I remember a case of a new airbrush whose needle was pushed so strongly on the nozzle that the trigger slipped without moving the needle backwards. maybe you can check if that’s the case?
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The trigger and needle movement seem ok. They’re moving as they should. It all looks clean.
Disappointed that I’ve got issues straight out of the box.
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Don’t lube the nozzle or any part of it! That’s just for the needle in the needle packing.
If you’re getting bubbles in the cup right out of the box, send it back. There’s something seriously wrong there.
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Noted. Thanks.
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Just to see if there is a sealing problem or any other thing, can you put the needle slightly backwards before screwing the nut? Or even leave it off completely and see what happens with water
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How do you mean?
Take off the nozzle and then check for movement?
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One possible interpretation is that the needle is too far forward so when the
nut is screwed in it doesn’t go far enough to tighten the seal before it gets stuck on the nozzle.
When reassembling an airbrush the nozzle is tightened first before seating the needle.
If the nozzle is forced down on the needle it might crack the nozzle.
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Just spent a couple of hours playing around with it and I think I’ve got it sorted. I think the issue was with the needle placement from the factory.
So tried the suggestions above. I also undid the needle with the nozzle off and pushed it back in, before pulling the trigger back and replacing and tightening the nozzle. Had to repeat this a couple of times till I got it right. At one point it was spraying great at full pressure and trigger all the way back, but when I reduced the pressure on the trigger and let it forward slowly, it started bubbling again. So it’s just been a case of trial and error with the positioning of it.
Another suggestion I found on YouTube that I think has helped was spraying thinner through it to clean any debris that might be on the needle and nozzle. First tried Gunze, then Vallejo airbrush cleaner and lastly water. That did seem to help.
Right now it seems to be working but the next test will be with some pain. I’ll leave that till next weekend I think. I need a break away from it.
Thanks for the help and suggestion guys.
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Good to know you got it working.
Now reading your last message.. maybe you are using too much pressure on your compressor, so all this air cannot go through the nozzle at once and part of it gets back to the cup?
Not sure if this makes sense, as I have never heard it happens, but just in case.
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A new compressor is something else on the shopping list. It’s about 20 years old and makes a lot of noise! It doesn’t have any pressure control, it’s full on or nothing!
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@varanusk could be correct. Overpressure could be causing these problems. If the compressor is pumping 30 - 40 PSI it could cause all kinds of havoc in the airbrush. Precision airbrushes like this shoot best at around 12 - 15 PSI.
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If it wasn’t for all the noise I would recommend getting a pressure reduction valve,
either stand-alone or combined with an oil/moisture trap.
Isn’t England rather humid most of the time?
Something like this:
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Stephen get yourself an inline MAC valve that fits between the airbrush and hose, although it has no gauge it does allows you to control the air pressure, cost about £20.
You can also get combined moisture trap and MAC valves or stand alone regulators.
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I’m not sure what pressure it’s putting out, long lost the paperwork it came with. Might be on dataplate on it but it’s in the shed right now. Probably putting out quite a bit!
It’s by Ripmax and has a big air tank on it, so it can (used to anyway) hold enough for one spraying session after running it for few minutes. Didn’t come with a regulator or water filter. To be honest, I was young, naive about such things and had my first month’s pay burning a hole in my pocket. Do got what was on offer at the old model shop on my hometown. Also got an Aztek brush at the same time (I loved that thing!) Long since closed, bulldozed and the area developed. It’s been a solid workhorse, but I think the time has long come for something with a bit more control.
My new LHS does have some smaller compact compressors I have been looking at. I know they have a regulator, just need to check they have the water filter. I’m sure they do.
@Littorio they’ve also got some of those things so I might look into them. Just need to find one that will fit everything.
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