Awesome video! Thank you! I’ve got a tip for everybody as an addition to this video. Put the needle in your cordless drill chuck i(f you have one) and then put the polish on a rag or something. Then spin the needle with the drill while using the rag and compound to polish. With the right compounds you could get an awesome shiny finish in less than a half an hour.
Great video. At first I said "Oh nooo, cheap junk airbrushes!" But you made your point why you use them. And your technique to improve them is very creative.
Just a little addition, if your short beeswax than chapstick will usually do the job. A dollar tube of the cheaper chapstick will usually last me 2 to 3 months, you can also more than $2 and get Burts beeswax lip balm. I've been using the stuff for over 20 years and have had no problems.
Thank you so much for this video - I was cleaning my Iwata Neo and broke the seal on the nozzle and remember watching this video with the beeswax trick. Being a wooden model ship builder I have plenty of beeswax on hand and it works like a charm. Thank you, now I don’t have to spend $20 on a new nozzle for a O ring for a $60 airbrush - RIGHT ARM -
This was very helpful. I have a cheapie just like this. I used it for my model plane and it wouldn't work afterwards. So I cleaned it, nothing! Cleaned it again still nothing. Got so frustrated I threw it in the bin 🤬🤬. Found your video. Got the cheapie out of the bin. Stripped it right down. Cleaned it out again. Then reassembled it. And... it's a miracle!! 👍👍
Nice video!Thanks a lot.. Just some tips from a weekend warrior... 1. use thread sealant-easier than wax and won't alter tip height, 2. Use a drill at low speed to hold the needle, apply polish over cloth and wrap over the needle tip-faster and more even polishing of a cylindrical surface.
So glad I found this , took my new airbrush apart 0.3 needle was all bent at the tip and the nozzle had no thread to stay in place , Great info , new needle and nozzle are on route with beeswax and polishing paste , thank you for sharing your knowledge
for polishing the needle of cheap airbrushes I use a polishing wheel on a dremel tool on the low speed setting. Just attacht the dremel to the table and gently rub (no pressure) the needle against the polishing wheel. Works super fast and improves the spray a lot.
Great video. I "destroyed" a cheap airbrush a few years ago and the experience put me off buying a more expensive one. I finally got an Iwata CR Rev and its improved my skills a lot but Im now looking to get another cheap one for priming and base painting. Ive now learnt that its wasnt the brush that broke rather my ability to look after it and now Ive learnt that rather basic skill Im now more confident to get a cheap one for heavy work and use my more expensive one for finer work. Thanks for this video its a real help. Not only do I know how to improve a cheap airbrush but you may also have taught me how to improve an already great brush.
This is the most informative video I have found about the breakdown of cheap airbrushes. I have a similar one to this without the adjuster on the back end. If you have any information on how to thin the paint, the viscosity that is best, how to get the best out of a cheap airbrush, etc. This would be very helpful.
Just got a cheep Master system off Amazon comes with 3 airbrushes ,I do a lot of Leather-craft wet forming, molding etc so i wanted to expand my craft by fading dyes and painted art on projects ,watched a lot of videos here on UA-cam and yours was the most informative one yet on improving the performance of the cheep airbrushes ,Being a Leather worker i use Beeswax to burnish edges and for needles,stitching thread and tools so have a lot of that on hand also keep many bars of polishing compound on hand for tool stropping....thanks again for the tutorial. l
Sounds like you and I are doing the same thing! Hope you enjoy it. I love it after doing my dye and paint work by hand for a long time. It opened up a new door to improve the work and cut down on the costs of dye and paint.
To polish the tip of the needle, chuck the back end of the removed needle in a rotary tool, use polishing compound, even toothpaste, turn on and apply pressure with a rag, paper towel or a hard surface (glass works great) for a smoother finish. Wipe between 1-2 minute sessions and you should see a darkish tint to the wiping indicating microscopic meta bits removed. You'll get a mirror finish in 5 or 10 minutes work.
Absaalookemensch good tips. I would recommend using very low speeds and little bit of pressure in order to avoid bending the tip. Commonly available polishing pasted will be helpful like ones that you can buy to polish chrome On cars or silver candlesticks. Also gel type whitening toothpaste has silica as an abrasive and should work quite well to smooth down the machined surface of the needle.
A most helpful tip. Just finished polishing two needles that came with my cheapo Fengda 180 model airbrush. They were rough as rocks, grinded ok but not polished and figured doing it with cottontips would take way too long. I put them in my dremeltool, low revs and used some car polish, Commandant no4 in this case on a cotton rag. A few minutes later there were some serious black lines in the cloth and the needle was buttersmooth. I did the entire lenght of it, makes for a much improved smooth action of the gun and feels better when re-assembling after a cleaning. Whole thing took 10 mins for one needle, made the Fengda feel like 10x the price, nicer and more consistent shades and better controllable fine spray.
@@dokterzorro I been polishing things from high end cars To guns and other items Try a 5,000 Grit piece of sandpaper up and downwards on the front of the needle Then side to side Then a toothpaste like compund Then polish ... They results are one of the best to get where you want your aged needle At a very cheap price
Shoot! I just typed that method. I used a drill and jewelry buffing cloth. I use the original o-ring and thinner for 3yrs......so far so good. I use this exact airbrush..., and it does all I need. I use a $30-40 ebay compressor and no complaints. If you hand paint, then this setup is still 1000% better.
Plumber's wax ring (made for sealing the flange of a toilet bowl where it sits on the floor above the pipe in the floor) can be used too, Its really tough wax, really cheap, and one ring can last a lifetime!
Thanks for these tips! I'm an absolute beginner on airbrush, and I bought a starter set with a spraygun very similar to the one in the video. It's nice to know that a cheap airbrush can 'level up' a bit after investing so much just to get started with airbrushing! Cheers
Brilliant! And thanks for using that particular airbrush - its the exact same one as I use, even down to the case and blue flocked cut outs! For the price its a really good tool.
