Hi,
My Sparmax Mx-3 is delivering a splattery mess - see picture. This has been happening with both brands of paint that I use, Vallejo Model Air and Tamyia Acrylics.
The brush is as clean as can be - I always strip it at the end of each session and clean thouroughly.
Any ideas?
does this sound right? Perhaps there’s an airleak?
Check the needle port, and nozzle, there might be a tiny crack. The crack might deform the shape of the paint cone being sprayed.
Was it working right before? E.g. did you have successful thinning and air pressure?
Yes, I have had some success with this airbrush, but to be honest, it’s been mostly a bummer. I’ve had it about 3 years now, my first airbrush, so I have some experience now.
how it’s going to spray on any given day is a total lottery.
might be time to upgrade it.
What size needle and tip are you using ? And explain your thinning process with both paint brands, including thinner products…
I thin each paint with their manufacturers thinner no more than 60/40.
im using a Sparmax Max 3 that is 0.3mm size.
Just get a Paasche H. Its the AK-47 of airbrushes. [H]
Might play with the thinning ratio. Some paints like up to 2:1, thinner to paint.
Tamiya I usually spray at 1:1 or a little thinner.
I thin tamiya paints 50:50 with isopropyl alcohol and spray at about 17PSI
That kind of splattering may be caused by a slight clog. Reclean it thoroughly. Even a tiny spec in the nozzle or needle really screws up flow.
The Tamiya should go through that size tip fine, while I generally use a larger needle than that and thin Tamiya 1/1 or even a little more thinner. You might want to try that too ( more thinner), I have shot it through a .2 if I recall right. The Model Air would need just a little thinning to run nice through a .3 and I’ve run it through a .25 regularly, in fact it’s my most common size for that paint. However, what you need to watch with MA is solids settling, make sure it’s stirred good with certain colors especially. Anyway I thin that about 25% with my own thinner combo that has some Liquitex retarder in it ( not that that matters, just sayin).
If your thinner alone sprays fine then you should be able to get your paints going too. But if your thinner alone or even water alone spatters and sputters then it has to do with the airbrush or cleaning etc. I had an Iwata knock off acting up even after cleaning but looked with a magnifier at the tip up into a ceiling light and saw this little tiny guber in there. Soaked over night in LT, did some flushing till that was not to be seen and it sprayed fine. It was just a spec. But the nozzles are so tiny on that thing it’s silly.
I know this is probably not your issue, but try increasing your pressure a bit at a time until it sprays smooth. If it does, it’s your thinning, if it doesn’t, it’s the AB. I use both those paints with no isssues through a .3 needle. I thin until I can get it to spray smooth at the pressure I want for that session. Lower pressure for closer more fine work, higher for larger areas. I don’t pay attention to my ratios at all. I mix until I get the spray to go how I want at that time. Always works fine. Use some scrap to test with, even white paper will tell you what you need to know.
BK
Looks like poor atomization. Could be a burr on the tip of the needle, paint too thick, or pressure too low.
Don
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No crack - I’ve had a good look under a magnifying glass and the nozzle looks fine. The needle is also in very good condition.
Then if it’s also sealing ok then you’re coming down to more thinner and or raise your pressure a bit. I shoot tamiya arounf 20psi working pressure thinned 1-1. And I use a different brush for the Valljo but shoot that around 18 psi working pressure ( working pressure is the reading after the pressure drop you get with paint flowing).
I’ve only had time to do a short test today, mix equal amounts of Vallejo MA white and their flow improver. Seems to be spraying better, but I had to raise the air pressure to 30psi on my Arism Mini compressor. Will keep experimenting and report back.
When I’ve had spatter like this, typically it will indicate that there is dried paint inside the bore of the nozzle. Your needle will move freely, you will be able to spray water/thinner through the brush, but paint will spatter like this.
Remove the nozzle from the airbrush body and soak it for about 30 minutes in lacquer thinner.
Dip a fine-ponted paintbrush in lacquer thinner, insert it into the bore of the nozzle and gently scrub the inside of the nozzle by rotating the paintbrush. Every few twists, pull the paintbrush out and clean the paintbrush.
Repeat until the brush comes away clean.
Reinstall the nozzle in the airbrush body, mix up a batch of paint and test.
Remember that these two paint types and their supporting solvents are mutually incompatible. So when switching between brands, it is absolutely essential that none of the former paint’s solvents remain in the brush when the next brand of paint is loaded. If not, you may induce a chemical reaction which then creates a gooey mess inside your airbrush which will be difficult to clean.
MA is theoretically pre-thinned for airbrushing thus the word air in the name. Most of us find that not to be thin enough with many colors and especially with finer needles. Their flow improver is good but it too has more viscosity than thinner. I use another combo of thinners in MA but that’s beside the point. The real matter is while you want some flow improver I think you also want some actual thinner in the mix.
All I can say is I run the stuff pretty thin and through a .25 needle and the results are super smooth with very very fine atomization, which is what I love about that Badger .25 to begin with). And I’m using no Vallejo additives. Even thinned out the pigments are dense enough to cover very well. Don’t give up, you’ll get it ! I’m not sure you will get there with flow improver alone. I’d like to hear that you got the viscosity of the paint down to at least where your brush will shoot it at around 20 psi or so. 30 tells me it’s still thick.
Question though: Does that airbrush have a Mac valve ( air control valve, I know some Iwatas do others don’t). I ask because it may not be open enough and that would blow everything we’ve discussed to where we start over again lol.
Okay, so I’ve just tested some more, with Vallejo MA Black at the following thinner to paint ratios:
1:1 plus a little Vallejo Flow Improver
2:1 with no flow improver
air pressure varying between 15-25 psi.
result is the same - awful spattering mess!
this was after soaking the nozzle in Tamiya airbrush cleaner and the cleaning with interdental brush, then flushing with water and Vallejo thinner to make sure the cleaner is gone.
my setup doesn’t have a Mac valve.
2:1 is way too thin at any air pressure. Think I will replace the nozzle - although t looks fine maybe there’s a crack. If that doesn’t work I’m going to buy a new airbrush as this one is a PITA.
Well it sure sounds like some kind of mechanical failure. Sometimes the tip doesn’t seal due to not seating right. in a 100 or 200 some bees wax fixes that till a new teflon washer is installed between the tip and housing.But that leak generally causes pulsing more than spatter in those model Badgers ( mine did that after about 30 years lol).
You might also polish that needle on general principle, I polish all my airbrush needles and it really makes a difference how smooth those droplets atomize and lay down. But I’ve heard where some 105 users found the tip not seating right was the cause of troubles like yours and that just a bare friction seat or tapered seat but they sent their airbrushes back to Badger to get that report back. If I owned the 105 I’d probably wax that seat just because I do things like that. Unfortunately that may not be the only cause for mechanically caused spatter though. One guy here in the forums had burrs in the bore someplace causing turbulant airflow ( sorry I don’t recall the exact details on that one except he was going nuts trying to get it to work, finally sending it back to Badger who repaired it and got it back to him in short time)… So with Sparmax it could be something similar perhaps. I’m not familiar with their services though.