Troubleshooting your airbrush -part 3

The hidden line-killer

There is a demon hiding in your airbrush, that you cannot detect without help. It quietly disrupts your art process, without leaving a trace.

Unlike most other airbrush problems, It's not caused by dirt or dried paint.

Even factory fresh airbrushes are not immune. The airbrush works for a moment, and then suddenly it skips. As if by mysterious causality, the airbrush suddenly resumes normal operations.

The problem is an air leak. Invisible and undetectable, unless you know how to look for it.

The symptom will be a skipping airbrush or total failure to deliver paint. The culprit is in the threaded air cap and head assembly threads not sealing completely.

To detect this problem, simply pour some soapy water (window cleaner works too) on the head of the airbrush, then press the air trigger. If you see bubbles originating from the threaded area, you have located the problem.

The next step will be to seal the leak with beeswax. Simply remove the head assembly, spread a little beeswax onto the threads, then re-assemble by hand.

NEVER use a wrench to tighten the head or nozzle cap assembly.

If you don't have any beeswax on hand, Chapstick or a waxy lip balm will serve in an emergency.

The bad news is that you will probably have to reapply wax each time you disassemble your airbrush. The good news is that your airbrush will be happy and perform as it should once you get rid of those leaks.

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