Man, I love learning the secrets of well versed air brush users such as yourself. I can feel the confidence in your words, thus I plan to do everything you suggest. I thank you, like so many others I bought cheaper air brushes that with your tweaks may be great for practice. I understand now about spending the money to achieve the quality customers demand.
Hi I've just got my first cheap compressor and airgun and found this really helpful for a total novice. However I'm having problems even making the bad lines on your demonstration. Any tips ? In using Mr Color and I've tried mixing it 50/50 with their leveling thinner. However it seems to be producing better results neat ? What sort of psi are you using ? Thanks in anticipation
I obtained 5 airbrushes, all cheap with purchase of a couple little compressors, & so far have only used 2, the HD-470 & Zeropoint have worked flawlessly out of the box. But after probably not cleaning completely last winter, the HD-470 had a bent needle tip (from me somehow) bubbles in the bowl after replacing with cheap .50, then back to a cheap .20 & not bubbles, but definite flow problem & some strange noise when moving the trigger. Then air bubbles out the tip guard connection when back-flushing (never happened before 🤣) I'll thoroughly clean trigger air valve section when I get home today. It worked so perfectly, so, deep cleaning should be the answer, since I only used acrylics in my brushes. I will definitely be polishing these cheap needles, & continue to use the inexpensive stuff. Thanks for posting all the tips. I also will be checking the
A really helpful video and confirmed my opinion that you dont need a expensive airbrush, i have a H&S Evolution for little precise work, but all my other work i do it with this cheap ones what i get for just 17,00€, i think thats the same brand of airbrush you introduce here
I have a Veda WD-180. Without the o-ring the nozzle seats squarely and the extra threads help with holding (they're horrible). There was so much leakage that it practically sprayed no paint. I performed the Beeswax Trick and it flows perfectly! The only thing to remember is to remove the excess or it will inhibit airflow. I don't have to buy another air brush...for now.
Awesome man. I ordered a new compressor and it comes with a cheap airbrush, I will do the needle polishing on it for sure. Probably polish the needles on my other airbrushes too. Thanks.
Holy cow i used my 6 sided nail file on my. 02 needle. Looks like chrome now. Another guy posted have mild soap water in big bowl to clean by submerging gun and constantly spray. Bot ideas allowed me to shoot 6 shading colors without taking gun apart. That's a successful day. Plus the addition of more distilled water to paint made my day. - cheap gun owner and proud of it. Have yo find bee wax for sealing tip yet. Appreciate your input and suggestions. 👍🙂
Great Video! I have been doing this same thing to all my airbrushes especially the needle polish although I prefer Brasso. The airbrush is just a tool - it is the ability of the user which determines the result rather than the price. Of course it helps if you are not using total junk...and using a good paint above all.
@@vbaltrunaite Sorry, I have never sprayed textiles although I would presume acrylics would be suitable. I would check with a specialised crafts shop about this.
Thank you, I am going to be getting into painting fishing lures and I bought a cheap brush to start and will now keep using it for my bulk spraying of base colours and not be in such a rush to buy a good one as I wont be doing much detail work for a while.
Totally agree, I use cheap air rushes for general work, like primer, varnish, hairspray and base coats. Because they’re cheap. I can have one for each mentioned. This also makes sure I have interchangeable parts and replacements. Great video
Hello - All of your videos have helped me a great deal, modeling is much more enjoyable for me now, I'm producing results that please me. Question, what is the brand and name/number of the AB in this video, also where to order would be appreciated. Thank you very much.
Very helpful. Thank you. I wanted to give my 10 year old a basic airbrush set. I used these instructions to enhance a couple of inexpensive airbrushes. Great information!
Great tutorial, I have two airbrushes with both the same issues and never came to this idea, thanks to you I will be back on my airbrushfeet! Now only ask the wife to get beeswax!!! Thanks a lot!!!
Thank you very much. I want to get into it but I read so many people saying negative things about cheap. But I know there are people like yourself out there that use them even when they have top branded ones. Ive sprayed with gravity fed automotive guns both expensive and cheap ones and I dis the same thing. But when I had enough experience I could get the same finish with the cheap as I did the expensive, the only thing was maybe a little more sanding....
I had to scrap the degraded o-ring due to continue thinner contact and i found that screwing the nozzle directly to the airbrush with no o-ring in between was giving me problems because the position of the nozzle was way to back wrt to air exit at the nozzle cap causing uneven spraying. The solution was to add a fine stripe of teflon tape wound in the place where the o-ring used to seat to build up some thickness and reestablish the correct longitudinal position of the nozzle and this solved the problem. I've been using it for months, with enamels, acrylics and poliurethan paints with no problems, no clogging, and I didn't need to disassemble it since then.
nice video! I polish the needles of all my airbrushes, even the expensive ones, to seal the nozzle I use low tork tread locker, works wonders and is super easy to use.
Awesome video! I’m new to airbrushing and have a cheap $30 kit I bought from offerup. I didn’t have bees wax so I tried a chapstick that someone left in the comments and it works well so far. I polish the needle after each clean up and it seems to help me out. Thanks for your tips. Also can anyone recommend an acrylic paint brand that would be the easiest to work with for beginner airbrush? Method to thinning the paint better? Thanks!
Fantastic video, especially since my cheap Chinese airbrush arrived today ($15AUD). Exactly the same as yours, except it didn't come in a nice box (was just wrapped in bubble wrap), so I made a little cardboard one for it. I am going to use it mainly for priming figures, or for things I don't want to dare to run through my expensive Badger brushes, such as ceramic paints and the like. Many thanks for your help!
Thank you so much for this video. I just bought a cheap airrush on Wish to replace the last cheap airbrush I bouth almost seven years ago. It looks like I bouht the exact same airbrush that you showed in this video. I do also have a Badger Sotar 20/20 for close in precision work, but these cheap airbrushes do most of the work I have just fine. I also happen to have beeswax that I bought for bookbinding, so I will be replacing the o-ring with that as the next time I use it.
