I need help with my VL

[Helipilot16]

My Paasche VL airbrush just quit working. I have stripped and cleaned it twice. I have adjusted the needle in and out. Air comes out just very lightly and no paint comes out at all. Any suggestions? Edited January 19, 2009 by Helipilot16

[Karmodeler2]

Yes, I have a few.

If you take the cones off the very end of the body of the airbrush, you will see some small holes located at the very end of the airbrush body. (if you have a newer style airbrush....how old is it?) Find some pipe cleaners that will fit these holes and clean them out. (they are available at automotive paint supply places in gun cleaning kits and are will worth it) ( you can use reamers if you are careful not to oversize the holes, and just gently remove any residue or buildup that might be there) Sometimes these small holes gets clogged. Also, disconnect the air supply line; look at the area on the body of the airbrush where the air goes in. Look in there at the slotted screw, and remove the screw very carefully as there is a spring on the other side (do this inside a gallon size zip lock bag, and your parts will be right there in the bag). Remove the piston (the thing you push down on to get air and paint to mix) and clean this area with a modified q-tip or a pipe cleaner or something. This area might be clogged too.

If you still have the parts list, it will show an exploded view of the gun and this will be helpful when cleaning it. You can also go to paashe's website and they have them too.

Make sure you have run pipe cleaners (available at wall mart at the check out stand...normally the tobacco one) in every orifice to make sure they are really clean. I use lacguer thinner and pipe cleaners to make sure I get the canals clean. You will be surprised the colors you get on the pipe cleaner...like the color of a model you did 4 months ago that you thought you had cleaned your brush when you painted it. I had a guy give me a touch up gun because he said he had taken it apart, cleaned it and could not get it to work. While standing in front of him, I disassembled it, and look at the parts, and he said, "Wow, I didn't know that came apart". Just make sure you are taking the gun apart all the way and are thoroughly cleaning it.

Another problem could be a bent needle or a crimped cone where the needle meets it.......try a different cone/needle to see if you have the same problem.

Also, is this the normal consistency of your paint, or are you using a thicker one.

I always use lacquer thinner to test my brush when it doesn't seem right. Generally, your paint won't be thinner than this, and it will tell you if it's a paint problem or an air/airbrush problem.

David

[Karmodeler2]

Sorry for not including this in my first response, but here is the page that has the exploded view of the VL guns if this helps.

David

http://www.paascheairbrush.com/2008pdf/VL%...0Airbrushes.pdf