3 vintage Paasche airbrushes and a few questions

[Proxin]

Hi all, newbie to the forum here. I recently have been getting into collecting and using vintage airbrushes and I’m still very new to the history of airbrushes as a whole so please forgive me if any of this information I’m going to ask about is already easily accessible. I’ve managed to snag some vintage Paasche brushes online and I was hoping I could get some insight on them here. I’ve cleaned them all up so they’re much nicer to look at than when I first got them

The first is this VERY old Model H in a black wood case. I know the very early Passches used this kind of case but not sure until when. When I got it the air valve was completely seized up, I had to let it soak in wd40 for almost 2 days before it finally gave.



I also didn’t notice until I was finally ready to test it that the connector is a completely different thread than every other Paasche I have. The diameter seems about the same but the threads are totally different. If anyone knows what type of connector this is and where I can find one or some type of adapter it would be much appreciated. (Left is the old style connector)


The second I have here is the little brother, the model F, in a very cool case that I’ve never seen any airbrush come in. Was this common? Ive only seen the standard leather wrapped cases so this was extremely intriguing to me. This one I could test after cleaning and it sprays beautifully with the original nozzle and needle.



And last but not least is probably my favorite, a model M with a fiery red handle. I can find almost no information about this brush online aside from a couple old ads for it. It seems similar to the V series, maybe a predecessor? It sprays wonderfully and feels great to use, compared to the other two though it seems there’s very little documentation on this brush.


I hope someone is able to tell approximately when these were manufactured as well, hopefully the serial numbers help with that.
Cheers to all- James

 

[tatocorvette]

Welcome to the forum!
All three are beautiful!
I know very little or nothing about Paasche but our resident expert DaveG can probably provide you with some guidance.
The history of airbrushes is unfortunately severely under-documented.
My understanding is that the H has been in production for over 100 years. If they have any patent dates, you can tell it was made after that date however, you can't get any conclusions other than that because they could keep using the stamped patent date for decades.

Thanks,
Ismael

 

[DaveG]

My crappy internet service is having a hard time loading the photo's - so going just off what I could see so far - the handle on the H is maybe mid-1920's with case making maybe into the 1930's (as a guess). The threads may be 1/4x60tpi, which would be the same as a few other brushes produced around Chicago at around the same time. TC Model B, and several Wold models, like the Master (I have not seen the photo yet, just know I have a few early Paasche's with #10x60tpi air valve threads - same as TC and Badger). If the little snippet I thought I saw loading of the F case, they had some funny pattern prints during the 1940's with some being blotchy, and some looking sort of like snake skin, etc. The M and MS pre-date the V and VL - there is not a lot of info on them...

 

[Proxin]

Thanks guys, I appreciate all the information. Looking at some pictures of the wold M and TC model B it does look to be the same threads as the H. Maybe I can find a way to Jerry rig some type of connection while looking for a proper adapter, seems they don’t make them easy to come by nowadays. Perhaps I can find someone who has an extra adapter they're willing to part with.

 

[DaveG]

where you located? I have made QC fittings for this particular size before.

 

[Proxin]

where you located? I have made QC fittings for this particular size before.

I live in southern California. I’d be more than willing to pay for parts and shipping if you’re able to send me one

 

[DaveG]

I live in southern California. I’d be more than willing to pay for parts and shipping if you’re able to send me one

let me check to see if I have any remaining on my desk - if not, I will be setting up to do some QC's in the next week or so.

 

[Kingpin]

Cough conopois QC fittings Cough

 

[Proxin]

Well after some searching I found a 1/4- 60 tap and dye online and it should come in tomorrow. Never tapped a thread before but hey there’s a first time for everything! In the meantime I’ve been restoring this old T&C model A with Badger parts. Pretty cool how many of the parts are still being made or are interchangeable (the air valve required some milling down to get it to fit flush with the body though)

 

[tatocorvette]

Hello,

That's a fixed head Model A body. My understanding is that it changed to a separate head around 1925. So this body is at least 100 years old.
Love it!

Thanks,
Ismael

 

[Proxin]

So it seems the thread on the H may not be 1/4-60 after all. I managed to tap the inside of a 1/8-1/8 fitting and it seems like it wants to screw in partially but not all the way. It’s strange, when I look at the threads on the H compared to the tap they seem exactly the same. Maybe I’m doing something wrong, I don’t have a fancy drill press or anything so I’m doing all of this by hand. The good news is I was able to Jerry rig a connection by using electrical tape on the inside of the untapped end of the 1/8 connector, and then I just pressure fit it to the paasche and it holds well enough to test.

First test I notice that the spray regulator feels loose and it doesn’t adjust the flow properly. I realized that there was no needle packing. I’m not even sure if these early H needles had needle packings/ washers like the new ones do. I grabbed an o-ring that was just the right size and used that. After reinstalling the needle and giving it a second try it worked beautifully! I noticed a very small hairline crack at the very tip of the spray regulator but it doesn’t seem to affect performance. Almost 100 years young and the needle is in beautiful shape!