Paint wont come out

[DMarie]

Hey all. I am ready to throw my ab against a wall! It is not working properly. ie, paint isn't flowing out at times, or paint is flying out when I push for air! I took it all apart, cleaned it and assembled it then filled the cup with water. No water came out, just air! I am at wits end and feel so bad as I was going to paint grad caps this weekend. I am sick to my stomach over this. I've read the tutorials on straining paint, and cleaning brush. Is there anything else I could do? Thanks in advance! HELP!

[brushbyair]

DMarie, what brand of airbrush is it and what model ?

[redneck]

it is harder to answer your question when I do not know the brand of your airbrush, have you try backflushing the brush with water

[fontgeek]

What kind of paint were you using?
What were you using to clean it out?
Your description sounds like a dirty brush, and maybe some adjustments needed in the air pressure and or paint.
We'll get you through this, but the more info you give us up front, the easier it is to help you.

[DMarie]

Hi all! It's a Dagr by Devilbiss. I was using createx colors, diluted. I used hot water, and also airbrush cleaner to clean my brush and all the parts. It was at 40-60 psi. Now mind you, I had used it before, but now it either doesn't let the paint out, or paint sprays out in a blotch when I push down for just air. Argh.

[DMarie]

Hey Redneck! Yep, tried backflushing, no bubbles in cup. Double argh.

[fontgeek]

It sounds like your airbrush is dirty, and that your paint may not be thinned, mixed, or strained properly.

For your paint, use the suggested solvent for diluting it or thinning it down, make sure it is thoroughly mixed, and strain it before you put it into your brush.

The paint coming out when the trigger is all the way forward is a sign that the needle is not seating itself properly in the nozzle. Loosen the needle chucking nut, with some mild forward pressure on the needle, give it a twist or two, then tighten the needle chucking nut back up. This should help stop that problem.

If you are pulling the trigger back (with air pressure on), you should get paint coming out, if you don't, you either don't have any paint, or your nozzle is plugged, if you are only getting air coming out, then it tells you your nozzle cap is clear, and that the problem is in the nozzle or the paint passage itself.
If it is the nozzle or paint passage, remove the nozzle, put it in a small cup or jar of solvent and set it aside. Do a careful inspection on your brush, see if you can either blow pressure back through the paint passage, or on the cup side to get air through the paint passage and cup, if you can, then it may just be paint packed into the nozzle, if you can't it may be dried paint in the cup or paint passage, or both. This doesn't mean that there isn't paint blocking the nozzle, but one step at a time.
If it is dried paint in the cup or paint passage, you may want to soak the front end of your brush using the proper solvent. You don't want to submerge the whole brush, that's just begging for problems.
You may find that soaking and the use of a fine bamboo sliver or toothpick will let you get the debris out of the paint passage. Using the same tools and clean Q-tips, you may want to give the cup and little trough or channel at the bottome of the cup a good cleaning too. Once they are clean, and you can easily blow air through going either way, you can remove the nozzle from the solvent, and give it a good through inspection. If you have a jewelers loupe or a very strong magnifying glass, you can look at both the interior and exterior of the nozzle. Hold the nozzle up to the light, you should be able to see light through it, the opening should be smooth and round, with no distortions, cracks, splits, or bends. If it is clean and in good shape, reinstall it in your brush.
A suggestion, ALWAYS do your disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly over a bowl or pan, this keeps you from losing tiny parts, and also helps you avoid some real messes. If all those things are clean, and your needle is straight and in good shape, your airbrush should work just fine.

When you do your cleanout on your brush(es), don't just spray cleaner or solvent through and then walk away, that still leaves a lot of gunk in your brush(es). Always do your cleaning over a bowl or pan, this keeps all your parts (and mess) contained to a small area. Most manufacturers tell you to only use the small spanners/wrenches to remove the nozzle, but to tighten the nozzle back down by fingertip pressure. It's way too easy to snap those nozzles off with the added torque of the wrench, even with it being as small as it is.

Always follow a good cleaning routine, do it in the same order, and do it carefully, it will save you tons of time and heartache, not to mention money.

The following is what I do and teach, do the steps in this order, it does make a difference. Spraying out first just pushes more gunk and problems into the nozzle, the hardest area to clean out, the more you can eliminate before you get to that step, the faster and easier your cleaning will be. This whole process takes about 5 - 10 minutes total.

Dump out the waste or excess paint

Wipe out all you can with a paper towel or rag.

Rinse out all you can with solvent.

Fill the cup or reservoir half way with clean solvent, then backflush. Your clean solvent will cloud up with paint, dump it, fill it again and repeat the process until it stays clean.

