galileo1 Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Hi all, I was wondering if anyone ever had any issues spraying things like lacquer/enamel paints through the Iwata Eclipse HP-CS. I'd like to know, specifically, about issues with the large rubber O ring located at the end of of the nozzle cap when cleaning the airbrush with lacquer-type thinners, etc. I've had an Eclipse for a while now but never really used it. I'd like to start using it for all my metallic paints (Alclad, AK Extreme Metal, Mr. Metal Color, etc) and so I'd like to know if I'll run into issues with the O ring. Any feedback will be appreciated. Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Air-Craft Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Like most airbrushes the Eclipse has solvent proof seals in the paint path, but not elsewhere - flushing with strong solvent is fine, but take care with everything else as nitrile & Viton seals (like the one on the head cap) will swell & eventually deteriorate in solvent. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ro-Gar Hobbies Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 I use lacquer with both MM paints and Tamiya paints and not had any issues with my Eclipse's, both top and bottom feeds. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
galileo1 Posted October 20, 2015 Author Share Posted October 20, 2015 (edited) Like most airbrushes the Eclipse has solvent proof seals in the paint path, but not elsewhere - flushing with strong solvent is fine, but take care with everything else as nitrile & Viton seals (like the one on the head cap) will swell & eventually deteriorate in solvent. Martin, Do you sell anything better (seals) for the Eclipse so that I may replace that rubber piece on the head cap? I haven't been able to find anything good for my Eclipse. Rob Edited October 20, 2015 by galileo1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
galileo1 Posted October 20, 2015 Author Share Posted October 20, 2015 I use lacquer with both MM paints and Tamiya paints and not had any issues with my Eclipse's, both top and bottom feeds. Thanks for the feedback, Robert. Guess it should be okay then. Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
galileo1 Posted October 20, 2015 Author Share Posted October 20, 2015 (edited) Double post. Edited October 20, 2015 by galileo1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Air-Craft Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Martin, Do you sell anything better (seals) for the Eclipse so that I may replace that rubber piece on the head cap? I haven't been able to find anything good for my Eclipse. Rob I'm afraid not Rob... Solvent proof seals are typically PTFE, which is generally pretty stiff in comparison to the rubbers used for other seals, so it's not as flexible or accommodating as rubber. Add to this that it appears (for airbrushes anyway) PTFE seals are die cut from sheet & have square edges. A look through the numerous boxes of tricks doesn't find anything quite large enough to replace the Eclipse 6051 seal..... If the seal does come into contact with solvents, generally speaking if allow it to dry thoroughly (let the solvent evaporate fully from it) you should be able to reuse it without much bother, although it will eventually fail after several soakings Quote Link to post Share on other sites
galileo1 Posted October 20, 2015 Author Share Posted October 20, 2015 Thanks for the info, Martin. Guess I just have to be careful when I clean it. Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Thommo Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Hi all, I was wondering if anyone ever had any issues spraying things like lacquer/enamel paints through the Iwata Eclipse HP-CS. I'd like to know, specifically, about issues with the large rubber O ring located at the end of of the nozzle cap when cleaning the airbrush with lacquer-type thinners, etc. I've had an Eclipse for a while now but never really used it. I'd like to start using it for all my metallic paints (Alclad, AK Extreme Metal, Mr. Metal Color, etc) and so I'd like to know if I'll run into issues with the O ring. Any feedback will be appreciated. Rob Where exactly is this o-ring? I recently bought a HP-CP. Parts diagrams seem to show 2 'head o-rings' (both called part #6) on the CS, but only one on the CP? So far I've mostly used acrylic but recently sprayed enamel (Floquil Old Silver thinned with Humbrol enamel thinner). In all cases I clean as follows: Between colours: - spray out excess paint; - rinse out cup with water under a tap - wipe out cup with dry/damp tissue; - spray 50% Vallejo AB cleaner/50% distilled water through - dip a brush in the above mix and swish it around in the cavity at bottom of cup and inside the nozzle/needle area, and also clean that area with a damp tissue - if I've used enamel/lacquer paint, spray some turps/enamel thinner through, and use a little on a brush/tissue inside the nozzle/needle area - spray water through - spray next colour At the end of a build (assuming the between colours clean was completed after last colour sprayed): - take out needle and carefully clean with tissue and 50% Vallejo Ab cleaner/50% distilled water - take off needle cap & nozzle cap and clean them with tissue and brush dipped in above solution (so far have not removed nozzle itself) - swish brush dipped in 50% Vallejo Ab cleaner/50% distilled water around in the cavity at bottom of paint cup and forward toward nozzle - put tiny bit of lube on needle and re-assemble - spray through some 50% Vallejo Ab cleaner/50% distilled water - spray through some water So the lacquer-type thinners only really get near that o-ring is when I clean the inside of the nozzle/needle area while the caps are still in-situ. Not sure if any of that is likely to cause a problem. So far I've not dis-assembled the trigger mechanism (and hope I never need to!). