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I am using the Harder & Steenbeck ultra two in one airbrush with a 0.4mm tip. When i do some fine detail work the paint dries up in the tip in about 1-2 minutes. I shake the paint for about 10 seconds and i use 5 drops of paint and 2 drops of the aircaste thinner. The paint is supposed to be used right from the cup, and even with thinning it i cant use it properly. Pressure is 15-20 psi. I know its normal that paint dries up, but not so fast. Other airbrushers i talked to have said they can use the paint right from the pot for 10-15 minutes without clogging up the tip. What i am doing wrong ? More thinner ? Less or more pressure ?

Using citadel air. I'm having those issues as well which is why I stopped using citadel air. Vallejo air for me. Easier to put to cup as well in appropriate quantities.

Try with some flow improver as well. As I understand it, thinner doesn't help with tip-drying...

Frankly I just think Citadel paint is poorly formulated and very fast drying, that's probably your problem right there. Don't touch your psi, grab a bottle of Vellejo or some other paint, put it through your airbrush with the same sort of thinning you'd normally use and see if it lasts longer. If it too dries out quickly then you're probably going to need to look at the thinning ratio you use but only ever change one thing at a time so that if it suddenly works you know you've identified the problem. Paint brand is absolutely the first thing to try, if it's not that then it'll probably be your ratio. If it's not that then maybe the actual weather where you are is effecting it, I'd suggest that's more likely than the psi being the problem.

Are you mixing the paint and thinner in the cup or elsewhere and then pouring it in?

If you're doing it within the Airbrush then make sure you use put the thinner in first.

Ideally do it outside of the Airbrush, these are perfect for it https://www.amazon.co.uk/Caterpack-Plastic-Shot-Glasses-clear/dp/B00DQACIZG/ref=sr_1_5?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1529493441&sr=1-5&keywords=plastic+shot+glasses

Rik

I tried mixing in the brush and in a shot glass, i will try more thinner. What i dont understand is that other people dont have any issues with citadel air paints, using it right from the pot, must be the airbrush they are using ? Vallejo air colors work better, they dry slower than citadel paints. But im halfway painting my necrons with citadel moot green, and i dont want to switch to vallejo, what if the colors dont match ? I dont even know what vallejo color is the equivalent to moot green. Can i use vallejo flow improver with citadel paints ? Whats the difference between flow improver and thinner anyway ? They sound very similiar on vallejos homepage.

http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/en_US/model-paints/auxiliary-products/3

Use vallejo Flow Improver, not just thinner, and it should solve most of that. Thinner just thins the paint and evaporates quickly, flow improver is a drying retardant. However much thinner you use, instead use half of that and half flow improver and it'll make a huge difference in how long you can go

https://www.amazon.com/Vallejo-Airbrush-Improver-200ml-Paint/dp/B00QD780G0

Use Vellajo Airbrush flow Improver as other have said. ALso get a toothbrush and make sure to keep the tip clean. if paint is drying that fast its probably drying on the edge of the nozzle.

Ok, i bought vallejo flow improver, i even used both thinner and flow improver. It got better, but not much. I think my airbrush is somehow defective, or i broke it by using paint which was to thick, i dont know. Anyway, i decided to buy a new airbrush, not from H&S. What airbrush are you using that works without drying issues like i have ? The badger 105 patriot extreme sounds good.

Well hold on, now--have you at least tried using JUST flow improver to thin your paint? Maybe a mix of flow improver and tap water? Try using no paint thinner at all. That stuff can evaporate quickly. Maybe even use a little more flow improver than you think is necessary--every airbrush and paint is different and it takes a bit of "tuning" to get your mix right. I still struggle when switching between different colors and brands of paint. You can even try adding some Vallejo acrylic retarder to your mix to slow the drying even more than just flow improver.

I only use "actual" paint thinner when priming and even then I use a $20 Master airbrush.

And make sure you at least try deep cleaning your airbrush by breaking it down and soaking it overnight, removing any rubber seals (you can leave PTFE seals in). My cheap Master airbrush didn't like this, but a little wax on the threads when reassembling fixed it right up (actually I used carmex because that's what I had on hand!). I'd hate for you to just toss aside a decent airbrush.

You'd be surprised how much paint can get stuck in a brush where you can't see. Check out some youtube videos.

Yes, i tried flow improver only. And i also tried soaking the tip for 24 hours in airbrush cleaner. I disassemble the entire airbrush everytime after using it. The entire needle is full of paint. Its a fething mess. To me this airbrush is junk. Maybe mine is just a bad sample, i dont know. Its my first airbrush. I bought it because it had a lot of good reviews on amazon. There were some reviewers telling the problem i have, but i thought that they didnt thin the paint properly. Right now i run two or three full cups of water through it, and after that a full cup of airbrush cleaner, after just using 10-15 drops of paint with thinner and/or flow improver. That way i can avoid my problem, but its annoying.

So, to clarify, you're blasting paint through an aperture which has a 0.4mm clearance, and these are acrylic paints which are designed to set quickly.

So, are you using THINNER or FLOW IMPROVER?

Also, many new airbrush users experience such issues, I have the same model of airbrush and used to get the same, not so much these days though.

You need to be doing short directional passes and releasing the trigger fully at the end of each pass.

Rik

Thanks for this. I've been struggling with clogs and drying in my airbrush, and I never thought to use flow improver.

I've used plenty of Citadel Air and with Vajello Flow Improver, I haven't had any tip clogs. Have you tried higher PSI? Also, I generally thin with water.

Rik Lightstar wrote:So, to clarify, you're blasting paint through an aperture which has a 0.4mm clearance, and these are acrylic paints which are designed to set quickly.

Yes. Other airbrushers can use citadel air paints without any kind of flow improver or thinner right out of the pot for 10 minutes, and i cant with thinner and/or flow improver for 2 minutes.

Rik Lightstar wrote:
So, are you using THINNER or FLOW IMPROVER?

I have tried thinner only, i have tried flow improver only, and i have tried both together.

Rik Lightstar wrote:
You need to be doing short directional passes and releasing the trigger fully at the end of each pass.

I dont think i can do that with fine detail close up work.

John Prins wrote:I've used plenty of Citadel Air and with Vajello Flow Improver, I haven't had any tip clogs. Have you tried higher PSI? Also, I generally thin with water.

Good for you. I wish i could too. You cant use higher PSI when you do fine details close up.

Who knows, might be a bad airbrush. I started with a MASTER airbrush compressor/brush kit and had nothing but problems with that airbrush clogging, switched to a cheapo $17 airbrush off ebay and had none of the issues. Still use the compressor, works fine 5 years later.

I now use a slightly more expensive cheapo brush similar to this one and it works fine. The expensive airbrushes like Badger Patriots and Sotars ARE better, but mostly for people already experienced who can make the most of them and use it for fine detail work, I just do basecoating, rough highlights, and terrain.