Help with HP-C

[xzotic ink]

hey guys,,im painting and adaaa,,i cant figure out how to clean my gun,,,i take off the needle cap and this tiny little piece not like the eclipse is there,,should i pull that off,,feels kinda firm,,i dont want to break it,,and i need to clean my gun but cant get in there?

[oats]

Originally Posted by xzotic ink

hey guys,,im painting and adaaa,,i cant figure out how to clean my gun,,,i take off the needle cap and this tiny little piece not like the eclipse is there,,should i pull that off,,feels kinda firm,,i dont want to break it,,and i need to clean my gun but cant get in there?

Nat- The HPC has a nozzle (that tiny little piece) that screws in the front-unlike the Eclipse which has a floating cone for a nozzle. You really don't have to take it out but if you do be very careful not to overtighten it. If there is gunk in it sometimes you can take it of and take a blow gun and shoot some air from the smaller opening back. But hang on to the little sucker.

[Diaz Dezine]

Did the AB come in a box? It should have a small wrench to go with it. Usually the AB comes packed in a blue foam insert. In that foam insert there should be a cut or a slit in the blue foam and the wrench could be wedged in there or look underneath the foam.
Be really careful like Oats said. You do not want to overtighten this small piece or it will snap. So all you have to do is snug it down to where it just stops. I wouldn't use any other tool except the wrench that it came with.
If yours didn't come with it then I'm almost sure that Don, Dixie, or Iwata themselves can get you one. Like Oats said , alot of times you do not have to pull this off, also very easy to lose, but I do once a week just because I have this OCD thing!LOL! I usually clean it with plain dental floss. I work it through the bigger opening with a toothpick until it just pokes through the small end and drench it in laquer thinner or whatever you clean it with and pull it through. Cleans it really well
Let us know whats up. I have a few of these wrenches around, if you need one, somwhere.
Good luck!
DIAZ

[stormer]

Originally Posted by Diaz Dezine

I usually clean it with plain dental floss. I work it through the bigger opening with a toothpick until it just pokes through the small end and drench it in laquer thinner or whatever you clean it with and pull it through. Cleans it really well
DIAZ

That is a very good idea! That bugger can be very difficult to clean

Niclas

[oats]

And remember- Righty Tighty Lefty Loosey

[Airbrush Dreams]

I take it off ever time I give my brush a final clean for the day. it is designed with larger threads so it is easier to put back on when done. I like to use a very fine tip paint brush to spin around inside in case there are any dried paint particles stuck inside. Be careful when re-seating the nozzle not to cross thread it and only tighten it till it is snug.

[xzotic ink]

YES I SEE THE WRENCH ,,HAVE NOT TAKEN IT OFF YET,,I WILL TONIGHT,,I GUESS THE GUN IS NOT MADE FOR CREATEX USE,,wouldnt make sense to keep taking this gun to the sink to switch colors? how do you switch colors i have to flush it in sink everytime? i always used a bottom feed,,with color cups

[KDSilverBrush]

I keep a plastic shoe box like container next to where I am working, Xzotic, place about 2 inches of water in the botom, and keep a squirt bottle of water next to that, and also my cleaning solution in another squirt botte, also keep a moist soft cloth next to that, every time I need a color change, I use my squirt bottle to clean out the well of the ab, then run a bit of water thru the ab makein sure all the color is out, I do this over the container of course. Any way, works for me :-)
Once in a while , I'll place my finger over the end of the ab and back flush just to make sure no paint is stickin on my needle. The wet cloth is in case I get dry tip, I don't use it very often, less I'm useing white, seems to be a bad color for the dry tip.

[oats]

I have one of those big coffee cans and I Tape a piece of an old tee shirt over the top of it. Cut a slit in the middle of the shirt- get a cheap artist paint brush - a bottle of a little windex and distilled water ( because tap water has too many minerals) . AHHHHHH Come to Ridgewood on Sunday and I'll show you and give you that Revolution!!

[pitontheprowl]

Same here, flush with fresh water after every color change.

And YES the AutoAir white, I have always had tip dry problems with. Even with reducer and retarder.

[Diaz Dezine]

You are probably right about that X that this AB is'nt right for createx but if you try straining it through one of those homemade pantyhose filters it may be smooth enough and thin enough to use. Maybe a bit more air pressure too.
I'm not a waterbased paint user so there are people out there to solve that problem for you so hang in there.
The way solve changing out colors quicker is to have multiple ABs, primarily use siphon feeds or do what KD and Oats do.
DIAZ

[KDSilverBrush]

I agree with Diaz on the straining Xzotic. I had a problem with my comart red not spraying right out of my HP-C,, so I took a lil piece of pantyhose and put it over the top of the bottle, put the cap back on , and whala, solved the problem. ya do have to change the panty hose frequently tho, not every application, but about every other.

[hughanglin]

I'm a newbie to AB also - just got started with an Iwata HP-C Plus and a kit of CreateX paints, so that is all I know at this point. I have found that I have to bump the pressure up to 50 or 60 psi to get good results.

[xzotic ink]

IT WORKED,,I TOOK THAT TINY PIECE OFF,,WITH THE WRENCH,,GOD DAM THATS TINY,,

i have another gun like that too,,,i will post cause i dont know what it is,,no name on it,,with the same tip,,be back

[KDSilverBrush]

Originally Posted by hughanglin

I'm a newbie to AB also - just got started with an Iwata HP-C Plus and a kit of CreateX paints, so that is all I know at this point. I have found that I have to bump the pressure up to 50 or 60 psi to get good results.

Welcome Hug. Try reduceing your createx to the consistency of milk, just add a few drops of distilled water, and then try lowering yer psi to about 30.Allso try the panty hose tip.

Xzotic, glad ya got it figgured out

[christy_aset]

Hey Xzotic... If it's an Iwata Airbrush it will be engraved on the side! You still coming to Air Affair East!!! Its Bigger and better then last year!!!!!

Christy

[Airbrush Dreams]

I keep a bottle of watter and a bucket next to me when airbrushing. When I switch colors I empty the leftover paint out of the cup, fill it with water and take a soft artist brush and swish around the cup until it is clean. Then I will spray the clean water through the brush untill it runs clean changing the water several times. It will take several water changes and tapes on the nozzle end to backflush the water back into the cup, but it will stop the need to run to the sink and the need to break down the brush every color change.

[Airbrush Dreams]

Also createx runs just fine through the airbrush. I use it all the time.