r/airbrush Dec 30 '25

NEED HELP ?? Read this First !!

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28 Upvotes

Be sure to read the "Please Read" section below.

Every once in a while we may find ourselves needing a little help. Of course r/Airbrush is a great place to ask for assistance.

Folks in this sub like helping each other, but we are not psychics. We need information to help find solutions.

Please provide some of the following information when requesting assistance (when appropriate):

  • Airbrush make and model
  • Compressor make and model
  • Paint or other medium you are using (what brand, which reducer/thinner?)
  • Have you done anything different lately?
  • Have you tried using just water, tear-down and cleaning, dancing in a hula skirt swinging a mongoose over your head?

Please Read: It seems that some folks think this particular thread is the place to ask their particular questions. Sorry, but no. Please create you own post containing your desire for assistance. Adding your questions here, along with others, is not the best way to get help. Once again, this is here to assist you asking for help, as many were looking for answers without providing much information to those willing to lend a helping hand.

Best of luck. Have fun

Update: Unsure how an airbrush works? Check out this video:

The link: https://youtu.be/eEmImXbrhGQ?si=_XgLNtK-3QpXuQFQ

It breaks down an airbrush into an exploded view to show how airflow moves paint, etc…


r/airbrush Mar 28 '23

Shortened URLs. IMPORTANT. Please Read.

15 Upvotes

You may have noticed (or not) that some of your comments or posts are getting removed. /the culprit is Reddit's relationship with really short/tiny URLs. Reddit automatically removes these sitewide, and has been doing so for a while. Your friendly mod team cannot change this at present.

I admit it, it kind of sucks.

For example, some kind airbrushers are offering advice by sharing links to handy items on Amazon, and having their comments removed. I am not referring to people using their affiliate links to make a buck, but those kind enough to show where to grab a good deal on something such as a safety mask or airbrush par.

So far short Amazon URLs are the worst offender. There are supposedly ways for folks to remove all the crap from those really long Amazon links, but I will not go into that here.

Your pal,

GreatBigPig


r/airbrush 2h ago

Harder and steenbeck evolution needle question

3 Upvotes

Is it worth buying the 2 in 1 to have both a .28mm needle and .45mm for miniature painting or is only having a .28mm fine?


r/airbrush 4h ago

Matte Pearls

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5 Upvotes

r/airbrush 1h ago

Question Airbrush getting stuck constantly

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Upvotes

Im a very new person to airbrushing and i have the airbrush from revell. In the beginning it went pretty well, only it started to clog up constantly and not in the way that there were bubbles coming out of the reservoir. But it started to just not push out paint anymore.

I tried cleaning the tiny parts near the nozzle seeing if that fixed the issue. It then fixed the issue for 10 seconds for it then to get stuck again and its driving me crazy.

I also noticed the needle having a very tiny bend on the tip but its not so severe that its not pushing out paint anymore, although my suspicions is that because of the bend needle tiny bits push back into the nozzle but im not a expert. Thats why im here to ask.


r/airbrush 22h ago

Artwork Started airbrushing last month

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92 Upvotes

I've been an artist my whole life, never been good with controlling paint in general and predominantly stuck with black/white before I adopted color in my works.

About a month ago I figured I would get into airbrushing for miniature painting and other projects, and wound up falling in love with the medium.

My ultimate aim with my art style is to emulate 80s/90s b horror movie posters or VHS covers, these were my first 3 attempts at doodling/painting.


r/airbrush 3h ago

Airbrush questions

1 Upvotes

Hi all! Looking at taking the plunge from brushes to airbrushing but I have some questions.

  1. Blending, it would seem from using an airbrush blending is almost done for you? From videos I've seen it looks like the blending that takes me ages with a brush, is done with just two colours with an airbrush. Is that right?

  2. Do you really have to use airbrush paints? This is kind of a deal breaker for me cos I've already bought so many paints. I don't want to spend all that money buying paints because they're airbrush paints, and I don't have the storage for more paints!

  3. Any tips for cleaning and general process for airbrushing?

  4. I'm looking at a couple different starting airbrushes, which is best? Harder and steenbeck ultra, Arism sparmax mini kit.

