Hi guys,
tho9900 told me about this in a topic I started about my AB:
If you spray acrylics using a needle lubricant is a must, it helps keep the paint from drying on the needle and blocking the spray pattern. It helps with enamels too. It is only about $5 US a bottle.
What is it? And where to get it?
Cheers,
Jürgen
Try www.dixieart.com. What you are looking for is a product called Regdab listed for $3.35 plus shipping. Dixie Art is very good to deal with.
Mike M
Medea Super Lube is pretty much the same thing. Check with your local LHS.
Jurgen - just to be clear, after I reread my message… it is not MANDATORY to use needle lube with acrylics, it just makes spraying them a whole lot easier… spraying without them brought me a little headache, as I was constantly clearing the brush and wiping the tip to get the acrylic off… with the needle lube the amount of that was cut in half if not more…
I’m going to ask what must be a rather stupid question (yeh, I know, the only stupid question is the one you don’t ask). but would’'t a very thin oil such as 3 in One Oil work? Or perhaps the lubricating oils that are used for lubricating the mechanisms on model railroad engines (10 weight or less)? Just curious.
Nah, not stupid. Some people do use WD-40 and things like that for needle lube and apparently have no problems with it. My concern is that anything I use as lube on my airbrush needs to be something that I know isn’t going to cause a paint problem when/if it gets dissolved into the paint. Needle lube is pretty viscuous, about the consistency of Vaseline, so it doesn’t blow off easily. Also, I have heard that one of the primary ingredients of some of them is glycerine which isn’t a petroleum product, at least I don’t think it is. The stuff is cheap, a tube lasts forever, so I just don’t see a point in risking a paint job I put a lot of effort into.
same here (and not a stupid question because Iwata has a separate section on not using WD40 in the airbrush instructions that came with my HP-CR, obviously it’s been asked a lot) My thought is that when using enamels and lacquers we use thinners that cut through petroleum based products, so it would cut through the WD40, and acrylics use alchohol in their thinners a lot which would have the same effect, and especially with acrylics I would hate to see what WD40 would do to the paint.
–edit–
Ok I just found those Iwata instructions - it says:
“DO NOT use light machine oil or WD-40 for lubrication. This will cause the needle to stick as it moves through the needle packing”
hmmm didn’t think it would be as drastic as that… glad I reread it.
Much of the discussion above are for acrylics…is this necessary for enamels as that’s what I primarily use?
My Badger instruction said to use bees wax…does candle wax just as good?
Dude - it works well for enamels as well, less cleanup, less paint on the needle etc… I don’t think candle wax would work for the airbrush (usually that is used to seal the head from what I know) you can get beeswax at the hardware store as well… make sure it says pure beeswax though as they have several different kinds some with additives.
But what is it? Needle lubricant???
Cheers,
Jürgen
I think I remember WAY back when someone here saying it could be rubbed on the needle but maybe that is one of those falsely imprinted memories or something. I’ve heard of it being used to seal the threads on the head of some airbrushes.
You can use glycerin from your local drug store. Just put a tiny drop on each time after you clean the needle and are about to re-insert it.
OK guys, I use acrylics almost exclusively. So where, exactly on the needle do you put this stuff? I have an Omni 6000 and two Badger 200’s - an NH and a -20.
Thanks,
Rich [8D]
OK just for the record I use Medea Super Lube which is Teflon based product that won’t mess with your paint jobs. It is applied (a couple of drops max) to the lower third of the needle (from the pointy end going back)
Cheers
Darren
I have always laughed at Media using Teflon as a selling point in Super Lube. [(-D]
Teflon in liquid form is worthless below higher temperatures, so the Teflon does absolutely nothing. [:p]
It is a good product though and I like it.
Mike
I lube everything that moves. The needle (the whole needle), the trigger, the link on the spring tube, the o-rings, you name it.
I only lube the front-half of the needle as lubing the back can cause it to slip in the needle chuck and it isn’t necessary as nothing gets on the needle back there.
But if it works for you more power to you Scott. [;)]
Mike
Gotta do something to get the lube off my finger [:D]
What I should have said is that I lube most of the needle and don’t really worry about how much. The front half or so is the most important. I’ve never had one slip in the chuck, but Mike wouldn’t mention it if it wasn’t something that happens.
Remember that Mike does not know it all either. [;)]
I am just passing on what I have been told my those that I consider more knowledgeable than I. I have never lubed the entire needle so I can’t comment on whether it will slip or not.
Mike
I use valve stem lub from the music store, works great with no problems with paint jobs.
Nice thing is its $1 a bottle at the check out and that bottle will last you for years .
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