AIRBRUSH TECHNIQUE - LEARN TO AIRBRUSH - View Single Post

fontgeek · 01-29-2008

What kind of paint are you using, and which model of DeVilbiss brush are you using?

What have you been using to clean out your brush, what kind of solvent?

Have you checked the air pressure to see if it is at the setting you want?

Have you checked your brush or hoses to see if there are any air leaks?

Using a mild soapy solution (Dishwashing liquid soap works great), wipe down your brush, all it's fittings and connections, and the same with the hose(s) and connections, all the way back to the compressor. Then turn on the air. Look to see if you get any bubbling, if you do, then it means you are leaking air at those points, and losing pressure that should be going through to your airbrush.

If it is a Dagr, then it should have the teflon packing/seals. If it is an older brush, it would probably have rubber packing/seals, they are great for most paints and solvents, but you can run into problems if you use urethane paints or their reducers. The reducers typically use MEK as the active ingredient, and that will damage or destroy the rubber packing/seals, it can make it gummy, or just disolve into a black slime, and that would keep your brush from performing the way it should.

If you aren't using urethanes, or are using a Dagr, then I would check to make sure your brush is completely clean, but I would also make sure you have a water trap and filter system on your airbrush setup.
If you get rust or gunk getting into your airvalve on your airbrush, or caught in the air passage within the airbrush, it can screw up your performance.
The black slime or grease you are getting on the needle would be paint remnants or possibly oil or gunk from the compressor.

I had a friend who had the rubber seal that sits at the bottom of his trigger opening give way. He had air and some moisture blowing onto his hands whenever he pushed down on the trigger. While his air was clean, it still let air come up through that opening rather than pushing through the airbrush body like it normally would. If he didn't have air filters or clean air coming through his air line, it would have blown that oil, dirt, moisture, etc. up on the needle and his hands when he tried to paint.
Good luck, and let us know the info and or outcome.

01-29-2008	#2 (permalink)
fontgeek magazine subscriber Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 527	Re: PSI seems to be off What kind of paint are you using, and which model of DeVilbiss brush are you using? What have you been using to clean out your brush, what kind of solvent? Have you checked the air pressure to see if it is at the setting you want? Have you checked your brush or hoses to see if there are any air leaks? Using a mild soapy solution (Dishwashing liquid soap works great), wipe down your brush, all it's fittings and connections, and the same with the hose(s) and connections, all the way back to the compressor. Then turn on the air. Look to see if you get any bubbling, if you do, then it means you are leaking air at those points, and losing pressure that should be going through to your airbrush. If it is a Dagr, then it should have the teflon packing/seals. If it is an older brush, it would probably have rubber packing/seals, they are great for most paints and solvents, but you can run into problems if you use urethane paints or their reducers. The reducers typically use MEK as the active ingredient, and that will damage or destroy the rubber packing/seals, it can make it gummy, or just disolve into a black slime, and that would keep your brush from performing the way it should. If you aren't using urethanes, or are using a Dagr, then I would check to make sure your brush is completely clean, but I would also make sure you have a water trap and filter system on your airbrush setup. If you get rust or gunk getting into your airvalve on your airbrush, or caught in the air passage within the airbrush, it can screw up your performance. The black slime or grease you are getting on the needle would be paint remnants or possibly oil or gunk from the compressor. I had a friend who had the rubber seal that sits at the bottom of his trigger opening give way. He had air and some moisture blowing onto his hands whenever he pushed down on the trigger. While his air was clean, it still let air come up through that opening rather than pushing through the airbrush body like it normally would. If he didn't have air filters or clean air coming through his air line, it would have blown that oil, dirt, moisture, etc. up on the needle and his hands when he tried to paint. Good luck, and let us know the info and or outcome.