...Airbrush problems, again. And again.

What are you using for a thinner? Model Master Acryl is "supposed" to be airbrush ready. Which means it's shouldn't get tip dry. Acrylic thinners typically have acrylic retarders which help prevent tip dry.

Are you spraying enamels, lacquers and acrylics or sticking to one kind of paint? They are not compatible, and trace amounts of their thinners and cleaners can cause massive problems.

Your needle bearing is gone.  You should send it to Badger to have a replacement bearing installed.

 

E

It better not be "gone" it's at best a two week old airbrush.

I think he's mixed incompatible thinners and paints and has a airbrush that requires a good cleaning. 

I separate my enamel and acrylic airburshes just to avoid such problems.

With my new Harbor Tool compressor came a very distinctive looking airbrush, and since I mostly use acrylics, I keep it stored for enamel use only.

Tom

Ok, thanks for all the tips on what I'm doing wrong heh! Just kidding. But I can't send my airbrush to Badger every 2 weeks because i break a needle bearing. I actually don't know where that part is located...What do I need to do to solve everything currently wrong?

Also, you all are saying that everyone has a separate airbrush for enamels, laquers, and acryls? I sure don't...  -I find most problems to be tip dry and acrylics, and thinning enamels. I know practice makes perfect, but some of these problems I don't think I should be having.

What a curious crittur the airbrush are…

No, not everyone has a separate airbrush for acrylics, enamels, and lacquers. Some of us are that lucky, most probably are not, except for people with airbrush fetishes like Bill…

The critical key to using one airbrush for all coatings is simple in concept, sometimes maddening in execution:

CLEANLINESS

Think of clean as "surgically clean." It doesn't quite have to be that clean, but thinking of it that way helps achieve a sufficient result.

When switching from acrylic to enamel or lacquer, or the other way around, strip down and clean the airbrush completely, and allow to dry thoroughly. Nothing from the acrylic world should ever touch anything from the enamel/lacquer world, and vice versa.

---

As for tip dry with acrylics, a good acrylic retarder will solve your problem. A single bottle will last a lifetime, as you will be using about one drop per airbrush cupfull of paint.

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Thinning ratios and air pressure are only learned by experience. Take all the advice and suggestions, find what works for you in that particular airbrush. Be patient. Expect to make mistakes. Learn from them. Try not to make irrecoverable ones on expensive kits.

Yes, it is another learning experience…

It shouldn't be a needle bearing problem - they don't usually break. The will wear over time, but we're talking about years, not weeks. The needle bearing is not a "user serviceable" part - it sits deep in the recess that the head screws into - it may come adrift through over-enthusiastic cleaning (eg. if you go rooting around down there with a  pipe-cleaner or similar).

If, as per Bill's post, it is an issue caused by interactions of incompatible paints/thinners, the first thing to do is give it a good cleaning. Unscrew the head and tip and soak them overnight in lacquer thinner. Watch out for the head washer (p/n #50-055) put it aside somewhere safe - don't lose it!.

If there is any paint residue in your paint cup, wipe it out with a rag moistened with lacquer thinner. Withdraw the needle, and holding the body of the airbrush with the "head" end down, pour clean lacquer thinner into the paint cup to flush the paint channel. 

Check the needle and if there are any traces of dried/caked paint, clean with (you guessed it) a rag dampened with lacquer thinner. 

Reassemble and test (and don't forget the head washer) - Hopefully if all is well it should be good as new.

 

Some people find it's a lot easier to keep seperate airbrushes for different paint types. Even traces of lacquer thinner can wreak havoc with acrylic paints. I go so far as to only use one brand of acrylic paint, merely to reduce problems.

I don't think the needle bearing is the problem. I think inexperience in cleaning and using a brush is. The rule is do a good job cleaning, and don't try to switch from enamels to acrylics in one session. It will only create problems and reduce your pleasure. 

And it's NOT a fetish, only an inordinate amount of pleasure in having one of everything.

Bgrigg wrote:

And it's NOT a fetish, only an inordinate amount of pleasure in having one of everything.

"Who dies with the most toys, …"

"And sometimes an 'airbrush' is just an 'airbrush' …"

(And I'm sure you know what and whom I'm misquoting!)

 

Triarius wrote:

"And sometimes an 'airbrush' is just an 'airbrush' …" (And I'm sure you know what and whom I'm misquoting!)

I'm too Jung to know that!

Bgrigg wrote:

Triarius wrote: "And sometimes an 'airbrush' is just an 'airbrush' …" (And I'm sure you know what and whom I'm misquoting!) I'm too Jung to know that!

