Paashe VL

Thanks for the tip about the wax there.  I have had a lot of problems keeping the cup clean on that thing.  I'll have to try that out. 

How much pressure do you usually use on the VL?

I own four airbrushes (insane, I know):  Paashe H, VL and VJr along with an Iwata Revolution CR spraying acrylics 95+% of the time.  The VL requires the most air pressure by far with the Iwata requiring the least.  One thing that I found that helps paint flow when using the color cups on the H and VL, and the built in cups on the VJr and Iwata, is to keep the interior of the cups clean and waxed.  I clean the interiors using Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish which I bought at an automotive store, and then wax the interior using any automotive paste wax.  The products can be applied and buffed off using pipe cleaners, cotton swaps and paper towels.  I've found that the waxing allows the paint to flow a bit better and not to stick to the sides of the cup as readily making clean-up easier.

Good to know it isn't just me!  When i cleaned it, I took it down all the way and let it soak in thinner overnight and blew it out just to make sure.  I did notice some air bubbles where the tip attaches, so I put on some teflon tape. It ended up working fine after a minute, but not the way it should.  I am gonna try it again later.

As for the thinner, I used water at first.  That was a bad move and required the prementioned complete cleaning.  Next time, I used alcohol and it worked better.

I guess I'll see how it works now that I know it's clean and the leak is fixed and on and on.

I had this exact same problem with my VL earlier in the year. I broke it down, gave it a pretty comprehensive clean and replaced the needle. It seemed to work okay afterwards, but for the life of me I could not work out the source of the issue. Sorry not to be of help, just letting you know you're not alone!
I was thinking it was an air leak somewhere, maybe in the air hose connector, or in the forward nib area. But I couldn't track it down. Try putting it together, putting air pressure on, and dipping the whole thing in a bucked of water and see if any bubbles come out in any specific location.

What kind of thinner did you use? Did you soak with the air valve still attached?

Mix ratio is fine, but just in case, I thinned it up a little more and still nothing at first.  Eventually it starts spraying, but it takes a lot of shaking tapping whatever to get it to start.

I broke it down completely just the other night when this problem came up.  I put all the parts in a jar and let them soak in thinner overnight and cleaned out with pipe cleaner, then soap and water, then just water.  I let it dry and put it all together, and same problem.  

I just can't figure this out.

Max, is this the first time you've experienced this problem? Have you given your airbrush an extensive break-down, scrub everything clean lately?

What's your mixture ratio?

I've thought that too, but i crank my compressor up and it is reading 30 psi, and still nothing.  Put my thumb over it and blam, there it comes.  Try with the jar, and nothing.  Any other ideas?

 

The cup doesn't need a cap. Maybe your not using enough psi.