Just bought a cheaper Airbrush from Princess Auto, and after the second time i used it, it was bubbling and then sputtering, so I tried this and it's working Perfect! Thank You! Now I can Practice Yaaas B! Thank You!
The needle treatment great stuff. The o-ring will seal well if "wet" with any petroleum or food-based grease or oil. Although I'm sure if you want to use bees wax over the seal it might work also.
I got the same airbrush and the o ring just broke today after a month or so. I bought some £1 beeswax off of ebay for your way, but tbh it was spraying okay for what I was doing without the o ring. I'll be getting a Harder and Steinbeck evo or ultra after my current model is finished. And then only use this one for primer and top coats.
I go as far as wrapping some plumbers tape around the needle and put it in a drill, then use 1500-2000 grit sandpaper to smooth the needle tip, followed by polishing compound and finally cleaning the entire needle.. I also sacrifice an old needle in the drill and use polishing compound to polish and "seat" the inside of the tips. Spray a full Airbrush cup of lacquer thinner through it to clean everything. My $20 Airbrush is still performing flawlessly after 4 years.
Bought almost exactly the same model recently (side feed rather than top) and I was less than impressed when I tested it. Glad I found your video. Going to polish the needle and see it sprays this week Do you have a tutorial on stripping and cleaning these brushes?
Scale-a-ton What would you recommend? Spraying through with a thinner or cleaner or pulling the needle out and cleaning? These days I'm mostly using Valejo Modelair acrylic. Used to use an Aztek which is really easy to use but it's worn out after 10 years of faithful work.
I'd like to hand out a warning about removing the o-ring from the nozzle; some cheap airbrushes need the o-ring so the tip of the nozzle will jut out ever so slightly from the nozzle cover. If it doesn't, a vacuum will be formed at the nozzle's tip and no spraying will commence! So I suggest not to immediately snip the o-ring in two and see first if it will jut out without the o-ring. If it doesn't, then unfortunately you can't remove it lest it make your airbrush unusable. All the same, apply beeswax around the rim to improve the seal. Hope this helps.
(Husband here) Thank you so much for creating this vid. I am new to modeling and airbrushing and started off with a cheapish setup. I can't tell how my setup is crappy yet but I'm sure it is mediocre at best. Now I'll have to harass my co-worker for bees wax since her father keeps bees.
Hi just want to say thank you for the video I have got myself a cheap airbrush I payed £30 witch is $41.43 as I'm for England the compound you use to clean the needle and polish does it need to be compound or can it be and polish to clean it many thanks Andy
I tried the beeswax thing on my cheap airbrush. I had exactly the same amount but when I tried to put the front cap on, it crushed the wax and clogged the whole front.
Never had any trouble with my dual action China brush. Tell the truth it's better the my badger 200 in some ways. Love the bees wax idea. Love the video.
I own that very same airbrush and am using it for the very same reasons. still developing my skills. However that one only cost me about $12.00 with shipping. I also did not have the same issues with the lines and spray being weak.
It is worth polishing the nozzle as well, use the needle with some polish on the tip and very carefully rotate it and run it in and out of the nozzle, being careful no to force it into the nozzle as these cheap brushes have softer nozzles than expensive brushes.
As an alternative for bees wax you can use a regular tube of chapstick. It does a great job of sealing the threads. I use it on my Badger Anthem 155. I was wondering what sorta polishing compound you were using to polish the needle. I first got me a Harbor Freight (Chinese) airbrush and it only lasted 1 week. I ended up screwing up the back rocker and the trigger. While I had my Anthem tore down for cleaning, I tried the back rocker and trigger in it. The back rocker worked even better than the original that I had thrown away. The trigger kept the air supply on all the time but I think if I get another Badger Anthem 155 trigger I may be able to modify it by grinding off the bottom a little at least up to where the indentation is on the very bottom. I'm gonna order another Badger Anthem 155 trigger and back rocker to play around with and see if I can get my Chinese airbrush back up and running. My Badger Anthem with the general purpose needle (.78mm), nozzle and spray regulator will do anything the .35mm needle of the Chinese airbrush. I can get some pretty fine lines with my Anthem. If I want anything smaller, a fine and a super fine detail kit is available since it is made in the good ole USA, for $9.72 at US Airbrush Supply. They handle mostly Badger parts. Another thing you can do to enhance the performance of a cheap airbrush is to take out the valve assembly and clip a round off of the tiny little spring. When you reinstall it the part you don't clip should point up toward the valve stem. This lightens the amount of pressure it takes to start the air flow. My Chinese airbrush has an adjustment that enables you to back out the needle tube assembly to lessen the tension on the back pull of the airbrush. On airbrushes that don't have this feature, you can clip a round off of the needle spring. I like a light touch on my airbrush. A very good page to visit on-line is Don's Airbrush Tips. He reviews Badgers, Iwata's, Harder and Steinbeck, Chandler and Thayer as well as Paasche airbrushes and gives some tips on how to improve your airbrush. Thanks for the video. I would not put a cigarette lighter near my airbrush. Chapstick works just as well as bees wax. Just thought you'd like to know. Happy airbrushing. W Rusty Lane in eastern Tennessee (Witherington Place Railroad)
No, I'm sorry, I don't do videos. Just unscrew the spray head from the airbrush body. Then remove the nozzle from the spray head. Use some chapstick on both sets of threads insuring that you put it only on the threads using a tooth pick. Don''t get any chapstick on any of the air passages going to the spray head or nozzle. Hope this will help. I use it every time I take my airbrush apart and give it a little on both sets of threads using a tooth pick. :-)
Thanks for the great video, you have actual practical improvements that anyone can do without buying a lot of other things (i'm wondering if i could just use candle wax instead of bees wax though?) Also can i just polish the needle with 1000 grit emery clothe, or car polish or both?
typically people over-clean their airbrush anyways, constantly disassembling the brush and reassembling can have a negative impact on the brushes longevity, if you're running water/cleaner through the brush until it sprays clear, you've generally cleaned the brush sufficiently anyways. Even then, you shouldn't need to remove the nozzle tip anyways, you should be able to remove the entire nozzle assembly and clean it without removing the nozzle tip from the nozzle assembly.
