a problem with My airbrush

what is the brand of your airbrush.

is there any paint on the needle?  if there is, than look at the nozzle because it is most likely plugged, if there is no paint on the needle and it is siphon fed, reason says there might be a clog in the siphon or a piece of paint plugging the bottom of the siphon  just some of my thoughts.  most likely though it is the nozzle

if you could tell me what brand it is i can hopefully tell you how to clean it.

i assume it was enamel paint?

i had a very similar problem with a generic brand of airbrush once, holding brand, i think.  something didn't work right, i assume it was the nozzle. many a night i would try to clean the nozzle, and each time i would come up from the basement, cursing. so i went out and found a great deal on a badger 360; that badger has yet to plug.  i am very happy

I have a badger 200.  The problem is from the jar to the tip.  The needle is fine, the nozzel is clean.  I am just not getting anything pulled up from the jar.  When I used canned air I would turn the pressure up high and put a piece of paper covering the tip and pres the trigger, itd make the jar bubble and then itd work fine.  But for some reason with my compressor It is not doing that...

I cant even get it to spray thinner.

As far as clogs there isnt a single point on there that ?I can see with a clog it wont even spray thinner 

It sounds like you're not getting sufficient airflow. The B200 needs a minimum of about 18 PSI to draw paint from the jar.

Check your air line connections for leakage. From your other posts it appears you have a compressor with an auto cut-off. This means that it should stop running when you release the button on the airbrush. However, if it is running continuously, this would suggest an air leakage as there won't be enough back-pressure to switch it off.

At a guess, I'm thinking you just have the propel can adaptor. This is the plastic connector which screws onto the "air can", to which your air hose connects. It is not possible to use this as a connector to your compressor.

If you don't have a 1/4" adaptor for your Badger air hose, then this is what you need. http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/bad/bad50-023.htm (note that this link is just for illustration purposes) These adaptors come in two types - (1) standard and (2) with bleeder hole. You don't want the one with the bleeder hole. You should be able to pick one up at just about any hobby store.

If you stop and think about it, there are two places where the source of paint between the bottle and the airbrush can be blocked.  The siphon tube itself and the vent hole in the cap.  Like Gerald mentioned, there should be a small hole in the cap near where the siphon tube exits - quick way to check it is to simply hold the cap up to a light and check to see if the hole is open (paint will often stay in there even if you clean the cap).  If light isn't showing, turn the lid over and locate the hole (should be very near the tube or the washer around the tube).  When you locate it, take a pin and carefully punch the dried paint out, finish by wiping the area down w/a thinner dampened rag (I now check the hole every time I clean the lid)

A plugged siphon tube is somewhat rarer but not unknown (usually when you do something stupid and leave the cap on a bottle which still has paint in it for a day or two).  In this case I find that soaking the entire cap for a day or two in thinner (since I use enamels, lacquer thinner is my cleaning liquid of choice) to soften/remove the hardened paint, followed by an interior scrubbing of the siphon tube with a pipe cleaner soaked in thinner. Just keep cleaning until no evidence of paint shows on the pipe cleaner (you'll use two or three pipe cleaners).  You should be able to find pipe cleaners in your local drugstore (I've also been able to find them in a gun shop)

A word about safety - when I clean my airbrushs and their accessories, I do it in my paint booth, wearing a respirator and rubber gloves.  And be careful

smeagol the vile wrote:

I have a badger 200.  The problem is from the jar to the tip.  The needle is fine, the nozzel is clean.  I am just not getting anything pulled up from the jar.  When I used canned air I would turn the pressure up high and put a piece of paper covering the tip and pres the trigger, itd make the jar bubble and then itd work fine.  But for some reason with my compressor It is not doing that...

Is your compressor giving you the same level of pressure as the air can turned up high? It is best to tell by the pressure gauges. If you don't use a gauge, just spray plain air onto your other free hand for comparison. If the compressor air stream is weaker, turn up your pressure regulator on the compressor. If you don't us a regulator or it is already at the highest position, then, your compressor is too weak for your AB. Try a better compressor such as the Paasche DA400SR.

