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Using PAASCHE HS Airbrush


planenuts

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I am having problems getting the paint to come out of the airbrush. This is the first time I have used it. A tested it with water alone, but it did not work either. The paint is properly thinned Polly Scale. Like I said plenty of air but no paint. I have adjusted the paint valve from one extreme to the other still no go.

 

Help!

 

Thanks..... :blink:

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Lets start with the air. Is there air coming out? If yes, then the problem is not the air supply unless the pressure is low. If there is no air or little pressure, then you should check any air hoses, connections and airways to make sure they are clear and/or tightly sealed. When you've got a good airflow, try the paint again, If still no dice....

 

Then its the path the paint takes. Take the thing completely apart. Everything. Then give it a good thorough cleaning. I use lacquer thinner as it seems to dissolve just about everything. In addition, at Harbor Freight I purchased a set of air brush brushes. They are kind of like little tiny bottle brushes and are great for getting up inside just about every part of the brush and best of all, they are cleanable, re-usable and only cost $2. If you have to, soak all the metal parts (not any plastic) in the lacquer thinner for a day or so and then clean again. For really tough stuff, which acrylic can be when dried in tight spaces, I've even used Testors liquid cement to dissolve the block. When squeaky clean, re-assemble.

 

Past this, I'd have to actually look at the thing and even then my limited knowledge probably wouldn't help much.

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Ron's advice is sound.

Check the airflow first.

If air comes out of the pointy end when you push the button then the problem is not in the air flow pathway.

 

I suggest that you may have a blocked tip.

 

Remove the Allen screw on the bottom of the airbrush.

Remove the paint tip and paint needle.

Hold them up to a bright light. You should be able to see through the tip and you should be able see light coming through the paint needle.

If not, then that is where the problem lies. You can use a pipe cleaner on the needle but it is best not to use any item on the tip that might expand the hole in tip's point. Use one of those small brushes Ron mention.

 

Reassemble everything. Be careful with the tip cone and paint nozzle. Any deformation caused by dropping them or by spreading the tip opening results in a problem with the spray pattern. Replacement parts are available at well-stocked hobby shops and at Hobby Lobby.

 

PaascheH.jpg

 

Removesetscrew.jpg

 

Disassembleparts.jpg

CheckTip.jpg

 

CleanTip.jpgThe blue handle is the bristle brush that Ron mentioned.

 

CleanPaintNeedle.jpg

 

One other suggestion, I don't know about lacquer thinner dissolving Polly S. I use straight Windex to clean up the airbrush after shooting any acyrlic paint whether its Polly S, Tamiya, or Gunze. If there are still stubborn areas on the metal parts that will not release then try soaking those parts in brake fluid for about an hour. I use a brake fluid bath to remove all kinds of paint and decals from a model that needs to be restored. I've never used it on the plastic parts of a Paasche so exercise some caution.

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Wow! Thanks guys! I will look into all of that. I have no guage on the compressor so not able to tell the psi coming out. All air connections seem complete no leaks are apparent and seems like plenty of air coming out the pointy end. This is the first time I have tried to use the airbrush so nothing has be shot through it before attempting the PollyS, except plain water.

 

Thanks again...........

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Good luck!

It sounds like you've had water shoot through successfully.... one other item.... the paint cup:

 

1. make sure that the stem through which the paint exits the paint cup and enters the airbrush is open...just ream it out with a pipe cleaner.

2. make sure the paint is thinned sufficiently....try for a consistency that is very close to "water".

 

 

 

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..... All air connections seem complete no leaks are apparent and seems like plenty of air coming out the pointy end. .....

 

An old trick :smiley2: for testing connections for leaks is to liberally use soapy water around them and watch for air bubbles while you run your compressor.

 

You'll :smiley27: your airbrush once you've got it set-up. :smiley20:

 

Happy Holidays.

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And one caution on pipecleaners. Only use the ones that are actually pipe cleaners and not craft supplies. The craft ones will leave behind fibers and "stuff" that will only make matters worse. The ones for actually cleaning a pipe will not.

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:smiley4: I would like to thank all for the swift replies and great information. I used a very fine Micro Brush to insert into the paint area. I had added some Windex to it and some of the airbrush cleaner that came with the airbrush. I was able to get the paint to come out then. Now I need to work on the consistency, it was a little to thin, I guess. It came out and was beading up on the old model that I was testing on. I had used rubbing alcohol to clean the model with, but maybe it still had something still on it. About how far away from the model do you guys hold the airbrush? Maybe I was too far away.

 

Thanks again for the great pics and all of the other help..... ;)

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Carroll,

Something I forgot and something not yet mentioned..... humidity. Being a fellow Texan I think we both have the wonderful experience of dealing with rather large percentages of humidity. If you are not using a moisture trap in the airline between the compressor and airbrush its only a matter of time before the airbrush "spits" all over your model (a combination of whatever paint you are shooting and globs of water) or shuts down entirely because its full of water.

