Helpful tips for beginners: -Premix your paint in a separate container(like a small platic cup) and let it sit for a while, stirr again and then put in the airbrush. Depending on the paint/reducer type this can make a big difference. -Write notes on how much you thinned your particular color and how did it work, especially if your working with different manufacturers paints, but even different colors have different consistency. -The pressure you're spraying at is measured when the air is on. So you press the trigger down, hold and set your pressure. You can set many of these small compressors to for ex. 2bar/30psi but after a while (when the air goes on) it drops to a way too little pressure, because the compressor cannot keep up with the volume of air required. Depends on how much your airbrush consumes in CFM -If you have a compressor with no tank, the best thing you can do is put a hose (10m/30feet) in between your compressor and your pressure regulator, this functions as a small tank and gives the air a chance to cool down before the moisture trap. A moisture trap which is directly attached to the compressor(hot air) is not able to catch all the moisture. The air needs to cool down in order for droplets to develope. Hot air will just blow past the moisture trap. -You don't want pressure drop, it makes painting inconsistent and annoying. There is no point setting your pressure to for ex. 2bar/30psi if your compressor can only provide 1.2bar/17psi @ full consumption (what ever CFM your airbrush flows) Only thing it does, is you start with high pressure and suddenly it drops just a couple of seconds after you've started to paint. -Make sure you have a quality cleaner that works very well with your paint! Many general airbrush cleaners are very mild and do not do the job properly. This is extremely important, you don't want to constantly disassemble you airbrush! and believe it or not, but it's almost never really needed if you're doing everything correctly. -Don't use Q tips to clean inside you cup, this is one of those weird things that doesn't cause any problems for months and then suddenly one time those fibers go inside the airbush and cause problems and then you have real mess in your hands because no cleaner dissolves those fibers. -The needle lube is used to lube the needle packing srew. -Don't use needle reamers, it's not good in the long term. The cleaner must be able to dissolve the paint. -If you have freeflow=paint comes out when you press the air on, it is not because you'r needle is not seated all the way. The needle does not just magically move on it's own. It's because there's paint on the nozzle or the needle does not move freely in the needle packing screw, not allowing it to return to the nozzle or the spring tension is too low. Yes sometimes a quick fix (for a while) is to re seat the needle. If you'r airbush is clean and you test it with water very close against a black table and there is no freeflow, this setting is not going to change on it's own. If this freeflowing happens often you'r needle packing screw is leaking and letting paint dry back there and then the needle sticks. -Airbrushes are delicate, don't use any force with them. -There is no need to soak the whole airbrush in cleaner. -You don't need ultrasonic cleaners, you just need a cleaner that actually works. -Use a respirator and make sure it seals into your face.
Oh my, thank you so much for the hint of releasing the water of the compressor. I didn't even know that such a thing exists and was constantly wondering why my airbrush recently started to spray so much unwanted water. Thanks again! Your videos are great!
If you frequently forget or it's constantly getting full and you don't want to deal with it they also make self draining air drivers that you can put a hose on but this is probably overkill for airbrushing
Seems to point out all the common problems I came across the hard way: good service to the new folk. Too thick paint, through a tiny needle, at low pressure almost made me swear-off airbrush when I started. I strongly suggest this important mantra: Air on - Paint on - Paint off - Air off. Not following the sequence leads to many kinds of tip dry or clogs do not perform air/paint on all at once. "Glycerine" is a good lube to spray a drop or so through the bottom of the cup prior to paint loading (cheap too!). It prevents the paint from sticking to the needle and nozzle and acts as a bit of a paint slow-dry, it is the primary ingredient for any needle "lube". I hope things work out well for your viewers.
@@_tensketch Definitely no cats when airbrushing! I use a heavy duty fan which keeps the air circulating, and the part of the house I close off has an air intake vent to keep fresh air coming in.
@@martijnlabohm6350 I would not, at least not with regular acrylic miniature paints. Acrylic paints generally aren't toxic, and you don't use toxic solvents when painting with them. The issue is that you might breathe in paint dust which gets stuck in your lungs and make them function worse, and lungs really aren't very good at being self-cleaning of that sort of thing.
Spitting airbrushes might also be from not properly stopping properly. You need to gently roll the trigger forward and up to a stop when you're done painting. You cannot just simply lift off the trigger. It will leave paint in the nozzle, which will splurt out the next time you press down. If you slowly ease off forward and up on the trigger to a stop, it will leave very little, if any, paint in the nozzle. You can practice this on a piece of paper. Try doing it on/off then try doing it slowly ease into on, and slowly ease to off. World of difference.
