Originally Posted by fontgeek
A couple words of warning.
First, when you force a part, such as the needle, out of the airbrush, you risk doing damage to more than just the part itself.
In the case of the Eclipse, you risk scoring the collar that acts as a seal or packing, and because the Eclipse doesn't use packing, you are more or less doing permenant damage to the airbrush. The area that acts as a seal to keep the paint from flowing back into the handle area is part of the airbrush body itself, so when you gouge or scratch a trench through it by pulling a damaged or crusty needle through it, you can't replace that seal.
In answer to your question about not using the handle, and whether you could bend the needle and have it cause problems, the answer is yes. By dropping or banging your airbrush against something or someone, you can bend not only the needle but the needle chuck as well, and if that gets bent or pushed out of it's normal alignment, it can also do permenant damage to your airbrush.
Is your airbrush clean?
You might try removing the front end of the brush, and pull the needle out from the front rather than the back end.
If and when you get the needle out of the brush, place it on a hard, flat surface, and try rolling it. Does it roll smoothly?
Take a careful look at the needle chuck too, make sure it is straight and in good shape, check the runnel or groove in the bottom of it, make sure it is clean, clear, and smooth. Any obstructions can keep your airbrush from performing properly.
Do a careful inspection in the trigger area of your brush. If it is crusty with paint, that would explain your needle and trigger not going forward like they should. If that is the case, put some laquer thinner in the bowl or reservoir, and let it soak for a while. Anything you can clean off the needle means there is that much less to do damage during the removal of the needle itself from the airbrush.
Only submerge your airbrush body as an absolute last resort, and if you have to do that, remove the airvalve first.
When you submerge your airbrush body, you subject it to exposure to paints, solvents, debris, etc., into areas that were NEVER meant to be exposed to those things. The paint or debris you see floating or swirling around in your solvents goes into the airvalve, the trigger piston and seal, the needle chuck area, etc. None of these areas was ever meant to be exposed to that stuff, and when you take your brush out of that solvent, that junk in the solvent settles and clings in all those hard to get to areas. Many of the seals an packing can be damaged or destroyed by the use of some solvents.
So again, only submerge your airbrush as an abolute last resort, and remove the airvalve before you do it.
NEVER use ammonia or ammonia based products, such as window cleaners, in your brush. Ammonia is an corrosive, and even though the percentage of ammonia is low in the window cleaners, even that little bit will age your airbrush prematurely. If your airbrush has a scratch or damage to it, the damage done by the ammonia will be even more severe.
|