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May 26 2004, 08:32 PM

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Aztek Cleaning and Maintenance Tips

Steve Filak Post #1

Problem?

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From: Bohemian Grove

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Aztek Cleaning and Maintenance Tips

Note:This was previously posted, but I decided to pin it up since the

topic seems to come up rather frequently. This might just save your Aztek

from a trip back to Testors, so have a look:

If the trigger goes floppy, or if you encounter resistance when pulling it

back,STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!.There is a delicate linkage assembly inside the airbrush that is prone tobreakage if you try to bulldog the action. As has been mentioned

previously, you will void the warranty if you open the airbrush body, so

don't do it. Here's what you do to free the action:

1. Remove the paint tip.

2. Tip the airbrush up, and mount it perpendicular to the ground. I have a

spring steel clip that I mounted to the side of my workbench for this

purpose, which also serves to store the airbrush when not in use.

3. Insert an empty color cup into the siphon port.

4. Using a dropper/pipette, add a few drops of lacquer thinner into the

open nozzle until the needle plunger is submerged, and then let it sit. This

will loosen up any clogs or paint buildup around the plunger. If it is a

small amount of paint, you may hear the plunger snap forward - it is now

unclogged. If it doesn't, add a bit more lacquer thinner to the color cup,

and let it soak overnight......this should solve the problem. The next day,

come back, dump any thinner left in the brush, and then use a Microbrush

dipped in lacquer thinner to very carefully clean around the plunger. This

should free the plunger, and you can now try to carefullywork theaction.

Oh, and by the way, DON'T look down the bore with the airbrush in your

Page 1 of 15Aztek Cleaning and Maintenance Tips - ARC Air Discussion Forums

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May 29 2004, 06:59 PM

Jun 4 2004, 01:51 AM

it back - that's what the warranty is for.

I will try to add some pictures on this topic soon to help illustrate the

instructions. Hopefully, it'll save some heartache for someone out there.

HTH!

RedHeadKevin Post #2

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From: Haverhill, Mass.

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QUOTE

Fill a film canister or shotglass with lacquer thinner

Be careful if you're going to use a film canister. The lacquer thinner will

eat right through the plastic. Something glass is better. I like to use an

empty Model Master bottle. Put everything in there with some thinner, let

it soak overnight. The next day, take the needle out and shakee the

bottle, which should knock off some of the clumped paint. (The needle tip

will get bent if you leave it in there) Microbrushes are nice, but I find that

pipe cleaners and Q-tips work just as well. Also, I like to give the outside

body of the airbrush an occasional quick wipe with some laquer thinner,

to get the paint off the plastic. (Wear rubber gloves) OH yeah, and if

you're working with lacquer thinner, might as well do it in your spray

booth.

By the way, do you have any tips for straightening out bent airbrush

needles?

Skydivin Post #3

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From: O'Fallon MO

Member No.: 300

QUOTE(RedHeadKevin @ May 29 2004, 06:59 PM)

By the way, do you have any tips for straightening out bent airbrush

needles?

I took mine all apart like Steve suggested. I removed the spring from the

needle assembly and set it aside.

I then layed a piece of glass flat on the workbench. I gently rolled the tim

back & forth across the top, with a bit of pressure towards the end.

MAKE SURE TO HOLD AT THE SAME ANGLE AS THE SLOPE OF THE

NEEDLE

Similar to sharpening your pocket knife blade or #11 blades.




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Mar 10 2005, 02:54 AM

May 18 2005, 07:17 PM

I found it to work nicely and saved me the $10 for another black tip!

Good luck

Rod

unclepine Post #4

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Hey all, about this Aztec cleaning thingie....

I have been airbrushing and teaching/training the hobby/art for the last

25 yrs or so, and the ONE tool I simply cannot do without is my Ultra-

Sonic pen cleaner.

These babies work wonders on crusted up paint on any and all

parts...HOWEVER...some tricks are at hand for the "plastic" guns..!!

These polyacetal resin guns from Testor(formerly Kodak), are resistant to

all known thinners and reducers that the average model builder will come

in contact with. The odd thing is, that after many hours of brushing, the

paint somehow manages to impregnate the plastic to the point even US

cleaning won"t help...go figer..!!

Having said that, any crusty build up will readily come off with a good run

in the cleaner of about 10-15 min. The solution is usually that stinkie stufffrom ModelMaaster for Acrylic Cleaning. Works great.

My thought was that if some of the folks out there are local IPMS

members, they could pool their resources and purchase one for the club,

and have regular workshop/cleaning jams like I give up here in the Peg.