For now you saved my ass 4 times. Thank you. I already have a problem in which i cannot find a solution. My airbrush is ''dotting'' paint; i think it is speckling. Any solutions for that?
While I am not a beginner, I have learned a great deal about resolving airbrush issues by watching your videos. I was really impressed by seeing that you use a respirator while airbrushing. I stopped mid video and ordered one online. I have been having some minor sinus and breathing problems. Thanks for reminding me to be safe from particulates while painting.
@@ahsokatano6059 If they are too pricey or a one time project, simple to create one with your shop vac, a cardboard box, duct tape and a small replaceable air filter from the hardware store.
number 1 mistake seeing all the pros mix in the cup and think "ah I can do that too" I strictly mix outside the cup and mix thoroughly well to thin my paint uniformly before I pour it in.
@@jamesuncapher3812 I have a lot of dropper bottles I just cut the top off it is a good small container and washable too :) it made a HUGE difference when I pre-mix.
Good information. I have one critcism: don't use paper cups in which to mix your paint. They fall apart and the fibers in the paper invariably get into the paint and wind up collecting in your airbrush. I do enjoy your channel and I have learned an awful lot from them. Cheers, ma'am! Va. Cork
Things I have in common with Lyla Mev: - learning how to use my airbrush - LOVE those Loot minis and busts - left hand/thumb often covered in paint :D Thanks for another useful lesson!
Thanks for your vidéo , i have the problème of Always Have bubbles in the cup i understand now the reason , you save me 😃 thanks à lot . Your vidéo is very simple,instructive and helpful really top
My problem is that it doesn't matter how much do I press the trigger, I always have the same airflow strenght. Is that normal? I would have thought that pushing it a bit would let less air than pushing it more, but I can only control that airflow with the psi of my compressor.
Another good video. Problem 7: Most of the time this is exactly what happens, but if you push the needle too hard into the nozzle you can warp and or crack the nozzle giving the same problem, but sometimes the spray pattern is to one side. If damaged you should get a new nozzle and needle. Keep the old needle as a backup if it looks good. If it looks bad, clip the tip and soften it with a finger nail sponge. Use that for deep cleaning the airbrush body and replacing internal O rings. When replacing O rings, put the O ring on the needle and slide that in part way. Take the nut on the packing tool and push the needle in. I have had better luck with this method not leaking on new O rings, or Teflon bushings. The needle fits better than the packing tool, and I think that helps in some way. You can inspect the needle and cap with most modern cell phones magnifying camera. Fingernail sponges can be used to dress up a slightly messed up needle. I have fixed needles dozens of times. When you have 6 airbrushes going at once you get good at keeping them going. OH, and if you need to get up and walk away for a bit, make sure your cup is not close to empty. Keeps it from making clumps in the paint.
Nice work! Airbrushes can be really frustrating if you don't know why what you're experiencing is happening. So this is a great resource for people who are new to using one.
Great, informative video. Some things I've learned when using an air brush, I noticed that when you remove the needle from the air brush you withdraw it from the rear of the air brush body. The problem with doing this is that any paint on the needle will be wiped off and deposited on the internal seals of the air brush which can cause a build up of paint on the needle seals. I always remove the nozzle first and then pull the needle out from the front of the air brush which prevents paint build up on the seals. I mostly use acrylic paints so I flush the air brush out using water, first I flush out the paint cup until the water runs out clear, then spray through with water until the water is clear. Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) dissolves acrylic paints, so some kitchen paper towel with some IPA on it cleans the needle very effectively I find. I use IPA and small nozzle brushes to clean out any paint from the needle nozzle. Once the air brush is reassembled I also spray though a small amount of IPA just to dissolve any last remaining particles of paint and flush them out, then flush with more water. Hope this helps.
If your airbrush gun is on the cheaper side, there are a few ways to improve it. 1. Polish the needle with metal polish, be careful not to bend it or prick your fingers. 2. Seal the connections of the parts with beeswax(heat it up ofc). 3. Use machine/weapon oil for the moving parts that don't touch the paint(mainly the trigger, screws, spring etc. Use sparingly! 4. Use flow-aid(Liquitex/Vallejo) as an additive. 5. If your nozzle wants to clog, have a wet sponge ready to dip it in. I just use my wet palette. 6. Swap the o-rings every few month. Always check if they exist and if they're in the right place. For beginners, especially if you use the airbrush just for priming/base colors/zenithal, a cheap chinese airbrush-set for 100 bucks is a good start. The compressor is totally fine and you can always upgrade to H&S or Iwata if you got the money to spare. But a 30€ Fengda-gun works as well as a 60€H&S Ultra, imho. And the spare parts, like needles and nozzles are waaaaaaaay cheaper. :)
Oh trust me, I've encountered every one of these problems and it's part of the agony and ecstasy of using an airbrush, I find. There's plenty of times I curse the thing and put it aside, and then have to pick it up and do whatever I gotta do to get it working again. As usual, a well done and informative video from you, thank you!
