Having trouble with Sotar 20/20 with fine needle.
I read the black end means fine tip (which is what I am using) and my Sotar is spraying a wide pattern. Put a pen in for comparison. I have seen the Sotar paint a very thin line so not sure what I am doing wrong. Any suggestions?
How far back are you pulling the trigger?
I suspect it’s not a direct issue with your airbrush and more likely, it’s one or more parts of the Holy Trinity coming into play.
1: Thin the paint more
2: Reduce the air pressure
3: Get up close and personal
Is this Sotar with .20 needle installed a tried and true tool, one that you know well and all of a sudden you are having trouble, or is it something new to you?
What are you spraying through it on those paper towel tests?
I’d like to have a Sotar 20/20 just because they look so cool. [:)]
I just now used my 20/20 to do some preshading on a T-28 build. I’ve had some of the same issues. The compressor is set to 6 or 7 pounds, hard to tell on that end of the dial. I wasn’t getting a very fime line at all. More like when I preshade with my Patriot 105. If I got too close, the paint would run. Too far away and big fat lines. I thinned the paint 1-1, MM flat black enamel.
The sotar was designed for photo touch up etc. and was intended for inks. Therefore you need very thin paints and the airbrush needle/nozzle needs to be perfectly clean at the end of a painting session. I had one and it is a great airbrush if you play by it’s rules. I sold it because of the small paint cup, otherwise it was very good.
I have that airbrush, with all three needle/nozzle sizes. Also have the Badger 100G and 100L and new Extreme 105. Using Tamiya acrylics, they all spray about the same when using the smallest needle size. I understand it goes against most common thinking about thinning ratios, but after watching some you tube videos from guys like Scale a ton, Plasmo and others, I follow their methods and thin at very high ratios.
Often I thin at 60, 70, even up to 80% levels, of thinner to paint ratios. My usual painting pressure is 15-18 psi, sometimes as low as 12, other times at 20 or more. When using the airbrushes and finest needle sizes, I get some realy fine line results and can replicate camo borders easily without masking of any kind. Distance from AB to model about 1 or 2 inches, depending on if it’s wider area coverage, or fine line painting.
Look up those videos mentioned and you might get more insight, they sure changed my painting habits for the better. Good luck getting it all sorted.
Patrick