In detail: do-it-yourself airbrush repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.
An airbrush (air brush - translated from English) is a compact spray gun, with the help of which paint is sprayed (sprayed) in a thin strip onto any surface. In principle, its operation is similar to that of a spray gun, but there is also a significant difference, one might say a fundamental one. This is that with the help of an airbrush you can make beautiful images and apply them to almost any surface. Such a device is convenient to apply unique images, even with small details. Despite the fact that you can find various models on sale, many are wondering how to make an airbrush with their own hands at home and how difficult and costly it is.
All airbrushes are divided into several types, according to the following characteristics:
A method of mixing streams of air and paint. There are external and internal mixing. The first option has a simpler design.
The method of supplying paint and the location of the container. There are models with top, side and bottom feeding, in addition, there are devices in which the paint is supplied by means of air at a certain pressure.
Control type. Single, double and independent action.
The main components of the airbrush:
Container for paint or varnish;
Compressor;
Receiver;
Nozzle;
Lever and control valve;
Air valve;
Needle;
Airbrush stand;
Pen.
The principle of operation of all airbrushes is the same and consists in the fact that the air pressure that passes through the tube is greater than that of the external environment. The paint is mixed with air, having previously gone up the tube. In this case, an even and sufficiently powerful jet is formed (Bernoulli's principle). The air quantity is regulated by a trigger (control mechanism). When the trigger is pressed, the paint or varnish is sucked out of the container and sprayed in the form of a conical jet.
The design of most models is the same, regardless of the location of the container for varnish or paint. Although some details may differ, the principle of operation remains the same.
One of the most optimal receiver options is a do-it-yourself fire extinguisher for an airbrush, especially since you can easily find such a product. You can search in factories, contact friends, purchase from firefighters or companies that service fire extinguishers. They usually always have discarded fire extinguishers ready for disposal. It is better to choose specimens with a capacity of 15-20 liters, but only so that they are in good condition. Rust is unacceptable inside the container.
Video (click to play).
Important: a fire extinguisher for assembling an airbrush with your own hands must be in good condition, without external deformations, and there must be no rust inside.
If there is rust, you can use a special remover, paint baking powder, thinner, wire brush, or a drill with special attachments. It is advisable to treat the places where there was rust with a special solution for binding rust. After that, the surface must be treated with a metal primer and painted. This must be done strictly according to the instructions.
Tip: Pay special attention to the inside of the neck and the lid.
Among the many options for how to make a compressor for an airbrush with your own hands, the most common and demanded are a compressor from a refrigerator and a car compressor for inflating wheels.
The main advantages of choosing a compressor from a refrigerator for an airbrush:
There is no need for additional power supplies, as they work from a standard 220V network;
Availability;
Long time of non-stop work;
Low noise level.
Such compressors are designed to work not with air, but with freon;
Periodic oil changes are required.
Pros of a car compressor for making an airbrush with your own hands:
Optimal pressure;
High performance;
Mobility;
Easy to install and operate, adapts well to the system.
Quite high noise level;
The time of continuous work is limited.
A powerful battery is required.
If you still compare these two options, then an airbrush from a car compressor can be called more preferable. It allows you to obtain a sufficient pressure of about 7 atmospheres and high productivity in the range of 70-73 l / min. With the unit from the refrigerator, it is unlikely that it will be possible to obtain such indicators.
As an option for a car compressor for a homemade airbrush, you can use the AC 700 model or another similar one, the main thing is that the performance characteristics correspond to the required indicators. The technical characteristics, equipment and price of this model are quite suitable. The work procedure can be divided into several stages.
First, you need to remove all unnecessary - kerchiefs, an air duct with a fitting, a handle, rubber feet. All this will come in handy in the future, so you do not need to throw anything away.
The second step is to adapt the compressor to the system. This is done using an adapter for pipe threads, depending on the thread itself. Most often it is 1/4 or 1/2 inch.
Insert the duct tube into the barrel. Pre-cut in half. The joint, if desired, can be sealed from the inside, but this is not necessary, the main thing is that the connection is airtight.
As a power supply, you can use computer power supplies, from the PS game console and others. The main thing is that their characteristics correspond to the following parameters - 12 V and 50 A, if necessary, you can combine several blocks.
The assembly of all parts of the compressor is carried out using plumbing fittings and fittings (plumbing).
You will also need to prepare:
Pressure switch (optional PM / 5G);
Separator;
Check valve;
Pressure regulator.
The next step is adaptation and installation of the cover. Then it remains to make a stand for the airbrush. There are many options here. Although some people can do without the last element quite comfortably, but, as practice shows, it is more convenient with a stand.
