This past weekend I pulled the old airbrush (Pasche dual-action) out and went to do some painting. I could not get the bru***o spray smoothly. It sputtered and no matter what type of adjustment was made the brush would not spray correctly. I keep it very clean taking it apart after every use. I checked the needle and it too looked to be straight. I even tried another needle. I adjusted air pressure and the consistency of the paint to be sure. No joy. My compressor is more than adequate and air temperature was perfect for spraying. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
How old is the airbrush? There are some seals inside that eventually break down and can cause those problems.
Is the flow of air consistent and just the paint flow a problem, or is the flow of air a problem itself?
More questions than answers, I know.
The brush is about 16-18 years old. The airflow is fine. Its just the flow of paint.
You may have already done this, but try running a few cups (color cup, not measuring cup) of thinner (Floquil thinner works well for this) through the thing to see if it clears anything up.
Double check how tight the aircap body is attached to the airbrush. That can cause problems if air is escaping.
There is washer inside the thing, about where the adjustment wheel is near the nozzle. That would be much more difficult to replace. Actually, replacing it is probably easy, but getting that section apart is the problem, particularly after 16 years. I’d want to eliminate everything possible before blaming that, even though I’m sure the seal itself is inexpensive.
The easier seal is the one on the bottom where the air hose attaches. Although, I think if that was the problem you’d be having air pressure problems, not just paint flow problems.
If there is any binding in the trigger play, you may need to put a drop of oil on its pin (where it bends) and on the back end of the needle to loosen things up. It does not sound like lack of needle movement is the problem, though, or you would have noticed that.
Some Paasche dealers make a tune-up kit, which includes all the seals/washers and parts that tend to wear out, and then some. I think airbrushoutlet.com had them for around $20 or $25.
16+ years is an acceptable term of service for any tool. I wish I had some last that long. I would recommend taking the airbrush apart and examining it closely. I had a similar problem a few years ago. My airbrush was a different brand than yours (Testors). It had a cracked seal in it. The replacement part wouldn’t cost very much but, considering the time and amount of labor, I decided it was time for a new airbrush. This time I got one that doesn’t pull the paint through the tools body. It blows a jet of air across the top of a tube, sucking the paint up through the tube and blows it onto the object i’m working on. No moving parts, nothing to disassemble and the only part to be cleaned is the bottle and it’s spray cap. No seals to worry about.
JW:
What’s the brand and model of the airbrush you describe? I’m not ready to get into airbrushing yet, but sounds like your unit would be the way to go for ease of cleaning and maintainance.
Jim
It’s made by Testor’s and comes in an airbrush kit available at Wal-mart. It holds the paint in a bottle which just screws into the front of the airbrush. You adjust the flow of paint by simply turning the bottle. It’s fairly easy to recognize. I don’t know the model number off hand. My airbrush has splotches of paint on it and the number is covered up.
There is a small ‘O’ ring inside. Yours is cracked or chipped. Not suprising considering the age. Call Paasche and they will fix you right up. With minimum care those things will easily outlive you. I would definitely fix the one you have because those puppies are not cheap.
P.S. - I am not an expert. Sorry.
I have an old Paasche VL. Appearance wise I’ve always kept it very clean.
Similar situation. The old girl needs a rebuild. I’ve been able to compensate by increading airpressure and gun distance, but I can no longer get around it. Doesn’t work for metalizing, where gun distance must be closer.
I have my sights set on a new Badger unit, but I will still keep the Paasche and rebuild it later on.