Badger krome issue

Does your compressor have a pressure gauge?  Watch for how much the pressure drops between air flow and no airflow.

That being said, I find spitting more often is due to a clogging or cleaning issue than a steady drop in pressure.  However, if the rarer problem of intermittant, sudden changes in pressure, that is something else.

Also, check to make sure everything is tight and sealed properly when you re-assemble after cleaning.  A loose fit, or a gasket or seal out of place can cause spitting.

My compressor  has a pressure guage & moisture trap. I usually run my tamiya paint through at 18 psi. My compressor drops about 2 or 3lbs when there's airflow. I'll admit that I've never completely disassembled my krome. Mainly out of fear that I'd cause something like this to happen. I've broken it down for general cleaning of course, but I've never taken it down to its very core. Is that a mistake? 

Are you new to airbrushing or just new to the Badger?

Matt B

 I've broken it down for general cleaning of course, but I've never taken it down to its very core. Is that a mistake? 

Maybe, I think it depends on how far you break it down for 'general cleaning'.

I agree with Don, sounds more like something is either loose or clogged up than an air issue.

What are you thinning the Tamiya with?

Low air pressure can cause small dots of paint.  It's called stippling, and some airbrush artists use it to simulate texture.  The older version of the Paasche VL had an adjustment on the trigger to limit air and produce it.  I don't think the lack of a tank is causing your problem, but low air flow might.  Check for leaks at your hose connections.

Don

Greg

Are you new to airbrushing or just new to the Badger?

 

 

Matt B

 I've broken it down for general cleaning of course, but I've never taken it down to its very core. Is that a mistake? 

 

 

 

Maybe, I think it depends on how far you break it down for 'general cleaning'.

I agree with Don, sounds more like something is either loose or clogged up than an air issue.

What are you thinning the Tamiya with?

 

Matt, you are far from a beginner and I'll have to yield to Don and others with more a/b experience.

One thing to mention, when I switched to a double action I developed a habit of not pulling the trigger back far enough to get enough paint in paint in the airflow, which combined with my switch to acrylics at the same time, resulted in a lot of dry tip and spitting and sputtering. I still fall back into this more often than I care to admit.

But Tamiya isn't a prone to dry tip as the paint I usually use, so this may  be invalid.

Hope you get this sorted soon.

I appreciate it. I have a feeling that my problem may be a combination of one or all of the above mentioned issues. As soon as you spoke of not pulling back on the trigger enough, I immediately realized that I do that..alot. I may need need to increase the pressure some also. Lastly, I'm just gonna have to man up and take this thing apart and make sure everything inside is clean & tight. 

Though I said I'm shutting up, here's an idea.

Wet a q-tip with Tamiya x-20 and spray like you usually do. Even not pulling back the trigger far enough. If and when the sputtering starts, clean the tip with the well-soaked q-tip. If the the sputtering stops even temporarily, dry tip may be a big part of your problem.

I increased my pressure and tightened the hose adapter on my a/b, and sure enough things began running smoothly again. I appreciate that. I can escape into my hobby zone once more and get a couple hrs of peace. Thank you.

Greg

Though I said I'm shutting up, here's an idea.

Wet a q-tip with Tamiya x-20 and spray like you usually do. Even not pulling back the trigger far enough. If and when the sputtering starts, clean the tip with the well-soaked q-tip. If the the sputtering stops even temporarily, dry tip may be a big part of your problem.

 

Great to hear you're all set, Matt.

Sounds like Don was spot on as usual with his advice to look for loose stuff.

Greg

Great to hear you're all set, Matt.

Sounds like Don was spot on as usual with his advice to look for loose stuff.

 

Matt B

I was pretty thrilled to get this thing squared away.

You're welcome, but I only tried. Mr Wheeler got it right. (as usual!)

Sometimes I get lucky.  I'm glad you got it working.

Don

Don Wheeler

Sometimes I get lucky.  I'm glad you got it working.

Don

 

No luck involved, you've just got it all squared away. The AB master. Solved a lot of issues for me over the past few years.

Many thanks, Don

Patrick