I knew the title would draw your attention !

After about 30 seconds of spraying, my airbrush gets clogged. (Aztec). I take it apart, clean the nozzle, restart, and 30 seconds later it gets clogged again. Than I watched a few videos on the subject, and I see clean and even sprays, whereas my Aztec seems to have prostate problems. How come ? I clean the nozzle and brush really well, I make sure the paint is not too thick, not too liquid and well mixed,... Do I need a more powerful compressor ? What do I need to do to better clean up the nozzle ?
I think this is every spraypainter's biggest problem. It would be interesting to see a FAQ sheet, a troubleshooting list or a list of dos and don'ts on the subject. Any suggestions or links ?

It happened to me too, and unfortunately the only one solution was to replace the nozzle. I suspect that with use the internal part of the plastic starts to scratc and accumulate colour with subsequent clogs...
Ciao

hi Jan,
I see prostetic problems are common for all airbrushes.I have a badger and met the same problem before.I replaced the part as the solution.I think the internal parts of airbrushes have expiry dates. :-)

Jan,
I have run into the same problems with my Testors AB. It seems the Aztec/Testors are sensitive to paint/thinner ratio. What I ended up doing is using a 60/40 paint/thinner ratio.
Also, with acrylic paints, there is a quick buildup of gunk inside the nozzle. What I do, is disassemble the nozzle and let it soak in a mix of Testors Liquid Cement and paint thinner.
After soaking, I take a house paint brush bristle and run it through the little orfice in the nozzle. There is always a little bit of dried paint there.
HTH

Believe it or not, you don't have to replace the nozzles. They are actually a 4 piece assembly that will come apart. First, pull the inner cluster from the outer nozzle (pull from the back). Next, pull the needle assembly out (It feels like it won't come out, but it will, just keep pulling). I leave the spring on the needle when I clean these pieces, but I suppose you could remove it if you wanted to. I take all the pieces and soak them in airbrush cleaner over night. The next day I go to work with a soft bristled toothbrush cleaning any goo that is on the needle or other assemblies.

Put the assmbly back together by putting the spring over the needle (if you took it off), the needle/spring into the internal housing, and the internal housing into the outer shell. The needle WILL NOT go in all the way (as it did when you took it out of the package), but when it is seated in the airbrush it is the same as it was when you took it out of the box.

Hope this helps you folks out (and saves you $10 per nozzle)

I tried to do what Grasshop12 says, but after disassembling the nozzle, I faced the same problem. Changing it I solved. If you've got more than a nozzle you can try to see if it works or not...
Ciao

I have the same problem with my red nozzle. It takes a lot of tightening before it starts to spray. And then it gets constipated. Is it because the needle is plastic instead of the metal ones the the others have? My tan fine-line hasn't given me problems even with my inconsistent thinning ratios.

Like several other, I just let my nozzels soak in thinner when not in use. They always work... well almost always.
Additionally, I always run water throguh the front end of my brush when I'm done and use a Q-tip soaked in thinner to clean out the front. After about 4 of these bushes I've figured out how to keep em running.

At what PSI are you shooting your paints? Too high could cause the paint to dry too fast, especially if it's acrylic. If it drying too fast it'll clog fast.
I shoot @ 12 to 18 psi w/o any trouble with my Aztec. I have used the same nozzles for years.