Thanks for these tips. I should be trying out my first airbrush today (one of the new ones with a small chargeable compressor). Do you have any videos reviewing that style of airbrush?
The portable one with an air tank attached to the airbrush? Some are bad, some are okay-ish. I'd suggest using only well-thinned paint or ready-made airbrush paint or inks because there is so little air pressure. If you get into airbrushing (and if you have the space) I'd strongly recommend buying a workshop air compressor with a large air tank if possible. Look for "silent" air compressors; oiled are the quietest by a long way, but they do use oil - not great if you spill it on your nice carpet.
I have a harder and Steenbeck ultra. I regularly get bubbles in the cup. It is the nozzle. The seal is crap and you need to horse the thing up to get a proper seal. I have tried several and they are all the same. Other airbrushes don't seem to do it, even a cheap crap one I bought for £20. Not sure if other experience this with an ultra or if I'm just super unlucky.
I've got a H&S Ultra, and yes I think there is an issue with the nozzle if you use thicker paints or primers. The first thing I check if I get spraying problems is the nozzle; I've got cleaning it down to a fine art now though, so it's not such a big deal; usually a clean with a fine interdental brush dipped in airbrush cleaner or IPA does the job, or if there is something dried on, I use Lyla's method of using a needle (an old airbrush needle) dipped in needle juice (glycerine + IPA) and swizzle it around until i see crud come out (reading glasses or a magnifier help). Maybe it's just the H&S Ultra, but I'm finding that after I've made some paint for airbrushing, adding a bit extra IPA seems to help. I think the H&S Ultra likes thin paint. I've ordered the more expensive H&S Infinity CR Plus which has a higher grade needle & nozzle, so it'll be interesting to see how the two compare.
A really easy way too get a good look at your needle tip to see if it's bent is too take a picture of it with your phone and use the zoom functions too get a close look at it.
You can run your needle backwards (NOT forwards!) gently over over your thumb pad or a cloth/tissue; if it's bent you'll feel the barbed end provides resistance and tries to catch.
Kinda worked thru a couple of those, but I airbrush so infrequently that if the thing starts aggravating me, I just pick up my brushes. My middle son gets FAR more mileage out of my airbrushing set up than I ever will. About the one thing that I see is they're "faster", but I go to my table to relax as much as I do to make an extra buck or two.
Excellent video👍👍👍 I use airbrush purification cup (filter). It doesn’t only prevent color impurities (like dried color pieces) from entering the airbrush but also ensures that my color mixture is always ok. Before using this purification cup, I never 😉 found the correct mix. Looking forward to your next video😃😃😃
@@LylaMev So I looked it up. I gues it is an AK Interactive product. Its called a purification cup. In reality it is an airbrush paint strainer/sieve. It basically catches any clumps of dried bits of paint before getting into your paint cup. I have a fairly large one that is shaped like a funnel. It really does help because when you open your bottles alot, some dried paint around the rim falls in. Its not really need for dropper bottles though.
@@MarldainLunas It not only a filter. It has also a "sideeffect": it blocks if your mixture too thick, so you can remix instead of clogging the airbrush. There are several manufacturers (mine was from Japan) Here is a short (German) video, which should illustrate the idea. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LHeRhzFDu4k.html I do not prefer a special manufacturer: they are nearly identical, but I love simple inventions. Since then my airbrush was never clogged from particles or a too thick color mix.
I'm just getting started with airbrushing and I'm still kind of nervous bc it feels like quite a complicated and delicate machine. Your video however makes it less daunting! thank you for these stellar tips!
A tip I've learned from Uncle Atom at Tabletop Minions: after cleanup and between sessions, I've started storing my airbrush in clean water when not in use, and since then I've never come back to a seized up needle. Just dry it off, blow it out, and it's ready to go.
