Hi all,

I'm not an accomplished airbrusher my any stretch and I still have a lot to learn, but I'm getting frustrated with my Vallejo Model Air Paints when I'm firing them through my double action Aztec airbrush.

I'm using the black nib (the one supposed to be for acrylic paints) and I get loads of paint splatter - not a fine spray. I thin the Model Air down a bit using Vallejo Model Air Thinner to no avail.

I fire it at high pressure (30psi) and loads of splatter, I fire it at low pressure (15 - 10psi) and it just dribbles out of the airbrush and is useless!!

However, when I change to the grey nib (for general purpose use) and use Humbrol enamel paints with Humbrol thinner I get beautiful coverage and a really controlled flow at 30psi. No paint splatter, just a fine spray that I can control at close range or for more general coverage.

I take a haphazard approach to mixing thinner/paint, and generally aim for the consistency of milk.

Is it the nib? Anyone else come across this? Am I missing something?

Thanks in advance

Dave

I don't know much about the Aztec AB's except that the guys in my club either like them or hate them. I've never personally used one.

However, I would suggest tring the tip tip that works well (with enamels) with the Vallejo paints. They should work, at least better than spattering or dribbling.

I have no problems with thinning and spraying the regular Vallejo model color paints out of either of my airbrushes. I use about a 1:1 mix of water and Vallejo airbrush thinner adding about 5-10% acrylic retarder to the thinner mix and then use that to reduce the paint for spraying. It sprays just as well as any other acrylic paint (Polly Scale, Tamiya, Citadel, etc).

My sense is that there might be something wrong with the tip. (I know that guys in my club have to replace those with some frequency, usually, as I understand, as a result of damaged or missing washers.)

Anyways, I'd try the good tip and see of there's any improvement in the situation to try and narow down the problem (is it the paint or the hardward?).

HTH

Dave, is it an Aztek A470? If it is try the tan tip for a fine line. I've never really had a problem with Vallejo Model Air and my Aztek. When you say it spatters and dribbles out at various pressures it reminds me of what happend when I used a tip that had been damaged- so I would say take the tip apart and check it for any problems.

I have an Aztek as my back up air brush, but I use the white tip, and don't have any issues using Vallejo air right from the bottle. I believe the black tip is for fine work. Check the Aztek site, they have multiple tips, each designed for a specific use. As my main airbrush I use a a Paasche VL with the #3 needle, and it works great. Are you using a tank or straight from compressor? I have found the little blue Aztek (Testor) compressor loses alot of pressure once you start the air flow, thus I bought the bigger tank model, which holds the pressure a lot better. Thus it could be an issue with your compressor.

Thanks guys, I'll try changing the nib and see what

PS I'm using a compressor - just a standard Revell job with a small tank - it seems to work fine and the pressure regulator works ok.

In terms of thinning Vallejo Model Air, can you just get away with using water - or is the thinner preferred? I use their Model Air Thinner which is ok, but if you thin the paint down too much then I've found there is a slight sheen.

I tend to prefer water to the model air thinner, works better for me.