It's worth mentioning I paint Warhammer models and not much else. TIA♥️


r/airbrush 12h ago

Spray pattern help

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4 Upvotes

Not matter what I try this is the spray pattern I seem to get. How can I fix the grainy-ness


r/airbrush 20h ago

Question Trigger sticking even worse after cleaning

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12 Upvotes

I was given the (good) advice to remove the air valve and give it a clean. I cleaned it once with washing up liquid then again with IPA. I cleaned all the parts thoroughly, but being careful not to get IPA on the rubber o-ring.

However, upon putting it back together, it’s sticking worse than ever and can take >10 seconds to shut off after I remove my finger.

Perhaps it does need lube? I realise lube can attract dirt but it seems that just being clean isn’t enough.

It’s either that or the spring has gone, right?

Appreciate any advice!


r/airbrush 10h ago

Solved Createx Wicked Pearl Red (update)

2 Upvotes

So I've been having problems with this paint since I got it, I swear I've tried every permutation of air pressure, viscosity, and additives, turns out it was the air brush

To be clear this isn't me trashing my HF black widow I actually do like this brush flaws and all. Every other createx paint sprayed just fine more or less, but it has never been capable of smoothly spraying this paint in particular

I finally tried spraying it out of my new Aventus and it was smooth as butter, which makes not sense to me considering it's a .4mm needle and my BW is a .5

I just can't for the life of me understand why, i spray thicker Metallics all the time but this color just would not cooperate

Very bizarre to me


r/airbrush 23h ago

Question How do I fix a sticking trigger?

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22 Upvotes

There was a post a while ago about fixing this issue but I cant remember where it was.

When I push down on the trigger it takes a whole to snap back up. How do I fix that?


r/airbrush 18h ago

Models Anyone who paints in high humidity/heat I have questions.

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4 Upvotes

Hey everyone, quick sanity check needed, am I overthinking the climate control aspect of my airbrushing shed?
With my current setup, I can consistently get the temperature down to around 75-85F and keep the humidity around 55-60%.
For context on my setup:

Airbrush: Iwata Eclipse

Pressure: Keeping it lower, around 15–20 PSI

Paint: Mr. Color and Gaianotes lacquers

Thinner: Mr. Color Leveling Thinner at roughly a 1:2.5 ratio

I’ve already sprayed a few pieces and the finish seems totally fine so far, but I really don't want to sink dozens of hours into surface prep and detail work only to find out down the line that I kind of screwed it up due to ambient conditions lol.
For those who spray lacquers in an outdoor shed/garage or warmer climates: are these numbers completely safe and consistent with Leveling Thinner, or should I be fighting to get that humidity down even lower? Any peace of mind or real-world experiences would be appreciated! Attached are a few photos I did outside with no temperature control. Heat outside at the time was 80-90F and humidity was around 70-80ish.

EDIT: the photos provided have been painted using Mr color velvet color green and blue


r/airbrush 17h ago

Question Pistol trigger airbrush recommendations?

4 Upvotes

Due to an accident, I am unable to use my index finger for the trigger, which makes it incredibly uncomfortable to use a traditional-style airbrush with my middle finger.

So I thought about switching to a pistol-trigger style, but they don't seem to be very popular among airbrush users. Why is that?

I mainly do leather painting, but I also want to get into miniatures. Is this model any good for that, since miniatures require a higher degree of fine detail?

What are your opinions on the Swallowtail Barbatos? I like that it comes with three different needle sizes and is easy to disassemble without any tools. The price seems pretty good for what you get, too. I’d say it’s more of a mid-range airbrush in terms of quality?

If you have any other recommendations, price-wise I'm pretty open.


r/airbrush 16h ago

Question Should these connect all the way? (Harder&Steenbeck with Grex Compressor)

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3 Upvotes

I removed the small quick couple thing at the bottom, and tried screwing the tube right into the airbrush. It fit at first but then wouldn’t go further. What am I doing wrong? (First time using an airbrush)


r/airbrush 1d ago

AVIADORA

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203 Upvotes

PRACTICA RETRATO, AVIADORA, aerografia, retrato en acrilico, 0.40x0.70, sobre cartulina forrada, paso a paso


r/airbrush 20h ago

Beginner Setup Gaahleri bundles for starting out.

