Edit: I sure wasnt being clear. What I wanted to know is how much should I need to turn the tip to get paint flow in a Paasche H. I am concerned that the paint is not flowing as much as it should but have never used one to know.
Hi,
I just received a “old model” Paasche-H airbrush I purchased used through Ebay (17.50 + 9.50 shipping). It came with two paint jars, a braided hose, and has a #3 tip. I am hooking it up to a 2 gallon craftsman compressor my wife got me for Christmas. However, I am not sure if it is operating as expected but have no basis for comparison, this being my first air brush.
The tip that I turn to increase the paint supply from the jar, how far should I need to turn it to get a spray? I have tested it with water and will be doing some more test with paint tomorrow… but right now it seems like I have to turn it such that it extends too farther into the aircap then I woujld have expected. It also seems to stick a little as it turns when I get near the bottom of the threads.
I also am not sure how fine a line I should be able to get when I am actually blowing paint. I bought some poster board and a jar of taimya flat red paint to experiment with and will have a better idea. Blowing water onto plywood probably isn’t a good test but I wanted to make sure it works.
The only instructions I found are the two page instructions/parts list on the paasche website I was able to download, so I am loathe to take it apart and check to make sure the tip is not damaged in some way when I can’t even be sure if there is a problem.
I am not sure I am being clear, I aplogize in advance if this is a confused post. I am really looking forward to starting on my first “test” kit, “Bruce’s Garage” from DPM. I also got a right clamp from my way too awesome wife to help with the building. Once I have it working with “real” airbrush paint I will start working with my fair collection of artisits acrylic an
That’s going to depend on what size tip it has. (1,3 or 5) And how thick your paint is and how much air pressure your using. Paint should be the consistency of milk and pressure “around” 30PSI. Lots of variables. Something you kind of have to get a feel for.
Since it’s used, it’s a good idea to take it all apart and clean it first.
1… Paasche H brushes have 3 tips like Loathar said, they are matched…each tip has its own aircap…check and see if the aircap is the same number as the tip, it can make a difference in the spray pattern if it’s mismatched.
2…Check inside the tip and see if the rubber O ring is installed correctly, it will interfere with paint flow if its not seated right, and it can make it feel like it’s stuck.
A #3 is a good all purpose tip, but you will want the #1 and #5, I use the #5 for clear coats of laquer and spraying paint on large areas, the #1 will give you better control over paint flow and allow you to feather and ‘‘haze’’ your projects…you’ll never get an H set to spray a pencil thin line…a VL set will, so you after you’ve used the H set for a while you might look into a VL. The best you can hope for with a #1 tip is a fairly thin line with feathered edges.
3…Make sure the stipple adjust screw in front of the trigger button is screwed all the way in. If it’s set half open you will get a ‘‘orange peel’’ effect.
4…Lastly, paint thickness is a big part of proper brush operation. If the paint is too thick you won’t get any through a #3 tip…follow the manuf. recommendations for thinning and soon you’ll get a feel for how much to use to get the right consistancy of paint.
I think the best thing for you to do is to just try it out with actual paint and see what happens. That’s the only way you’re going to know for sure. Sounds like you are able to get air and water through it OK, so it seems like it should be working properly. Start out on the poster board, but if you have an old junk model you can use as a test bed, that would be the best way to tell if you’re really getting the results you want.
?? stipple adjust screw? i’m looking at my H and i dont see what you’re talking about, perhaps you’re thinking of something on another model? The VL has a knurled knob in front of the double-action trigger, is this what you mean?
Edit: I sure wasnt being clear. What I wanted to know is how much should I need to turn the tip to get paint flow in a Paasche H. I am concerned that the paint is not flowing as much as it should but have never used one to know.
Hi,
I just received a “old model” Paasche-H airbrush I purchased used through Ebay (17.50 + 9.50 shipping). It came with two paint jars, a braided hose, and has a #3 tip. I am hooking it up to a 2 gallon craftsman compressor my wife got me for Christmas. However, I am not sure if it is operating as expected but have no basis for comparison, this being my first air brush.
The tip that I turn to increase the paint supply from the jar, how far should I need to turn it to get a spray? I have tested it with water and will be doing some more test with paint tomorrow… but right now it seems like I have to turn it such that it extends too farther into the aircap then I woujld have expected. It also seems to stick a little as it turns when I get near the bottom of the threads.
I also am not sure how fine a line I should be able to get when I am actually blowing paint. I bought some poster board and a jar of taimya flat red paint to experiment with and will have a better idea. Blowing water onto plywood probably isn’t a good test but I wanted to make sure it works.
The only instructions I found are the two page instructions/parts list on the paasche website I was able to download, so I am loathe to take it apart and check to make sure the tip is not damaged in some way when I can’t even be sure if there is a problem.
I am not sure I am being clear, I aplogize in advance if this is a confused post. I am really looking forward to starting on my first “test” kit, “Bruce’s Garage” from DPM. I also got a right clamp from my way too awesome wife to help with the building. Once I have it working with “real” airbrush paint I will start working with my fair collection
Thanks for all the great advice! I had made sure that the stipple screw was down all the way once I realized what it was and found some information about it.
I presume I can remove the tip by loosening the set screw under the round part of the airbrush? I will take it apart and do my best to clean it off… it sounds like the tip is gummed up and needs work if it should be spraying with very little turn. Right now it really needs to be loosened and projects up into the end of the airbrush quite a lot.
I also have picked up a few pieces of cheap poster board and will try out my red paint on it after I get a chance to clean it and find the respirator my wife got for me.
I clean my tips and caps with pipe cleaners. I usually soak them in paint thinner of Goof Off depending on what kind of paint I’ve been using. Tips and caps run about $10/set. I get mine at Hobby Lobby. Inspect your cap tip closely to make sure it hasn’t been dropped and damaged. (nice round hole in the end)
Have you removed the tip protector? I ask because I didn’t the first time I tried to use it. Got very little paint through, but gummed up the inside of the protector cap. It’s just a press fit; comes off with just a little pressure. Of course, you may not have one on a used airbrush.
I finally got around to taking the airbrush apart and soaking the tip over-night in mineral oil. Part of my confusion before was the tip was kinda stuck on the brush. I got it out (gently) with channel locks. Once I saw it all dissasembled it made a lot more sense to me. I think there was some yellow paint stuck up in the nozzle that came out with the pipe cleaner.
After cleaning the brush seems to operate more like I expected, I don’t need to open it up as much to start the flow. I mixed up some red Tamiya paint and fooled around on a poster board. Its clear to me that I need to get some medicine droppers so I can get a better feel for how much I am mixing with the thinner. I also want to get a paint cup because the jars that came with it require quite a lot more paint then I might want to use just to reach the intake hose.
Anyway, thanks for all the help. I seem to be on my way now and look forward to getting the mix right and moving on to painting my model.