Thread: Iwata HP-C plus problems!!!

Hey everyone so my Iwata HP-C plus is acting up on me. It is not shooting out paint when I pull back on the trigger until its almost fully open. Then when I shut off the air it shoots out paint. I have cleaned it many times and reduced my pressure and still the same. Any suggestions?

Doormouse, when you paint, do you keep the air on all the time when you go to paint? By that I mean do you keep your finger down on the trigger/button from before you start pulling the trigger back untill you push the trigger all the way forward to stop the flow of paint.
If you don't that would explain the blob or splatter of paint that come out at the end of a stroke.
I would also check to make sure your needle chuck is tight, and that your needle is clean and seats all the way forward into the nozzle cleanly.

Your description of the paint not coming out untill you have the trigger/button pulled almost completely back is typical of a dirty needle, or the paint passage behind the fluid nozzle is packed with dried paint. You may understand how an airbrush works, if so then forgive me, if not then understand that an airbrush is typically made up of two valves, one for air, and one for paint. Your issue seems to be with the paint end of things. The needle and the nozzle make up the actual valve opening with the trigger/button acting as the valve handle or knob. When the needle is all the way forward, the tapered end of the needle fits into and seals the opening in the fluid nozzle blocking off any passage of paint. Simple so far. Now, if your brush has paint backed up in the paint passage behind the fluid nozzle/paint nozzle, it, the dried paint, basically acts as an extension of the fluid nozzle, sealing the passage of paint between the taper of the needle and the nozzle until you pull the needle back far enough that the taper of the needle is clear of the shell of dried paint in that paint passage. The problems only get worse as time goes on with those clogs or buildup of paint. That blockage gets thicker and thicker with each use of the airbrush.
The solution?
Clean out the brush of any paint left in it, and do it after EVERY paint session.

How do you clean out your brush/what steps do you take?
How often do you do it?
Do you do carefulinspections of your needle, nozzle, a other airbrush parts?

We want to help, so the more info you can give us, the faster we can get you back into the mix.

Originally Posted by aixguy

I personally use lacquer thinner and a tooth pick that has been sanded down to fit in the nozzle like a needle. If you damage the open of the nozzle in any way, the brush will not work proper ever again without replacing it.

Be wary of putting anything inside that nozzle. Blowing out the opening is one thing, but you can also get micro scratches inside the nozzle you'll never see that can really mess with your spray. Even something as soft as a sanded down tooth pick can scratch that surface enough to cause spray inconsistencies. (that is more for any newbies who haven't messed around with that Swiss watch sized part).

Doormouse, did you get your airbrush working yet?
If so, what ended up being the problem and what was your fix/solution for it?