Tool or user problem

[erh2]

I have a Badger 105 Patriot and after doing some pre shading that went horribly wrong (Spider legs, poor coverage, paint went down where I did not need it......). I had a play with the airbrush (I usually spray at 21psi) with my testing I used ink on paper.
When I did the testing I noticed the following:
I could not get a real fine line, spider legs and even when the trigger was pushed fully forward I still got paint coming out (very little)

I have done a strip down clean and checked the nozzle and the needle and cannot see a flaw even under a magnifying glass.
What am I doing wrong here as I do not want to continue building models for display when I cannot trust this AB....

Etienne

[ForbesHutton]

Others will know better than me but I've found that paint coming out with "only air" means the needle isn't seated all the way forward.

As for the rest knowing your paint brand, thinner and the ratio of the two that you use, and the needle size would help narrow things down.

[galileo1]

Paint still coming out of the airbrush even though the trigger is fully forward is indeed an indication that the needle is not sitting properly against the nozzle. If your nozzle/needle are in good shape, then I would check the needle packing seal inside the airbrush. I've had this problem with a couple of Harder and Steenbeck airbrushes where the needle packing seal was actually preventing the needle from fully reaching the nozzle after you pull back on the trigger. Pulling forward did nothing as the needle got stuck in a retracted position.

I would take everything apart (everything except the air valve) and I would clean every single orifice just to make sure.

[Avgas]

Ditto the above, it's almost certainly a poorly seated needle. One of the best bit of kits I have bought is the H+S nozzle cleaner. The first time I used it I thought I had a pristine nozzle and was amazed by the amount of gunk that came out. Not much use for a Badger I imagine but if Badger do a similar tool I would order it.

[Scalemodelmedic]

Soak the nozzle in Ultimate airbrush cleaner then gently run a sewing pin round the inside, you'll feel whether there is any paint stuck inside because the pin will stick in it after the cleaner has softened it. I've got a patriot somewhere and if I remember right the nozzle is pretty big so getting in there to clean it out shouldn't be a problem if that's what it turns out to be.

[erh2]

Thanks guys.
I did another strip-down clean of the airbrush but got my cleaning brushes out and spent loads of time with the nozzle
It is working better now and I get a real thin line.....