After that, it remains to connect all the electrical elements and make a complete assembly. It is very important here to be careful about wiring. Especially when it is supposed to use multiple power supplies. This is due to the fact that different manufacturers use wires of different colors, so there is no single standard. But there is one caveat - the arrangement of the wires is identical.
The airbrush is assembled in several stages - the assembly of the cartridge and the manufacture of the air valve. There are many options here.
Alternatively, you can use:
Ballpoint pen;
Medical syringe;
Wine bottle cork;
A jar, you can glass.
There are more complicated and simpler options. Therefore, everyone should choose for themselves how to make an airbrush, based on their skills and capabilities. Here is considered one of the simplest and most affordable, both in terms of manufacturing method and cost.
Making an airbrush at home with your own hands is not difficult for yourself. At the same time, the cost of the device will be several times lower than the factory models, but in terms of characteristics, they are unlikely to be inferior.
An airbrush is a device with which you can paint various small parts, apply paint evenly on various surfaces, paint cars and paint pictures on walls when decorating interiors.It is customary to use professional equipment and tools for painting and drawing, which are not cheap. Therefore, if a home craftsman needs to paint any small parts or cover a small area with paint, stain or varnish, then buying a factory airbrush is impractical. It is easier to do it yourself from improvised means, spending a minimum of time on the whole process.
Before you start making the device at home, you should decide what kind of airbrush design you need - with external paint mixing or internal.
External mixing airbrushes have a tank with a tube coming out of it. The latter is located opposite the tube through which air is supplied. As a result, paint escaping from the tube of the tank is blown away by the air stream.
In devices without spray gun the colorant mixes with the air inside the housing and is blown out through the nozzle.
To make a DIY airbrush, you will need items such as a syringe, a ballpoint pen (with an empty refill), a blood transfusion system, and a glue gun. The manufacturing process of the device without an external paint sprayer is as follows.
Take a ballpoint pen and remove the refill from it.
It is required to remove the ball from the writing part (tip) of the rod. To do this, it is enough to make a few movements with the tip on the sandpaper, after which the ball will fall out of it. If there is ink in the refill, you first need to detach the writing part and blow it out of the tube. It is also recommended to flush the tubing with water or solvent using a syringe.
After the ball is cured, the tip should be well polished and deburred, both outside and inside the hole, holding the rod in a vise.
After polishing, detach the tip from the plastic tube using pliers.
The next step is to make a hole in the side of the tip. This can be easily done with a triangular file.
After punching the hole, remove the burrs around the hole and remove any small chips from the inside of the element that have formed during the grinding process.
Insert the tip into the plastic rod.
Next, you should cut off a small part of the handle body with a length of 35 mm. Mark the desired location and saw off part of the tube with a metal hacksaw.
Clamp the sawn-off part of the handle body in a vise in a vertical position.
Make a cut with a triangular file at the end of the tube, as shown in the following photo.
Insert the rod into the tube and make sure the cut is deep enough. The hole in the side of the tip should be open.
The rod can now be shortened so that it has a length with the tip of about 40 mm.
After shortening the rod to the required length, you will need to insert a needle into its writing part.
Draw paint in a syringe and place it on the resulting mini airbrush. Move the clip wheel in the opposite direction to the syringe (all the way), thereby pinching the dropper tube. Connect the free end of the dropper to the compressor hose and test spray paint. To start spraying, just rotate the clamp wheel forward a little so that air flows through the dropper towards the nozzle. After some simple experiments with the pressure in the system and the thickness of the paint, the homemade airbrush will be ready to go.
Make cutouts in the plastic bottle to match the shape of the airbrush.
The easiest way is to make an airbrush yourself if its design implies the presence of an external paint sprayer, that is, when the device is in operation, external mixing of air with paint will occur. Below is a drawing according to which you can make a device for spraying paint in just a few minutes.
The airbrush is made as follows.
Now you can pour paint into the container and try to paint.If the device is required for painting models and various small parts, then you can do without a compressor. It is enough to draw more air into the lungs and blow into the tube. For background application and painting of large areas, a hose from the compressor can be connected to the tube... When painting large areas, one compressor is indispensable. It will take to him connect the receiver for the airbrush, which will ensure more stable operation of the latter. The receiver can be made from a fire extinguisher, a plastic bottle, or a tire from a car.
Important! This airbrush model can be improved if the air supply tube is made from a 5 ml syringe by inserting it instead of a ballpoint pen. In this case, a conventional blow gun can be connected to the device.