Great troubleshooting video. Thanks Lyla! I'll have this on the side as i'm airbrushing for quick reference (the timestamped chapters also help immensely).
i got an issue and some help would be welcome - painting a black area (wing panels on a TIE fighter) - but i'm left with glossy spots. i've done the small version and bigger version of the TIE, same issue. tried both army painter and citadel. painting over doesn't really help. it's not really obvious, but when i turn it around in the light, i can clearly see it...
Smashing tutorial on common problems when airbrushing, it has answered one or two questions which I was encountering recently. many thanks and keep up the good work.
"Just strip and start again" Naked, and the paint is still sticky. 0/10 advice XD Kidding. This was super helpful, literlly got my first airbrush today.
Hello. I'm just learning airbrush and bought my first beginner airbrush. Out of the box, I feel the trigger (I don't know the exact word for the sensation) feels "dry". As I press and pull back, it feels like the trigger body is scraping against something, or a part it's connecting to isn't moving smoothly. Pressing and moving the trigger also makes some sort of a squeaky noise. I know checking if my airbrush works first is good, but I haven't had the chance to actually try it because I haven't decided on a compressor yet. I also don't want to get too far ahead and disassemble the thing; I'm too new for that. Any advice from you or anyone else here would be appreciated. Thank you 🙏
Thank you! I feel like I was going crazy all afternoon. That “little bend” or curvy needle image helped me define what a damaged needle looks like. I’m looking at my needle saying “yeah, that’s not bent”. Are they really this fragile? I’ll spray cleaner, but not tinned paint.
..... i didnt realize that black nob was for pressure...... ...... i didnt realise thats how you empty the water trap too........ oh man thanks Lyla your the best
If bubbles in cup, the problem is plugged aircap. If nozzle was plugged there would not be bubbles in cup, air has got to bypass nozzle and needle to enter cup. Bent needle will cause you your airbrush to spray off center! Left, right, low, high, the direction of bend will deflect paint that direction!
Thank you. I am only using a cheap USB one and everytime I use it, it doesn't work. I spend time cleaning it, but clearly I am missing some steps or doing something that causes another issue. I appreciate your video.
Very helpful. I know nothing about airbrushing. Well a little more now. I'm pretty decent at English though. There is no verb to unassemble. You disassemble. You can buy unassembled furniture though for example. But if you took it apart to return it to IKEA, you still disassemble it first. Now off to try again with my new Ultra 2024. I think my paint was too thin.
This is an old video, but maybe someone will see the comment will be able to help. I have a cheap no-name single action gravity fed pistol airbrush. Documentation says it came with 0.3 needle (but to me it looks to be 0.5 needle). I have replaced the original needle, nozzle and nozzle cap with a 0.2 setup. But in 0.2 setup, the airbrush doesn't even spray water, even at 40 PSI... unless I cover the paint cup with my hand. I figure that by covering the cup with a hand, I'm creating a pressure in the cup that is slightly higher than atmospheric pressure (I live at sea level, I'm not trying to paint on the top of the mountain or anything). Anyone came across such weird situation?
I spent 1 hour trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with my airbrush, saw many videos and nothing worked until I bumped into yours! I had no clue there was another part of the airbrush (tip) that could be cleaned! And yeah it was a mess and clogged. THANK YOU!!!!
You give a nice list of issues and how to solve them, however, spend no time explaining how to prevent them. Most of what you describe is caused by incorrect usage of a dual action airbrush. ALWAYS: air on, paint on, paint off, air off. Tipdries and nozzle clogging mostly comes from switching of air and paint at the same time.
Havn't used my airbrush in a few months (stored correctly) and couldn't figure out why it went from working fine to crap. Spray fine then only flow air. Did a pull down and clean and problem persisted. Didn't realise I bent my needle. All fixed now. Thankyou
Thank you so much, Lyla! I’m new to airbrushing and have literally run into all of this things in the last two weeks. Your illustrations and walkthroughs are super helpful!
i just got my first (used) airbrush, it seems to work fine except 2 problems that I HOPE someone can help me getting it to work 1: the air flows through the airbrush whiteout pushing the trigger 2: the paint bubbles in the paint cup (and there is obviously no blockage since the air goes through the nuzzle without pressing the trigger) (I don't think the brand matters but it is a Revell airbrush with compressor)
I have bubbling in the cup. Took the whole Iwata apart and did thorough cleaning. Still bubbling and just not spraying. Without needle in it sprays. Tried different needles and still bubbles in the cup
u helped me fix 2 problems I was having! thanks so much, I was about ready to just buy another airbrush! I knew it cud b fixed and u helped with this video! tks again
Really great video ❤ I have a problem that you might be able to help me. Sometimes my airbrush doesn’t spray paint when I push down the trigger and pull it back, or it might spray only a small amount of paint. But then I then release the trigger (while still pushing it down) it release a small burst of paint. Why could that happen?
