Spraying temperature

[Baz Williams]

Good evening chaps - I'm still a bit new to this airbrushing lark but had been pretty happy with my initial attempts. Last week I tried to spray a few small parts before assembly (all1/72 WWII aircraft) and found my airbrush was clogging up.and refusing to spray. I flushed it through with thinners and the paint eventually came out in small lumps. I was using Lifecolour acrylics and had thinned them with IPA as usual.

I use a Premiair G35 and a small compressor. and I've never experienced this problem before. It was a pretty cold day and I'm currently forced to spray in my un-heated garage. I just wondered whether the temperature may be causing the paint to coagulate. Has anyone else had similar problems.

Many thanks

Baz

 

[stona]

I don't use that particular paint but the temperature of the paint and of course the air can have an affect on the way paints spray. If nothing else has changed in your method then it must be possible that this was a factor in your tribulations.

Cheer

Steve

 

[tecdes]

Baz try Lifecolour customer service & ask them for advice. They should give temperature ranges etc & thinning info.

Tell them the Airbrush type & the needle/nozzle size. Vallejo give all this info so Life Colour will if they are a good manufacturer.

From experience, using a garage, my results were not as good as when heated. Good idea to airbrush & keep you paint at room temperature.

Laurie

 

[ojays]

I would say that temperature is probably a major factor here!

All paints are affected by temperature/humidity, as are compressors and spray-guns.

Gregg

 

[Stevekir]

…….

I flushed it through with thinners and the paint eventually came out in small lumps. I was using Lifecolour acrylics and had thinned them with IPA as usual.

……..

The fact that the paint came out in small lumps seems to me that it was lumpy in the colour cup or picked up lumps between it and the nozzle, because I don't think that paint would become lumpy as it was passing from there to the nozzle. So:

- was the paint smooth with no lumps when it went into the cup?

- had it been in the cup for some time before spraying?

- had the airbrush been fully cleaned after last use so that no hint of lumps was anywhere in the airbrush?

By that I mean:



was the cup and the needle removed and cleaned and inspected,

was the nozzle and its cap cleaned inside and inspected with a mag. glass against a strong light,

was the passage from the nozzle area to the cup and beyond brushed with a suitable bottle brush, several times, wet with fresh airbrush leaner each time and the brush wiped clean each time,

was the part in the airbrush body that is immediately under the outlet of the cup thoroughly cleaned?

- is IPA the correct thinner recommended by the paint manufacturer?

If all the above was done, I am stumped.

I do all that every time. The only time that I recently got a blockage was because I didn't notice that the paint coming out of the bottle was lumpy.

 

[tecdes]

Wow I really am unlucky. In 3.5 years I have not had lumpy paint.:rolleyes:

I suspect that the lumpy bits coming out were the clogging caused by the paint drying in the needle nozzle. Comes out like a worm if you get a bad clog up. Nice expression that "a clog up".

Laurie

 

[Baz Williams]

Wow I really am unlucky. In 3.5 years I have not had lumpy paint.:rolleyes:I suspect that the lumpy bits coming out were the clogging caused by the paint drying in the needle nozzle. Comes out like a worm if you get a bad clog up. Nice expression that "a clog up".

Laurie

 

[Baz Williams]

Many thanks chaps for all the advice. I'm planning to have another session at the weekend and have persuaded the Mrs to let me use the (heated) conservatory. I will thoroughly clean the airbrush first and hopefully I'll have a trouble free session. I'll give you an update after I've finished.

Thanks again - Baz