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Hi, I recently bought the Iwata Revolution and immidiately got to work on my Imperial Fists army. After priming and basing my Land Raider I started getting issues.

After disasembling it and cleaning, I've noticed the nib threads seem to be wonky, or not even, so I'm suspecting that it may of broke whilst within the airbrush (I did read before hand you need to be gentle when removing this, and I thought I did)

Kind of at a loss of how to fix this as it's my first airbrush, anyone had this problem before and recommend anything?

You'll have to pardon me for being nitpicky, but better information is needed to help. I have a couple of Eclipses (HP-CS & BCS) but not a Revolution. Hopefully we can figure out your problem with some very specific information.

First off, what do you mean by "nib"? I'm assuming that you're referring to either the needle cap, the nozzle cap, or the nozzle. I've included some images below to help you figure out which is which.


In this image, the parts from left to right are Needle Cap / Nozzle Cap / Nozzle / Airbrush Body












Once you've figured out what part isn't seating properly into another part, inspect both parts very closely for signs of damage. The front end of the airbrush is susceptible contamination from dried paint and you may have missed something while cleaning (or you may have jammed something into the threads inadvertently). Use a very bright light and a magnifying glass if needed. If any threads are damaged, you will need to order replacement parts. Hopefully, any damage is to something other than the airbrush body so it shouldn't break the bank if replacements are needed. Unfortunately, I'm in the US, so I can't advise you with regards to a parts supplier in Europe or the UK.

In all likelihood, your problem is due to dried paint or human error. I've never seen a threaded nozzle before but I can imagine it's a bit finicky to seat properly into the airbrush body. Assuming you can't see any damage to the threads, get some pure beeswax and lightly rub it on all threaded parts to act as a lubricant. A golf ball sized chunk will last you a lifetime. I use it on my Eclipse & Krome nozzles to make disassembling easier and to reduce bubbling in the cup.


Some additional considerations:

Check out Don's Airbrush Tips for an excellent review of the Revolution with some detailed images of the parts (including the photos above). You may learn something that helps you out.

If you can provide photos or more details regarding the exact nature of the problem (what do you mean by "wonky" and "not even"), someone here may be able to help.

Finally, how did you clean your airbrush? The problem with cleaning kits that are sold to newbies is that they can cause more problems than they're worth. Any sort of brush is very bad because even if the bristles are nylon, the metal handle can scratch the delicate parts (see image below). If you did use brushes, don't panic. I used them when I first started and although I did cause some surface scratching, there was no long-term damage.

These things are all terrible for your airbrush and should never be used:



The correct tools for cleaning your airbrush are an ultrasonic cleaner, cotton buds, and hobby cotton buds. You can get the ultrasonic cleaner on Amazon in the $30-$40 range (again, US prices so adjust accordingly). The goal is to clean with things that cannot possibly harm the surface of your airbrush while still getting rid of every little bit of paint. For cleaning agents, use the UK equivalent of Simple Green and 91% rubbing alcohol. You can also use airbrush cleaners, but the bulk generic stuff works just fine and is much cheaper. Here's some pics:

Ultrasonic Cleaner


Cotton Bud


Hobby Cotton Bud by Tamiya. I use both 87105 & 87106 in the image below. The cotton is very tightly wound so they're great for tight spots. They can be bought at Hobby Lobby (again, adjust for your UK equivalent).



That's the best I can do without more information. Post more details and I'll check back later (or someone else may be able to help). Good luck

Like he said, please tell us what sort of problems you're having with the airbrush.

That being said, for beginners airbrushes can be a major pain in the ass. The most common problem, for me at least, was the nozzle getting clogged by dried paint. The symptom of this is little or no paint coming out of the airbrush, though air continues to flow.

If you drop the nozzle assembly in some rubbing alcohol, leave it overnight, and flush it really good, that usually does the trick.

But again, you'll need to say what the problem is, exactly. It's probably not broken, just needs a good cleaning.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, nodri, I've never heard of the ultrasonic cleaner. Do you have one? Does it work well?

Kap'n -

I have one and I love it. They get into every little detail of every little part and remove paint better than any brush could. I disassemble and clean my airbrush periodically when I notice that it's not performing up to par, but it's not necessary to do so every time.

One of the things I really like about the Iwata airbrush design is that the front of the body is flat. This means that the airbrush body can be stood on end in the ultrasonic cleaner so that the water level is just high enough to submerge the cup while keeping the air valve dry. This gets it perfectly clean with minimal effort and zero risk of damage.