If ya get rid of the little O ring, ya should use some chap stick on the threads to ensure no leaks. Chap stick is easier to use and a lot less expensive and does the same thing bee's wax does. Are ya using a compressor with a tank? Looks as though you're not as I see some pulsating in the thin lines.
I just removed the oring in the nozzle and it's fine, without beeswax or teflon. Also those orings can sit unevenly and put the the nozzle off center the air cap. Get rid of that, remove the needle cap (the last part of the point) and look with a magnify lens at your aircap hole / nozzle alignment: if it's a bit uncentered remove the air cap and _gently_ push the nozzle staff (do not put force on the nozzle, only push the metal rod that the nozzle is screwed to) with a screwdriver, check again, in case repeat till they are well aligned. You can also polish the air cap hole, put some abrasive paste on a toothpick (or bigger) and lightly twist it into the air cap hole. If you have an old broken needle you can do it with that. Nozzle threads are very fragile: you don't have to unscrew the nozzle each time to clean it, just use something strong like nitro, soak it and twist a thin guitar / violin string in it to remove any clogs. Well this is easier to do with the 180 model (the one with the mac valve) as the nozzle is on a separate part.
I'm using the same one and cost about US$24.00, the tiny nozzle is broken today while I cleaning the dirty paints inside, it is too fragile, I put a drop of AA glue to fix it and keep using.
what about the seal that's between the needle and action? is there anything can be done to it if it's leaking to the action and if it's paint, may cause the action lever-button to stick and freeze. Anyway, great idea with the beeswax, I use PTFE tape carefully and also works on sealing the nozzle.
Use some chapstick. It works to seal threads on airbrushes instead of bees wax. I use it on my Badger Anthem 155 every time I take it apart and reassemble it.
Hello, I have an airbrush Iwata and the problem is when I want to make a fine line I cannot get the color out and when I press the trigger more the color comes out a lot of color, I use oil colors mixed with gasoline please help me, thanks
@@michaelspitz9151 Heya, They're just a generic Chinese make that gets rebadged. Here's an example from Amazon. www.amazon.co.uk/Timbertech-Airbrush-Compressor-Accessories-Nozzles/dp/B00LO4PKY2/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=airbrush&qid=1601407438&sr=8-6
i have a cheap airbrush and really it works not too bad but i think you're right! you don't have to spend a lot of money to make good models!!!!!!thank you!👌
Hi, it's not necessary for new needles. Also some high quality needles covered with high quality chrome plate. You shouldn't polish them with compound.
Awesome video! Thank you! I’ve got a tip for everybody as an addition to this video. Put the needle in your cordless drill chuck i(f you have one) and then put the polish on a rag or something. Then spin the needle with the drill while using the rag and compound to polish. With the right compounds you could get an awesome shiny finish in less than a half an hour.
Great video. At first I said "Oh nooo, cheap junk airbrushes!" But you made your point why you use them. And your technique to improve them is very creative.
Just a little addition, if your short beeswax than chapstick will usually do the job. A dollar tube of the cheaper chapstick will usually last me 2 to 3 months, you can also more than $2 and get Burts beeswax lip balm. I've been using the stuff for over 20 years and have had no problems.
What about Carmex? XD
Thank you so much for this video - I was cleaning my Iwata Neo and broke the seal on the nozzle and remember watching this video with the beeswax trick. Being a wooden model ship builder I have plenty of beeswax on hand and it works like a charm. Thank you, now I don’t have to spend $20 on a new nozzle for a O ring for a $60 airbrush - RIGHT ARM -
Wow! I am glad to hear that it works on Iwata tips! Cheers!
I use beeswax also, seems old school way is still better n much cheaper. Really great tips on airbrushes
Just wondering what's the best option if no beeswax. Thanks in advance 🍻
@@ericpecana5529 chapstick or vaseline
@@Scaleaton gracias por enseñarme 💪🇨🇱
This was very helpful. I have a cheapie just like this. I used it for my model plane and it wouldn't work afterwards. So I cleaned it, nothing! Cleaned it again still nothing. Got so frustrated I threw it in the bin 🤬🤬. Found your video. Got the cheapie out of the bin. Stripped it right down. Cleaned it out again. Then reassembled it. And... it's a miracle!! 👍👍
Nice video!Thanks a lot.. Just some tips from a weekend warrior... 1. use thread sealant-easier than wax and won't alter tip height, 2. Use a drill at low speed to hold the needle, apply polish over cloth and wrap over the needle tip-faster and more even polishing of a cylindrical surface.
Thread sealer (plumber's tape) and beeswax together. The tape will reduce any air pressure that might get to the beeswax, giving a better seal.
So glad I found this , took my new airbrush apart 0.3 needle was all bent at the tip and the nozzle had no thread to stay in place , Great info , new needle and nozzle are on route with beeswax and polishing paste , thank you for sharing your knowledge
for polishing the needle of cheap airbrushes I use a polishing wheel on a dremel tool on the low speed setting. Just attacht the dremel to the table and gently rub (no pressure) the needle against the polishing wheel. Works super fast and improves the spray a lot.
Great video. I "destroyed" a cheap airbrush a few years ago and the experience put me off buying a more expensive one. I finally got an Iwata CR Rev and its improved my skills a lot but Im now looking to get another cheap one for priming and base painting. Ive now learnt that its wasnt the brush that broke rather my ability to look after it and now Ive learnt that rather basic skill Im now more confident to get a cheap one for heavy work and use my more expensive one for finer work. Thanks for this video its a real help. Not only do I know how to improve a cheap airbrush but you may also have taught me how to improve an already great brush.