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jinmmydel Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I've got an HP-CS. I've been spraying enamel and lacquer thinned with lacquer, and cleaning aggressively with lacquer thinner for two years now and the lacquer has in no way been a problem for the seal. I take no effort to avoid exposing it..and in fact clean it a good deal...no. issues. at. all. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
galileo1 Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 (edited) Where exactly is this o-ring?.... Here's the parts breakdown for the Eclipse (same parts for the HP-CS): Iwata Eclipse Part 5 (Packing Head O-Ring) is the one I'm asking about. Thanks for the rundown on your cleaning process. Rob Edited October 21, 2015 by galileo1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
galileo1 Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 I've got an HP-CS. I've been spraying enamel and lacquer thinned with lacquer, and cleaning aggressively with lacquer thinner for two years now and the lacquer has in no way been a problem for the seal. I take no effort to avoid exposing it..and in fact clean it a good deal...no. issues. at. all. Thanks, Jim. Guess I'll be alright then. Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I've got an HP-CS. I've been spraying enamel and lacquer thinned with lacquer, and cleaning aggressively with lacquer thinner for two years now and the lacquer has in no way been a problem for the seal. I take no effort to avoid exposing it..and in fact clean it a good deal...no. issues. at. all. Same here on a HP-C plus and the CM-C Plus for the past 4 years. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
galileo1 Posted October 22, 2015 Author Share Posted October 22, 2015 Same here on a HP-C plus and the CM-C Plus for the past 4 years. Thanks, Chuck! I have the CM-C Plus as well but haven't yet used it with lacquer/enamel based colors. Good to know though. Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GEH737 Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 I have the Iwata HP-CS - is there an easy way to get parts 7 thru 11 out (the guts below the needle)? I wrecked one already trying to do that - and I figure there's got to be an easier way. Even when I'm careful - you know - paint and stuff, gets down in there... Hitch Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tosouthern66 Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 (edited) I have the Iwata HP-CS - is there an easy way to get parts 7 thru 11 out (the guts below the needle)? I wrecked one already trying to do that - and I figure there's got to be an easier way. Even when I'm careful - you know - paint and stuff, gets down in there... Hitch Hitch If you look at part 11, it is a small brass colored part. If you look closely there are two holes in it. Take the sharpest pair of tweezers or a heavy needle. If you place them in the two wholes you can turn the part to screw it out. I had to apply pressure to the air needle sticking out to take pressure off it to turn it. Be vary careful, it is easy to lose the parts because of the spring pressure behind that part. If you are getting paint in that area then I would suggest replacing the Teflon Needle Packing Set. It sounds like its leaking paint past it. Edited October 23, 2015 by tosouthern66 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
galileo1 Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 (edited) Yeah, the air valve in the Iwatas can be a total pain to remove. The casing seems to just be stuck in there with some form of lube. I had a heck of a time trying to remove the one in my Revolution. I ended up soaking the parts in lacquer thinner to get it out. I had to re-lube the whole thing to ensure a proper seal. Rob Edited October 23, 2015 by galileo1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GEH737 Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 Thanks guys - I went with the heavy duty tweezers. Everything went fine - it's not that there was a problem so much - just get a little OCD when trying to keep it clean. Since sometimes the trigger would get a little "sticky" - I thought something might be down in there. Turns out it was surprisingly clean. In the end though - now I'm happy with knowing how it all comes apart :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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