Wd40

[stona]

Does anyone else use WD40 to lubricate their airbrush? I just had an incredulous response from a fellow modeller when I told him I did,he uses some expensive oil from Badger.

A little squirt at or swab of the air valve/trigger assembly followed by a little in the cup,sprayed and followed with my airbrush cleaner and everything is lovely and smooth for ages. It's never affected my paint nor airbrushes.

Try it,you'll be amazed. The last thing you need is a sticky trigger or needle when attempting really fine close up work.

WD40 is cheap and I bet you've got some in the shed or under the stairs already!

Cheers

Steve

 

[Fenlander]

I use Iwata-media Super lube, the airbrush came with a little tube that will last me for many years, especially as I bought a full size tube just before the AB lol. I have often wondered about WD40 but I wouldn't fancy squirting it into the AB, I would flood it and get it everywhere. Every time I use it on my bike, I find it in the most unusual places!!!!!! (yep, I have found traces in my belly button)

I bet you are one of those that manages to keep the little red tube for the life of the can aren't you... I get a can home, take the red tube out of the rubber band, struggle for half an hour to get it into the nozzle and ten minutes after that, there is no sign of the red tube or the rubber band, I just never have any luck with it lol

 

[noble]

Hi steve i use WD40 to lubricate mine.... always have since i bought them i find it work fantastic.

scott

 

[m1ks]

I buy the stuff in 5L containers, it has many and varied uses, is an excellent degreaser and great for cleaning crud off motorbike chains prior to lubricating them with chain lube.

I would not lubricate any part of the airbrush which paint touches however, spray a cloth with a little and a touch, (quick swipe of the cloth) on the back portion of the needle which sits behind the seal and triggering mechanism should be fine, chances are your AB cleaner is shifting any WD remaining in the cup, hence you not noticing any paint effect.

 

[Kai]

From what an old engineer told me WD40 was band from use as a lube on aircraft.

the WD is water dilsplacement so it drys the joint and it wares faster this is only what I was told !!!!

 

[stona]

Thanks Scott,I thought I might be the only one!

Hi Kai,it certainly displaces water. I used it years ago to do just that on my old motorcycle. A cunning Italian design with a thin piece of aluminium covering the points held on by two clips. When wet,or even if I stalled in the rain,it was a bugger to start!

I have one airbrush I've lubricated this way for several years and I've never even changed a seal.

Cheers

Steve

 

[sprayman]

Anyone even holding a tin of WD40 in the auto spary business will have their hands cut clean off....the contamination it causes with paint is far more reaching than you think, get this in your paint job and it creates what we call "fish eyes".Dont forget wd40 takes some shifting from an airbrush,it creates a film skin. Not been a party pooper just a caution tale.

 

[stona]

That's interesting Ray. I can only say I've had no problem with it. I only give the brush a flush with maybe 1/2 a paint cup of my airbrush cleaner (Muc-Off) after the squirt of WD40 so maybe neither it nor my acrylic paints are removing it. The brush's action stays smooth and lubricated for a long time which might support that hypothesis. I usually do this when I finish a job ready for the next one so not that frequently.

Cheers

Steve

 

[sprayman]

A Ye olde test for any contaminate in an airbrush, is fill your tank, and blast the airbrush at a mirror , keep the airbrush in one place and empty half your tank, leave the mirror for 2 hours, then take a look at what if anything is on the mirror.If its on the mirror then its going in your paint, and on your model.

 

[stona]

Just spray water? I'm away for a couple of days as of tomorrow morning but when I get back I'll lube the brush and give it a go. I shall report back,I'm a bit worried now. Having said that I've just had a really good inspection under a bright light of the paint I sprayed today and can't find any unexplained blemishes or fish eyes (though to be honest I'm not sure what they'd look like).

I found only a tiny run at a wing tip (my fault) and,with the magnifier, slight graininess in a wing root which is also explicable. I'll need to fix that now I've found it....thanks lol !!!!

Anyway caution is never a bad thing and anyone thinking of trying this should heed your advice.

Cheers

Steve

 

[sprayman]

Fish Eyes look like little craters on the moon where the paint pulls away from the center. (Looks well, like a fish eye and hence the name). Fish eyes occur immediately upon spraying. Fish eyes are caused by contamination of the surface or paint. Dont want to be a worry monger, and I am talking about automotive paints.Just airbrush air onto the mirror, nothing at all in the cup.

If it works for you than keep at it I dont want my posts to sound like a lecture, just as a tale of caution, I dont want to worry the good folks here, but Im a full paid up member of the "law of the sod", and if it was me then it would wait til I sprayed a £50 model, that has took months to build...lol

 

[yak face]

Hi steve, as ray says the silicones in the wd40 can cause fisheyes in certain types of paint,youll know one if you see it -a round mark where the paint has repelled away from a spot of contaminant showing the surface underneath and it looks like a fishes eye (unsurprisingly!!LOL)I know this cause many moons ago my first job on leaving school was apprentice sprayer at a sheffield garage , the chemicals and sprays used by the valeters were a prime source of these silicones so you had to be very careful to keep the spray booths uncontaminated and make sure you degreased thoroughly before spraying (usually with our old friend trike!!) I lubricate the needle on my airbrushes with fine oil but as mike says only the bit that doesnt come into contact with paint. cheers tony edit; beat me to it ray!!

 

[sprayman]

Things have changed, if we see a valeter anywhere near a spray room, we just kill them there and then on the spot, and dump their bodies in a vat of battery acid......only jokeing....or am I......:twisted:

 

[yak face]

Things have changed, if we see a valeter anywhere near a spray room, we just kill them there and then on the spot, and dump their bodies in a vat of battery acid......only jokeing....or am I......:twisted:

Not that much ray, the valeters were treated like lepers back then too!!!! LOL , tony

 

[sprayman]

lol...good to know Tony....once saw wd40 fingerprints on a sprayed and "standing" Lagonda.....the valeter liked to rub his hands down a paint work job and say "what a beautiful shine", didnt do it again when the boss stuck him with a £900 re spot job.

 

[Kai]

I have to agree with Ray WD40 in a paint shop is an instant death penalty lol

Again I am not wanting to sound dramatic but I have had to rub down fisheyes and you are not the popular after lol

just take care if you have a brush that has teflon rings I just blow a bit of gunwash through every now and then. Others may disagree but then thats what a forum is for !

 

[m1ks]

lol...good to know Tony....once saw wd40 fingerprints on a sprayed and "standing" Lagonda.....the valeter liked to rub his hands down a paint work job and say "what a beautiful shine", didnt do it again when the boss stuck him with a £900 re spot job.

Valeters aside, that's a real pet hate of mine, it's not often I polish a vehicle of mine but I hate it when someone comes along says, oooh, look at that, that looks nice and shiny then rubs their greasy mitts all over it, it's doubly infuriating when it's a piece you're prepping for spraying, the good old oily mechanics hands giving the primer a quick rub to see how smooth it is

AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH.

etc

 

[sprayman]

Good to know its not just me then, a real pet hate of mine are the "shine testers", mucky mits on a prime job.....now that also sets me off.I think thats the sprayers version of a car sales man and "tyre kickers"

 

[stona]

Bloody hell,I'm glad I'm not valeting cars with you lot around!

Cheers

Steve

 

[Fenlander]

I am a bit reluctant to clean the better half's car just in case you guys are hiding behind the hedge!!!!!! And what is wrong with kicking a tyre? It is what we do isn't it?