This is the most informative video I have found about the breakdown of cheap airbrushes. I have a similar one to this without the adjuster on the back end.
If you have any information on how to thin the paint, the viscosity that is best, how to get the best out of a cheap airbrush, etc. This would be very helpful.
Just got a cheep Master system off Amazon comes with 3 airbrushes ,I do a lot of Leather-craft wet forming, molding etc so i wanted to expand my craft by fading dyes and painted art on projects ,watched a lot of videos here on UA-cam and yours was the most informative one yet on improving the performance of the cheep airbrushes ,Being a Leather worker i use Beeswax to burnish edges and for needles,stitching thread and tools so have a lot of that on hand also keep many bars of polishing compound on hand for tool stropping....thanks again for the tutorial.
l
Sounds like you and I are doing the same thing! Hope you enjoy it. I love it after doing my dye and paint work by hand for a long time. It opened up a new door to improve the work and cut down on the costs of dye and paint.
To polish the tip of the needle, chuck the back end of the removed needle in a rotary tool, use polishing compound, even toothpaste, turn on and apply pressure with a rag, paper towel or a hard surface (glass works great) for a smoother finish.
Wipe between 1-2 minute sessions and you should see a darkish tint to the wiping indicating microscopic meta bits removed.
You'll get a mirror finish in 5 or 10 minutes work.
Absaalookemensch good tips. I would recommend using very low speeds and little bit of pressure in order to avoid bending the tip. Commonly available polishing pasted will be helpful like ones that you can buy to polish chrome On cars or silver candlesticks. Also gel type whitening toothpaste has silica as an abrasive and should work quite well to smooth down the machined surface of the needle.
A most helpful tip. Just finished polishing two needles that came with my cheapo Fengda 180 model airbrush. They were rough as rocks, grinded ok but not polished and figured doing it with cottontips would take way too long. I put them in my dremeltool, low revs and used some car polish, Commandant no4 in this case on a cotton rag. A few minutes later there were some serious black lines in the cloth and the needle was buttersmooth. I did the entire lenght of it, makes for a much improved smooth action of the gun and feels better when re-assembling after a cleaning. Whole thing took 10 mins for one needle, made the Fengda feel like 10x the price, nicer and more consistent shades and better controllable fine spray.
@@dokterzorro I been polishing things from high end cars To guns and other items Try a 5,000 Grit piece of sandpaper up and downwards on the front of the needle Then side to side Then a toothpaste like compund Then polish ... They results are one of the best to get where you want your aged needle At a very cheap price
Shoot! I just typed that method. I used a drill and jewelry buffing cloth. I use the original o-ring and thinner for 3yrs......so far so good. I use this exact airbrush..., and it does all I need. I use a $30-40 ebay compressor and no complaints. If you hand paint, then this setup is still 1000% better.
Can you use car polishing compound> what type do you reccommend??
Plumber's wax ring (made for sealing the flange of a toilet bowl where it sits on the floor above the pipe in the floor) can be used too, Its really tough wax, really cheap, and one ring can last a lifetime!
Thanks for these tips! I'm an absolute beginner on airbrush, and I bought a starter set with a spraygun very similar to the one in the video. It's nice to know that a cheap airbrush can 'level up' a bit after investing so much just to get started with airbrushing!
Cheers
Excellent video. Never knew that you could polish the tip of the needle. I’m going to try removing the
O ring. Thanks.
Thanks for this video - very helpful. I could have been airbrushing for the rest of my life and never thought of using beeswax for the seal.
Brilliant! And thanks for using that particular airbrush - its the exact same one as I use, even down to the case and blue flocked cut outs! For the price its a really good tool.
Man, I love learning the secrets of well versed air brush users such as yourself. I can feel the confidence in your words, thus I plan to do everything you suggest. I thank you, like so many others I bought cheaper air brushes that with your tweaks may be great for practice. I understand now about spending the money to achieve the quality customers demand.
Thanks for this, first time I have heard of polishing the needle. Most excellent
Wow man, that beeswax trick is next level and, of course, echo friendly. I've got some at home, I'll try. Thank you!
This is one of the most helpful airbrush videos I've seen. Thanks.
Thank you very much!
Agreed, not just to show a beginner how to improve a beginners tool,, but for helping me understand how the bloody thing works. Thank you.
Totally agree. Wax and polish ordered!! Thanks :-)
Right? Exactly
Hi
I've just got my first cheap compressor and airgun and found this really helpful for a total novice. However I'm having problems even making the bad lines on your demonstration. Any tips ? In using Mr Color and I've tried mixing it 50/50 with their leveling thinner. However it seems to be producing better results neat ? What sort of psi are you using ? Thanks in anticipation
I obtained 5 airbrushes, all cheap with purchase of a couple little compressors, & so far have only used 2, the HD-470 & Zeropoint have worked flawlessly out of the box. But after probably not cleaning completely last winter, the HD-470 had a bent needle tip (from me somehow) bubbles in the bowl after replacing with cheap .50, then back to a cheap .20 & not bubbles, but definite flow problem & some strange noise when moving the trigger. Then air bubbles out the tip guard connection when back-flushing (never happened before 🤣) I'll thoroughly clean trigger air valve section when I get home today. It worked so perfectly, so, deep cleaning should be the answer, since I only used acrylics in my brushes. I will definitely be polishing these cheap needles, & continue to use the inexpensive stuff. Thanks for posting all the tips. I also will be checking the
Polishing the needle is a great tip, I will give it a go tomorrow. Thanks again for your time and expertise.
Thank you very much! I polish only cheap airbrushe needles. I never do that on my crom plated H&S needles.
Thanks for the tips. Looking to buy my first airbrush and I don't want to invest too much until I know if it is something I am going to stick with.
