mike morley Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 I've just used the site search facility and came up with loads of people who've had problems with their Badger 200's, but none like this. If I use pure water or neat thinners it sprays just the way it's supposed to. However, adding the tiniest amount of paint (Ten-to-one?) means it stops spraying and air starts bubbling up through the paint container. Acting on a hunch, I tried unscrewing the metering needle. Sometimes it didn't make the slightest difference, even if I unscrewed it completely and withdrew it. At other times, it will start to spray eventually, although the nature of what it sprays is both variable and unpredictable and doesn't seem to bear any correlation to how far the needle has been unscrewed. There have been a couple occasions when it has suddenly dumped so much paint on whatever I was trying to spray it forced a visit to the bath of Nitromors. The symptoms suggest a blockage somewhere - but that doesn't explain the way it sprays quite happily when no paint is involved and, in any case, I've lost count of how many times and how many hours it's spent soaking in thinners. I am starting to look upon my spray equipment as expensive tools with which to ruin a model. Can anyone suggest a solution? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarryscapes Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 Mine behaved like that, then stopped spraying altogether so it got shelved for perhaps as much as a year, till I replaced it with a Neo CN then I dug it out wondering if I could use it for spraying PVA onto ballast...anyway long story short it turned out it was completely clogged with paint, complete disassembly and thorough cleaning later and it works perfectly, and I didn't need the new air valve I thought I did! Mine was SO clogged, that when the needle was pressed fully home it didn't actually emerge from the front of the nozzle. I'm very glad to have it back because it sprays so much better than the Neo. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackRat Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 Ive had mine for many years, and it IS worth a total strip down now and again, you would be surprised how much of a paint build up goes on inside the head etc. Also it's worth checking the tiny, white Teflon washer, which sits on the thread of the main head. It can split, you,wouldn't notice it, but it's enough to affect the seal and cause intermittent spraying. I now soak mine in neat acetone, it even removes solid acrylic paint, and you'd be surprised at how much of that there is. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike morley Posted April 2, 2016 Author Share Posted April 2, 2016 Teflon washer? Neither my airbrush nor the exploded diagram features a Teflon washer. Do you mean the pressed-in PTFE needle bearing (part number 50-046)? I thought that was irreplaceable. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarryscapes Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 There most definitely is a teflon washer, between head and body. Similar in size to a 4mm scale axle bearing, readily available as a spare. It isn't your problem though, if it goes you'll notice pulsing in the spray pattern. Your problem is as you say a blockage, at least a partial one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
meil Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 Can anyone suggest a solution? Yes you need to clean your air brush properly - and after every spraying session. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike morley Posted April 3, 2016 Author Share Posted April 3, 2016 I do. Every time I've used it it has been stripped completely then spent an hour or so in a bath of thinners. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Lewis Posted April 3, 2016 Share Posted April 3, 2016 I do. Every time I've used it it has been stripped completely then spent an hour or so in a bath of thinners. Hello Fred here. Badger Have upgraded the 200 there is no Teflon washer in the latest model .I have had the new model for about 4 years now and have had no trouble with spraying. I advise you to strip down and clean the brush after every use.I do and have never had any problem`s spraying .I had the old model for 20 years and only had trouble with Teflon washers splitting once new washer was fitted it worked like new. Fred Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Tomlinson Posted April 3, 2016 Share Posted April 3, 2016 I do. Every time I've used it it has been stripped completely then spent an hour or so in a bath of thinners. Exactly my own practice, yet it still didn't stop a great gob of paint building up in the head! The chamber inside the head appears to be wider inside than at the screw end, and I think stuff must collect which you can't see properly. I recently started using the little cylindrical pipe cleaner type brushes, which seem to help a bit as they open out inside the inner chamber. Cellulose thinner is also quite a good dissolver of goo, however if you have a model with a teflon washer this needs to be removed before soaking. You can also get paint in the main body of the airbrush, around where the top lever meets the needle - maybe this comes from withdrawing a needle which already has some paint on it prior to cleaning. The Tim Shackleton method of holding your finger over the end of the nozzle when cleaning, and allowing the cleanser to bubble back, may be a useful idea for the future once you've sorted your current problem, although I've yet to give this a go. John. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike morley Posted April 3, 2016 Author Share Posted April 3, 2016 Is the PFTE sleeve the successor of the Teflon washer? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Tomlinson Posted April 3, 2016 Share Posted April 3, 2016 Is the PFTE sleeve the successor of the Teflon washer? The Teflon washer on the old type Badgers is white and around 4-5mm in diameter. It fits over the screw thread that is at the rear of the head assembly, so that when the head assembly is screwed into the body an airtight seal is formed. I don't know if PTFE and Teflon are the same substance? If the washer is split or brittle with age/ exposure to chemicals it doesn't do its job properly and need to be replaced. I see no reason that an "O" ring of appropriate diameter couldn't be used instead, and indeed have another very effective dual action airbrush from Machine Mart that uses one. This could be a cheaper and easier to find option, and big boxes of various size "O" rings are readily available on-line for minimal cost. John. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tractor_37260 Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 Is the PFTE sleeve the successor of the Teflon washer? Hi Mike No - the PFTE sleeve (needle bearing) is inside the main body of the brush, and AFAIK not replaceable without a lot of careful work. The Teflon washer/ring sits between the head assembly and the main body - over the threaded part of the head. I've being using a couple of Badger 200's for nearly 20 years, with great success, and they still work as good as new. The needles and heads have been replaced on a couple of occasions. If air is bubbling in the paint container, you must have a blockage in the main body. Strip the brush down by removing the head assembly/teflon washer and needle, remove the air valve and check it's also clean and working - ie not sticking. Does the needle slide in and out freely? it should be clean and there should be NO evidence of dried paint on it. Steep the main body in cellulose thinners, then use tabacco pipe cleaners to agitate and loosen any old paint residue. To clean the nozzle, tiny dental brushes are ideal - the "pink" type works well with 0.5mm (med) nozzles. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tepe-Interdental-Brushes-Pink-0-4mm-25-PACK-With-Caps-Dental-Care-/181311952268?hash=item2a3708d58c:g:wu4AAMXQVERS57BD Always strip and clean the brush after EVERY use - it saves a lot of hassle in the long run. HTH Ken Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Phil Mc Posted April 10, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 10, 2016 I've got a 'Badger 155 Anthem' airbrush, after every spraying job I clean it with 'Gunwash', a cleaning fluid used to washout industrial sprayguns that are used to spray Red Oxide and thick Gloss topcoats onto castings at the Foundries I visit in my job. I've been using it for about 10 years, and have never found a build up of crud in the spraygun anytime I've stripped it down. ! Cheers, Phil. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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