Go back a moisture trap (they are not specific to a brand of airbrush since they fit in the line rather than attached to the airbrush itself...but there is a "front" and "back" end. The moisture trap instructions will tell you which end of the trap should face the compressor)

Hobby Lobbby or well stocked hobby shops will have them. Remember to empty the trap using the little set screw (not visible in the pic) from time to time. As for thinning the paint...that depends on the paint you are using. I've found that Polly S has a very narrow range before the viscosity is either too great or too little. Gunze is more forgiving but hard to find. Tamiya gets a god seal of approval as an "easy to work with" paint.

 

The experts say to use the thinner that that paint manufacturer suggests and I think that's good advice.

 

Try to experiment. The 3 main variables are air pressure, thinner, and paint.

You don't control the air pressure since you said you didn't have that capability so you're down to two variables.

 

Try straight paint, then a mixture of ....oh, say.... 80% paint, 20% thinner, then 50%/50% and so on and see which one gives you the best result.

 

Use an eye dropper or syphon to actually count the number of drops of paints and thinner.

It'll be fun (oh, sure!) and very educational.

 

Good luck!

 

MositureTrap.jpg

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Carroll,

Something I forgot and something not yet mentioned..... humidity. Being a fellow Texan I think we both have the wonderful experience of dealing with rather large percentages of humidity. If you are not using a moisture trap in the airline between the compressor and airbrush its only a matter of time before the airbrush "spits" all over your model (a combination of whatever paint you are shooting and globs of water) or shuts down entirely because its full of water.

Go back a moisture trap (they are not specific to a brand of airbrush since they fit in the line rather than attached to the airbrush itself...but there is a "front" and "back" end. The moisture trap instructions will tell you which end of the trap should face the compressor)

Hobby Lobbby or well stocked hobby shops will have them. Remember to empty the trap using the little set screw (not visible in the pic) from time to time. As for thinning the paint...that depends on the paint you are using. I've found that Polly S has a very narrow range before the viscosity is either too great or too little. Gunze is more forgiving but hard to find. Tamiya gets a god seal of approval as an "easy to work with" paint.

 

The experts say to use the thinner that that paint manufacturer suggests and I think that's good advice.

 

Try to experiment. The 3 main variables are air pressure, thinner, and paint.

You don't control the air pressure since you said you didn't have that capability so you're down to two variables.

 

Try straight paint, then a mixture of ....oh, say.... 80% paint, 20% thinner, then 50%/50% and so on and see which one gives you the best result.

 

Use an eye dropper or syphon to actually count the number of drops of paints and thinner.

It'll be fun (oh, sure!) and very educational.

 

Good luck!

 

MositureTrap.jpg

 

 

I just can't say enough about all of the help.....I do have an an inline water trap. I was able to get the paint to come out for a short while last night but it seems to be plugged up again. Will have to disassemble to find the culprit. Seems the gremlins are playing havoc with me on this one. :angry: Will continue working with it later tonight.

 

Thanks again for all of the help.

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I'll add a few things I've learned over the years working with acrylics:

 

1. When you think the airbrush is squeaky-clean, you'll find a tiny bit if gunk is causing all sorts of problems. It sounds like you're having the same issues, but you'll get them conquered soon enough. If you can't clean it with Windex, use straight household ammonia--it'll remove acrylics from metal in a snap. Sure, your sinuses will protest if you don't use a respirator and do it outside.... :)

 

An alternative would be to get a bottle of Testor's Dried Acrylic Solvent and use it--I haven't tried it, but it is available in most hobby shops.

 

2. Here are a few thinning suggestions that I've used successfully over the years for the paints that have been readily available to me:

 

a. PollyScale. Try using distilled water as the thinner, about 70% paint to 30% distilled water. Another thinning formula I've used is 70% paint, 25% 70 or 91% Isopropyl Alcohol, and 5% Future. The Future helps the paint flow and level. More on that later....

 

b. Tamiya. Use 91% Isopropyl Alcohol. That's basically what the Tamiya Thinner is, minus the fragrance. You can add some Future to the mix if you wish, for the same purpose as above. The same also works for the older Gunze Aqueous Hobby Paints.

 

c. Testor's Acryl. You can use the Future/Isopropyl mix, but I had an experience with an older jar of paint where that thinning mix caused the paint to curdle in the paint cup. I used the Testor's "Universal Acrylic Thinner" and my problems were solved.

 

Of the three, I still prefer PollyScale. Since it is scarce where I live, I use Acryl almost exclusively these days, and get decent results. Of course, if you ask others they'll say Acryl is some sort of Devil's Brew that is best flushed down the toilet....but I have had few issues (the aforementioned thinner reaction being the worst of them).

