These tips on how to troubleshoot common airbrush problems are super helpful when painting miniatures!
The Army Painter is known for having some of the best and most affordable paints on the market! But they also have an extensive collection of tutorials and paint guides. Their tutorials are perfect for learning how to get your minis on the table quickly. If you want to see everything The Army Painter has been releasing lately, check it out here.
Today they are walking us through something that’s simple, but most of us take it for granted after we’ve learned it, troubleshooting your airbrush while painting miniatures! This will really save you some serious headaches, and while it is geared towards newer hobbyists it also has some good tips for veterans as well.
Just as a note, all the paints, and tools used in this video will be from them, which you can pick up all the tools and colors here. Let’s see how to troubleshoot our airbrush while painting miniatures.
Troubleshoot Airbrush Problems When Painting Miniatures
If you didn’t know, the Army Painter just came out with an amazing airbrush line that is more or less foolproof, but stuff still does happen! If you want to get any of their paints, you can here.
Tip #1: Tip Drying
Sometimes paint will dry in the needle tip and make spraying hard. This is super easy to fix, just keep an old toothbrush around and rub it off every once in a while to prevent paint from drying.
Tip #2 Spidering
Spidering is when you have too much pressure or when you have too thin of paints. When using their air paints this will happen less since they come ready to go. There is no set pressure to use, but if your paint is spidering, turn your air compressor down or try to use slightly thicker paint.
Tip #3 Cleaning the Reservoir
You want to do this when transitioning from major colors or if it’s just getting too dirty. Take some of their airbrush cleaner and take an old dry brush and just rub it around. The more often you clean it, the easier this will be.
Tip #4: Clogging
If there is clogging and major backup, that’s when you’ll have to take the brush apart and do a deeper clean. Do this based on the manufacturer’s recommendations and tips.
Be sure to follow The Army Painter on Youtube for more great content like this.
Get Your Army Painter Air Paints Here!
About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