How the device works with a syringe installed instead of a ballpoint pen body, you can learn from this video.
Unscrew the plastic cap of the device while holding the device by the metal nut.
Next, you need to unscrew the needle lock (shown by the arrow in the next photo). Do not completely unscrew the latch. It just needs to be loosened so that the needle can move in the guide. The needle should also not be pulled out forcibly, as this will cause the ink to leak.
If, at the slightest pull of the trigger, paint was immediately fed, then the needle, in this case, needs to be moved forward a little. It is necessary to achieve such a setting so that the paint starts move when the lever is pressed halfway... To do this, press the lever (up to half the stroke) and, without releasing it, tighten the needle lock.
Next, the cap is screwed into place. But you should be aware that an adjusting screw is provided on the cap to fine-tune the movement of the needle. Therefore, you need to unscrew it a little, turn on the compressor and fine-tune the device.
If you set up the airbrush in this way, then when using the tool, it will be possible to smoothly adjust the fluid supply to the nozzle.
In addition, the above settings do not guarantee correct operation of the device if the wrong pressure in the system is selectedto which it is connected. For an airbrush, you need a pressure in the range of 1-3 atm. If there is little pressure in the system, then the result of the work will turn out to be rough and of poor quality. If the air pressure is too high, the atomization is finer, but the process becomes more difficult to control.
Problems arise especially if the air compressor does not have outlet pressure regulation. In this case, you can install the reducer with pressure gauges by yourself between the receiver and the air supply hose to the device. The reducer will allow you to accurately regulate the air pressure supplied to the airbrush, depending on the thickness of the paint and the required artistic techniques.
Most airbrush problems are caused by poor, irregular or improper cleaning. Even after a short time with it or when changing the dye, the device should be rinsed with water (in the case of using water-based paints). If special dyes are used, then cleaning the airbrush consists in rinsing it with solvents or cleaning solutions. Do not leave any type of paint in the tank for long periods of time.
It will be possible to qualitatively clean the airbrush from the paint after its complete disassembly.
Unscrew the cap on the back of the device.
Loosen the collet securing the needle.
Remove the needle from the instrument.
Unscrew the needle feed mechanism with the collet clamp. You will see the main rubbing parts of the airbrush that need to be lubricated after cleaning. As a lubricant, you can use lithol.
Next, you should remove the lever, trying not to lose the bracket, which will fall out of the case if you turn it with the hole for the button down. The lever must also be lubricated with lithology.
Remove the needle protection cap at the front of the device.
Remove the cap protecting the nozzle.
If cleaning of the nozzle is required, then it is unscrewed with the key that comes with the tool.
Next, remove the lid from the paint container.
Important! It will be necessary to completely disassemble the airbrush only in case of interruptions in its operation or to lubricate the rubbing elements. Usually, lubrication of the device elements is required if the lever is no longer pressed smoothly, or it moves with difficulty.
Cleaning the airbrush after finishing work or changing the dye can be done in a simpler way, without completely disassembling the device.
Remove paint residues from the device.
Remove the needle from the body of the instrument and wipe it from the blunt end to the sharp end. Be careful not to damage the sharpened end of the needle.
Pour a small amount of water or solvent into the container. Rinse the container and dry it with a rag.
Blow out the device with air with a container filled with cleaning agent.
Unscrew the protective cap of the needle and wipe it with solvent, then replace the cap.
Insert the needle into the device and secure it with the collet.
Blow the airbrush again with air.
This washing station is made in the form of a container with an opening for inserting an airbrush. The cleaner is convenient in that it protects the user from inhalation of solvent vapors harmful to health, since it sprayed inside the container.
It is quite difficult to rinse the airbrush after the acrylic if it has dried up, since the paint contains film-forming substances. Methods for cleaning acrylic from an airbrush vary depending on how long the paint has been in the tool.
If you want to wash off the acrylic stain that not dry yet, then ordinary water will do. Cleaning the device will speed up if the water is warm.
Finding paint in a tool more than an hour (up to a day) leads to its hardening. In this case, it is not too late to soften and remove the acrylic with ordinary vodka, alcohol or alcohol-containing liquids.
In the most neglected case, if acrylic was in the device several days, then it can be removed only with gasoline, acetone, white spirit or kerosene.
Under the influence of the above substances, the softening of the acrylic paint film former takes about 30 minutes. It is necessary to pour some solvent into the tank several times and moisten the rest of the airbrush elements clogged with acrylic with it.
Important! Do not soak the device in solvent, as rubber and plastic seals may fail. Special brushes are usually used to remove softened paint.
