Awesome video! Thank you! I’ve got a tip for everybody as an addition to this video. Put the needle in your cordless drill chuck i(f you have one) and then put the polish on a rag or something. Then spin the needle with the drill while using the rag and compound to polish. With the right compounds you could get an awesome shiny finish in less than a half an hour.

Just a little addition, if your short beeswax than chapstick will usually do the job. A dollar tube of the cheaper chapstick will usually last me 2 to 3 months, you can also more than $2 and get Burts beeswax lip balm. I've been using the stuff for over 20 years and have had no problems.

Great video. At first I said "Oh nooo, cheap junk airbrushes!" But you made your point why you use them. And your technique to improve them is very creative.

Nice video!Thanks a lot.. Just some tips from a weekend warrior... 1. use thread sealant-easier than wax and won't alter tip height, 2. Use a drill at low speed to hold the needle, apply polish over cloth and wrap over the needle tip-faster and more even polishing of a cylindrical surface.

To polish the tip of the needle, chuck the back end of the removed needle in a rotary tool, use polishing compound, even toothpaste, turn on and apply pressure with a rag, paper towel or a hard surface (glass works great) for a smoother finish. Wipe between 1-2 minute sessions and you should see a darkish tint to the wiping indicating microscopic meta bits removed. You'll get a mirror finish in 5 or 10 minutes work.

Thanks for these tips! I'm an absolute beginner on airbrush, and I bought a starter set with a spraygun very similar to the one in the video. It's nice to know that a cheap airbrush can 'level up' a bit after investing so much just to get started with airbrushing! Cheers

Thank you so much for this video - I was cleaning my Iwata Neo and broke the seal on the nozzle and remember watching this video with the beeswax trick. Being a wooden model ship builder I have plenty of beeswax on hand and it works like a charm. Thank you, now I don’t have to spend $20 on a new nozzle for a O ring for a $60 airbrush - RIGHT ARM -

Plumber's wax ring (made for sealing the flange of a toilet bowl where it sits on the floor above the pipe in the floor) can be used too, Its really tough wax, really cheap, and one ring can last a lifetime!

Thanks for this, first time I have heard of polishing the needle. Most excellent

Totally agree, I use cheap air rushes for general work, like primer, varnish, hairspray and base coats. Because they’re cheap. I can have one for each mentioned. This also makes sure I have interchangeable parts and replacements. Great video

Wow man, that beeswax trick is next level and, of course, echo friendly. I've got some at home, I'll try. Thank you!

Thanks for this video - very helpful. I could have been airbrushing for the rest of my life and never thought of using beeswax for the seal.

for polishing the needle of cheap airbrushes I use a polishing wheel on a dremel tool on the low speed setting. Just attacht the dremel to the table and gently rub (no pressure) the needle against the polishing wheel. Works super fast and improves the spray a lot.

Great video. I "destroyed" a cheap airbrush a few years ago and the experience put me off buying a more expensive one. I finally got an Iwata CR Rev and its improved my skills a lot but Im now looking to get another cheap one for priming and base painting. Ive now learnt that its wasnt the brush that broke rather my ability to look after it and now Ive learnt that rather basic skill Im now more confident to get a cheap one for heavy work and use my more expensive one for finer work. Thanks for this video its a real help. Not only do I know how to improve a cheap airbrush but you may also have taught me how to improve an already great brush.

Very helpful. Thank you. I wanted to give my 10 year old a basic airbrush set. I used these instructions to enhance a couple of inexpensive airbrushes. Great information!

This is one of the most helpful airbrush videos I've seen. Thanks.

Thank you, I am going to be getting into painting fishing lures and I bought a cheap brush to start and will now keep using it for my bulk spraying of base colours and not be in such a rush to buy a good one as I wont be doing much detail work for a while.

So glad I found this , took my new airbrush apart 0.3 needle was all bent at the tip and the nozzle had no thread to stay in place , Great info , new needle and nozzle are on route with beeswax and polishing paste , thank you for sharing your knowledge

Man, I love learning the secrets of well versed air brush users such as yourself. I can feel the confidence in your words, thus I plan to do everything you suggest. I thank you, like so many others I bought cheaper air brushes that with your tweaks may be great for practice. I understand now about spending the money to achieve the quality customers demand.

This is the most informative video I have found about the breakdown of cheap airbrushes. I have a similar one to this without the adjuster on the back end. If you have any information on how to thin the paint, the viscosity that is best, how to get the best out of a cheap airbrush, etc. This would be very helpful.

