A question about “Airbrush Management”

ModelRailroadForums.com is a free Model Railroad Discussion Forum and photo gallery. We cover all scales and sizes of model railroads. Online since 2002, it's one of the oldest and largest model railroad forums on the web. Whether you're a master model railroader or just getting started, you'll find something of interest here.


C&OMtnMan

C&OMtnMan

Well-Known Member
I was airbrushing a laquer (Tru-Color Weathered Black), and really liked the effect it was giving me…

…until the stuff caused an O-ring failure, and upon disassembly to check out what was wrong, I lost my nozzle to boot. In the grass. Outdoors. Near dusk. (Yeah, yeah, I know.)

The airbrush management question I have is:

Is there an airbush store from which I can obtain O-rings & seals that will withstand laquers (particularly for a Gaahleri GHAD-68 airbrush), or do you guys who work with more aggressive paints/solvents just keep a stock of O-rings & etc., on-hand?
 
Ugh…
I usually salvage what parts I can and buy a new brush when catastrophe like happens… it’s harder to get parts up here in 🇨🇦
 
AirbrushNo5 said:
Ugh…
I usually salvage what parts I can and buy a new brush when catastrophe like happens… it’s harder to get parts up here in 🇨🇦
Click to expand...

I feel for you. Fortunately, I’ve got a replacement nozzle and O-rings already on order. Actually, my airbrush is already back up & running -used the last of my spares, and have my 0.50mm needle & nozzle in. I think I’ve been doing it wrong all this time with the 0.38mm.

But I’d really like to stock up on one or two sizes, instead of “variety packs” that give me one of several kinds.
 


Well, there's spraygunner.com of course. I bought one of their compressors a while back, and ordered it through Amazon (it came from the same guys though) because Prime returns are ez, if required. But also because it required a signature if shipped directly from spraygunner themselves, whereas Amazon did not if sourced it through them.

Later on I bought a trigger brush/mini-gun direct, because spraygunner had the accessory large paint cup I wanted, while Amazon didn't list it. So, since I had to have that one item (the large cup) shipped direct, buying the brush made sense with the same order as well. It went just fine, and no signature required for those two smaller items.

I'm glad you actually posted this, thanks, because I have some Alclad II metal finish lacquers I want to experiment with. Sounds like I should have spare parts on hand when I do, just in case.
 
Last edited:
For those who might not be familiar with them (I wouldn't have heard of them either probably, but for browsing Youtube and running across videos by "Barbatos Rex"). The Alclad II lacquers I'm referring to are the metal finish series, and specifically "Stainless steel," which is in theory a good or even great match for real thin sheet/foil stainless steel I recently aquired off ebay. And thus for Budd stainless steel passenger cars, like the California Zephyr passenger cars I'm currently focused on. N-scale, all. We'll see.


Rex ^^^ puts up some good stuff, IMO. I bought a compressor, a paintbooth, and that vortex paint mixer seen in another of his videos (this last one was hard, as it runs around $100 US), all three. And even more too.
 
Last edited:
Just an observation here but, depending on how much you paint, I'd get myself an airbrush that will shoot anything (no rubber in the fluid path). There are many available, and you don't need to spend a ton of money. I've shot Tru-Color with Iwata, Badger, and Paasche airbrushes with no issues. I use all the old fashioned nasty solvents that'll kill you. 😁 Tru-Color is acetone based, and acetone is both nasty and very volatile. It's a good product though. In looking at an online video of that gun I don't see any O-rings in the fluid path, so what failed? The white ring behind the nozzle, or the one at the bowl? That should be Teflon or the equivalent, which should be impervious to solvents. Or did you spill something where it didn't belong? That happens. Guess how I know.

I'm not terribly familiar with this brand, but most airbrushes I've dealt with don't use O rings or seals at the nozzle. Machining should be good enough here for a compression seal or a thread in connection. 🤷‍♂️

On Alclad: Great stuff. Shoots at lower pressures. 10 PSI should be good. You'll need to lay down a coat of gloss black first and it'll need to be smooth as a baby's butt to give you the best results. Don't thin the Alclad. It's ready to shoot. It's huge with the aircraft modelers.
 


D&J RailRoad said:
I can never count on being able to clean my air brush and reassemble it to work again, so I just throw it away after I'm done painting.
Click to expand...
Too bad I don't teach classes anymore! I'd have you field stripping and reassembling it in no time! That used to be part of the three hour clinic I did at Springfield (the Amherst show). Everyone took their airbrush apart and re-assembled it. That was a fun part of the class because most people had a glitch or two which showed everyone how to deal with the tricky parts.

