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I'm new to airbrushing and I recently purchased a modei BD-128 airbrush. Despite following the cleaning instructions it seems to have blocked. The airflow is fine but the paint won't come out. I have tried filling the glass jar with water and holding my finger over the end to see if there is a blockage and no bubbles appear in the water (which they did last time I used this technique to clean it). Does this mean that there is a blockage and if so how do I clean it.

I know a lot of people on this forum use airbrushes and I'd really appreciate any advice you can offer me.

Im not familiar with that brush, when you say you followed the cleaning directions- does that include disassembling it for detail cleaning?

It sounds like theres a bit of paint inside blocking the flow.

I didn't disassemble it, I just blocked the nozzle so that the air flowed backwards as per the instructions. The instructions were rather brief so perhaps they didn't go into enough detail.

I read elsewhere that window cleaner can be used to clean airbrushes so I might try that.

You need to disassemble it & clean it with airbrush cleaner.

I got mine from here -
http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Everythingairbrush__W0QQ_armrsZ1
very good service & will answer the phone too fror advice etc

Don't know about window cleaner but the stuff they sell works.
You need to take apart the nozzle & take out the pin (carefully but more so when you put it back in).

There maybe some paint in the nozzle itself which you may need to use the pin to remove.
I take mine apart every time I use it. It only takes 15minutes or so to do a really good clean
Remember you've spent a fair amount of ££ on this so take care of it.

I submerge mine in a bucket of solvent ( lacquer thinner or reducer) with the paint cup removed and basically cycle through a steady flow of cleaner till the blockage comes out. I use some Iwatas and some Master airbrushes and it always seems to work. I would caution you not to do this to a plastic bodied airbrush, as it may melt it.

I think Simple Green is supposed to work as well.

Sounds like this one:



So a single action brush. No needle, so perhaps you could disassemble the front as much as possible and run a needle through the nozzle? If you could get the nozzle at least partially cleaned, you could run some alcohol through it.

Thanks for the link Bubber, I'll try that.

@Gil Gerard, my airbrush has a plastic needle cover. I'm not sure how good it is as it came with the air compressor I bought. Would you recommend an all-metal one? If so can you specify a particular type/brand?

@TallmantimThat looks like mine, but mine definately has a needle and on the packaging it says it is double action.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Here is my airbrush. I meant to type AB rather than BD doh!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PRECISION-AIRBRUSH-KIT-AIR-BRUSH-AIR-TOOL-AB-128_W0QQitemZ380138475336QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Crafts_DrawingSupplies_EH?hash=item588204cf48&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262&_trkparms=%7C293%3A8%7C294%3A30

Hey TLH

One problem I had was the needle coming a little loose from the tie, so that when I'd pull back the needle would not pull back. Can you see the needle disengaging when you pull back?

@Tallmantim, you're right, the needle doesn't appear to be moving. What should I do to resolve this problem?

Hi TLH

You should be able to unscrew the black section at the back of the airbrush, and underneath you will find the needle access point. There is a little screw on the end that may need tightening.

In the picture below it is the "needle chuck":

Thanks Tallmantim for correctly identifying the problem and proving me with the solution. You'll be pleased to hear that my airbrush is now working perfectly! I am currently experimenting on a AOBR terminator that came free with White Dwarf a few months ago to see what effects I can acheive on infantry. I'll post pics in my wip thread.

Here's the link:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/235954.page

Good to hear!