RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

Hi, can anybody please tell me why all of a sudden my airbrush should start spitting a short burst of air/water in the middle of spraying?


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Does your compressor have a water trap?

Yes


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Could be that the valve is stuck and letting water passed into the sprayline. The basic physics is that when compressed moist air is decompressed, the water condenses out. Obviously, this should be taken out by the trap, but for some reason it is being by passed.

Thank you for that. Sorry to be thick but where is the valve and how do I unstick it?


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There is a brass nozzle on the bottom of the water trap, push this upwards while there is pressure in there and you will hear a hiss and have water over your finger. The water trap extracts the moisture from the air supply to the airbrush.

Also check that your hoses are tightly clamped as this will allow unfiltered air into the supply.

I press mine frequently while I am spraying. If you are blowing water a way to get rid of it is to push the trigger so that you are only blowing air, not paint, and hold the airbrush pointing downwards, this seems to clear out the air/water that is trapped in the airbrush. Get a cotton bud and wipe the airbrush nozzle to remove any droplets that have collected there.

One tip I have read is to install a second water trap, an inline one, onto the airbrush itself, I really ought to try it but never have.

If you get water blown onto your artwork and you are using acrylics, don't panic. Push the trigger to blow just air and blast the water so that you drive it off the surface. It will dry in seconds and you can spray straight over it at which point it will disappear. Acrylics are diluted paint, so even though it may look a mess it all dries out ok, it's only a micron thick so when the water has evaporated there won't be any lumps of paint left.

I have a water trap on my 2 compressors and have them off the floor and still ran into issues so I put a dehumidifier in the room and presto! No more issues...

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.

wibblywobbly wrote:There is a brass nozzle on the bottom of the water trap, push this upwards while there is pressure in there and you will hear a hiss and have water over your finger. The water trap extracts the moisture from the air supply to the airbrush.

Also check that your hoses are tightly clamped as this will allow unfiltered air into the supply.

I press mine frequently while I am spraying. If you are blowing water a way to get rid of it is to push the trigger so that you are only blowing air, not paint, and hold the airbrush pointing downwards, this seems to clear out the air/water that is trapped in the airbrush. Get a cotton bud and wipe the airbrush nozzle to remove any droplets that have collected there.

One tip I have read is to install a second water trap, an inline one, onto the airbrush itself, I really ought to try it but never have.

If you get water blown onto your artwork and you are using acrylics, don't panic. Push the trigger to blow just air and blast the water so that you drive it off the surface. It will dry in seconds and you can spray straight over it at which point it will disappear. Acrylics are diluted paint, so even though it may look a mess it all dries out ok, it's only a micron thick so when the water has evaporated there won't be any lumps of paint left.

This is superb advice and very much appreciated. I will check everything you have mentioned and frequently press the nozzle as explained. Thank you


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dgsselkirk wrote:I have a water trap on my 2 compressors and have them off the floor and still ran into issues so I put a dehumidifier in the room and presto! No more issues...

Thank you.


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