I love my Badger 100LG…its pretty, shiny, silver, and when its working, it sprays paint very nicely! But it has problems…I’ve never had problems spraying Alclad and enamels, but acrylics…I was spraying MM neutral gray and I get tip dry no matter what I do…I tried the wipe the tip with Windex trick, and I experienced tip dry 1 minute later…my definition of tip dry is a big glob of dried crusty paint on my needle keeping paint from flowing nicely or even flowing at all. Then, for some reason, paint blows back into my ab’s insides, in the trigger area. I had paint in my air valve assembly thing, and paint coming up onto the trigger itself. What happened?!? [BH] -This is getting depressing, having paint come out of places in a very nice AB where I never knew paint could come out of! I don’t find the double action to be too hard, and this is my first ab, its just paint, spraying, and thinning that’s my problem. What do you guys do as far as thinning enamels? I thinned my flat black the other day to a liquid-like consistency and a spray can made finer particles than what came out of my brush! I guess I’m getting paint build up on my needle when i’m spraying enamels too. I can name a few more problems but i’ve temporarily forgotten about them. Maybe I’ll do Part 2 tomorrow…
What are you using for a thinner? Model Master Acryl is “supposed” to be airbrush ready. Which means it’s shouldn’t get tip dry. Acrylic thinners typically have acrylic retarders which help prevent tip dry.
Are you spraying enamels, lacquers and acrylics or sticking to one kind of paint? They are not compatible, and trace amounts of their thinners and cleaners can cause massive problems.
Your needle bearing is gone. You should send it to Badger to have a replacement bearing installed.
E
It better not be “gone” it’s at best a two week old airbrush.
I think he’s mixed incompatible thinners and paints and has a airbrush that requires a good cleaning.
I separate my enamel and acrylic airburshes just to avoid such problems.
With my new Harbor Tool compressor came a very distinctive looking airbrush, and since I mostly use acrylics, I keep it stored for enamel use only.
Tom [C):-)]
Ok, thanks for all the tips on what I’m doing wrong heh! Just kidding. But I can’t send my airbrush to Badger every 2 weeks because i break a needle bearing. I actually don’t know where that part is located…What do I need to do to solve everything currently wrong?
Also, you all are saying that everyone has a separate airbrush for enamels, laquers, and acryls? I sure don’t…[#dots] -I find most problems to be tip dry and acrylics, and thinning enamels. I know practice makes perfect, but some of these problems I don’t think I should be having.
What a curious crittur the airbrush are…
No, not everyone has a separate airbrush for acrylics, enamels, and lacquers. Some of us are that lucky, most probably are not, except for people with airbrush fetishes like Bill…[}:)]
The critical key to using one airbrush for all coatings is simple in concept, sometimes maddening in execution:
CLEANLINESS
Think of clean as “surgically clean.” It doesn’t quite have to be that clean, but thinking of it that way helps achieve a sufficient result.
When switching from acrylic to enamel or lacquer, or the other way around, strip down and clean the airbrush completely, and allow to dry thoroughly. Nothing from the acrylic world should ever touch anything from the enamel/lacquer world, and vice versa.
As for tip dry with acrylics, a good acrylic retarder will solve your problem. A single bottle will last a lifetime, as you will be using about one drop per airbrush cupfull of paint.
Thinning ratios and air pressure are only learned by experience. Take all the advice and suggestions, find what works for you in that particular airbrush. Be patient. Expect to make mistakes. Learn from them. Try not to make irrecoverable ones on expensive kits. [banghead]
Yes, it is another learning experience… [yuck]
It shouldn’t be a needle bearing problem - they don’t usually break. The will wear over time, but we’re talking about years, not weeks. The needle bearing is not a “user serviceable” part - it sits deep in the recess that the head screws into - it may come adrift through over-enthusiastic cleaning (eg. if you go rooting around down there with a pipe-cleaner or similar).
If, as per Bill’s post, it is an issue caused by interactions of incompatible paints/thinners, the first thing to do is give it a good cleaning. Unscrew the head and tip and soak them overnight in lacquer thinner. Watch out for the head washer (p/n #50-055) put it aside somewhere safe - don’t lose it!.
If there is any paint residue in your paint cup, wipe it out with a rag moistened with lacquer thinner. Withdraw the needle, and holding the body of the airbrush with the “head” end down, pour clean lacquer thinner into the paint cup to flush the paint channel.
Check the needle and if there are any traces of dried/caked paint, clean with (you guessed it) a rag dampened with lacquer thinner.
Reassemble and test (and don’t forget the head washer) - Hopefully if all is well it should be good as new.
Some people find it’s a lot easier to keep seperate airbrushes for different paint types. Even traces of lacquer thinner can wreak havoc with acrylic paints. I go so far as to only use one brand of acrylic paint, merely to reduce problems.
I don’t think the needle bearing is the problem. I think inexperience in cleaning and using a brush is. The rule is do a good job cleaning, and don’t try to switch from enamels to acrylics in one session. It will only create problems and reduce your pleasure.
And it’s NOT a fetish, only an inordinate amount of pleasure in having one of everything. [swg]
“Who dies with the most toys, …” [oX)]
“And sometimes an ‘airbrush’ is just an ‘airbrush’ …” [:-^]
(And I’m sure you know what and whom I’m misquoting!) [:-,]
I’m too Jung to know that! [8-]
Just as long as you’re not Pavlovian. [:P]
I’m not, but the idea makes my mouth water!
[#ditto]
As cheap as good air brushes are these days ($20-$40) there is no need to not have more then one.
Tom [C):-)]
I’m a-Freud you guys are taking this too far…
[:D]
Really? Would you like to lie down and talk about it?
Lol post hijackers [:-^] -Just kidding, i’m gonna go give it a good cleaning and see what that does.
Paging Dr. Lector! Dr. Lector to surgery!