With the handle off of the brush, loosen the needle chucking nut, now fill the cup or reservoir with clean solvent, next, pump the needle in and out of the brush, it only takes a movement of about 3/4" or an inch, watch the solvent in the cup while you are doing this, again, it will cloud up with paint, this was paint packed in around the rear opening of the reservoir, or around the packing itself. Dump the contaminated solvent, refill the cup with clean solvent and repeat the process until the solvent stays clean. Push the needle in, and tighten the needle chucking nut back up.

Spray solvent out of the brush like you would paint, spray until the solvent comes out clean and consistent, move the trigger back and forth to help eliminate any remnants of paint. I use an empty peanut butter jar to spray into, I put the nose of the airbrush down into the jar, then hold a paper towel over the top of the jar and airbrush, this keeps me from getting overspray or fumes going everywhere. Spray like you would paint, watch the other side of the jar, it becomes easy to see when you are spraying just clean solvent through. Again, repeat the process until it all stays clear.

Now you can loosen the needle chucking nut, and pull the needle out, be careful to pull it out straight, you don't want to bend or distress any parts if you can avoid it. Wipe the needle down and do a good close inspection of it, look for any marks, bends, kinks, etc.

Use a clean Q-tip swab and scour the inside of the cup or reservoir, make sure you do a thorough cleaning on the trough at the bottom of the cup, you don't want any paint or debris left behind. If you are working with a BC (Bottom Cup) model, use a squirt bottle and a Q-tip or two to get all the paint you can out of the female receptacle or reciever for the bottle or cup. Make sure you also clean off the interior and exterior of the male end from the bottle or cup, and any and every place you can get to.

Give the needle cap and nozzle cap a good cleaning and inspection, there should be no paint or debri of any kind on the interior or exterior of either part

Use a loupe or a good strong magnifying glass to do an inspection of the nozzle, make sure it is clean and in good shape, there should be no bends, splits, cracks, or distortions.

Once all of it is clean, put the brush back together, fill it with water and try spraying it out, it should work just fine.

Once the inside is clean and your brush is back together and working, give the outside/exterior of your brush a good scrubbing, it should be as clean as the inside. Buildup of paint and debris is hard on the brush, and it tends to make people take worse and worse care of their brushes. Always clean the outside last, that way you will always know what shape the inside is in. If the outside is clean, the inside is clean, if the outside is dirty, the inside is dirty.

Wipe down your brushes and store them carefully, avoid scratching and banging them around. The airbrushes are primarily made of brass, which is soft, and it is a thin layer of chrome on them which can easily be scratched or gouged away.

Try all this stuff, then let us know how it goes, if you still have a problem, these steps will help eliminate some possibilities.
Good luck!

[DMarie]

Wowwww
Thank you so much for the input! I will definately give it all a try and let you know how it goes! Thanks again!

[rondeenie]

I have my Iwata soaking in mineral spirits right now. I've been using Createx and didn't know to strain it. I'm VERY new at all of this. I'm terrified to take this brush apart. I'm super clogged in there somewhere tho.

[fontgeek]

You REALLY need to learn to take your airbrush apart and clean it.
I hope you do not have the whole airbrush submerged in the mineral spirits (or anything else for that matter.).
First thing to do is get yourself a nice size pan, I find a roasting pan, or a pan for doing sheet cakes work really well. Take your airbrush apart inside the pan, the pan keeps the mess contained, and it keeps all the parts in a nice, safe little area.

You will probably want some tools to clean your stuff with, an old toothbrush, some toothpicks, some Q-tips. some fine brushes if you have them, and maybe a pair of tweezers, and a strong magnifying glass.

Your original paperwork that came with your brush shows you the order of things in your brush. So, if you remove the handle first, and make sure it is clean, both inside and out, then set it aside, and keep working your way in. Unless you got paint in the trigger well, you probably won't need to take the trigger, the auxillary lever, the needle chuck, the spring, the spring/trigger adjuster, or the needle chucking nut off the brush. If you do have paint in there, then you need to take those pieces out and clean them too! You need to make sure you get all the paint and debris out of the trigger well, the paint reservoir (cup or bottle), including that little trough at the bottom of the reservoir. You also need to clean out the paint passage, the nozzle, and the nozzle cap and needle cap. Do a careful inspection of the nozzle, both inside and out, this is where the magnifying glass is a big help, along with the tweezers. The nozzle should be free and clear of all foreign material, the hole/opening should be smooth and round, and the nozzle overall should be free of any cracks, kinks, or distortions. You should be able to see light through it. Also do a careful inspection on the tip of the needle, it should be clean, smooth and straight.

If you had to take the trigger assembly apart, you will find the tweezers are a big help in putting the auxillary lever back in it's spot. Just remember that the little tab goes up, and always points towards the tail end of the airbrush.

Make sure you use the proper solvents for the types of paint you use, and always remember to work in a well ventelated area, and wear proper protective gear.

If you can't find your original instructions/paperwork for your brush, you can always go to the company website, and print a new copy out.