That being said, you don't need to disassemble the thing to clean it, at least not all the way. I shoot thinner through mine until it shoots clear. Then I pull the needle and wipe it off. Then a little more thinner. Wipe down the exterior, and that's all folks! Total strip downs are done once a year for maintenance checks, or in the event of an accident or failure. Failures are usually caused by accidents, most commonly dropping the airbrush. :)
 
Espeefan said:
Too bad I don't teach classes anymore! I'd have you field stripping and reassembling it in no time! That used to be part of the three hour clinic I did at Springfield (the Amherst show). Everyone took their airbrush apart and re-assembled it. That was a fun part of the class because most people had a glitch or two which showed everyone how to deal with the tricky parts.

That being said, you don't need to disassemble the thing to clean it, at least not all the way. I shoot thinner through mine until it shoots clear. Then I pull the needle and wipe it off. Then a little more thinner. Wipe down the exterior, and that's all folks! Total strip downs are done once a year for maintenance checks, or in the event of an accident or failure. Failures are usually caused by accidents, most commonly dropping the airbrush. :)
Click to expand...
Alan you’ve been missed!

what thinner do you shoot through the air brush? I use Tamiya Arcylics with Isopropyl Alcohol as the thinner and cleaner.

I use Army Painter’s matte clear Air and also VMS matte clear varnish. Both are water based arcylics. Both of these gum up my airbrushes and I need to strip the airbrush down. Usually once a week after maybe 50 uses of clear coating. Any advice?

thank you
 
Espeefan said:
Too bad I don't teach classes anymore! I'd have you field stripping and reassembling it in no time! That used to be part of the three hour clinic I did at Springfield (the Amherst show). Everyone took their airbrush apart and re-assembled it. That was a fun part of the class because most people had a glitch or two which showed everyone how to deal with the tricky parts.

That being said, you don't need to disassemble the thing to clean it, at least not all the way. I shoot thinner through mine until it shoots clear. Then I pull the needle and wipe it off. Then a little more thinner. Wipe down the exterior, and that's all folks! Total strip downs are done once a year for maintenance checks, or in the event of an accident or failure. Failures are usually caused by accidents, most commonly dropping the airbrush. :)
Click to expand...
I've watched quite a few air brush clinics as well as followed instructions on how to clean them.
The second use would look worse than if I used a broom to paint with. Spitting, splattering, sometimes no paint at all then suddenly solid stream of paint. It was more of a joke of spray guns. Tried various cleaning procedures and solutions. Same results. Always cleaned immediately after use. Same results.
I've tried a couple of Badger air brushes and some others that I don't recall the name. A couple from online stores. A few more from Hobby Lobby. Was told I bought the cheap version. Seems to be the go-to answer. Just how much do ya need to spend for an air brush that can be used a second time? $1,000, $2,000. Obviously, anything less than $500 is considered a cheap air brush.
 
D&J RailRoad said:
I've watched quite a few air brush clinics as well as followed instructions on how to clean them.
The second use would look worse than if I used a broom to paint with. Spitting, splattering, sometimes no paint at all then suddenly solid stream of paint. It was more of a joke of spray guns. Tried various cleaning procedures and solutions. Same results. Always cleaned immediately after use. Same results.
I've tried a couple of Badger air brushes and some others that I don't recall the name. A couple from online stores. A few more from Hobby Lobby. Was told I bought the cheap version. Seems to be the go-to answer. Just how much do ya need to spend for an air brush that can be used a second time? $1,000, $2,000. Obviously, anything less than $500 is considered a cheap air brush.
Click to expand...
I never spent that much on an airbrush. The most I ever dished out was $225 for my fanciest Iwatas. My go to airbrush is an Iwata Eclipse that I paid $117.00 for. My current Eclipse is over 15 years old and still shoots like new. It's had a new nozzle or two (because I dropped it). Before that was a Paasche Millewnium, and before that a Badger 150, all inexpensive models. My thoughts here is that "it ain"t the airbrush". There are many things that could cause your issues, from bad paint to improper thinning, error in reassembly, or other errors in techniques. I'd need to see what you're doing to know for sure, but your descriptions say to me "operator error". 🤷‍♂️ I say this as a teacher, and admit I'm guessing, but I've taught lots of people and solved their problems.
 
