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what psi?

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What does everyone use for a psi when using watered down Createx? Was wondering because the small compressoe I just got seems a bit on the low side when wide open. I dont want to thin it to the point where the paint runs. Manual and site say max. psi is 30 but that happens when the needle is barely cracked open. I use the #3 needle on the VL. The pressure drops off rapidly when the button is held down. Maybe 17 to 18 at most. It is a single piston Polar Bear. $119. Thanks. Bruce

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I usually shoot unthinned airbrush paint at around 30 psi continuous. I go down to 10-15 psi for detail work with thinned paint. I tried a 30 psi max compressor like yours when I started out. It's sitting on a shelf in the garage. I'd recommend using the finest size tip assembly on the VL. You can use it for anything related to crankbaits and it will help a bit with the pressure problem.

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If you guys are spraying @ 30-40+psi how do you keep the overspray under control when doing throat splotches, side bars, back shading, etc? Do you control overspray/pressure strictly with the button on top of the gun or do you just use that pressure for the initial base colour(s) then thinning the paint & reducing the compressor pressure to 10-15psi for the detailing?

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pikester - I have four brushes, an old Iwata, still going (over 30 yrs), an Aztec (for rough stuff) and two cheapies from ebay, all double action gravity feed.

I bought the brush pictured about 9 months ago on ebay NEW (@ ebay Australia) for A- $36 about U.S-$30 and they are still on there, it’s probably made in China, but it is my best, very adjustable and after “hotting it up” is by far the most versatile. I run it at between 20-25lb and adjust it up/down at the air screw at the tip. I have sprayed a little with thinners based enamels etc, but would expect at this price it would not have a ceramic seal, so I am not going to push it. Great for W/B and Tamiya ethanol based acrylics. For a starter, I highly recommend them. Pete

brush.jpg

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Please explain something to me.

Some mention a pressure of 10 psi at which shooting is possible. The pressure at sea level is 1 atm. which is equal to 14.696 psi. If you have a pressure of 10 psi in your air tank, this means that the atmospheric pressure is higher than the pressure in your tank. How can you shoot in such a situation?

I don't have an airbrush, so I do not know much about such a tool, but I want to learn, to be prepared if I will ever have one. But some things seem curious to me.

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After playimg with it abit more last night I believe it is usable. I can still play with the delution ratios. It is quiet and that was my reason for ordering it. I have used my VL with the red cap off to make adjustments on the flow. Did it last night too. I really would like an Iwata gravity, with that cutout for adjustments. But that is down the road. I will try different tips. Thanks for the replies.

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Rofish, I won't try to wrap my brain around psi versus atmospheres:nuhuh: All I'm talking about is what the dial on my pressure regulator reads. Mine is adjustable and I use 30-45 psi for color basecoating, then drop it down to 15-20 psi when shooting details.

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After a secong thought, I think that my first way of thinking may not be right.

Maybe the pressure indicator does not measure the atmospheric pressure (14.696 PSI) but what is above it. So when it indicates zero pressure, it means that it has exactly the pressure of the air outside it.

Same thing happens with the pressure of the car tyres.

It must be so, otherwire my brains would be unable to understand it :lol:

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After a secong thought, I think that my first way of thinking may not be right....

Rofish...the pounds per square inch (psi) of air is not determined by atmospheric pressure. It's determined by the pressure inside the tank that is holding the air. If the max amount of psi allowed is 125 then the tank will max out at 125 pounds of air per square inch inside the tank...some compressors will stop running when the max psi is reached and then turn back on when the air pressure drops below th max. Some, like mine, will continue to run but have a release valve that releases any amount of air over the max psi. The regulator that separates the air from the tank and your airbrush determines how much air is allowed to push the paint sort of like a filter...which usually drops down a psi or two when you press the trigger. Some people are more comfortable controlling their paint with their trigger only, like Rookie, and get great results like he does. Some people are more comfortable controlling their paint with the psi that is allowed to come out of the brush, like Bob, and get great results. Myself, I lean with Bob...not because I think that way is better, but just because I'm more comfortable using the air pressure regulator and the trigger. My setup: Iwata HP-CS, Industrial compressor with regulator, Createx water base, detail work at 10-12psi, layers at 25-30psi, base coats at 45psi. Hope this helps.:teef:

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