I finally found some time to test out the new double action airbrush. I was so excited to use it to spray some masked off details on my current build.

Let's just say ... I was glad I tested on an old model first. Wow, what a disaster. I don't know what happened, but I just couldn't get the airbrush to not just DUMP paint out the front. I tried both Tamiya and Vallejo Model paints. I tried thinning in different ratios. I tried various adjustments of the needle. I tried various air pressure settings. But no matter what I did, I just couldn't get that fine, soft mist that we all shoot for.

I just got blasts of badly atomized paint. BLASTS.

I need to go back to the drawing board.... yikes. TIme to start watching some YouTube videos on how to use this friggin thing.

It's one of those nights...

If you don't pull the needle back at all, does it still spray paint? Because it shouldn't, and means that your needle isn't seated all the way in.

And in that case, you'll get way too much paint. Most DA brushes also have some sort of 'stop' to make sure you can't pull the needle too far back. That's a big help as well.

Thanks for the advice, Jesse. I hadn't thought about whether the straight-from-the-factory setup was accurate.

At times, namely with heavily thinned paint, the paint seemed to run out the tip if I angled the brush down. Not always, but often enough to wonder WTH.

After reading your note and after putting the airbrush back together again, I realized that I'm not exactly sure how to tell when the needle is seated properly. How can you tell how far in it should be?

Try Googling the make and model to see if the manufacturer has an on-line set of assembly instructions.

Then check to ensure that the brush is correctly put together - either at the factory or after taking it apart for cleaning.

Next post up the make and model here. Someone who is familiar with that particular AB might have some suggestions.

As Jesse said, if the needle isn't seated properly in the "neutral" position (trigger forward and up), then the brush will be allowing more paint than intended at all trigger positions.

Some double action AB have a "limiter" screw or jam nut that can be set to only allow a limited maximum of paint flow. If your AB has one of these, consider using it. These usually stop the trigger's rearward movement at some certain position that you can select.

Remember that, in general, on a DA AB you depress the trigger FIRST to start the air flow THEN pull back to open up the paint flow. This takes practice to develop into habit, especially if you're used to a single action AB and have learned to just push the trigger and paint.

If you're pulling back the trigger (opening up the paint flow wide) and holding it the needle open before you depress the trigger and start the air flow, paint can simply puddle up or form large drops on the tip. When you push the trigger to get some air, this puddle or drop will spatter every time. Holding the trigger back without pushing it down can become a habit. Always allow the trigger to close forward when you're not actually spraying.

HTH,

All good advice, Mike. Thanks!

The airbrush in question, by the way, is a Badger Krome Renegade.

Thanks!

Generally, there's a lock nut on the end of the handle which holds the needle in the AB.

With this nut loose and the trigger forward, push the needle forward using slight finger pressure until it stops. Look at the AB tip. You should see the needle fully closing the hole in the paint tip.

DO NOT FORCE the needle into the paint tip. All it needs to do is to gently close up the hole.

Then tighten the lock nut.

Test the action of the needle by pulling the trigger to the rear and allowing the spring to push it forward. Observer the tip as you do this. You should see the needle pull into the AB and the paint tip hole open up and close.

If the trigger will not move freely, then you likely have paint built up on the needle and will need to remove it and clean it so that it will slide freely back and forth.

If the trigger moves but the needle doesn't, then the needle is probably dirty and / or the lock nut is not tightened properly.

Nothing on the airbrush should have to be forced or man-handled to operate. Everything should work with no more than finger pressure. (The exception might be a paint tip or something that might require a special small wrench or tool to remove and assemble.)

HTH,

Badger has an excellent reputation for after-sales service. If you can't figure out how the AB assembles or disassembles, you might give them a phone call.

I know they will service and repair all of their AB's.

Good luck,

All of the above Jake. The Krome is an excellent brush and shouldn't give you much trouble. If you have the two needle set try using the fine needle first. Also, what air pressure are you using?

If this was used straight out of the box, the needle may not have been seated all the way. Airbrush companies sometimes pull them back slightly to protect them during shipping.

One thing I've noticed also with my Patriot is that you have to be really careful that you've thoroughly tightened the various nozzle pieces. If the outer one on mine isn't pretty tight, it seems to suck some air in and I get running paint both at the seam and from the nozzle. One test I started doing was before a session I immerse the nozzle in a cup of water (with no paint in the brush!) and spray air through it. If you dunk the nozzle all the way in past the seams and don't spray you should be able to see any leaking bubbles and track what needs to be tightened up.

Matt