Looking for help with my Paasche VL. Can’t seem to get the right mixture of thinner or pressure. Using Polly Scale Acrylics, thinned 50-66% with isopropryl alcohol and 15-20 psi with a CO2 tank. The paint seems to splatter when I first release the paint no matter what amount of air I release. Any ideas? I’ve tried different thinning ratios and lower/higher pressures and all I seem to get is either the runs or splatters. Thanks for any advice
No expert here, but here’s a few things to try:
- I’ve never used Polly Scale paints, so are you sure that alcohol is the best thinner? If Polly Scale sells their own thinner, start with that and see if it changes things. Also, try distilled water.
- check your needle. is the tip bent or damaged at all? check with a magnifying glass.
- maybe the paint is drying too quick. You might want to buy an acrylic ‘retarder’ from an art store and add a bit to the paint
- does this happen with other paints/mixes as well, or just the Polly Scale/alcohol combination?
Welcome to the wonderful world of airbrushes…
Use a bit more alcohol and use a retarder (it really helps).
Polly scale seems to need more alcohol than others.
Also, make sure your needle tip stays clean (run an alcohol soaked q-tip over the needle from time to time).
Thanks for the advice. Don’t have any problems with using the Paasche H and Polly Scale thinned with distilled water or alcohol. Will try those suggestions though.
When I was getting some splatter, I think it was because the water separator had water in it and wasn’t really working well. I added an extra inline separator in the hose and keep them both empty. I haven’t had splatter since. Of course, I probably cleaned the brush and changed other countless variables at the same time, so who knows.
Mike