airbrush problems or maybe user problems

[saguy]

greetings ... i have acquired an old compressor and have an aztec airbrush and badger one ... the aztec one is old whilst the badger one has been used just once ... i tried out my new pride and joy and initially i had water in the holder but nothing but air comes through ... i then tried a bit of acrylic paint and same thing .. just air .... any ideas on what i could be doing wrong?

 

[Jim R]

Hi Lindsey
My first thought is that the needle chuck is not tight so that when the trigger is moved back, to allow paint to flow, the needle is not moving - so no paint.
Jim

 

[Jakko]

Did you try it with the Aztek or the Badger?

If you pull the trigger back, can you see the needle move back as well? On the Badger, it should because the trigger directly works on the needle. On an Aztek, the needle is pushed back by a spring and the trigger works on a steel rod that pushes the needle forward against the spring — so that when you pull the trigger back, it allows the needle to come backward as well, rather than actually pulling the needle along. I’ve had it happen with my Aztek that the needle got stuck forward, requiring me to press against it with something (carefully! you don’t want to bend the tip) to get it loose, after which it worked fine.

 

[saguy]

thks for both replies ..... jakko it was an aztec and your suggestion worked 100% .... working like a bomb now

 

[Jakko]

Glad to read that it was this simple to solve