Hi guys Ive been having a problem with my Paasce c.c.lof late. I usually use Tamyia Paints the problem is I will start to spray ,every things fine then the paint stops just air coming out.ive found that the paint is drying inside the a.b. I pour some tamyia thinners into the chamber and poke around with a tooth pick and lumps of paint come out then it starts working ok for a while then gums up again.I thin the paint quite a bit but it keeps happening, anyone had this happen?

I haven't airbrushed with Tamiya paints yet. I will be soon though. I plan on using them for my Air Over Water build, so I am very curious to see the answer to your question. Hopefully, some one will have an answer for us.

I rarely use acrylics, but when I do, I still disasemble and clean the parts with lacquer thinner. I think it's called cellulose thinner on your side of the pond. I'm not sure what Passche model you have, mine's an old VSR90, and a simple soaking has always cleaned up any dried paint inside the tip, and on the needle, and head.
Passche do make a tip cleaning tool, (it's like a really tiny 1/2 round pointed file that is suppose to scrape the inside of the tip without damage or distortion) and I have one, but I have never had to use it.
If you have any old dried paint in the airbrush when you start out, you are already providing a ready built in obstruction for the fresh paint to cling to from the start. Combining Tamyia's famous quick drying time in the airbush, you need to ensure you keep your airbrush spotless. The few times I use Tamyia paint (and it's not that often) I usually thin with lacquer thinner.
I would suggest using Tamyia's thinner since it's been formulated for their paints.
If you are going to try lacquer thinner, I suggest experimanting on some scrape models first, until you get use to it, before spraying it on your present show piece.

John

Are you having a hot or dry spell in the Mothger country at the moment?

The main reason I have moved to Humbrol enamels here is that it is too hot and dry most of the time to paint with the Tamiya acrylics. I used to have the same problem - 5 minutes of painting and then have to clean the nozzle of the dried paint.

Brian

Thanks for your help guys,Dave every time i use the a.b. I strip it down and flush it with water then windscreen cleaner, the model i have is the C.C. it feeds the paint in from the side from a small metal cup that pushes into the chamber of the a.b. its in that chamber that the paint is drying i guess I may have to use something stronger to clean it out i thin with tamyias own but its a bit expensive to use as a cleaner i might have to get some rubbing alcohol (i can rub it into me old joints as well :-) )
Brian the weather over here is mid winter but its not too cold here in london about 10degrees so it shouldnt bother the paint, i think that when my supply of Tamyia goes down I might start using Vallejo air Ive heard good things about their paints ( I dont want to know what the weather is like in Queensland cos I lived in Sydney most of my life and I want to go back and Im horribly jealous :-) :-) ) all the best.

Oh... a side feeder.... One of the reasons I started changing over to top feeders was ease of cleaning. I agree Tamyia's a little too expensive to use as a cleaner. If it's in the chamber, try using the lacquer thinner on a pipe cleaner. you'll be amazed how much builds up in there. (being cheap, I cut my pipe cleaners into 3 inch lengths)

Sydney - too bloody crowded down there. Population around 85000 in Mackay - and 300km North of the Tropic of Capricorn. 30 degrees Celcius (approx 87 degrees in real language) and 75% humidity at the moment. Just waiting for the storms to arrive.

Back on topic - yes I only use the Tamiya thinner (or Humbrol thinner) for thinning the actual paints. All clean up is done with Lacquer thinners from the hardward store. A 4 litre tin cost abour $11 AUS.

Just be a bit careful with pipe cleaners. I bought some cheap ones from a craft store and used them on my AB then wondered why it wouldn't co-operate one day. Just before it took its maiden flight I decided to poke inside the chamber with a toothpick and out came a bloody great furball. I don't know whether "proper" pipe cleaners from a tobacco store lose their hair or not but now I check it after every clean.

Brian

I use the top shelf ones from the smokeshop, cotton ones, not those cheapy things from the craft shop. I recently also picked up some of those little brushes for between the teeth, works fairly well also, and those "micro - brushes" surprisingly work great also, they hold together with no problems in the lacquer thinner (was worried about how they would last with the plastic handle, but the lacquer thinner has no effect on the plastic), and you can rinse and clean them in the lacquer thinner, and keep using them, over and over. (I like that, being cheap)

Dave

Smart thinking 99. (to coin a phrase) I got a set of those microbrushes with FSM quite a while ago and have been wondering what to use them for.

I'll have to dig around and find them.

Thanks

Brian