Filtering Paint

[TarheelRick]

Just tried to spray some acrylic paints and every few passes I would have to stop and tear my airbrush apart and clean it.  Now i am a bit slow and it took me four times doing this before I finally decided there may be something wrong with the paint.  I had thinned it to three drops off the stir stick, skim milk viscosity.  Used my jig-saw shaker and stirred it with a coffee stirrer for at least a minute.  When I poured it out of the airbrush bottle, at the bottom it appeared as if it has curdled and was quite lumpy.  AHA, the cause of my airbrush jams!  Now my question is how do you all filter your paint to prevent such catastrophes?  I bought some of those filters like you use for house paint, but I cannot get my paint mixture to properly drain through.  Any and all suggestions will be appreciated.

[Brian Conn]

  If it wont strain thru the house paint filters then I wouldn't be trying to shoot it thru an air brush....no matter how much P.S.I you give it.  Those paints maybe o.k enough for brush use , but if it wont shoot, it wont shoot particularly if you have already thinned it.....the lumpy crud at the bottom of the bottle is the give away.

  The interior house paint that I have used is a thicker viscosity than the paint that I have shot thru my airbrush, so the filter as you have used should have worked.

  Fill the bottle up with a thinner like Xylene and shot it till it runs out to be sure you got everything out of that air brush.

[Greg Birky]

I just saw this post, Rick...I have used a small piece of women's nylon stocking material wired to the pickup tube with very good success!  You do have to have your paint thinned to a milk like consistency but it works and the price is cheap!

[pdaly28]

there is a reusable stainless paint strainer at hobby lobby.My wife is a crafter and has lots of craft paint from walmart.I just bought a airbrust,really two 1 gravity and one syphone.using a medicen measuring cup i mix 1/3.no problem so far as long as  i clean my air brush