Acrylics clog my airbrush tip

[craigolio1]

I miss floquil. What do you guys do to deal with tip clogging?  I find as long as I have high flow coming out it's fine but I have a dual action airbrush and often reduce the amount of paint coming out to allow more precision application. Without fail I get dried paint on the tip and have to diassemble and clean it part way through painting. I'm kind of new to acrylics and would appreciate any tips.

If it matters I'm spraying a lot of True Line Trains paints these days. And will soon be using True Color paints in the near future.

Thanks, Craig

[nickelplate759]

I have exactly this same problem, but no good solution , with Badger ModelFlex (and had it with Polly Scale).   I finally gave up trying to use them with a double-action brush.      A larger tip & needle than you would use for lacquers or other solvent-based paints helps a lot, but I still need to clean the tip often.   I tried thinning the paint more with alcohol (not water) - that helped a little, but not enough.

I've found True Color paints (acrylic with a solvent base, not water) far better in this regard.  It's my new favorite paint.

George.

[Scottl]

It is strange, I use acrylics exclusively with my air brush and I have not had major issues.  I am careful to run the paint through and then quickly spray with lots of tap water to clean it out.  I have a Badger 105 (Patriot) with a gravity cup and the factory needle and I have only taken it apart once in two years.  When I did clean it, I used lacquer thinner and it cleaned up easily.

Having said that, my old Badger syphon feed single action brush clogged all the time and the tip would build up paint quickly.

[nickelplate759]

Scott's experience reminds me of what a rep from Testor's once told me (about Polly Scale) - he claimed you needed a different airbrush for their acrylics than the Paasche that I use.     He wasn't able to explain what was different about it, but of course Testor's was selling one (I didn't buy it).

[bman]

I've a single action Paasche airbrush and I have had clogging issues in the past with Polyscale and Badger Modelflex.  These clogs happen when I stop spraying for more than a min or two.  What I've wound up doing is either keeping a scrap piece of cardboard lying near the booth and just shoot a quick shot of paint out to keep it clear every so often.  Or if it's still clogged, I just screw the nozzle in all the way.  Then I wipe off any excess paint and then unscrew the tip and continue to paint.  Don't know if this will help you but it seems to work for me.

[tom mann]

You have to be mindful that acrylics dry very quickly, especially the thin layers that would accumulate inside an airbrush and around the needle/nozzle during a painting session.  That said, every time I'm done with a color, I run Iwata Cleaner through until clear.  This is because the paint will dry during the time I'm preparing another color.  At the end of the session, I run 91% alcohol through.  I've been painting every day this week and haven't had to do any disassembly for major cleaning.

I also use a top feed Iwata, which I prefer for ease of use and easy cleaning.

Another problem might be the dried paint at the top of the jar getting into your color cup (If you just pour it in).

Ten years ago I had a Badger 180 and remember that clogging all the time.

[Kisatchie]

Before hurricane Katrina flooded me out and I had a few Paasche VL airbrushes, I did a lot of spraying. I always had trouble spraying acrylics, and it got so bad, I just quit using acrylic paints.

I used solvent-based Floquil, Scalecoat II, and sometimes Model Masters paints. Never had trouble with them.


Hmm... all of those
airbrushes... flooded
out... sigh...

[thomasjmdavis]

Not sure if this helps the discussion along, but I have fewer problems using an internal mix (Paasche VL) than external mix when spraying acrylics, although I do know folks who use their external mix airbrush for everything.  Also, if you can keep the humidity up (or down, in the summer) to around 35%, it helps keep the paint from drying too quickly (or drying slowly and pooling or clouding in the summer with very high humidity).  In very low humidity situations in the past, the paint has dried before it hit the model, not to mention clogging the tip. I also sometimes keep a cup of water nearby, let the airbrush tip sit in that between sprays as a way to keep the tip from drying out, wipe it off and shoot a little paint on cardboard to clear any water that may have siphoned back into the tip.

To date, I have been getting better results from Model Master than I was getting with Polly- it seems to flow better and is less "grainy"- at least in the colors I use most often.  But I suspect that results vary with specific equipment and conditions.

Tom D

[C855B]

You have to be mindful that acrylics dry very quickly, ...

And there you have it.

I'm using a special acrylic formulated for metal on the 1:1 layout building. Same issue. I'm using an HVLP gravity-feed gun and have to wipe the tip frequently, plus I take the tip apart and clean it every time the pot is refilled - about every 10 minutes. Aggravating at first, but now it has simply become part of the process.

... I also sometimes keep a cup of water nearby, let the airbrush tip sit in that between sprays as a way to keep the tip from drying out, ...

I did that when using a 1:1 airless sprayer, which turned out to be too aggressive for the paint. Had to keep a toothbrush in the bucket anyway to keep it clear.

[Hyperion]

For many acrylics, you can solve the problem through liberal use of thinners, the use of a varnish as a thinner (either exclusively or in addition to and provides other benefits too), or the use of flow enhancers or retarders that slow dry-time.  But, some paints are just a bitch and are difficult to get to to dry slow enough to not cause a problem.

What I do is that I simply remove the tip guard on the airbrush (if you can) and keep a Q-Tip that's dipped in cleaner at-hand.  Every couple minutes I just swab down the tip real quick.  You can do this with the tip guard still in place, but I don't like to cram a swab in there between the cap and the tip and risk bending the tip.

[Scottl]

This last point might be part of my apparent success, or at least lack of problems.  I have always used Pollyscale/MM thinner with everything.  I've only started to use water recently with fading work, but these have so little actual paint in them that I doubt the air brush can easily clog up.

[ArtinCA]

Thinning helps with fine tip airbrushes. If you're paint a car/loco/building, a medium tip will work better. Might also want to turn down your air pressure. I've seen 30psi recommend, and I've never gone above 20-25 in 20+ years of shooting acrylics. I'm looking for slightly wet, not dry to the touch.

One other thing I use is a Qtip dipped in water and twist it in on the tip to clean dried paint. If you shoot from a bottle, get a screen filter to put over the syphon tube. That will keep the chunks out.

Vallejo Model Air paints work alot better that the PollyScale paint, which I've used for years. Model Master and Tamiya I thin straight away, usually 60/40.

FWIW

Art

[garethashenden]

Thin the paint, preferably with alcohol rather than water, then add a drop of retarder to slow down the drying time. I've had good results spraying Vallejo paints this way. Use glycerine as a retarder, cheap and available from virtually all supermarkets, with the cake decorating stuff.
I've followed this video with good results.

[arbomambo]

Yes, acrylics will dry and clog the tips more regularly than enables...
That being said, I no longer have these issues and I do my best to spray acrylics exclusively ( only when I can't reproduce a color that is available in an enamel will I deviate)
I use the recommended thinner with the paint (although Tamiya thinner for acrylics also works beautifully for Pollyscale paints), and I use a drop of Golden's ( retarder)...
Of course, apart from forecaster acrylics, it now appears I'm going to have to use True Color paint, an acetone-based paint...it does spray well but I'm not thrilled about the fumes
Bruce

[tom mann]

Yeah I never really was inspired to try any enamels myself due in part to the fumes. 

I once painted the inside of a 1970 VW Bug with spray paint, so my body already has been exposed to a lifetime of fume-inhaling.