Badger 155 problem

karlwb

Member since
May 2003

Badger 155 problem

Posted by karlwb on Monday, November 17, 2003 4:54 PM

Hi.

I've got the badger 155 Anthem and have been using it up to now with no problems.

Today I mixed up some paint to my usual mixture that always works for me and tried to spray. I pressed the air release and then started moving the leave backwards to release the paint and nothing happened, you usually get a nice flow for thin lines first, pulled back a little more and a great gush of paint came out.

I have tried holding the air lever back at the usual point that I can just start spraying and I get intermittent blobs of paint and no steady flow.
However, If I try thinners it works ok, paint that was mixed up and that I had used before no will no longer spray so I don’t think it's my mixing that’s at fault.
I'm using a Ripmax Compressor with regulator set to about 15/20psi ( my normal pressure )

I hope you have some ideas, all was working ok the last time I used it. Sad [:(]

Thanks

Karl

Reply

MikeV

Member since
April 2003
From: Hayward, CA

Posted by MikeV on Monday, November 17, 2003 5:13 PM

Hi Karl,

Two questions for you:

1) Did you clean the airbrush well enough the last time you used it?

and...

2) Are you straining your paint before putting it in the color cup?

Mike

“Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. " Charles Spurgeon

Reply

karlwb

Member since
May 2003

Posted by karlwb on Monday, November 17, 2003 6:00 PM

QUOTE: Originally posted by MikeV

Hi Karl,

Two questions for you:

1) Did you clean the airbrush well enough the last time you used it?

and...

2) Are you straining your paint before putting it in the color cup?

Mike

Hi Mike

1) very clean - full disasembly clean and reassembly

2)I'm using a syphon feed bottom jar - no straining done. However My problem was/is with Humbrol Gloss silver paint, I have mixed up some more matt grey and this for the most part worked fine, but still prevous mixes did not work too well; I had already sprayd the same gloss silver two days before with no problems.
What should I strain the paint with?
So far the badger felt like it would spray just about anything, and was very forgiving as regards paint mixes.

Thanks

Reply

MikeV

Member since
April 2003
From: Hayward, CA

Posted by MikeV on Monday, November 17, 2003 6:28 PM

I strain my paint through a piece of women's nylons which works great.
I was just curious if you had a clump of paint in there that was stopping paint flow in the siphon tube. I prefer to use the metal color cup with siphon feed airbrushes since the glass jars require a lot of paint in them to be able to reliably pick it up for spraying.
You may also need to increase pressure if it has trouble reliably picking up the heavier pigments in that silver paint.
Let us know what you find.

Mike

“Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. " Charles Spurgeon

Reply

Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, November 18, 2003 9:40 AM

I have found the running a little bit of mineral spirits works like a charm. If you pull the leaver back all the way and put a soft rag on the tip of the airbrush and let it bubble up in the jar that should work. Be sure to pulle the needle all the way inside the brush so you wont damage it.

Reply
Edit

karlwb

Member since
May 2003

Posted by karlwb on Tuesday, November 18, 2003 3:47 PM

Hi

I've tried my airbrush with some more, newly mixed paint at 1:1 ratio and
it's been working just fine! Big Smile [:D]

The previously mixed paint that I had tested it with was a clear cote - I could not see that the spray was in fact going on perfectly when I tried it (late) last night Sleepy [|)]

It appears that the problem was with the silver paint all the time, I increased the pressure to about 30psi and this made no difference at all ( still bad ) but if I reduced it to about 15psi and pulled further back on the paint release I got a nice steady stream that I could paint with just fine. It looks like the silver was clogging up the tip when the needle was only just open.
I'm happy that it was only a simple thing, but late last night when I was tired and not quite thinking straight I did have a bit of a panic on! Tongue [:P]

Thanks for the help.

Karl

Reply

MikeV

Member since
April 2003
From: Hayward, CA

Posted by MikeV on Tuesday, November 18, 2003 3:57 PM

QUOTE: Originally posted by parfectputter

If you pull the leaver back all the way and put a soft rag on the tip of the airbrush and let it bubble up in the jar that should work. Be sure to pulle the needle all the way inside the brush so you wont damage it.

That is a good way to clear it, and it's called, "Back flushing" the airbrush.

Glad to hear it came out alright Karl. Smile [:)]

Yes, I know what you mean about having the paint clog when only pulling back the trigger a slight amount, especially with the needle that is in the Anthem. That needle is sharp like a #1 needle at the end and then tapers a little larger like a #3 needle I believe, so if you barely pull it back that heavier silver paint pigment is going to find a traffic jam at the tip exit. Big Smile [:D]

Mike

“Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. " Charles Spurgeon

Reply

THE MAGAZINE

CONTACT US

RECENT ARTICLES

POPULAR TOPICS

RECENT REVIEWS

POPULAR TOPICS

RECENT REVIEWS

POPULAR TOPICS

RECENT VIDEOS

POPULAR TOPICS

RECENT THREADS

CATEGORIES

NEW PRODUCTS

OUR STORE

CURRENT ISSUE

SEARCH FINESCALE.COM