Badger 200 (Old Style) troubleshooting...

[Cosmonaut X]

Hi, all

New to the forum, and returning to airbrushes after a long absence, and hoping someone can help me out.

I'm working on a couple of small projects at the moment that needed me to break out the airbrush, so I pulled my old style Badger 200 from storage. It's sat unused for a long time, so I broke it down to see if anything needed cleaned replaced. The needle was slightly bent so I replaced it, and the crown and head assembly was a bit mucky so they both got a clean, as did the main body. I'm using the medium head which has no nozzle and leaves the needle uncovered.

I picked up a new hose and hooked the airbrush up, fitted a colour cup with some water to give it a quick test spray and...

I get a bit of air out of the front, and the water from the cup shoots everywhere as air forces out of the cup feed.

I stripped it down again to look for obstructions or damage, but there was nothing obvious and all the seals looked clean and tight. Changing the needle position or loosening the crown a touch didn't make a difference to the amount of air coming out of the cup.

The teflon washer on the head seems intact and undamaged, but I can't see any sign of the plastic needle bearing inside the body of the brush (and I'm not sure whether it is fitted from the back or the front in this particular model). If the bearing is missing or damaged, would that cause the issue I'm having?

I'd rather repair it myself if possible, as I'm in the UK and returning it to Badger is a bit of a pain - and pricey - but if it's the needle bearing I've been told it's a fiddle to do yourself (and Badger obviously don't recommend it).

Any tips or possible solutions? Thanks in advance!

 

[markjthomson]

Hi there, welcome... there are a number of badger experienced people who will help you out.

Can I get you to help us out... go along to the introductions page here... http://www.airbrushforum.org/introductions/ and do a proper introduction... where do you live, gear you use, check out the netiquette one as well.

Look forward to hearing more about you.

Cheers Mark

 

[Cosmonaut X]

Hi, Mark

Sorry - missed that bit! Will do, and thanks for the pointer.

Cheers!

 

[markjthomson]

I think you'll do fine here...

 

[Squishy]

Sounds like you aren't new to this, just out of the game for a while, but are you certain it's not just where the brush has been laid up for a while. Maybe a bit of a soak in some restorer might help ?

Is there any resistance when you are putting the needle in? If not then either the bearing may need tightening, or as you say could be damaged or missing.

 

[basepaint]

Is the 200 a single action or duel?Did you tighten the chucking nut on the needle?It really just sounds like a clogged nozzle

 

[JackEb]

"I get a bit of air out of the front, and the water from the cup shoots everywhere as air forces out of the cup feed."

I had same thing, it was a blocked nozzle

 

[Don Wheeler]

Most likely the Teflon seal between the head and body has been compressed during storage and now leaks. Put some Chapstick on the threads and see if it helps. I leave the head a little loose when I store the brush. A needle bearing wouldn't cause your problem.

Don

 

[Cosmonaut X]

Thanks all for the tips, and sorry for the late reply - was away with family over the weekend. I'm going to have another crack at the 'brush in the morning with all of your advice and see if I can the little beast up and running. Update in the AM!

 

[Cosmonaut X]

Hm. Stripped it all down again, gave it a good soak in cleaner, replaced the teflon washer, tightened everything correctly and put a spot of chapstick on the threads and...

Still having the same issue :-/ There must be something desperately obvious I'm missing, but the moment the crown gets screwed on I get air shooting out of the feed tube. Think a look for a UK-based Badger repair outfit might be on the cards...

 

[ad fez]

steve puffer at barwell body works my friend

 

[ad fez]

when you take off the nozzle and rest of front of brush, are the 3 little holes that allow the air to front of brush free from debris, its an obvious place to look but we neglect it and go straight for the nozzle.
failing that I would say a possible cracked or deformed nozzle if you are certain its clean

 

[Cosmonaut X]

Bit the bullet and bought a complete replacement head assembly and...

SUCCESS!

It's spraying brilliantly, nice and clear with no stuttering and no air pushing back into the colour cup. Looking closely at the new medium head assembly, the three holes in the head look slightly larger than in my original and the threading feels tighter. More interestingly - and quite possibly the source of all the hassle? - is that the new head assembly has a small nozzle/tip that the original didn't have. I was under the impression that the old style Badger 200 had a medium head that shipped without a nozzle - which is why I hadn't flagged it up as a potential problem - but that clearly isn't the case.

I'm delighted to have it working again - and working so well - but it would be interesting to know if the nozzle was the issue all along, as it means I can maybe rescue the old head assembly as a spare just by picking up a spare nozzle...