Pulsing airbrush?

tknight - I also use a 150, & that has happened to me in the past. It has only occurred after spraying acrylics. When it happens, I remove the needle, & clean it with lacquer thinner on a q-tip. I then clean the nozzle with 1 ply of a 2-ply paper towel, rolled into a point, and inserted all the way through the nozzle (remove the teflon washer, & dip the nozzle in laquer thinner first). This always fixes the problem.
You didn't mention whether or not you have a regulator, but its a good idea to have one.

Great thanks.
I do in fact have a regulator.
I'm going to finish this project and give a thorough going over.

tknight,

I can relate to your situation, and also have the badger 150 as well. Even after what I consider a thorough cleaning, sometimes the airbrush 'spits' the paint out. It seems to come and go with tip/needle changes. This conditions seems to happen with acrylic as well as enamel paint. My gear includes a badger compressor, regulator & moisture trap.I usually don't use more than 10-12 psi. I build mostly /148 scale planes, and those monogram/revell bombers need considerable coverage.:)
It can really be aggrivating to get your kit ready for that paint job, and have a 'spitting' airbrush threaten your work.
I'll second Pixilaters reply, and that tearing the unit down and completely cleaning the nozzle/head/needle will greatly help tame the 'spitting badger'.:)
Also, you can get a set of fine bristle, pip cleaner like brushes from Micro Mark. I bought a set, and they can really get into the nozzle tips great, even the fine tips!
I also clean the brush after each color and finish any paint session with the brush clean and ready to go for next time.
Good luck!

Steve
minutes to buy, hours to build

Is it leaking around the head of the airbrush?
This can happen to some airbrushes and cause pulsation.

Mike

Do you strain you paint? I find that this happens to me with my Iwata when I get lazy with older, clumpy paint. New paint thinned properly never causes problems for me.

I have the same problem with a badger 200 I've noted this when I flush the thinner during cleaning (pulsations every 3 seconds), start since I lost the teflon washer and replaced it with a slice of the air hose (I'm sure that is not sealing well).

I agree with Mike, a leak in the head of the airbrush could cause this problem.

I cant speak on anything about the particular airbrush....I have very limited experience using airbrushes and I use a Paasche VL...But if memory serves me correct I read somewhere once that sometimes this could be caused by the actual compressor? Some compressors pulse...usually ones without tanks. So this shouldnt be the case for you but has anyone else heard of this?

Okay, probably no one's looking at this thread anymore, but it's describing my problem exactly, and I've had no luck fixing it.

 tknight--

 Did these suggestions resolve your problem?  I've experienced what sounds like the exact same thing, but the problem appears ONLY when I use a paint bottle lid to feed the paint--the paint cup causes no problems (makes no difference whether the paint bottle lid is actually attached to a bottle or not--it happens when I dip the siphon in paint and let it hang free too).  I've cleaned the airbrush thoroughly, to no avail, and this has happened to me with multiple compressors.  Haven't tried canned air yet.

gbuesche wrote:

Okay, probably no one's looking at this thread anymore, but it's describing my problem exactly, and I've had no luck fixing it.  tknight--  Did these suggestions resolve your problem?  I've experienced what sounds like the exact same thing, but the problem appears ONLY when I use a paint bottle lid to feed the paint--the paint cup causes no problems (makes no difference whether the paint bottle lid is actually attached to a bottle or not--it happens when I dip the siphon in paint and let it hang free too).  I've cleaned the airbrush thoroughly, to no avail, and this has happened to me with multiple compressors.  Haven't tried canned air yet.

The only thing I can think of is to check the lid to your paint bottle.  There should be a small hole off center in the lid that allows air to come in as the paint gets sucked out, therefore equalizing the pressure in the jar and allowing the paint to flow up the tube.  Make sure that hole isn't blocked.

I've also noticed that if I use my jar I have to spray with a slighly higher air pressure to get the same flow as I get from my cup. 

Hopefully one of these suggestions will help. 

gbuesche wrote:

Okay, probably no one's looking at this thread anymore, but it's describing my problem exactly, and I've had no luck fixing it.  tknight--  Did these suggestions resolve your problem?  I've experienced what sounds like the exact same thing, but the problem appears ONLY when I use a paint bottle lid to feed the paint--the paint cup causes no problems (makes no difference whether the paint bottle lid is actually attached to a bottle or not--it happens when I dip the siphon in paint and let it hang free too).  I've cleaned the airbrush thoroughly, to no avail, and this has happened to me with multiple compressors.  Haven't tried canned air yet.

Check that the neck of the connector on the jar which fits into the airbrush body is seated firmly. Also, see if there are any scratches/nicks/gouges on the connector neck which may be allowing air into the feed.

Have you tried the same as you've described above, with clean water (or thinner) instead of paint? If that works and the paint doesn't, it might be as simple as inconsistently mixed paint, insufficiently thinned paint or paint with dried particles in it. 

Tried clean water and a new bottle adapter--phenomenon occurs with water, with the brand new bottle adapter, and with the bottle adapter tube fed by paintbrush (instead of an actual bottle screwed on).

Fortunately, I can paint with the paint cup no problem--it's just a pain to have to keep refilling its very small capacity.

I have the same issue. I was told that the teflon head washer (p/n 50-055) can get squished and can allow air to leak around it. Also, its was recommended to put a little beeswax on the threads of the regulator. I'm going looking for some beeswax tomorrow and hopefully that fixes the problem.

 

 

I found some beeswax at B.Franklin. Had to buy a pound though. That ought to last a while.

My problem is fixed. Ran the threads of the regulator over the beeswax and then installed finger tight. Put on the new teflon head washer and snugged it to the airbrush. No spitting or sputtering.  

GREAT!!!!  Thanks a lot, I'll have to pick some up!

 By the way--since I see you're local to me (I'm in Vienna), Granddad's Hobby Shop in Springfield is excellent.  I'm sure you have all the beeswax you'll ever need now, but they have it in little ounce-or-two containers.  Check them out if you've not been there yet...

Thanks for the info. I'll have to check them out. Could have saved me some money.

I'm "just up the road" in Leesburg.

 

oh...and one other thing......when you are done spraying, loosen the head a couple turns so that the teflon washer won't stay squished.