Airbrush-still learning

[StuartMont]

Good morning.  I used a siphon airbrush for the first time and a surface primer designed for use with the airbrush. Can you help me with what caused the bubbles and how I can fix it if possible?  Thanks in advance. 

[Nick Filippone]

From what I can see, that looks like the result of water/ moisture in the line. You need to install a water trap between the air pressure source (presumably a compressor or compressor- pressure tank combination) and your airbrush. Good luck. Nick Filippone 

[StuartMont]

Thanks so much for responding so quickly.  Isn’t this a water trap?  If not I’ll look it up and take care of it.

Do I need to do anything to the wing surface before I apply the next coat?  I’m curious if the “marks” will disappear or if I have to sand.

Stuart

[Ron Bell]

Is your airbrush clean, and I mean really clean? Many just shoot some thinner through the brush and declare it clean. Not so. Take it apart and give it a good cleaning to remove any possible residue then let it dry and reassemble. Did you wash the parts before painting? It looks to me as if there was some residue on the part itself like a mold release or some such that caused your problem. Two ways to proceed. One, remove all the paint, wash the part in dish detergent, let it air dry to avoid creating static electricity that will attract dust, then re-primer. Two, lightly sand the part especially in the effected areas, wash as in One above, then re-primer. If it happens again, then you know you've got an airbrush problem.  Lastly, you didn't mention the type of paint used, solvent or water based. Each could react differently to surface or airbrush problems. 

Edited March 14 by Ron Bell

[StuartMont]

Thanks so much for responding Ron. The primer is acrylic. Actually I have had so many problems with these airbrushes, I’m sure because of improper use, that I do disassemble and clean all of the parts after every (sad) attempt. However, in this case I used the siphon brush for the very first time, so it was new.  I will fix the wings as you suggested and keep on trying. When it does work there is no comparison, so much nicer than my brushwork on larger surfaces.

Stuart

[Ron Bell]

If that airbrush was new and as yet unused, there's an outside chance that there was some sort of a preservative on the metal parts. Another possibility is that the paint itself is contaminated or just not mixed thoroughly enough. Try straining the paint to remove any small particles and really mixing it up. I've bent a paperclip to form a "T" at the end and inserted it in my Dremel tool. Put it in the paint jar, turn it on LOW (and I do mean LOW or you'll have paint all over) and really give it a mix. Hold on to the paint jar or it may go flying. 

[StuartMont]

Well I did shake the bottle vigorously as directed and double-checked the viscosity, it seemed fine. The surface of the wing looks like it has a bunch of little craters, a microscopic meteor shower. Could that be solids in the primer?  It is about four years old, I bought it but then took much longer to pull the trigger on an airbrush.  I’ll clean up the wings and try again. It’s a 1/48 Skyraider and I love that airplane, it looks like a big bruiser that you wouldn’t want to see coming at you 😀

Fingers crossed, thanks so much for helping.

Stuart

[StuartMont]

So I sanded and cleaned the wing. Did not completely remove the primer. Airbrushed the final color and the result is pretty good. Now that it’s dry I think it needs another coat, it’s so hard to tell when wet.  It’s a little grainy but I know that is my issue, not the airbrush.  I looked it up😀.  Why the brand new siphon brush created the moon surface on my wing must come down to a bad airbrush or primer. I’m not sure how my “technique” could have caused that.

Thanks so much for the advice on how to fix this, my Skyraider is saved, for now 🥴

 

Edited March 16 by StuartMont
Fixed error