I‘m pretty new with airbrushing and I have a problem, that you haven’t mentioned. Somehow when I use a light grey color and mix it white some airbrush thinner and put the mixture in my airbrush and then start painting, the color that is coming out of the airbrush is suddenly a dark rusty brown. Would you know why?
I've been trying to figure out why my gun spits water out for a few days now and never figured it was the compressor water catch, not sure how I overlooked that simple problem. I figured it was me overthinning the paint or something. You're amazing. Thanks a million
today i used my airbrush for the second time ever. when i pulled the trigger back the paint didnt come out (the air yes)...paint only came out while the trigger was goin from "back" position to "front" position... then the paint stopped and i had to go again from back to front...if i keep still the trigger pushed, the paint wont come out...O_o
Hi I've not been able to find anything about this so I'm just gonna ask here my airbrush only now only sprays a small dot of paint when I pull back the trigger and then bring it back forward. Any solutions?
Well, the most common reason for spiederwebs is you pull back the trigger too much and for too long. You can easily spray waterlike paint with high pressure with NO webs.
I can't figure out what wrong with mine. I put in thinner and floaid with paint. I pull back 10% and it sprays but after a few seconds nothing but air comes out so then I have to pull it 15% back to get what I got at the start and so on until I pull back half way and it sprays everywhere. Any ideas? I use 30psi and an iyowata eclipse. It's that bad I only use it for primer.
I'm sirry but brilliant video, I cannot find people just giving this info straight anywhere, all videos full of bs, I just needed to explain the actual basic shit I run into, rather than all ghis technical bs, thanks for the help, sorted 2 airbrush issues I had ❤️
Your seem amazing and you’re super generous with your knowledge- it seems however that with an air brush, one spends more time fixing problems and adjusting parts and cleaning clogs etc than actually painting. I just finally gave up and threw out an iwata eclipse tonight and will probably never airbrush anything ever again because it was just one problem after another no matter what I did. I really don’t understand how anyone gets any work done with an airbrush.
I have just started to airbrush and I use the neo for iwata. I bought myself a paint thinner and thinned acrylic paint with it. It was very fluid and had a milky consistence. First problem was, there was only paint coming out, when i pulled the trigger button very far back. So i could only do thick paint lines with the airbrush. When pressing down for thinner lines, nothing came out. Then I thought about maybe still haveing mixed the colour too thick and cleaned everything. I have now watched plenty of videos about my airbrush and have taken it all apart, putting it back together, thousand times. Everything looks fine, as in your video, but now there is no paint coming out at all anymore. Not even when pulling the trigger to the very back. I'm very frustrated and scared, that I could have ruined everything bc there might be paint in the part at the front where its rly hard to come at with even the thinnest cleaning tool. Pls tell me that I have not broken it and that i can get the paint out of there somehow. I have put it now in a mix of glasscleaner and scouring milk. I'll let it sit in there over night and hope it works again. But can you break an airbrush when using a little too thick paint maybe?
Thanks! This was v helpful. I have a model airbrush for daily foundation makeup and no where is a diagram of the parts of airbrush until your drawings! 👍🏼
Best thing that happened to me is after 6 months of constant use the same compressor you have I had it packed up and I bought a sparmax 620 with a tank and what a difference! Not even a drop of water gets through it! I was forever getting water spray even with 2 water traps one at comp end and one airbrush end, i still use the same but the compressor makes all the difference honestly I was so hesitant thinking the single one was perfect for what I needed but it was more trouble than its worth! All this I learnt aswell with the single tank compressor soon as you move to the tanked one you won't have any of these problems unless using a sandy colour acrylic that's about the only issues you'll have! Hope you do take this on board it's made my model painting so much more fun knowi I'll not have these issues!
Excellent video, could I ask what brand of masking do you use with your models just curious as there are so many and in your video it seems to come off very easily. Thanks.
You can get a tool called sharpen air it fixes and polishes needles. It's about the price of a iwata needle. You can do it with a drill or buy hand by spinning pulling towards you on some card board while holding the front down. Replacing them gets expensive and if you do same on like 800 and up sandpaper or nail polishing pads or cutting compound/metal polsh and then oil needle like in video and you'll get no more dry tip.