Cheaper AB tends to need more pressure than high quality, gravity feed AB. The Iwata HP-CS or the Badger 100LG will both be good choices for you.

smeagol the vile wrote:

It gives enough pressure to shoot whatever im aiming it at accross the painting surface (which the canned air did)  There IS a leak, so I ordered an adapter for the little tiny hose I have, if it doesnt work, your gona see me on the news after I go on a homisidal rampage at badger headquaters

Before you do, may I suggest a Badger airhose.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LX8200&P=FR

You can also get this airhose from Michaels Hobby Shop if you have one nearby. Using the 50% off coupon in the Sunday paper, it is quite a good deal compared to what may happen after your rampage.

smeagol the vile wrote:

I have one of those air hoses that are ment for connecting to their air can connector, so its tiny tiny.  It fits INSIDE compressor adaptor, so thats what I did, and it leaks alot there, like enough I can hear and feel it.

Did you get the adaptor that Phil_H suggested?

The tiny plastic hose should work just fine with the adaptor above, which screws onto the adaptor. I am completely puzzled by your description that "It fits INSIDE compressor adaptor"!! Show us how you fix it with a picture if you need more help.

Dixie Art carries a comprehensive list of airhoses and adaptors from all major manufacturers. Check this page to make sure that you are using the correct connection before you blame Badger.

http://dixieart.com/Airbrush_Hoses_and_more.html

I bought this adaptor http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?MerchantID=RET01229&Action=Catalog&Type=Product&ID=81768 probably the same one.

 as far as 'fitting inside' well, heres a pictoral diogram

 this may seem like a dumb question but, i must get it out of my head... 

are there threads on the outside of the adaptor because it looks to me like it does.

also does your hose have threading on the outside too?  i had a hose just like that, and it had an adaptor similar to that one up above, it would appear that it does not, but simply bumps

i had a hose very similar to this, for my holding AB

although that has already been discussed,

i think you may indeed have the wrong adaptor.

Smeagol,

The adapter you show is a male to mail connector, not an adapter per se. It's required as almost every airhose only have female ends. You need the adapter Phil_H recommended and Keilau pictured. Had I known I could have sent my spare one to you with the DVD on airbrushing (did you get that yet?).

The way you have it hooked up will not work as there aren't threads holding it in place. You should be able to buy that adapter at most hardware stores (Home Despot), department stores (Wally World) or junk merchandiser (Harbor Freak). It will be $3-5. Get a roll of teflon tape from the plumbing supply aisle (about a $1) and wrap it around the threads of the male to male connecter (both ends!) and you should be good to go.

nonononononono nonononononono

That isnt the adapter I havent gotten the adapter yet, im waiting for it to come in the mail. Thats the normal compressor hookup. 

Yes the hose does not have threading on the outside, it is just a rough surface to make gripping better.  Its a female end, it fits on the male end of the connector that fits over the canned air canisters.

and no, I havent gotten the dvd yet 

Well, there you go. You haven't actually hooked up the air hose to the compressor yet.

Back to your original post with the problem with the model master adapter. What are you using for an air source (the way you are hooking up to the compressor will NOT work)?

Does the adapter you are using with the model master bottles have a little vent hole? That must be open or no paint can be pulled from the bottle. Personally, I wouldn't use an adapter to hook up to the original paint bottle. The paint really isn't thinned appropriately for airbrushing (no matter how much the manufacturer claims it is). I would only use it after you've emptied one of the colours as a spare bottle. Use the bottle that came with the brush.

There have been many threads on the proper cleaning of airbrushes, search them out. Swanny hosts an excellent tutorial by Christian (MontanaCowboy, where the heck has HE been lately?) on care and cleaning of airbrushes. It's very well done, so check it out!

smeagol the vile wrote:

I bought this adaptor http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?MerchantID=RET01229&Action=Catalog&Type=Product&ID=81768 probably the same one. Yes, this is the adaptor Phil recommended, but it is not on your compressor.  as far as 'fitting inside' well, heres a pictoral diogram

Smeagol,

I chuckled when I saw your pictures. Go buy the Badger airhose that I suggested before. Everything will be fine and don't blame Badger.

If you bought the adaptor at MicroMark, why didn't you use it? There was a male-to-female pipe connector on the outlet of your compressor instead of the Badger adaptor. You tried to stick a 1/8" female thread into a 1/4" female thread. It will take a miracle for it not to leak. Make sure to remove the pipe connector when you get your new Badger airhose.

I cannot get information about your compressor which is an older model. But the Badger Cyclone 180-12 manual is online at the Badger site.

http://www.badger-airbrush.com/pdf/180-10%20and%20180-12%20Instruction%20Book.pdf

The 180-12 compressor is the Badger replacement model for your compressor. Everything should be the same except a little more powerful and sold a lot cheaper.