If any of you chaps/chapettes need any help/tips/advise, pleas feel free to

email me direct, and I will do my best to "air it out" for ya...ooh that was

bad...!

Cheers, Laurie "the Air Guru" Taite

deputyjim Post #5

Newbie

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Joined: 24-June 03

From: Port St. Lucie Fla.

Member No.: 61

iI also have an aztek airbrush,ordered 2 gray nozzles,can ya

beleve brand new wont even spray thinner,when i took it out

of the gun the thing fell apart spring neadle ect. yuk.




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Jun 21 2005, 07:05 AM

Aug 18 2005, 02:35 PM

Dec 26 2005, 02:37 PM

ilpwnp Post #6

110% TRUE METALHEAD

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From: New Castle, Kentucky

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Store your tips in a small bottle of lacquer thinner, it WILL NOT damage

them and you will have no prblems.

RKic Post #7

now entering JMN-free zone

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From: Bellingham, WA

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another word of advice. Dont waste your money on the red nozzle. ITs

supposed to be for thinned acryls. Has a plastic needle, which is a joke.

Mine worked for about 6 minutes (no exageration) after that it began to

spit paint. Took it apart to clean it and now it wont even spray water.

I loose more faith in testors products each day. Funny, when i started

building most of the tools and models I owned were from testors. Seeing

those yellow sided boxes make me so nostalgic, but no! I've been

hoodwinked by this company enough times

r

Josh1971 Post #8

Heavy loadouts... every time!

Group: MembersPosts: 3781

Joined: 15-November 03

From: Des Moines, IA

I've been using my Aztek for 4 years, and I haven't had too many

problems with it. A couple posts above me someone suggested storing

tips in lacquer thinner- which I've been doing for a long time now. That

really helps keep the ugly stuff from building up on them. I primarily use

the turquoise and tan tips, of which I have about 5 each, and I pick up a

turquoise one about once a year.

Every time I put a color through the thing, I clean it pretty thoroughly- I

guess I'm just obsessive about it because I don't want the thing going

down.




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Apr 22 2006, 09:57 PM

Member No.: 1528

JB

Tailspin Turtle




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Step away from the computer!

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The nozzle, disassembled. I do it everytime I spray to make sure it's clean. I




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May 4 2006, 06:09 AM

May 4 2006, 08:46 AM

Glockster Post #10

Canopy Polisher

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Member No.: 4067

OKAY. mine is pissing out a great deal of air from the body seam. Now

what?

Steve Filak Post #11




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Oct 28 2006, 01:29 AM

Aug 22 2007, 07:06 AM

Problem?

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Joined: 24-June 03

From: Bohemian Grove

Member No.: 10

Sounds like it might be time to send it back to Testors for repair. If the

nozzle isn't clogged, it sounds like an air leak inside the airbrush body,

and that's not something you can fix without taking the airbrush apart.

Glockster Post #12

Canopy Polisher

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Member No.: 4067

Mine is now shooting air from the body again and the trigger has gone

completely floppy after a two week break from building. I've been trying

to contact Testors for any shipping intructions but they have not

answered my inquiers. Anybody have any idea as to what Testors

requires to send this back? Aztec A470 purchased in 2000.

Corsair_Dude Post #13

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Member No.: 10726

I got email reply from Testor a while ago..i hope i can share it here

Dear Hobbyist,

Thank you for purchasing the Aztek airbrush you now possess. The Testor

Corporation is proud of the Aztek line of airbrushes. We feel that our line

of airbrushes are some of the easiest to use and most maintenance free

airbrushes on the market today.

As with any delicate instrument that is produced, things may malfunction

and/or just plain, wear out. The Aztek airbrushes (A320, A430, A470,

A7778, A480 or 3000S) are covered under their warranty; as long as the

airbrush has not been misused, taken apart, or consumer damaged.

Consumer Damage is considered: improperly cleaning the airbrushes,

dropping, stepping on or throwing the airbrushes. We also will not replace

airbrushes that have been damaged due to an animal chewing on the

body.

If you feel your airbrush is not working properly and is covered by a




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Aug 22 2007, 09:55 AM

warranty (3000S, A320, A430, A470, A480 & A7778.) Please send it to us

for evaluation using UPS, Fed-Ex, Certified or Registered Mail. We cannot

be held responsible for airbrushes lost in transit, without a tracking

number.