A really helpful video and confirmed my opinion that you dont need a expensive airbrush, i have a H&S Evolution for little precise work, but all my other work i do it with this cheap ones what i get for just 17,00€, i think thats the same brand of airbrush you introduce here
I barely use any other than $16-20 ones. But I guess I've chosen the rather good ones. I'm happy with my results at least.
I have a Veda WD-180. Without the o-ring the nozzle seats squarely and the extra threads help with holding (they're horrible). There was so much leakage that it practically sprayed no paint. I performed the Beeswax Trick and it flows perfectly!
The only thing to remember is to remove the excess or it will inhibit airflow. I don't have to buy another air brush...for now.
I am glad to hear that. Thanks for feedback!
You get bee's wax from Bee's!!!! lol - just joking with ya- Sometimes you can find it at candle making supply stores
Rosario W 😂 or buy some bees 🐝
Wow! This tip definitely deserves the subscription. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Awesome man. I ordered a new compressor and it comes with a cheap airbrush, I will do the needle polishing on it for sure. Probably polish the needles on my other airbrushes too. Thanks.
Holy cow i used my 6 sided nail file on my. 02 needle. Looks like chrome now. Another guy posted have mild soap water in big bowl to clean by submerging gun and constantly spray. Bot ideas allowed me to shoot 6 shading colors without taking gun apart. That's a successful day. Plus the addition of more distilled water to paint made my day. - cheap gun owner and proud of it. Have yo find bee wax for sealing tip yet. Appreciate your input and suggestions. 👍🙂
Great Video! I have been doing this same thing to all my airbrushes especially the needle polish although I prefer Brasso. The airbrush is just a tool - it is the ability of the user which determines the result rather than the price. Of course it helps if you are not using total junk...and using a good paint above all.
what paints would you recommend for the textile?
@@vbaltrunaite Sorry, I have never sprayed textiles although I would presume acrylics would be suitable. I would check with a specialised crafts shop about this.
The freaking needle polishing tip saves lives! Thank you for enlighting me
what do you use for polishing?
Thank you, I am going to be getting into painting fishing lures and I bought a cheap brush to start and will now keep using it for my bulk spraying of base colours and not be in such a rush to buy a good one as I wont be doing much detail work for a while.
Totally agree, I use cheap air rushes for general work, like primer, varnish, hairspray and base coats. Because they’re cheap. I can have one for each mentioned. This also makes sure I have interchangeable parts and replacements. Great video
Hello - All of your videos have helped me a great deal, modeling is much more enjoyable for me now, I'm producing results that please me. Question, what is the brand and name/number of the AB in this video, also where to order would be appreciated.
Thank you very much.
Very helpful. Thank you. I wanted to give my 10 year old a basic airbrush set. I used these instructions to enhance a couple of inexpensive airbrushes. Great information!
Thanks for the tips that are very helpful.
A simple question if I may ask:
How long the bee wax stands, how often must it be changed? Thanks...
I just ordered a cheap airbrush to try my hand at airbrushing. Thanks for this valuable information! 👍
Great tutorial, I have two airbrushes with both the same issues and never came to this idea, thanks to you I will be back on my airbrushfeet! Now only ask the wife to get beeswax!!! Thanks a lot!!!
Thank you Gerard! I am glad to hear that.
Thank you very much.
I want to get into it but I read so many people saying negative things about cheap.
But I know there are people like yourself out there that use them even when they have top branded ones.
Ive sprayed with gravity fed automotive guns both expensive and cheap ones and I dis the same thing. But when I had enough experience I could get the same finish with the cheap as I did the expensive, the only thing was maybe a little more sanding....
I had to scrap the degraded o-ring due to continue thinner contact and i found that screwing the nozzle directly to the airbrush with no o-ring in between was giving me problems because the position of the nozzle was way to back wrt to air exit at the nozzle cap causing uneven spraying. The solution was to add a fine stripe of teflon tape wound in the place where the o-ring used to seat to build up some thickness and reestablish the correct longitudinal position of the nozzle and this solved the problem. I've been using it for months, with enamels, acrylics and poliurethan paints with no problems, no clogging, and I didn't need to disassemble it since then.
nice video! I polish the needles of all my airbrushes, even the expensive ones, to seal the nozzle I use low tork tread locker, works wonders and is super easy to use.
what do you polish them with?
Awesome video! I’m new to airbrushing and have a cheap $30 kit I bought from offerup. I didn’t have bees wax so I tried a chapstick that someone left in the comments and it works well so far. I polish the needle after each clean up and it seems to help me out. Thanks for your tips. Also can anyone recommend an acrylic paint brand that would be the easiest to work with for beginner airbrush? Method to thinning the paint better? Thanks!
Fantastic video, especially since my cheap Chinese airbrush arrived today ($15AUD). Exactly the same as yours, except it didn't come in a nice box (was just wrapped in bubble wrap), so I made a little cardboard one for it. I am going to use it mainly for priming figures, or for things I don't want to dare to run through my expensive Badger brushes, such as ceramic paints and the like. Many thanks for your help!
Thank you so much for this video. I just bought a cheap airrush on Wish to replace the last cheap airbrush I bouth almost seven years ago. It looks like I bouht the exact same airbrush that you showed in this video. I do also have a Badger Sotar 20/20 for close in precision work, but these cheap airbrushes do most of the work I have just fine. I also happen to have beeswax that I bought for bookbinding, so I will be replacing the o-ring with that as the next time I use it.
Cool this is one of the most helpful airbrush videos I've seen. Thanks.
Just bought a cheaper Airbrush from Princess Auto, and after the second time i used it, it was bubbling and then sputtering, so I tried this and it's working Perfect! Thank You! Now I can Practice Yaaas B! Thank You!
The needle treatment great stuff. The o-ring will seal well if "wet" with any petroleum or food-based grease or oil. Although I'm sure if you want to use bees wax over the seal it might work also.
Thanks. I have never used an airbrush, and this encourages me to get a cheapo and get a little practice.