Just as long as you're not Pavlovian.

I'm not, but the idea makes my mouth water!

Bgrigg wrote:

Some people find it's a lot easier to keep seperate airbrushes for different paint types. Even traces of lacquer thinner can wreak havoc with acrylic paints. I go so far as to only use one brand of acrylic paint, merely to reduce problems. I don't think the needle bearing is the problem. I think inexperience in cleaning and using a brush is. The rule is do a good job cleaning, and don't try to switch from enamels to acrylics in one session. It will only create problems and reduce your pleasure.

As cheap as good air brushes are these days ($20-$40) there is no need to not have more then one.

Tom

Triarius wrote:

Bgrigg wrote:  Triarius wrote: "And sometimes an 'airbrush' is just an 'airbrush' …" (And I'm sure you know what and whom I'm misquoting!) I'm too Jung to know that! Just as long as you're not Pavlovian.

I'm a-Freud you guys are taking this too far.....

Really? Would you like to lie down and talk about it?

Lol post hijackers    -Just kidding, i'm gonna go give it a good cleaning and see what that does.

Paging Dr. Lector! Dr. Lector to surgery!

ben1227 wrote:

Lol post hijackers    -Just kidding, i'm gonna go give it a good cleaning and see what that does.

The airbrush, or Jon's brain?

Given what Ben said about paint seeping into the trigger area, I stand by my statement about the needle bearing.  The friction of the bearing is what keeps the paint out of the trigger / air valve area.  Sometimes when people have an aggresive cleaning regimen, the bearing is damaged or pulled out by mistake.  HTH.

 

E

Triarius wrote:

ben1227 wrote: Lol post hijackers    -Just kidding, i'm gonna go give it a good cleaning and see what that does. The airbrush, or Jon's brain?

 

Heh! The airbrush, sorry So it works now. I'm sticking to Enamels and Alclad for now until someone tells me a name or brand and where i can get this acrylic retarder stuff to prevent tip dry.

Any artists supply store. Brands that I know of are Golden, Createx, and Liquitex. All should work equally well, although there may be a problem with Golden and some Tamiya colors. (Still researching that. I'll post results to the forums here.)

I thin model master acrylics with tamiya acrylic thinner. It works very well. Or at least as well as MM acryls can be expected to work. Which isn't very well at all. If you must use acrylics, I reccomend Vallejo/color fo eagles etc. Pre-thinned in dropper bottles they are easily the best acryls. (Plus you can clean up with water, and that seems to be a plus if you're randomly dissolving parts of your airbrush... )

Cool! Note to all who may read this...I have decided the Badger 100LG, my first and only airbrush, is going to be used for acrylics only! It will keep maintenance costs low since i won't be dissolving so many seals and O-rings...Tankmaster, does Squadron carry most of that stuff you mentioned? Whats the Pre-thinned stuff in the dropper bottles called?

sorry for not being clearer. Vallejo/color of eagles both come pre thinned in the dropper bottles. Squadron should have all the things i mentioned, if not try greatmodels.com or any other internet hobby site. good luck with the airbrush.

ben1227 wrote:

Cool! Note to all who may read this...I have decided the Badger 100LG, my first and only airbrush, is going to be used for acrylics only! It will keep maintenance costs low since i won't be dissolving so many seals and O-rings...Tankmaster, does Squadron carry most of that stuff you mentioned? Whats the Pre-thinned stuff in the dropper bottles called?

What "seals and O-rings" did you dissolve?

The needle bearing is FTPE (Teflon) and is not affected by thinners.

Now if you put lacquer or other strong thinners into the airvalve then that would cause problems as they are not designed to take that strong of thinner and neither is most any other airbrush for that matter.

 

I guess some of us are lucky enough to have two air brushes.  I have a badger model 200 I've have had it for about 15 years now,  just had to do a major overhall of the whole thing.   I  found that it worked well enough but I would have problems with it and when I did it was very frustrating.  Well Two years ago my wife got me a new air brush as a birthday present,  it's a Pasche VL double action and I'll tell you I have fallen in love with it.  It is a much better air brush then the Badger 200.  I found that the double action really gives me alot more control over the paint flow and air pressure,  although it took me awhile to get use to it.  I kept the badger as a back up,  but since the rebuild I haven't used it (and it's just gathering dust). I'm not saying that badger makes a bad product,  I think personally the double action air brushe's are better for fine work.  I'm sure that Badger makes a simmilar type of air brush.  As for me I stay away from acrilic paints.  I have always liked the enamel finishes better and found them easer to work with.