Thread: Badger 150 problem

Having just bought a new 150 I'm not entirely happy with it.

When using it for practising dots it's OK until I try to close the paint off, when it gives a dose of paint which splatts the dot I've so carefully created.

Only happens when practising tiny dots.

My old Vega 2000 doesn't do this, and I bought the 150 as an improvement.

Currently my old Vega works a lot better than the new 150, seeming to be a lot smoother and better able to control the paint delivery.

Just what am I doing wrong? Is it something to do with air pressure or something?

Steve

The description you give says that you are letting off of the air before you push the trigger all the way forward.

Does your brush spray paint even when the trigger is all the way forward?

Is the trigger stiffer or more rigid in the forward/backward movement for controling the paint volume?

I know I am not letting off the air because I'm keeping it on for the whole row of dots, and this happens on every dot, (plus it doesn't happen with my old Vega 200)

There is no paint with the trigger all the way forward.

The trigger definitely has more resistance than my old Vega 2000, and is also a lot rougher in feel. The old Vega 2000 feels like running your finger tip over oiled glass, the Badger over 2000 wet or dry.

I've read very good reports of the Badger and would really like to get to the bottom of this.

Thanks for your help.

I'm calling it a Vega 2000, but it's actually a very old Revell Profi Plus which is exactly the same brush, as is the Thayer and Chandler Vega 2000

Steve

Make sure there are no burs on the slot in the body that the trigger comes through. Make sure your needle is seated to the nozzle. Also you can put a little lube on the needle tube where it slides through the tube shank and check the tube shank for burs.

The Badger 150 is not an improvement over the Vega, its a step backwards, the 150 is a very old design, maybe 20 years. An improvement would have been an Iwata Eclipse BCS, or an Omni 3000, or Precision Aire APD.

Really the only difference between the 150 and the Vega is in the nozzle design. Yes the badger 150 is a old design but it is defiantly not a step backwards and truthfully I would argue that none of the airbrushes mentioned are any better than the Vega but It mostly comes down to preference and how comfortable you are holding the airbrush.

Fontgeek described the usual cause of the problem Meerkat is having.
Thinking about Meerkats problem a little it is possible that the tip of the needle is bent thus holding a little paint on it or causing some to build up on the inside of the crown cap.

John

Have you substituted parts in on this brush from the originals?

Were the parts you put in made by the original manufacturer?

While some retailers will tell you that their own versions are identical to the original manufacturer, they are typically wrong, and all it takes is a tiny difference in dimensions to really throw things off.

Make sure your brush is nice and clean, both inside and out.
Make sure your paint is properly reduced, mixed, and strained BEFORE it goes into your brush.
Use a strong magnifying glass or jewelers loupe and do a careful inspection of the tip of the needle, and of the inside and outside of the fluid nozzle. Look for any cracks or distortions, and any debris or paint residue.

For the trigger action, try loosening the spring guide on the brush.
Use a drop of airbrush lubricant on the tips of a forefinger and thumb, and pull the needle through it (always tail to tip). Between the lube and the lessening of the tension on the spring, it should smooth things up a bit, providing the brush is clean and in good shape.

As far as your brush being exactly the same as the Vega 2000, I don't know either brush well enough to make that call, but as Scribbler noted, each model and manufacturer can have it's own little quirks.

Hi fontgeek, thanks for staying with this.

No substituted parts, the brush is brand new.

It's a proper Badger brush, at least I hope it is! It's got "Badger No 150 USA" engraved on it.

I've had a good look at the needle and can't see anything wrong, unfortunately I haven't got any airbrush lube, is this a specific thing, or is there a generic lube I can use?

I can't loosen the spring guide any more, it's already almost butting up against the needle clutch, and it still needs a lot more effort than my old brush.

I think I need to go find another 150 and have a play with it, I may be chasing shadows here, or the brush just needs a few hours use to bed in?

Steve

Badger gives a life time warranty on all their brushes and you can send it back to them and they will give it a once over, tune it up for you and replace any defective parts for free. Their customer service is very good.

Don't waste your'e time trying to fight the 150 to get it to work properly, it's not worth it, return it if you can or exchange it for one of the brushes I mentioned, oh I forgot one, the Badger Renegade Rage. This is also a new brush and is supposed to be sweet. Your'e Vega is a decent brush but it's also an older brush design. I learned on both the 150 and the Vega but when I got my hands on an Iwata I saw the difference.

Be warned that those company waraunties don't cover normal wear and tear items or abuse, so if the needle is bent, or the nozzle is dirty or damaged, etc., you end up paying the full list price for those replacements, or for their hours to clean up your parts.

Try taking the spring out completely, if the trigger movement is still stiff or hanging up, then you know it's not the spring that's doing it.

If it does help, then look at the inside of the spring guide, and the needle chuck and the area it goes into on your brush, all those areas should be clean and clear of any paint, debris, or burrs. Make sure the spring is clean too. If it has something in or on it, or there is junk in the spring guide/tensioner, it can make the spring hang up when it is trying to compress or expand during normal use. If there is gunk on the needle chuck itself, or in the slot it fits into, it can also make your trigger movement tough to deal with.

Don't get sold on an airbrush or manufacturer just because "It's what I already have" or "It's what everybody uses or reccomends". Look at what you need to do your desired work, and use those requirements as a shopping list if you go out looking for something new. There is no perfect brush for everyone and everything.

On most airbrushes the seal/packing/etc., can be adjusted for tension/grip.
It requires a long, skinny slotted/flat screwdriver that's fed through the body of the airbrush from the tail end. It does require the removal of the handle, the needle, the chuck, spring guide and spring.
The seal/packing is fitted into a tapered opening with the screw threaded in behind it, so the tighter you have the screw the more it forces the seal or packing to pinch/compress as it gets pushed into the tapered opening.

Ideally, there should be some resistance by the seal, it acts like a squeegee on the needle, scraping all the paint off as the needle is retracted (pulled back). The friction should be VERY minor though.
Most wear and tear happens when a crusty needle, or one with a damaged or bent tip is pulled back through it during disassembly. The crust (buildup of dried paint) on the needle acts like a rasp or coarse sandpaper ripping away the interior of the seal as it is forced through.
The Teflon is less forgiving than the old rubber seals were in that respect.
Bent needles score the seals and nozzles as it goes through them.

If your airbrush is "sucking air", I doubt it is through the packing/seal as much as it is through leaks around the male end of the cup or bottle where it feeds into the body of the airbrush. I would also check to make sure that the vent hole on your bottle or cup lid is clear. If your reservoir can't get air in to displace the paint as it is sprayed out, it creates a greater vacuum than the siphon/suction action of the brush can compete with.
If your seals are leaking that bad, then you are getting paint coming back into the trigger well and handle area.