are only a needle and nozzle built into a complicated assembly,and do exactly the same job as an aztec or a badger. unless of course you are a professional graphics artist…or you have more money than good sense…and just because you may have an expensive set of tools dosent mean you will acheive award winning results .if you use the tool like a Klutz your models will look like they were built by a Klutz…and if aztecs products were as bad as has been stated in some of the replies here.they would soon be out of buisiness remember its not the so called quality of the tool that counts it how you use it …
I have an AZTEC and had some problems with it… I talked to my local hobby guy that gave me the same info… Soak the tips in alchohol between uses and NEVER take them apart… But I do love the Aztec for painting, it does a GREAT job… On Model master acryls, he suggested using the model master thinner because the paint is REAL thick, which works better than alchohol. But I use alchohol with everything (acrylics) else and it works fine.[:I]
I have an badger single action that serves me well. I have had a few problems, which I initially blamed on the airbrush, but I later discovered that the problem was from the paint that I was using. Make sure your paint is relatively new and thinned correctly!