The compressor should come with a 1/4" NPSM airhose adaptor which works with all airhoses sold by Badger, Iwata and Paasche. If your compressor did not come with one, go back to the seller to demand it.

If you know someone who is more mechanical inclined than you are at home, or school, or at work, it would be very helpful to talk to him/her about what were posted here by other members. Remember that the size of the male and female thread must match to make a leak-free connection. Good luck.

Am I not being clear? Im sure I said it more then once, I am waiting for the Adapter to come in the mail.

I have the adapter, its the same as the thing for the jars that came with the airbrush, just with a smaller lid. You know what, im just gona take photos of it all. 

The reason I use the adapter is I have 3 jars that came with the airbrush.  One of them has thinner, the other two have a mixture of custom colors.  I CANT go switching the pant from bottle to bottle every 5 min.  I have about 10 or so different model master's paints that I am using at the moment, I work on normally more then 3 projects at once.  if I only used the bottles that came with it, it would be such a mess.  I'm not going to buy more bottles either, there like 5$ each, why do that when the model master bottle adapter was 7$, seems like a simple decision to me

As far as the model master's paint in general, who on this forum really doesnt thin their paint before using it anyhow?  Thats the kind of thing a 9 year old does, using un-thinned paint. 

Smeagol,

We are trying to help you, and no you're not being clear. We know what the bottle adapter looks like.

Now go and edit that last post and clean up your foul langauge before they punt you from these boards. Speaking or posting like that isn't necessary and is stupid and doesn't make people want to help you.

Are you serious, or are you just messing with people? From your prior pics, you're attempting to put a female receptacle into a male adapter. I'm not aware that anywhere in nature, or in plumbing circles, where that is possible. Next, you seem to have no patience for listening to what people are telling you. You are not being clear at all. You need the reducer that was previously mentioned. It's really very simple, it goes from the outlet on the compressor to the 1/8"  receiver on the Badger hose. Without it, you might as well be sticking the hose in your ear, as the result will be just as effective. Perhaps you should report back after the reducer comes to you in the mail.

Finally, don't swear on line for my benefit. It's boorish and doesn't accomplish anything. I hear enough of that stuff when I'm at work. Until you have the proper reducer between your compressor outlet and your hose connection, all you will have is a massive air leak - not unlike this thread. 

Sorry about the cursing, im frustrated. Let me be perfectly clear.  I ORDERED the adapter.  I am waiting for it to come into the mail.  I said that twice before, first time I didnt mention I was waiting for it to be shipped, second time I did (yesterday)

I know that female ends do not go into male adapters, but when I open the box and the stinking thing isnt compatable without buying an adapter I get alittle peeved, especially when I went out of my way to get a badger compressor for my badger airbrush, you would think they would be compatable from the get go.

I put the female end into the male end because I thought 'maybe it will work' as a brief flash of hope before spending more money I didnt have.

When I said I got it, I ment I ordered it online, I have no hobby shops around me, at all, except for one a hour away in new jersey that hikes their prices up almost 300%

Just be pleasant with people, that's all. I'm new here, but I have the impression that posters are here to help, share information and look for input on their projects. This hobby, or any hobby for that matter, isn't worth getting upset over. If it becomes that much of a frustration, then a person needs to find a new hobby, IMO.

I'm older, have a business, and a few dollars are not so much of a big deal. Having been younger, I understand that it is difficult to always have the money to get what you want. Personally, I enjoy helping when I can. If you have an e-mail address, post it. I'll be more than happy to contact you and send you what you need. I currently have a Badger braided hose with the adapter - and an in-line water trap installed - that I will never use. (I use the Iwata style connectors.) All I aks is that you cover the cost of postage. If you're not interested, the offer stands for the next person in line. Note: this hose has the smaller Badger female connection at the airbrush end. 

I would jump at that, but my problem is still money.  untill I go back to school, and get a job on campus again... I am in the negatives as far as my monitary situation.  I used savings for the airbrush, technichly, used my mom's money in paypal, and I paid her from my savings, and Im now trying to sell stuff on ebay to recoup my costs (Pocket dragon collection).

It isnt this hobby that has me frustrated, its just when one thing gets me frustrated, it crosses over into eVERYTHING else