Model Forum / General / Models / March 2004

Hi Guys,
I know recently someone posted problems they had spraying with their Paasche
VL and I believe the solution was found by cleaning with acetone.

Anyway here is another problem I spent almost an hour trying to solve. Very
simple to fix when discovered.

I am about to go to bed last night after returning from the Roscoe Turner
IPMS show in Indy.
My son who accompanied me on the trip decides he wants to use the new
Paasche H that I gave him but wants me to help, since he had alot of
problems with it not "painting right" the first time he used, it last
weekend. So the last thing I wanted to do was airbrush at 11:30pm but since
the kid shows an interest I am not gonna say no. Also I am curious as to
what kind of problems he is having with a new, indestuctable Paasche H.
He was only going to shoot Future onto a previously painted item so I know
it has nothing to do with proper thinning. So I hook everything up and the
thing is spraying in pulsating spurts then stops altogether. I check the
hole in the bottle cap for obstruction but it is open. Then I think my 20
year old Paasche compressor has finally given up, but after inspecting it I
find it to be fine. The next item on my troubleshooting list is to check the
tip. Maybe he did not clean out the acrylic paint he used last week very
well and it is clogged. Out comes the allen wrench and after disassembly I
find the tip and cone to be clean. So then I think maybe if I change the H3
tip to the H5. If this wont spray Future nothing will, but I know I never
have had problems spraying anything through my H3. So in goes the H5. I
manage to get a better spray but then it starts spurting and finally stops
spraying. I think WTF do I have a defective brush that I gave my son? Then I
try to backflush the brush and if anyone knows the H, then they know that
you get a good rolling bubble upon backflush. I sit and nothing backflushes.
Then I look at the bottle and see an airbubble slowly making its way through
the paint pickup tube. I look at this for a few seconds and then it hits me.
It is the paint pickup tube in the jar. My old H has a pickup tube that is
slightly curved but on this new brush it is straight.
I see the tube is hitting the bottom of the jar and I figure it to be too
long and it is sealing itself at the bottom thus cutting off paint pickup. I
take off the cap and get the exacto and cut off about a 16th inch piece of
the tube. Put it back together put the H3 tip assembly  back on and Viola.
Sprays like a champ!

So if you guys are ever having trouble with a new brush check the lowley
pickup tube first. They may have cut them a shade too long at the factory.
Something so simple can bring a project to a standstill and of course it
took way more time and effort to discover the problem. Finally went to bed
after 1am.

Cheers,
Max Bryant