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This is a thinker.... (no paint on all 3 brushes)

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  • Member since
    June 2005
  • From: I'm here physically, but not mentally.....
This is a thinker.... (no paint on all 3 brushes)
Posted by MontanaCowboy on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 8:37 PM

Now, this is odd. I have a Badger 200 and Anthem, as well as a Paasche VL. They ALL worked great yesterday. I was practicing on some sheet plastic, flushed out each, and EXTENSIVELY cleaned out every corner and curve, disassembling each of the 3. I today tried to spray Krylon Gloss Black (NMF base). And NONE of the airbrushes worked. I had 16 psi. and all ideal conditions. I first used the 155, when nothing came out, I was like, wtf? Thinking, "Oh well," I then  broke out the 200. Same predicament..... double wtf. And so on with the VL.

What is wrong? (none will spray any paint I later figured out) I've narrowed down the variables to the paint (very unlikely none of my paint works), and the siphon/blast cup (upon inspection, no problemo).

"You know, Life is like a Rollercoaster. Sometimes you just die unexpectedly." No wait, that's not it.
  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Stockton,Ca
Posted by Hippy-Ed on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 8:49 PM
LoL... That's a doozie!! Did ya check the needles by chance? My Badger 175 did that to me once & I had to unchuck the needle & reset it after cleaning the tip.
hth,
Eddie

If you lose your sense of humor, you've lost everything
  • Member since
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  • From: I'm here physically, but not mentally.....
Posted by MontanaCowboy on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 9:11 PM
yep, all have been re-chucked. Thanks though.
"You know, Life is like a Rollercoaster. Sometimes you just die unexpectedly." No wait, that's not it.
  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Stockton,Ca
Posted by Hippy-Ed on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 10:07 PM
Now that's interesting...  got air & no paint huh?
If you lose your sense of humor, you've lost everything
  • Member since
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  • From: I'm here physically, but not mentally.....
Posted by MontanaCowboy on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 10:24 PM
Looks like.... Shy [8)]
"You know, Life is like a Rollercoaster. Sometimes you just die unexpectedly." No wait, that's not it.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, August 9, 2006 7:54 AM

Check your paint thinning ratios and if that's good, make sure the breather hole in your jar adapter is open. If none of this works, you may end up having to soak the brushes in lacquer thinner (except for the air valve). Let us know how this turns out.

 

E

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: SETX. USA
Posted by tho9900 on Wednesday, August 9, 2006 7:03 PM

hmmm none of the three spraying sounds odd...I'd definitely check the hose without a brush on it, try taking the head off of one and see if air comes out when you push the trigger.    Eliott's recommendation might be a good place to start if that doesn't work...

--edit--

also check the pickup tubes on your color cups.. I've had those clog once when I was cleaning them with pipe cleaners and some of the threads and come off inside the tube and paint had collected on them...

---Tom--- O' brave new world, That has such people in it!
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Green Bay, WI USA
Posted by echolmberg on Thursday, August 10, 2006 8:36 AM

I'm going to ask a really silly question here.  What happens if you just try to pass thinner through it?  Does THAT even come out?  How about back-flushing?

 

Eric

  • Member since
    November 2005
  • From: White Mountains, NH
Posted by jhande on Thursday, August 10, 2006 10:47 AM
WOW all 3 won't spray!
Ok, we have to look at common variables...
Is there air getting to the AB's?
Were all 3 AB's put back together correctly after cleaning?
Are you sure the AB's will/were spraying air before adding the paint?
Was the paint thinned enough?
Is 16 psi enough to blow the paint out?
Did the solvent in the paint eat any seals in the AB's?

Disconnect the AB from the airhose and blast some air.
Dismantle and clean an AB, looking for any problems.
Try again.

Good Luck!

Thumbs Up [tup]



-- Jim --
"Put the pedal down & shake the ground!"

  • Member since
    June 2005
  • From: I'm here physically, but not mentally.....
Posted by MontanaCowboy on Thursday, August 10, 2006 3:07 PM

WOW all 3 won't spray!
Ok, we have to look at common variables...
Is there air getting to the AB's? Yes
Were all 3 AB's put back together correctly after cleaning? Definately
Are you sure the AB's will/were spraying air before adding the paint? Yes
Was the paint thinned enough? It's Krylon, it's very thin out of the can
Is 16 psi enough to blow the paint out? More than enough
Did the solvent in the paint eat any seals in the AB's? Maybe, I need to go pick some up anyway, so, maybe that will fix it.