 

The addition of the Future, but the way, is merely using Floquil's thinning formula for their Military Enamels. Floquil advocated the use of thinner and a product they called Glaze--the Glaze restores the ratio of binder to the paint and helps it flow out better on the surface of the model. I simply substituted acrylic equivalents--alcohol for Dio-Sol and Future for Glaze.

 

The other key to airbrushing is to practice, practice, practice. Use old models as paint mules. If you normally brush paint interiors, start using the airbrush for the base color. If you normally use a brush to paint prop tips, start masking and airbrushing them. If you used to use spray cans to paint car engines, use the airbrush.

 

Good luck!

 

Ralph

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b. Tamiya. Use 91% Isopropyl Alcohol. That's basically what the Tamiya Thinner is, minus the fragrance. You can add some Future to the mix if you wish, for the same purpose as above. The same also works for the older Gunze Aqueous Hobby Paints.

 

Good luck!

 

Ralph

 

Isopropyl works great with Tamiya Acrylics and so does Lacquer thinner. But be careful if you're planning on using Glass Tamiya acrylics - 91% Isopropyl for some reason dulls them out. So if you do use gloss acrylics, I'd use the actual Tamiya brand thinner.

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Mike/Ralph, et al,

:smiley3:

 

Wow guys! This really is turning into a real learning experience!

I am using distilled water for the thinner for the Polly S paint. I guess I used too much the first time. I wlll have to add more paint to the mix. I also am going to disassemble the paint nozzle and make sure it is clean. I use mostly flat paints and pretty much acrylics. I do have some of the MM Acryl stuff there.

 

I will let everyone know my progess.

 

Thanks again,

Carroll

Edited by planenuts
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:lol: Wonder of Wonders!!!!!!!

 

I disassembleed the paint nozzle part and low and behold it did have something stuck inside of it!!!!!!!!!!! After cleaning it out I was able to get a good bit of paint working. I guess the consistancy was still a little too thin as it would puddle up and run. Soooooooo, will try again latter to get the proper thickness.

 

Like you guys say,,,,practice, practice,practice right?

 

Thanks again for all the help...... :smiley31:

 

Carroll

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:mellow: Oh, joy.......

 

I have been able to cure the problem of no paint. I cleaned the paint nozzle and read up on how to airbrush in one of my FSM mags. I noticed that if I do not close the paint nozzle when I am not spraying, that paint dries very quickly on and in the nozzle. Now things are looking up!. Hopefully I will be able to show you guys some progress in the near future.

 

Thanks again for all of the help.

 

Carroll :D

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Excellent news! Its like the Doc told me as he was stitching up my last Xacto error...."ah likes ta kep ma needle klean."

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Pipe cleaners will leave fibers whether they are craft or for the pipe. The only differance between the two is the craaft ones are colored. I have been smoking a pipe for 46 years so I am very familiar with pipe cleaners. Do not use the thick pipe cleaners as they leave a lot of fibers, get the the thinner ones. If want ones that do a good scrubbing get the bristle ones.icon6.gif

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Where is the best place to get the one's that you use? I got some but they are the craft ones, so am using them sparingly.

 

Would a place like Walmart have them? My granddad smoked a pipe but I think back in those days they got them at the 5 and Dime store.

 

Thanks,

Carroll

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Carroll,

 

I get mine at a tobacco outlet store where I buy my tobacco. The local Walgreens has the bristle type. You can also get them on Ebay. There you can get them in bunchs of about 1,000. On Ebay just go to tobacciana, pipes and then type in cleaners.

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Carroll,

 

I get mine at a tobacco outlet store where I buy my tobacco. The local Walgreens has the bristle type. You can also get them on Ebay. There you can get them in bunchs of about 1,000. On Ebay just go to tobacciana, pipes and then type in cleaners.

 

 

Thanks. I will take a look on Ebay. I am also having problems while using the airbrush, now that I can get the paint to come out. After spraying for a short while, the nozzle will get clogged. I suppose that I have some of the paint too thick. I will continue to experiment though. Hope all had a nice holiday season.

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Hi Guys,

 

Just to let you know that the Paasche gun can work, my grandkids were in town over the weekend for Christmas. The young one just turned seven. I got a cheap wooden dragon kit for him to build while he was here. We got it together and it was time to paint it. Out came the old faithful Paasche. He got it painted pretty well by himself. Here is an in-process photo. He has to use his thumb to operate the guy because his hands are so small.

 

Daniel.jpg

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Clare,

 

Maybe that it is the problem, I will have to get my grandsons over to operate it for me, one is 5 and the other 6. I did get it to work the other night though. Will keep working on it though. Have a happy and save new year.

 

 

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