I got the same airbrush and the o ring just broke today after a month or so. I bought some £1 beeswax off of ebay for your way, but tbh it was spraying okay for what I was doing without the o ring. I'll be getting a Harder and Steinbeck evo or ultra after my current model is finished. And then only use this one for primer and top coats.
Hi I'm watching 👀your video nice but can I use the normal polish
I go as far as wrapping some plumbers tape around the needle and put it in a drill, then use 1500-2000 grit sandpaper to smooth the needle tip, followed by polishing compound and finally cleaning the entire needle.. I also sacrifice an old needle in the drill and use polishing compound to polish and "seat" the inside of the tips. Spray a full Airbrush cup of lacquer thinner through it to clean everything. My $20 Airbrush is still performing flawlessly after 4 years.
Bought almost exactly the same model recently (side feed rather than top) and I was less than impressed when I tested it. Glad I found your video. Going to polish the needle and see it sprays this week
Do you have a tutorial on stripping and cleaning these brushes?
Hi, i have not videos about stripping or cleaning yet. But i have some tricks and i will share them.
Scale-a-ton What would you recommend? Spraying through with a thinner or cleaner or pulling the needle out and cleaning? These days I'm mostly using Valejo Modelair acrylic.
Used to use an Aztek which is really easy to use but it's worn out after 10 years of faithful work.
Great video lot of great info. Have u ever sanded a needle with a very fine grit sandpaper then polished it?
I bought some beeswax but it's not sealing the nozzle at all. Any tips?
I'd like to hand out a warning about removing the o-ring from the nozzle; some cheap airbrushes need the o-ring so the tip of the nozzle will jut out ever so slightly from the nozzle cover. If it doesn't, a vacuum will be formed at the nozzle's tip and no spraying will commence! So I suggest not to immediately snip the o-ring in two and see first if it will jut out without the o-ring. If it doesn't, then unfortunately you can't remove it lest it make your airbrush unusable. All the same, apply beeswax around the rim to improve the seal. Hope this helps.
Thank You Chemicalist
Rast, Generally Means Your Air cap Is plugged Up sending compressed Air Back to the cup Area.
@@Nomadcreations its ok now.. just put teflon tape..
@Reborn In Rationality the further it screws in, the further back it goea
@Reborn In Rationality yes, but the nozzle is also what the needle pushes up against as a seal, so if the nozzle is further back so is the needle
Suggest kar sathe ho... Air compressors kon se use hoga... Plz mem jada costly nai... Plz suggest mem plz
(Husband here) Thank you so much for creating this vid. I am new to modeling and airbrushing and started off with a cheapish setup. I can't tell how my setup is crappy yet but I'm sure it is mediocre at best. Now I'll have to harass my co-worker for bees wax since her father keeps bees.
I have two neos (CN and BCN) that I am very happy with, but I found your video very useful thanks alot!
Hi just want to say thank you for the video I have got myself a cheap airbrush I payed £30 witch is $41.43 as I'm for England the compound you use to clean the needle and polish does it need to be compound or can it be and polish to clean it many thanks Andy
Totally new to airbrushing and this was a very, very useful tips video. One question, could plumbers tape be used in place of the bee'z wax?
Thans for the video.why the air brush is spitting the colour?
I tried the beeswax thing on my cheap airbrush. I had exactly the same amount but when I tried to put the front cap on, it crushed the wax and clogged the whole front.
This was very usefull, i do not own an airbrush yet but this gave me an idea for what in getting etc
Great vid but you thinned out the paint then put it in to your bowl which had more thinner in it ?? is that a good idea?
The man said, you gonna learn something today! Good job.
Never had any trouble with my dual action China brush. Tell the truth it's better the my badger 200 in some ways. Love the bees wax idea. Love the video.
Great video, as a starter with cheapish equipment I'll definitely be tying this out. kudos
I own that very same airbrush and am using it for the very same reasons. still developing my skills. However that one only cost me about $12.00 with shipping. I also did not have the same issues with the lines and spray being weak.
What else can you use to polish the needle with
It is worth polishing the nozzle as well, use the needle with some polish on the tip and very carefully rotate it and run it in and out of the nozzle, being careful no to force it into the nozzle as these cheap brushes have softer nozzles than expensive brushes.
As an alternative for bees wax you can use a regular tube of chapstick. It does a great job of sealing the threads. I use it on my Badger Anthem 155. I was wondering what sorta polishing compound you were using to polish the needle. I first got me a Harbor Freight (Chinese) airbrush and it only lasted 1 week. I ended up screwing up the back rocker and the trigger. While I had my Anthem tore down for cleaning, I tried the back rocker and trigger in it. The back rocker worked even better than the original that I had thrown away. The trigger kept the air supply on all the time but I think if I get another Badger Anthem 155 trigger I may be able to modify it by grinding off the bottom a little at least up to where the indentation is on the very bottom. I'm gonna order another Badger Anthem 155 trigger and back rocker to play around with and see if I can get my Chinese airbrush back up and running. My Badger Anthem with the general purpose needle (.78mm), nozzle and spray regulator will do anything the .35mm needle of the Chinese airbrush. I can get some pretty fine lines with my Anthem. If I want anything smaller, a fine and a super fine detail kit is available since it is made in the good ole USA, for $9.72 at US Airbrush Supply. They handle mostly Badger parts.
Another thing you can do to enhance the performance of a cheap airbrush is to take out the valve assembly and clip a round off of the tiny little spring. When you reinstall it the part you don't clip should point up toward the valve stem. This lightens the amount of pressure it takes to start the air flow. My Chinese airbrush has an adjustment that enables you to back out the needle tube assembly to lessen the tension on the back pull of the airbrush. On airbrushes that don't have this feature, you can clip a round off of the needle spring. I like a light touch on my airbrush. A very good page to visit on-line is Don's Airbrush Tips. He reviews Badgers, Iwata's, Harder and Steinbeck, Chandler and Thayer as well as Paasche airbrushes and gives some tips on how to improve your airbrush.