Polishing the needle is a great tip, I will give it a go tomorrow. Thanks again for your time and expertise.

I have a Veda WD-180. Without the o-ring the nozzle seats squarely and the extra threads help with holding (they're horrible). There was so much leakage that it practically sprayed no paint. I performed the Beeswax Trick and it flows perfectly! The only thing to remember is to remove the excess or it will inhibit airflow. I don't have to buy another air brush...for now.

Great video, as a starter with cheapish equipment I'll definitely be tying this out. kudos

Thank you so much for this video. I just bought a cheap airrush on Wish to replace the last cheap airbrush I bouth almost seven years ago. It looks like I bouht the exact same airbrush that you showed in this video. I do also have a Badger Sotar 20/20 for close in precision work, but these cheap airbrushes do most of the work I have just fine. I also happen to have beeswax that I bought for bookbinding, so I will be replacing the o-ring with that as the next time I use it.

Thanks some great advice here, i am a newcomer to airbrushing and found this very helpful.

A really helpful video and confirmed my opinion that you dont need a expensive airbrush, i have a H&S Evolution for little precise work, but all my other work i do it with this cheap ones what i get for just 17,00€, i think thats the same brand of airbrush you introduce here

Great Video! I have been doing this same thing to all my airbrushes especially the needle polish although I prefer Brasso. The airbrush is just a tool - it is the ability of the user which determines the result rather than the price. Of course it helps if you are not using total junk...and using a good paint above all.

Brilliant! And thanks for using that particular airbrush - its the exact same one as I use, even down to the case and blue flocked cut outs! For the price its a really good tool.

Just got a cheep Master system off Amazon comes with 3 airbrushes ,I do a lot of Leather-craft wet forming, molding etc so i wanted to expand my craft by fading dyes and painted art on projects ,watched a lot of videos here on KZfaq and yours was the most informative one yet on improving the performance of the cheep airbrushes ,Being a Leather worker i use Beeswax to burnish edges and for needles,stitching thread and tools so have a lot of that on hand also keep many bars of polishing compound on hand for tool stropping....thanks again for the tutorial. l

Fantastic video, especially since my cheap Chinese airbrush arrived today ($15AUD). Exactly the same as yours, except it didn't come in a nice box (was just wrapped in bubble wrap), so I made a little cardboard one for it. I am going to use it mainly for priming figures, or for things I don't want to dare to run through my expensive Badger brushes, such as ceramic paints and the like. Many thanks for your help!

Cool this is one of the most helpful airbrush videos I've seen. Thanks.

Awesome man. I ordered a new compressor and it comes with a cheap airbrush, I will do the needle polishing on it for sure. Probably polish the needles on my other airbrushes too. Thanks.

Thanks. I have never used an airbrush, and this encourages me to get a cheapo and get a little practice.

I have two neos (CN and BCN) that I am very happy with, but I found your video very useful thanks alot!

The freaking needle polishing tip saves lives! Thank you for enlighting me

Thanks for the tips that are very helpful. A simple question if I may ask: How long the bee wax stands, how often must it be changed? Thanks...

Holy cow i used my 6 sided nail file on my. 02 needle. Looks like chrome now. Another guy posted have mild soap water in big bowl to clean by submerging gun and constantly spray. Bot ideas allowed me to shoot 6 shading colors without taking gun apart. That's a successful day. Plus the addition of more distilled water to paint made my day. - cheap gun owner and proud of it. Have yo find bee wax for sealing tip yet. Appreciate your input and suggestions. 👍🙂

I just ordered a cheap airbrush to try my hand at airbrushing. Thanks for this valuable information! 👍

Excellent video. Never knew that you could polish the tip of the needle. I’m going to try removing the O ring. Thanks.

nice video! I polish the needles of all my airbrushes, even the expensive ones, to seal the nozzle I use low tork tread locker, works wonders and is super easy to use.

Well - You learn something every day. Very nice tips.

Thanks for the tips. Looking to buy my first airbrush and I don't want to invest too much until I know if it is something I am going to stick with.

This was a very awesome video. You just got a subscriber. I just started doing miniatures and got an airbrush/air compressor combo so I will be doing this trick.

"Gambiarra" master piece! Amazing !Ty ... gambiarra s a brazilian term for improvisation and creative solutions ^^

Honestly in you’re 8mins video helps me a lot! Thank you sir.

Great video! I use the wax seal now and have had great success! Thanks.

