Button jamming on my Paasche VL.

That must've been what it was. It's working fine, now. Thanks for your help.

No - the tension adjusting collar is the cylindrical brass tube-like piece with the knurled end, which is covered when the handle is screwed on.

If you look at the diagram here: http://www.dixieart.com/VLParts.html it's part# 35

The part you're referring to is the head/tip assembly. This should always be tight, but not overly so.

Right now the trigger and movement feels normal and smooth. I think I unscrewed the needle tensioning collAR. I that the conical metal screw on the front of my model with the hexagonal spanner faces. If so then I did remove it completely.

If the needle is withdrawn from the airbrush, the trigger assembly can simply drop out, as the only thing that keeps it in place is the needle, which passes through the shaft of the trigger. This is not a problem.

If you didn't disassemble the air valve, it's unlikely that the return spring has gone missing. This would only happen if you removed the air valve assembly and, in turn, disassembled that.

It may simply be that you have screwed the needle tensioning collar in too far and it's causing the trigger to bind. When you pull back on the trigger, is it very tight? Is the action smooth? Try backing off the adjusting collar a little and see if the trigger frees up.

In one of the times I disassembled the AB, the trigger did completely come out. I didn't see any spring anywhere, I knew it would've been spring loaded but I assumed that the spring was contained inside the valve area more securely.Thing is, right now I have the AB in front of me dissassembled no more than I had it last night. The rear assembly and rocker is currently removed but the trigger is still mounted and is springing back up straight after I take the pressure off it. 

It has to be either that there is another spring or something is jamming the trigger whilst the whole AB is complete. 

...OMG. I just reassembled it and the trigger is springing back up again almost completely, just shy by a ml or so.

Sounds like you may have gone too far and lost the tiny spring that keeps the button up.

It is almost invisible to the un-aided eye and normally requires magnification to assemble correctly.

I recommend that you contact Paasche and see about sending it to them for repair or replacement.

They have special tools and magnifiers.

Basically what you have done is like the fellow who took his wind-up wristwatch apart and wondered why it quit working right.

Tom