Badger 150 problem

[sak]

Just bought a used badger 150 airbrush. Air flows through nozzle smoothly. But when paint is applied the pattern pulsates. Higher the pressure, the worse it gets. When I got it, I noticed the needle was bent at the very end and it did not seem to fit the nozzle very well so I replaced both with a medium nozzle and medium needle, as well as replaced the head o-ring. I googled this problem and it seems pretty common. In another forum Ken badger says that the spray regulator might not match the new medium nozzle or that the internal needle bearing is defective. Does anybody know how I go about removing this bearing? I notice also large amounts of air bubbles in the paint cup when I apply air and paint. Which I would think would indicate a blockage of the air but the nozzle is clean. I will replace the entire head if I have to, but I have heard also of people replacing all these parts and still having this problem. But I would only like to replace what needs to be replaced. Ken Badger also says to keep pressure at about 18 psi. Which might explain why it worked better under lower pressures but is this normal for badger airbrush?

Thanks

JJ

Edited October 13, 2008 by sak

[MrObsessive]

I have a Badger Crescendo and had this same problem a while back. Yes, it sounds like the needle bearing is worn out..............Badger recommends sending in the body of the airbrush to replace the bearing.

Do you feel any resistance when taking the needle out? If not, the bearing is worn.

I've replaced the bearing on my own------the trick is to find some stiff metal rod just under the inside diameter of the bore of the needle bearing space. Gently push out the bearing from the rear of the body. When you replace the bearing, put the bearing in from the front of the body and you should be able to feel the bearing "seat" itself.

You may not be comfortable doing this so I would recommend sending it in------but that's most likely the problem. If you go ahead and do this..........I would order several so you have them on hand...........this is fairly common for them to go bad after a while.

One tip I recommend when you clean your airbrush is to remove the needle from the front of the body, and when inserting it, insert it from the rear. This will help the needle bearing keep its shape and wearing out prematurely.

Hope this helps!

[diymirage]

the airbubbles in the cup seem to represent backpresure (if i remember correctly)

this means that there is no where for the air to escape through the front of the nozzle so the path of least resistance is through the paint.

most likely means your tip is clogged up

which might also contribute to the bad spray pattern

[BigGary]

What are you using for an air supply? If you aren't using a tank type air compressor with a regulator, the pulsing of the paint could be caused by the compressor. Also the bubbles in the paint indicate a problem. I have a Badger 150 that I use infrequently because it is such a pain to clean properly and thoroughly. I use a 250 the most. I have 2 of them and a 350 for general spraying work. I've had good success with a small tank type compressor I bought at Lowe's back at Christmas for $50, came with a brad nailer. I also bought a regulator, best $19.95 I ever invested.

Big Gary

[sak]

Thanks evryone, help is appreciated. I will try to change that needle bearing mr. obsessive.

BIg Garry, I am using a 3 gallon compressor, as for the tip, it is not clogged, it was a brand new tip and needle and I was testing with water. So if the tip isnt clogged are there any other places for air to get blocked, I ran the airbrush without the head and air flowed thru that little hole real smooth and still smooth even with the head on.

[Brendan]

The sputtering of the paint would be more to the fact that you have an air leak in the air brush. Would also explain the air bubbles blowing back into the paint cup. I'm not too familiar with the Badgers, but I have fixed them for other people. My suggestion would be to recheck all the fittings. Hook your air brush up to the compressor and take some soapy water and run it along any seam of the air brush to see if there are any bubbles coming up. That's where the leak would be coming from. If that's okay, it's probably the bearing. Hope this helps.

[sak]

Thanks Bredan, but I will have to try your method when I install a new bearing as I have already removed the old one. one. It came out in 2 peices but I am not sure if thats from pushing it out. Either way, it looks very thin at one end. So I removed the bearing, air valve and everything that can be removed. Now everything is closed today for tanksgiving day. Until I can get a new bearing, I was thinking about letting it soak in something. I am not sure what kinda of paint this brush was used for but testors airbrush cleaner seems to take it off with scrubbing. Is it safe to used CSC on it, I would assume degreaser would be safe on real platd parts, and will CSC remove caked on acrylic paint?

[Brendan]

Thanks Bredan, but I will have to try your method when I install a new bearing as I have already removed the old one. one. It came out in 2 peices but I am not sure if thats from pushing it out. Either way, it looks very thin at one end. So I removed the bearing, air valve and everything that can be removed. Now everything is closed today for tanksgiving day. Until I can get a new bearing, I was thinking about letting it soak in something. I am not sure what kinda of paint this brush was used for but testors airbrush cleaner seems to take it off with scrubbing. Is it safe to used CSC on it, I would assume degreaser would be safe on real platd parts, and will CSC remove caked on acrylic paint?

I usually soak my airbrushes in lacquer thinner. But I remove anything rubber or plastic out of them. Then I let them soak for a day. CSC should remove acrylic paints with no problem. But I just find it easier to use thinner.