I must
unfortunately announce the demise of my Iwata Eclipse HP-CS airbrush, veteran
of something like 15 years of use.
Today
was just the last straw. There was no longer any paint coming out of the front
of the airbrush. I disassembled it more than once, scrubbed it with thinner and
little wire brushes, and finally had to surrender to the inevitable. The
airbrush was no more, singing with the choir invisible, pushing up daisies, and
other such Python references.
I
suspect the little bullet shaped nozzle in the front of the brush, which cannot
be cleaned physically (the opening on one end is too small to allow anything
like a wire or pipe cleaner to pass through) is finally occluded with dried
paint. That would likely explain the diminishing amount of paint that has been
making it to the model from the paint cup. There were bubbles in the cup, which
implies that some passageway was blocked. I decided to check out parts prices
to keep from having to buy a new brush, but the nozzle, needle, and o-ring (all
of which are damaged) came to $42 via Amazon, while a new Iwata HP-CS was $139.
So, after consultation with my wife, I decided that it basically amounted to
getting a replacement brush for $100. Seeing that I have always liked my
Eclipse (when it worked the way I expected), and it has given many long years of service - and you know my
production is higher than most modellers, not counting 2015 - this seemed like
the proper thing to do. At some future point perhaps I will replace that
clogged nozzle, giving me a backup brush.
It
does mean that the coming days of blog entries will be filled with writing up
completions and construction, since there will be no airbrushing going on til
the new recruit gets here mid-week.
But finances being what they are, it was a decision that did require some thought. My BluRay player is fatally down, too, so my entertainment options are becoming limited!
But finances being what they are, it was a decision that did require some thought. My BluRay player is fatally down, too, so my entertainment options are becoming limited!
But
look what just jumped on to the workbench and demanded some construction
attention.
Always a sad day when a favorite, gasps its last. Long live the new one!
ReplyDeleteWell, it wasn't my favorite toward the end! But it did serve me well for most of its operational life. And the new one is really working well so far. Takes much of the stress out of paintwork.
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