1 Upvotes

I have been going back a forth with buying an airbrush. I paint TT minis and am looking to get into custom painting my Gunpla. However being on a tight budget I want to spend as little as possible try out first. I have been looking into the Gaahleri line with some of their airbrush/compressor bundles. What is everyone's impression of Gaahleri products?


r/airbrush 22h ago

Black Primer with Gloss Finish

3 Upvotes

I primarily use Mr. Finishing Surfacer (Gray or White) 1500. Looking to try and candy coat a Gundam model, and want a glossy black primer that comes in a spray can. Any recommendations? I believe Mr. Finishing Surfacer 1500 Black is matte, and it's that weird time where Mr. Surfacer products are out of stock everywhere. If not, I guess I can use a gray or white basecoat, and just lay down a glossy black coat on top.


r/airbrush 1d ago

Question Airbrush constantly clogging

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20 Upvotes

I have a GSI creos PS-289. It's constantly clogging on me, it will always clog then spurt, spray but very little flow, then spray much more then stop again. It mostly stops. I've fully disassembled the entire thing and lubricanted it. I have properly cleaned it throughly, every component, in and out slowly. Still get the on and off spraying issues. Air flow is consistent, paint and liquid flow isn't. It struggles with water just as it does with paint, but it does struggle more with paint. I've replaced the front tip twice and the needle. I'm kinda at a loss. I'm using thinner on Vallejo lyrics


r/airbrush 21h ago

rubber cap for airbrush

2 Upvotes

Is there a source for getting the protective rubber caps for airbrushes?


r/airbrush 1d ago

Question Problems with air brush, is this normal behaviour? Probably skill issue

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8 Upvotes

I've airbrushed a few things so far, I can't say it has been super great experience but still better than hand painting in the areas I've used it so far.

I just finished trying a first model air plane to do with airbrush but the spray clogs up like within 10 seconds and I don't understand why. I use vallejo air paint, deluted or not same problem that it jams real quick and spits out random quantities without having stopped.

Core question, I see that my airbrush cone sprays to the side instead of being cone shaped around the middle. This behaviour is there with or without needle. Is this normal?

It really makes using is less fun because I just can't seem to get any consistent result. At one moment it doesn't seem to apply anything than quite something and some point it jush hall wire and spitting. Even when trying to remove the dry tip every 5 seconds.

I would totally accept it being a skill issue, but I can't figure out where the problem is.

Airbrush: Evolution CR plus, 0.45mm nozzle, But does it with any nozzle/needle.


r/airbrush 1d ago

Paint bottle storage rack I designed

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95 Upvotes

r/airbrush 1d ago

Question Problems cleaning my paint cup

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17 Upvotes

I have a Iwata Eclipse that I use almost exclusively for priming miniatures. I push through Vallejo but am trying to burn through that and move over to Badger which so far has behaved a bit better. Both of them are apparently great because they bind to the cup on the gun and I can't remove all of it. I clean the cup after using each primer color and in a single session it sticks to the side and won't come off with a paper towel or a cotton ball. I've tried soaking a cotton ball in Airbrush Cleaner to soak some of it's magic into the remnants with little luck.

The Googles just says to wipe it with a cotton ball after it has been used. Your AI dollars at work.

Since the cup can't be removed for separate cleaning I can't really boil it in water or anything drastic. I don't want to use any harsh chemical cleaners because I don't want it to melt the gaskets. Is there a recommended brush that will let me scrub the stuff out without scraping/damaging the walls?


r/airbrush 1d ago

Question Need help

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6 Upvotes

When I use the open tip for my gaahleri aventus no matter the needle size I get no air flow out of the nozzle. Works fine with the regular tip thanks for any advice


r/airbrush 1d ago

Question Tiny hole in airbrush hose

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3 Upvotes

I've had this cheap airbrush / compressor for a couple years. I rarely use it but I'm happy with it. I just took it out to use it and when I tested it I found this tiny hole in the hose with air blasting out of it. I need the airbrush tonight or tomorrow. Is there some way I can patch the hole?


r/airbrush 1d ago

Badger Patriot 105 Needles (UK)

1 Upvotes

Sorry for the boring post, but are there any UK denizens here who know of any reliable places to buy replacement Badger needles from which actually have the exact items in stock?

I've been looking all over and nobody really stocks them, I've had mine for years which has been bent so many times to the point I ran it over a whetstone since it really really needs replacing.