WATER SPITTING AIRBRUSH

[Pebs434]

All moisture traps are not created equal.

I had one I bought from Home Depot that I used for years but would still get the water bomb on humid days.

Then I bought an Iwata pistol grip type of trap that fits right at the base of the AB which combined with the other, eliminated the problem.

I have since bought an Iwata Smart Jet compressor that came with a trap that does the job on it's own with no problems.

Bottom line is, better traps are the key. As stated, compressing air compresses everything in the air, so on humid days, there's a lot of water floating around.

I don't know how or why water collects somewhere in the line and waits just until I get to an edge of a camo line or some super detailed area to release, but it always seems like it knows.

Thanks for your advice, much appreciated


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[Raminator]

I'd second Selkirk's recommendation for a dehumidifier, Pebs. We had to get one here at home to combat rising damp and mould, and the water trap on my airbrush is always empty. Depending on what the weather's like where you live, keeping your house/shed/garage/workarea at 50% relative humidity might just be more useful and comfortable anyway.

If not, I'd go for ausf's suggestion of a second water trap. At work we had a compressor feeding a CO2 booster pump, and the line ran underground, beneath the carpark. Even though there were two water traps on the compressor, we were still getting water making it into the booster pump; the long run and temperature differential were causing water to condense out. Same as what's happening with your airbrush, but on a larger (and more catastrophic) scale.

[Pebs434]

I'd second Selkirk's recommendation for a dehumidifier, Pebs. We had to get one here at home to combat rising damp and mould, and the water trap on my airbrush is always empty. Depending on what the weather's like where you live, keeping your house/shed/garage/workarea at 50% relative humidity might just be more useful and comfortable anyway.

If not, I'd go for ausf's suggestion of a second water trap. At work we had a compressor feeding a CO2 booster pump, and the line ran underground, beneath the carpark. Even though there were two water traps on the compressor, we were still getting water making it into the booster pump; the long run and temperature differential were causing water to condense out. Same as what's happening with your airbrush, but on a larger (and more catastrophic) scale.

Thank you. I have ordered a second water trap that sits just before the airbrush.
I have learned a lot from all of your kind and informed comments. Much appreciated chaps


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[BarryC]

Two water separators are a must for me as well. I live in the southeastern U.S. less than 15 miles from the Atlantic and this time of year our temps are 90-100 F with 80% or greater humidity. I have one at the face of the compressor and another approx. half way between the first and my airbrush. "Drain often"!

Barry

[wibblywobbly]

Just an update on this thread, I've been using an airbrush for donkeys years, and always had issues with moisture in the supply, with the well known spitting etc. I only use an Ebay compressor and a cheap airbrush so always assumed that this was the source of the problem, and lived with it.

The Ebay compressors have a moisture trap on them, and every time I pushed the drain pin a mist of water came out, so I assumed it was doing the job.

Last week I decided to order a £3 inline moisture trap, one that screws onto the airbrush and the hose connects to that instead of the airbrush itself. I was amazed. I can now paint for ages with no spitting or clogging, and the paint flows freely. The interesting thing is that when I push the drain pin on the inline trap I get quite a bit of water coming out, way more than the one on the compressor.

I am guessing from this that the trap that is supplied on these Ebay regulators is simply not doing the job, and my advice to anyone suffering similar problems is to invest in an inline one as they really do make a huge difference.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282088298912? ... EBIDX%3AIT

[Estnische]

Thanks - I had spitting once, but I figured I wasn't emptying the compress trap often enough. Worth having an inline too it seems,