I obtained 5 airbrushes, all cheap with purchase of a couple little compressors, & so far have only used 2, the HD-470 & Zeropoint have worked flawlessly out of the box. But after probably not cleaning completely last winter, the HD-470 had a bent needle tip (from me somehow) bubbles in the bowl after replacing with cheap .50, then back to a cheap .20 & not bubbles, but definite flow problem & some strange noise when moving the trigger. Then air bubbles out the tip guard connection when back-flushing (never happened before 🤣) I'll thoroughly clean trigger air valve section when I get home today. It worked so perfectly, so, deep cleaning should be the answer, since I only used acrylics in my brushes. I will definitely be polishing these cheap needles, & continue to use the inexpensive stuff. Thanks for posting all the tips. I also will be checking the

Remarkable airbrush technics thank you very much for sharing

Great tutorial, I have two airbrushes with both the same issues and never came to this idea, thanks to you I will be back on my airbrushfeet! Now only ask the wife to get beeswax!!! Thanks a lot!!!

Awesome video. Thank you for sharing. I know exactly what I’m gonna do on both of my brushes. 👍🏻👍🏻 UP!!!!!

This is a MUST WATCH for cheapo beginners. Thanks!

The needle treatment great stuff. The o-ring will seal well if "wet" with any petroleum or food-based grease or oil. Although I'm sure if you want to use bees wax over the seal it might work also.

Wow, thanks great video, most impressed with the result that you achieved . Makes me think !

Wow! This tip definitely deserves the subscription. Thank you for sharing your experience!

Thank you very much. I want to get into it but I read so many people saying negative things about cheap. But I know there are people like yourself out there that use them even when they have top branded ones. Ive sprayed with gravity fed automotive guns both expensive and cheap ones and I dis the same thing. But when I had enough experience I could get the same finish with the cheap as I did the expensive, the only thing was maybe a little more sanding....

I'd like to hand out a warning about removing the o-ring from the nozzle; some cheap airbrushes need the o-ring so the tip of the nozzle will jut out ever so slightly from the nozzle cover. If it doesn't, a vacuum will be formed at the nozzle's tip and no spraying will commence! So I suggest not to immediately snip the o-ring in two and see first if it will jut out without the o-ring. If it doesn't, then unfortunately you can't remove it lest it make your airbrush unusable. All the same, apply beeswax around the rim to improve the seal. Hope this helps.

(Husband here) Thank you so much for creating this vid. I am new to modeling and airbrushing and started off with a cheapish setup. I can't tell how my setup is crappy yet but I'm sure it is mediocre at best. Now I'll have to harass my co-worker for bees wax since her father keeps bees.

Such a good video! Thank you, this is informative and the instructions worked great for me!

i have a cheap airbrush and really it works not too bad but i think you're right! you don't have to spend a lot of money to make good models!!!!!!thank you!👌

Great video. I learned some new tricks, thanks!

Very helpful for me cause i don't have much money but now i can purchase an airbrush for a good price thanks .

Oh shit, thats the crappy airbrush i have! I got it for free with the compressor lol.

I go as far as wrapping some plumbers tape around the needle and put it in a drill, then use 1500-2000 grit sandpaper to smooth the needle tip, followed by polishing compound and finally cleaning the entire needle.. I also sacrifice an old needle in the drill and use polishing compound to polish and "seat" the inside of the tips. Spray a full Airbrush cup of lacquer thinner through it to clean everything. My $20 Airbrush is still performing flawlessly after 4 years.

Fantastic Tips!!! Its helped 3 older A/B's I haven't been using due to the washer problem.... Thx.... LEBIII

Great work ! Worth to try on...Thanks for tiping us...

Very usefull Video! I actually deactivated adblock and rewatched it!

It is worth polishing the nozzle as well, use the needle with some polish on the tip and very carefully rotate it and run it in and out of the nozzle, being careful no to force it into the nozzle as these cheap brushes have softer nozzles than expensive brushes.

Thanks. A big help and well presented.

Hey Scale-a-ton where did you get your beeswax because I lost my O-Ring and I wanted to try out this trick.

Just bought a cheaper Airbrush from Princess Auto, and after the second time i used it, it was bubbling and then sputtering, so I tried this and it's working Perfect! Thank You! Now I can Practice Yaaas B! Thank You!

I own that very same airbrush and am using it for the very same reasons. still developing my skills. However that one only cost me about $12.00 with shipping. I also did not have the same issues with the lines and spray being weak.

Thanks for the helpful tips. You’ve got yourself a new subscriber. Is there anything alts you can use as a sealant besides beeswax?