Last edited:
TLOC said:
Alan you’ve been missed!

what thinner do you shoot through the air brush? I use Tamiya Acrylics with Isopropyl Alcohol as the thinner and cleaner.

I use Army Painter’s matte clear Air and also VMS matte clear varnish. Both are water based acrylics. Both of these gum up my airbrushes and I need to strip the airbrush down. Usually once a week after maybe 50 uses of clear coating. Any advice?

thank you
Click to expand...
Well, thank you for that. I've been on sabbatical for the summer, and to be honest I needed a break from the hobby. Nothing bad happened but after the whole adventure with cancer I just felt kind of drained and had very little desire to be creative anymore. That has passed, and I did lurk now & then to see what was happening. Alcohol is a good thinner for Tamiya, that system is alcohol based. I'm not familiar with the other two systems or products, but since they're water soluble, you can use water, though it may take longer. Try some ammonia free Windex or the generic equivalent from Wal-Mart and see how that does for you! You can also try Vallejo thinner, but it's a bit on the expensive side! Let me know what works!
 
Espeefan said:
In looking at an online video of that gun I don't see any O-rings in the fluid path, so what failed? The white ring behind the nozzle, or the one at the bowl? That should be Teflon or the equivalent, which should be impervious to solvents.

I'm not terribly familiar with this brand, but most airbrushes I've dealt with don't use O rings or seals at the nozzle. Machining should be good enough here for a compression seal or a thread in connection. 🤷‍♂️
Click to expand...

The following screenshot, although fuzzy, shows:

IMG_3307.png


There, where it says “0.38mm Nozzle System, above the word “System.” Black O-ring. It’s on the big-diameter threads there. It just doesn’t stand out because of the low resolution of the original.
 
D&J RailRoad said:
I've watched quite a few air brush clinics as well as followed instructions on how to clean them.
The second use would look worse than if I used a broom to paint with. Spitting, splattering, sometimes no paint at all then suddenly solid stream of paint. It was more of a joke of spray guns. Tried various cleaning procedures and solutions. Same results. Always cleaned immediately after use. Same results.
I've tried a couple of Badger air brushes and some others that I don't recall the name. A couple from online stores. A few more from Hobby Lobby. Was told I bought the cheap version. Seems to be the go-to answer. Just how much do ya need to spend for an air brush that can be used a second time? $1,000, $2,000. Obviously, anything less than $500 is considered a cheap air brush.
Click to expand...

I spent $70 on mine, and have had to deep-clean it only once, after it’s first dozen cars. My current trouble, after another dozen cars and a bridge, wasn’t due to deep cleaning, but rather due to an inexorable need to perform “deep dumb-a$s” on it.
 
C&OMtnMan said:
The following screenshot, although fuzzy, shows:

There, where it says “0.38mm Nozzle System, above the word “System.” Black O-ring. It’s on the big-diameter threads there. It just doesn’t stand out because of the low resolution of the original.
Click to expand...
OK, that helps. On my guns, that O-ring just helps to keef the nozzle cap on tight. It's not in the fluid path, which tells me your gun leaks a bit, probably where the nozzle mounts to the body.
 


Espeefan said:
Well, thank you for that. I've been on sabbatical for the summer, and to be honest I needed a break from the hobby. Nothing bad happened but after the whole adventure with cancer I just felt kind of drained and had very little desire to be creative anymore. That has passed, and I did lurk now & then to see what was happening. Alcohol is a good thinner for Tamiya, that system is alcohol based. I'm not familiar with the other two systems or products, but since they're water soluble, you can use water, though it may take longer. Try some ammonia free Windex or the generic equivalent from Wal-Mart and see how that does for you! You can also try Vallejo thinner, but it's a bit on the expensive side! Let me know what works!
Click to expand...
Thank you Alan. I have really had no issues cleaning after the Tamiya spray but clear coats…

I pretty much spray daily and clean by spraying the Isopropyl Alcohol through the air brush.

I always do batch spraying once or twice a week on groups of 10 cars or more, usually after the cars have been cleaned. I will clear coat after drying and before going to another color or medium.

After the batch spraying is were the air brush gets clogged but not always…

I will let you know how the windshield fluid cleaning goes
 
You must log in or register to reply here.




Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a commision from some of the links and ads shown on this website (Learn More Here)

Back
Top