 Nodri wrote:
You'll have to pardon me for being nitpicky, but better information is needed to help. I have a couple of Eclipses (HP-CS & BCS) but not a Revolution. Hopefully we can figure out your problem with some very specific information.

First off, what do you mean by "nib"? I'm assuming that you're referring to either the needle cap, the nozzle cap, or the nozzle. I've included some images below to help you figure out which is which.


In this image, the parts from left to right are Needle Cap / Nozzle Cap / Nozzle / Airbrush Body












Once you've figured out what part isn't seating properly into another part, inspect both parts very closely for signs of damage. The front end of the airbrush is susceptible contamination from dried paint and you may have missed something while cleaning (or you may have jammed something into the threads inadvertently). Use a very bright light and a magnifying glass if needed. If any threads are damaged, you will need to order replacement parts. Hopefully, any damage is to something other than the airbrush body so it shouldn't break the bank if replacements are needed. Unfortunately, I'm in the US, so I can't advise you with regards to a parts supplier in Europe or the UK.

In all likelihood, your problem is due to dried paint or human error. I've never seen a threaded nozzle before but I can imagine it's a bit finicky to seat properly into the airbrush body. Assuming you can't see any damage to the threads, get some pure beeswax and lightly rub it on all threaded parts to act as a lubricant. A golf ball sized chunk will last you a lifetime. I use it on my Eclipse & Krome nozzles to make disassembling easier and to reduce bubbling in the cup.


Some additional considerations:

Check out Don's Airbrush Tips for an excellent review of the Revolution with some detailed images of the parts (including the photos above). You may learn something that helps you out.

If you can provide photos or more details regarding the exact nature of the problem (what do you mean by "wonky" and "not even"), someone here may be able to help.

Finally, how did you clean your airbrush? The problem with cleaning kits that are sold to newbies is that they can cause more problems than they're worth. Any sort of brush is very bad because even if the bristles are nylon, the metal handle can scratch the delicate parts (see image below). If you did use brushes, don't panic. I used them when I first started and although I did cause some surface scratching, there was no long-term damage.

These things are all terrible for your airbrush and should never be used:



The correct tools for cleaning your airbrush are an ultrasonic cleaner, cotton buds, and hobby cotton buds. You can get the ultrasonic cleaner on Amazon in the $30-$40 range (again, US prices so adjust accordingly). The goal is to clean with things that cannot possibly harm the surface of your airbrush while still getting rid of every little bit of paint. For cleaning agents, use the UK equivalent of Simple Green and 91% rubbing alcohol. You can also use airbrush cleaners, but the bulk generic stuff works just fine and is much cheaper. Here's some pics:

Ultrasonic Cleaner


Cotton Bud


Hobby Cotton Bud by Tamiya. I use both 87105 & 87106 in the image below. The cotton is very tightly wound so they're great for tight spots. They can be bought at Hobby Lobby (again, adjust for your UK equivalent).



That's the best I can do without more information. Post more details and I'll check back later (or someone else may be able to help). Good luck

Honestly, thank you for such a detailed reply (I will be sure to check out the airbrushing tips). It seems to be the nozzle that has broke, and there is an obstruction within the airbrush where the nozzle has unfortunately broke.

I'll try to get some pictures up and add them into the OP but on mobile at the moment. I have contacted Iwata over Facebook to see if they can suggest anything. But it seems I'll have to replace the parts, but just wanted to say thanks to everyone for responding.

I'll look into the cleaning products as at the moment I just have a general airbrush maintenance bundle which contains Aerosol Active Foaming Cleaner, Airbrush Cleaning Pot, Cleaning Brush Set Of 5, Cleaning Brush and 8oz Medea Airbrush Cleaner which seems to clean the airbrush well enough. Just think maybe I was too forceful maybe whilst removing the nozzle as it was working for the first hour or so.

Luminous -

Glad I could help

You made a good call by starting with an Iwata. They're great airbrushes and parts are readily available and comparatively inexpensive. Check the break on the nozzle closely as it's possible part of it is still stuck in the airbrush body. If so, it'll be obvious upon inspection and you'll need to get it removed before installing the new parts.

The initial learning curve for airbrushes can be steep and somewhat frustrating at first. Despite conventional wisdom, it's actually far more work to learn how to paint with an airbrush then just to develop your regular brush skills while using rattle cans for primer & varnish. Be patient and do your research and you'll quickly get to the point where you're developing your own style, which is an enormous amount of fun.

Good luck with your repairs.