Thanks for the video. I would not put a cigarette lighter near my airbrush. Chapstick works just as well as bees wax. Just thought you'd like to know. Happy airbrushing.
W Rusty Lane in eastern Tennessee (Witherington Place Railroad)
W. Rusty Lane i tried the chapstick and have no improvement?
Did you use it in the right place? The chapstick should be used around the nozzle and/or on the spray head. It stopped all my air leaks.
I did use it around the nozzpe , do you have any vids explaining it more?
No, I'm sorry, I don't do videos. Just unscrew the spray head from the airbrush body. Then remove the nozzle from the spray head. Use some chapstick on both sets of threads insuring that you put it only on the threads using a tooth pick. Don''t get any chapstick on any of the air passages going to the spray head or nozzle. Hope this will help. I use it every time I take my airbrush apart and give it a little on both sets of threads using a tooth pick. :-)
I like the use of a pipette to mix and pour the paint.
Hi, instead of tamiya polishing compound, can i use autosol?
Can I use ordinary lacquer thinners on cleaning paints? The one that is available on hardware stores.
Thanks for the great video, you have actual practical improvements that anyone can do without buying a lot of other things (i'm wondering if i could just use candle wax instead of bees wax though?) Also can i just polish the needle with 1000 grit emery clothe, or car polish or both?
What can I use in replacement of tamiya polishing compound?
Honestly in you’re 8mins video helps me a lot! Thank you sir.
Can you tell me what product you used to polish the needle? Thank-you! I really loved the video it is very good info!
Other than beeswax what can you replace is with?
Thanks for the awesome tip! Will this mean we've to replace the beeswax every time we clean the airbrush?
typically people over-clean their airbrush anyways, constantly disassembling the brush and reassembling can have a negative impact on the brushes longevity, if you're running water/cleaner through the brush until it sprays clear, you've generally cleaned the brush sufficiently anyways. Even then, you shouldn't need to remove the nozzle tip anyways, you should be able to remove the entire nozzle assembly and clean it without removing the nozzle tip from the nozzle assembly.
If ya get rid of the little O ring, ya should use some chap stick on the threads to ensure no leaks. Chap stick is easier to use and a lot less expensive and does the same thing bee's wax does. Are ya using a compressor with a tank? Looks as though you're not as I see some pulsating in the thin lines.
I just removed the oring in the nozzle and it's fine, without beeswax or teflon. Also those orings can sit unevenly and put the the nozzle off center the air cap. Get rid of that, remove the needle cap (the last part of the point) and look with a magnify lens at your aircap hole / nozzle alignment: if it's a bit uncentered remove the air cap and _gently_ push the nozzle staff (do not put force on the nozzle, only push the metal rod that the nozzle is screwed to) with a screwdriver, check again, in case repeat till they are well aligned.
You can also polish the air cap hole, put some abrasive paste on a toothpick (or bigger) and lightly twist it into the air cap hole. If you have an old broken needle you can do it with that.
Nozzle threads are very fragile: you don't have to unscrew the nozzle each time to clean it, just use something strong like nitro, soak it and twist a thin guitar / violin string in it to remove any clogs. Well this is easier to do with the 180 model (the one with the mac valve) as the nozzle is on a separate part.
wow! that is great, where can i get one please
Thank you for the helpfull tips. Great music too. Can you tell who is the first music number from? Thanks in advance.
Can you polish the needle with a car polish?
I'm using the same one and cost about US$24.00, the tiny nozzle is broken today while I cleaning the dirty paints inside, it is too fragile, I put a drop of AA glue to fix it and keep using.
Great video! I use the wax seal now and have had great success! Thanks.
"Gambiarra" master piece! Amazing !Ty ... gambiarra s a brazilian term for improvisation and creative solutions ^^
what about the seal that's between the needle and action? is there anything can be done to it if it's leaking to the action and if it's paint, may cause the action lever-button to stick and freeze. Anyway, great idea with the beeswax, I use PTFE tape carefully and also works on sealing the nozzle.
Use some chapstick. It works to seal threads on airbrushes instead of bees wax. I use it on my Badger Anthem 155 every time I take it apart and reassemble it.
which kind of polish can you use apart from the tamiya? Can I use something like silver polish cream?
Such a good video! Thank you, this is informative and the instructions worked great for me!
What is a good alterntive for bees wax?
Hello, I have an airbrush Iwata and the problem is when I want to make a fine line I cannot get the color out and when I press the trigger more the color comes out a lot of color, I use oil colors mixed with gasoline please help me, thanks
Thanks some great advice here, i am a newcomer to airbrushing and found this very helpful.
Oh shit, thats the crappy airbrush i have! I got it for free with the compressor lol.
The crappy airbrush exploded 3 days ago lol. Sad day. Now using an iwata :)
Whats the name of the airbrush and the compressor?
@@michaelspitz9151 Heya, They're just a generic Chinese make that gets rebadged. Here's an example from Amazon. www.amazon.co.uk/Timbertech-Airbrush-Compressor-Accessories-Nozzles/dp/B00LO4PKY2/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=airbrush&qid=1601407438&sr=8-6
@@SeithonJetter Yeah, I was look at master so I guess Ill just get that.
@@SeithonJetter is it a kit with 3 airbrushes and a compressor? (because I recently got one)
i have a cheap airbrush and really it works not too bad but i think you're right! you don't have to spend a lot of money to make good models!!!!!!thank you!👌
What did you use to polish the needle and can we get it in the UK?
What are the alternatives for polishing the needle?
Very helpful for me cause i don't have much money but now i can purchase an airbrush for a good price thanks .
Do you think polishing my new Paasche airbrush needles will help? Awesome video Thank you.
Hi, it's not necessary for new needles. Also some high quality needles covered with high quality chrome plate. You shouldn't polish them with compound.