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Iwata Hi-Line HP-BC Plus

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Information

Classification: Airbrush
Manufacturer: Iwata
Model: HP-BC Plus
Part Number: H 5001
Suggested Retail Price: $361.25 USD

Specifications

Paint feed System: Siphon Feed
Trigger Style: Dual Action
Spray Type: Internal Mix
Spray Range: ~0.15 mm to
~1 inch
Cup Size: varies depending on bottle
Air Consumption: ~0.3 cfm
Pressure Tolerance: < 100 psi
Standard Tip Size: 0.3 mm
Optional Tip Size: 0.2 mm

Matching Rules

  1. Great at wide range of applications
  2. Perfect for experienced users who want a siphon feed airbrush

    It's a step up from the Eclipse BCS.  You should be able to get finer details out of the HP-BC Plus.
  3. Perfect for people who use lots of different stock colors.

    Purchase different bottles, then use one color per bottle plus an extra bottle for your cleaning solution
  4. It's not very economical with paint.
  5. Very quick standard cleaning.

    Here's the link to the standard color change rinse for siphon feed airbrushes.

Useful Accessories

  • Pistol Grip Moisture Filter
  • Table Top Cleaning Station
  • Crown Cap
  • External Micro Air Control Valve

Features

  • You can spray any amount of paint you want

    Well, let me rephrase that, you can spray any amount of paint you want as long as it's more than roughly 2 mL.  Otherwise it's like sucking the last bit of soda out of the cup, it doesn't quite work.  Otherwise though, you can spray 2, 3, or even 4 ounces of paint by simply attaching a bigger bottle.
  • Cut-away, pre-set handle

    The cut away lets you clean out your airbrush quicker.  The preset let's you limit the amount of trigger pull you can have.  The preset is quite useful when you have to do the same stroke over and over and over and over.
  • Teflon Needle Packing Set

    This has an upside and a down side.  On the upside Teflon doesn't melt in solvents.  Basically the o-ring lasts and lasts even when you spray automotive urethanes.  On the downside though, Teflon doesn't compress very well.  This means that you don't have a lot of control over how much "grip" the airbrush exerts on the needle as it passes through this o-ring.  Most people don't notice or care, but you can switch over to the older "solvent-resistant" o-rings if you'd like.
  • Glass Bottle

    The plastic bottles are okay.  They're cheap.  They get the job done.  But then there's working with glass.  Glass won't melt in solvents.  Seriously, you have to use Hydrofluoric acid to even etch glass--and HF is some really, really nasty stuff.  You can also use your dishwasher to clean them.

Notes and Opinions:

  • Workhorse Airbrush

    The HP-BC Plus is a great workhorse airbrush.  It really does everything well.  It's predecessor's design, the HP-BC1, helped launch the Eclipse BCS into one of the more popular airbrushes Iwata has to offer.
  • Intermediate Airbrush

    Everybody looks for beginner and professional airbrushes.  The HP-BC Plus is a perfect intermediate/professional airbrush.  I see it as a step up from the Eclipse BCS in terms of detail and equipment quality, but it will never be the ultimate detail airbrush simply because it's not a gravity feed airbrush.
  • Attachments

    Bottles, bottles, and cups. You can fit out the HP-BC Plus with as many bottles as you'd like.  In fact, more is generally better (except when it comes to cleaning day).  There's even an open air cup that attaches as if it were a bottle.  Don't let anyone tell you that cup makes the BC+ a gravity feed airbrush, but it does let you do custom paint mixing right in the cup.
  • Pressurized Paint Feed Systems

    You have the option to use a pressurized paint feed system with any siphon feed airbrush.  However, I'd strongly recommend against it.  They have a habit of "popping" off the airbrush and spewing paint everywhere when you least want it to.

Links

Cleaning Guide Links

These Cleaning Guides links are specifically the ones you need to clean this particular airbrush.

Outstanding/Common Problems

  • Tip Dry


    Unfortunately EVERYBODY has to deal with tip dry if they use airbrushes.  Though one of my favorite methods to eliminate tip dry is to use a slow reducer (the paint won't dry as quickly and therefore won't stick to needle as much.  Otherwise you'll need to check out the How to Remove Tip Dry methods in the cleaning guide section.
  • Bent Needles


    If you take the needle cap off to try and get finer details you WILL bend your needle tip at some point.  I usually suggest a Crown Cap.  Then you can still get the detail but your needle (and possibly the person you're working on) stays safe.

    Try this guide if you end up bending your needle and would like to try repairing it yourself.
  • Clogs


    Clean it!  Paint dislikes being sprayed and will do it's best to punish you for your outrageous actions!  But don't worry, the cleaning guides will help you through these predicaments.
  • Breaking the Nozzle Threads Off Inside the Airbrush


    You are far stronger than the nozzle.  Be gentle when twist it in and out!

    Try going through these instructions to remove the broken threads if you get careless and break it anyways.