Disconnect the AB from the airhose and blast some air.
Dismantle and clean an AB, looking for any problems.
Try again.

already did. Sad [:(]

It may be the seals, so I'll check that.



"You know, Life is like a Rollercoaster. Sometimes you just die unexpectedly." No wait, that's not it.
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Abbotsford, B.C. Canada
Posted by DrewH on Thursday, August 10, 2006 6:19 PM

Try a simple fix first. Rub some wax on the needle from the taper down, then on the threads and base of the tip to ensure that an air tight seal is made. If there is a leak from the paint feed tube to the end of the tip, it won't work.

It sounds to me that the "good cleaning" may have removed some old paint build up that acted as a seal before. You can use regular candle wax for a test, good quality bees wax is better. Doing this, my 13 year old Badger 100F still acts like it was new. And no I don't buy new parts all the time. 3rd needle and head assembly, second bearing (first one I screwed up and damaged 2 years ago).

Take this plastic and model it!
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: Hayward, CA
Posted by MikeV on Saturday, August 12, 2006 3:15 PM
16 psi is way too low for a siphon-feed airbrush.

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
  • Member since
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  • From: I'm here physically, but not mentally.....
Posted by MontanaCowboy on Saturday, August 12, 2006 3:18 PM
It's worked that way for a year... I usually use above 18 psi.
"You know, Life is like a Rollercoaster. Sometimes you just die unexpectedly." No wait, that's not it.
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Central USA
Posted by qmiester on Sunday, August 13, 2006 8:34 PM

Since you seem to have looked at every thing, think I would go for a kill or cure scheme.  Load up with thinner, crank the air up to 40 or 45 psi and see what happens.

Quincy
  • Member since
    June 2005
  • From: I'm here physically, but not mentally.....
Posted by MontanaCowboy on Sunday, August 13, 2006 11:23 PM
Will try. It won't rip apart my airbrushes, will it?
"You know, Life is like a Rollercoaster. Sometimes you just die unexpectedly." No wait, that's not it.
  • Member since
    May 2005
  • From: Left forever
Posted by Bgrigg on Monday, August 14, 2006 12:13 AM
LOL! No, I clean my Badger 150 at 40 psi, and when I'm done with a distilled water rinse, I crank it up to 60 psi hoping it gets the last bit of moisture out before I put it to bed.

So long folks!

  • Member since
    August 2004
  • From: Buffalo NY
Posted by Thehannaman2 on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 12:22 PM

 MikeV wrote:
16 psi is way too low for a siphon-feed airbrush.

Depends on the airbrush.  I can go as low as 8psi with my Badger 150S and spray as long as the paint's thin enough.

Cowboy, I had a similar thing happen to me after using some old enamels.  I had air, straight thinner and double checked the re-assembly twice.  What I ended up doing is taking everything apart, down to the barest parts and soaking everything, including the body, over-night in Polly-S, E-Z Stripper.  After cleaning the stripper off and putting it back togethor, it worked like a charm.  I think that there was some un-see-able residue that was broken free.  I imagine that any stripper will work, just keep it outdoors if possible.

Justen

"The distance between genius and insanity is measured only by success."

Member IPMS Niagara Frontier. "The BuffCon Boys."

IPMSUSA Member 45680 

  • Member since
    June 2005
  • From: I'm here physically, but not mentally.....
Posted by MontanaCowboy on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 4:58 PM

What kind of metal container would you suggest that would work for soaking the brushes in Lacquer thinner?

"You know, Life is like a Rollercoaster. Sometimes you just die unexpectedly." No wait, that's not it.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, August 17, 2006 10:56 AM

An old small paint can will do ( cleaned of course ), or you can use a glass container if you have one big enough to hold everything in it. Whatever you use, be sure to put a top on it as lacquer thinner can evaporate pretty quickly. A couple of hours of soaking should do the trick. BE SURE to remove the air valve or it will seize up from swelling. Also be sure to have adequate ventilation and wear gloves if you can. HTH.

 

E

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