Thanks man!, Appreciate your seriously unbiased opinion and solution :)

Thanks for the great video, you have actual practical improvements that anyone can do without buying a lot of other things (i'm wondering if i could just use candle wax instead of bees wax though?) Also can i just polish the needle with 1000 grit emery clothe, or car polish or both?

Great tips and advice, thanks!

This was very usefull, i do not own an airbrush yet but this gave me an idea for what in getting etc

Very informative video. Thanks brother. Great tips.

Never had any trouble with my dual action China brush. Tell the truth it's better the my badger 200 in some ways. Love the bees wax idea. Love the video.

I got the same airbrush and the o ring just broke today after a month or so. I bought some £1 beeswax off of ebay for your way, but tbh it was spraying okay for what I was doing without the o ring. I'll be getting a Harder and Steinbeck evo or ultra after my current model is finished. And then only use this one for primer and top coats.

The man said, you gonna learn something today! Good job.

Thank you for such a helpful video 👍

Awesome tips! Thanks for sharing!

Totally new to airbrushing and this was a very, very useful tips video. One question, could plumbers tape be used in place of the bee'z wax?

Great video lot of great info. Have u ever sanded a needle with a very fine grit sandpaper then polished it?

I had to scrap the degraded o-ring due to continue thinner contact and i found that screwing the nozzle directly to the airbrush with no o-ring in between was giving me problems because the position of the nozzle was way to back wrt to air exit at the nozzle cap causing uneven spraying. The solution was to add a fine stripe of teflon tape wound in the place where the o-ring used to seat to build up some thickness and reestablish the correct longitudinal position of the nozzle and this solved the problem. I've been using it for months, with enamels, acrylics and poliurethan paints with no problems, no clogging, and I didn't need to disassemble it since then.

I just removed the oring in the nozzle and it's fine, without beeswax or teflon. Also those orings can sit unevenly and put the the nozzle off center the air cap. Get rid of that, remove the needle cap (the last part of the point) and look with a magnify lens at your aircap hole / nozzle alignment: if it's a bit uncentered remove the air cap and _gently_ push the nozzle staff (do not put force on the nozzle, only push the metal rod that the nozzle is screwed to) with a screwdriver, check again, in case repeat till they are well aligned. You can also polish the air cap hole, put some abrasive paste on a toothpick (or bigger) and lightly twist it into the air cap hole. If you have an old broken needle you can do it with that. Nozzle threads are very fragile: you don't have to unscrew the nozzle each time to clean it, just use something strong like nitro, soak it and twist a thin guitar / violin string in it to remove any clogs. Well this is easier to do with the 180 model (the one with the mac valve) as the nozzle is on a separate part.

I like the use of a pipette to mix and pour the paint.

Hello - All of your videos have helped me a great deal, modeling is much more enjoyable for me now, I'm producing results that please me. Question, what is the brand and name/number of the AB in this video, also where to order would be appreciated. Thank you very much.

Over 100k, congrats 👍

Thumbs Up! Great Video! I learned quite a few things! Thanks for Sharing! Have A Super Week!.....Gus

I removed to nozzle cap o-ring, taht way the nozzle was able to be just enough outside the cap, and create a good vaccum effect ! I dtried to remove the nozzle o-ring , but it was to short to reach out, and created bubbles in paint cup.

I tried the beeswax thing on my cheap airbrush. I had exactly the same amount but when I tried to put the front cap on, it crushed the wax and clogged the whole front.

Very Informative, Thanks!

Although if you think logically, the inside of the nozzle flowing paint! And the air outside. I also seal this connection, but with the help of PTFE tape, 1-2 revolutions of the tape and everything is tight. Importantly, the nozzle is twisted to the stop and there was not even a small gap. I all the connections on your airbrush condensed PTFE tape . This allows you to disassemble it for cleaning and the tape stays in place.

Lol.. you made my day! All my problems in 8min solved! Thank you, cheers!!

Can you tell me what product you used to polish the needle? Thank-you! I really loved the video it is very good info!

Useful information. Thanks for the valuable sharing

Great Info Vid!!! My Wren Lost parts so I Got a Cheapey Harbor Freight One That a Friend That Does High End Brushing recomended it & It Spray hafast for approx. 12 inches Then Not Worth a Damn Worse. But had warranty 4 Replacement, Now I Know More Inside troubleshooting Helps. Now To Try It Again... Thanx

great video!

Oh wow.. I had an airbrush just like this one, I bought it at a flea market. It worked great. I might still have it actually.. I must of gotten lucky, mine worked great out of the plastic box.