Hi guys, I just purchased a Harder and Steenbeck Infinity airbrush and it has a .15mm needle and nozzel set. Ive never used a set so fine and I'm having a lot of trouble with clogging. I was spraying Vallejo Air sand mixed with some retardent and the brush would completely clog. Can u guys give me some hints and tips on using such a fine needle? Thinning. Air pressure. It was pretty frustrating. Also, what kind paint/air mix works best with the thin lines you can get with the quick

it is all about the paint/ thinner mix prior to adding the paint to the airbrush's paint cup.

I have a fairly new Badger Renegade top feed and have had exactly the same issues since its purchase. What I determined recently was that I was not thinning the paint enough initially. Flat paints really need to be more like skim milk in consistency, especially if you are spraying at low pressures as I do (20psi and below). I've actually gotten in the habit of thinning the paint a little more than I think it needs then adding paint into the paint cup if it is too thin when spraying.

The great thing about these new brushes is that you can get amazing control. I often spray at pressures below 10psi and can get super thin lines as long as the paint is thinned properly.

Also, making sure the brush is thoroughly cleaned between sessions is a must.

I hope this is helpful, Dave, and I wish you success.

JW

And the .15mm tip does not like Vallejo paint. The .4 nozzle works much better w/Vallejo.

" Also, what kind paint/air mix works best with the thin lines you can get with the quick"

I can get very fine lines using 15psi & rather thin enamel/acryl/Tamiya paints.

HTH

Gary

yep. for a .15, that's a tip designed for spraying artists inks. So if you are going to be pushing model paint through it, it better mixed well, possibly strained, and thinned.

Try adjusting the stop on the airbrush so the needle does not fully close in the tip.

GD

I'm doing some sort of weathering.

You might find this interesting, although it still needs to be finished
http://paulbudzik.com/tools-techniques/Airbrushing/airbrushing_for_modelers.html

Paul

Paul, would i see a different if i purchased the .2mm tip? Does that extra .05 make any difference?

model, I would go with the .4 like Gary suggested.

Paul

Right, but what about detail work? Panel lining? Color modulation? Would the .2mm work better for this that the .15mm? Does that extra .05mm make any difference in ease of use or paint flow?

.4mm down. Thin your color out and build the color with multiple strokes. Get in close and I think you will find that you can work very fine.

Paul

nt...

I have the same brush. Great for detail work with the fine tip and nozzle. I find I have to thin the Vallejo Model Air down even more to get it to flow through the brush at low psi. Once in a while during a session I will use a soft long haired bristle brush dipped in distilled water to gently clean the tip/nozzle of the air brush.

Frank Blanton

"Fantasy Football,
Dungeons and Dragons for Jocks"

Dave,

I've been using the Infinity since 2008, and spraying Tamiya acrylics through the .15 needle/nozzle with very few problems. I will say I was very surprised at how thin I could go with the paint, and how low I could go with the pressure. When doing very fine work, I probably spray a mix of about 75-80% thinner and the rest paint, and I'm probably running well under 10lbs pressure. As Paul said above, it does take a few passes to build up, but a benefit of that is that you use just enough paint to cover, which really helps preserve surface detail.

I thin the Tamiya for the most part with 70% Isopropyl Alcohol, and occasionally with Tamiya's Lacquer Thinner. If I'm doing a lot of detail work with alcohol thinned paint, I will occasionally have to clean the tip of the needle with a q-tip wet with thinner, but it's not a minute by minute thing, more like 10-15 minutes in between.

I've not really sprayed Vallejo paint much, so I can't really offer specifics there, but if I was to try spraying it, I'd start with the same principles I use with Tamiya.

As for general coverage, I do usually go with a .2 or .4 needle. I will lay down more paint faster with a broader spray pattern. I actually ended up buying a H&S Evolution that I keep set up with a bigger needle for broad coverage tasks, and keep the Infinity set up with the .15 for fine work. For me it saves time switching between tasks, and reduces the chances of damaging the delicate .15 needle.

Mike