Second Chance... Some Assembly Required

A lot of things in the refinishing world are built in with 2nd chance scenarios (it's done right because it's done twice), but not everything is that simple to do twice. Or even once. Up until yesterday i was working on a Harley fender for Mike at Iron Works that has quite a detailed piece being airbrushed on it. A knight with angel wings killing a large snake whilst a naked lady is kneeling next to him. Pretty sweet. Round 1 ended when i found that the masking had left hideous residue everywhere in on and around the paint. In the end, the remedy was to sand off the residue because it was ON THERE. I cleaned it off, ready to either start again leave it blank. I got word from Mike that the customer said give it another go. In order to make sure the same problem doesn't happen again, i started by getting a new frisket mask. And to ensure that everything goes smoothly, i decided to disassemble and clean the airbrush... because i couldn't remember when the last time i had. The airbrush i use the most is an Iwata Hp-C Plus gravity cup. It, unlike the other Iwata i use, uses a 0.3 mm needle/nozzle setup. And anything that small is going to be picky about being clean. This airbrush works great all the time tho... it was messier then i thought, but it didn't seem to affect the performance any. I've broken 2 nozzles in the past just trying to remove them... but i managed to get this one out without breaking anything and without losing it. The nozzle is the piece on top of the penny. I spent probably an hour and a half cleaning everything inside and out. I straightened the needle, wet sanded the tip smooth and sharp, then polished every piece. Careful assembly and Wa LA. This airbrush works excellent and is well worth the money. I think i spoiled myself a little by getting an Iwata airbrush as my first one tho. I have tried others... and that's why I've bought 3 other Iwatas since the first. But it's like giving someone a Ferrari for their first car... they're likely not going to think: " This is pretty cool... but im more curious to see what an 89 Corolla is all about".