Please send the airbrush BODY ONLY (no hoses, adapters, nozzles or

cases) along with a brief letter explaining the difficulties you areexperiencing, and a physical return address to:

The Testor Corporation

Attn: Aztek Returns

440 Blackhawk Park Ave.

Rockford, IL 61104

Upon arrival of your return, our technicians will inspect the airbrush to

see if it qualifies for a warranty replacement. If the airbrush is under

warranty and defective due to craftsmanship, we will then replace the

airbrush with either a new or refurbished body, whichever is readily

available. Please keep in mind that this process can take between 1 - 3

weeks, depending on how soon we receive your return.

We thank you for your cooperation in this process and for purchasing

from the Aztek line of airbrushes.

Sincerely,

Amanda Eldon


Customer Service Department.

Thommo Post #14

Full Blown Model Geek

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From: Australia

Member No.: 1809

QUOTE(Corsair_Dude @ Aug 22 2007, 05:06 PM) [snapback]1142076

[/snapback]

I got email reply from Testor a while ago..i hope i can share it here

Dear Hobbyist,

Thank you for purchasing the Aztek airbrush you now possess. The

Testor Corporation is proud of the Aztek line of airbrushes. We feel that

our line of airbrushes are some of the easiest to use and most

maintenance free airbrushes on the market today.

As with any delicate instrument that is produced, things may

malfunction and/or just plain, wear out. The Aztek airbrushes (A320,

A430, A470, A7778, A480 or 3000S) are covered under their warranty;

as long as the airbrush has not been misused, taken apart, or consumer

damaged. Consumer Damage is considered: improperly cleaning the

airbrushes, dropping, stepping on or throwing the airbrushes. We also

will not replace airbrushes that have been damaged due to an animal




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Sep 27 2007, 04:46 AM

chewing on the body.

If you feel your airbrush is not working properly and is covered by a

warranty (3000S, A320, A430, A470, A480 & A7778.) Please send it to

us for evaluation using UPS, Fed-Ex, Certified or Registered Mail. We

cannot be held responsible for airbrushes lost in transit, without a

tracking number.

Please send the airbrush BODY ONLY (no hoses, adapters, nozzles or

cases) along with a brief letter explaining the difficulties you are

experiencing, and a physical return address to:


Attn: Aztek Returns

440 Blackhawk Park Ave.

Rockford, IL 61104

Upon arrival of your return, our technicians will inspect the airbrush to

see if it qualifies for a warranty replacement. If the airbrush is under

warranty and defective due to craftsmanship, we will then replace the

airbrush with either a new or refurbished body, whichever is readily

available. Please keep in mind that this process can take between 1 - 3

weeks, depending on how soon we receive your return.

We thank you for your cooperation in this process and for purchasing

from the Aztek line of airbrushes.

Sincerely,

Amanda Eldon


Customer Service Department.

As i've posted here before, i broke the trigger on one (because the

body/trigger gets jammed with dried paint) and sent it off to get a new

one under warranty (they sent me two ) - but now I just pull the

whole a/b body apart after every 2-3 builds and clean it with neat

acetone. A hell of a lot of paint gets back in there I know it voids the

warranty, but it keeps the thing going & I can't be bothered sending back

when they clog/break.

Brigadier_Condor Post #15

Newbie

Group: Members

Posts: 1

Hello guys im new here , this is my first post ever. I have a very annoying

problem with my aztec a4709, everytime im painting, after 10 or 15

minutes i start seeing bubbles coming out from the tip of the airbrush(where the plastic nozzle meets the metal nozzle) and then the airbrush

starts to spit water all over my work.




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Jan 1 2008, 02:05 PM

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boscosticks Post #18

Glue Sniffing, Ph.D.

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From: California

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whoaaa it was brand spanking new ?? no paint residue or anything?

heyy, if my trigger is a bit loose (and by a bit loose, i mean when i shake

the AB the trigger kind of clacks back and forth with the motion) is that

normal ? i just bought my a470 off ebay... (with a lifetime guarantee!)

kfmut Post #19

Canopy Polisher

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From: Tver (Russia)

Member No.: 7594

>heyy, if my trigger is a bit loose (and by a bit loose, i mean when i

shake the AB the trigger kind of clacks back and forth with the motion) is

that normal ?

for aztek it's absolutely normal, construction "feature" :-( If it's woldn't be

loose then you would open paint same time as you press trigger

karel Post #20

Snap-Together

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Joined: 7-October 07

From: Horsham England

Member No.: 11051

Hi all I had the same problem however well I cleaned it the linkage in the

handle broke also the tips dont last long even with good clean , here in

the England Ripmax UK. repaired it free of charge in 48 hours. And I also

end up buying new tips once a year or so.

Karel

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