Paasche Airbrush AB-PL - Manual

INSTRUCTIONS AND PARTS LIST AB-8/31/2011
Supersedes Instructions & Parts List AB-10/29/2008
WARNING: Spray materials may be harmful if inhaled or
allowed to come into contact with the skin or eyes. Consult
the product label and Material Safety Data Sheet supplied
for the spray material. Follow all safety precautions.
CAUTION: Well Ventilated Area Required to remove
fumes, dust or overspray. Secure airhose to Airbrush
with V-62 Wrench for safety and to prevent air leaks.
M a x i m u m A i r P r e s s u r e 5 0 P . S . I .
AB
(Fine Art) Airbrush
Customer Note: New “AB” Airbrushes are factory inspected for
immediate use.
The “AB” Airbrush maintenance and replacement parts
instructions are for Airbrushes that have been used extensively
and require refurbishing.
HOW THE AB WORKS:
The illustration below gives you an idea what is going
on inside your AB. As the finger lever is pressed down, air
from your compressor is channeled from the air valve
through the body of the airbrush. The airstream then
splits, and part of the air is pushed across the edge of the
power wheel ( A ) while the rest goes through the airblast
tube ( B ). The edge of the power wheel is serrated, so
that the air pushing against it causes the power wheel to
spin. You will notice that the shaft on which the power
wheel rotates passes through a slot in the walking arm.
Actually, the portion of the shaft which rides in the slot is
offset from center, so that with a cam like action the
spinning of the power wheel causes the walking arm (and
thus the needle) to oscillate back and forth. The speed
regulator screw controls the speed of the power wheel
(and thus the walking arm and needle) by regulating the
volume of air pushing against the power wheel.
When you press down on the finger lever, you let air
into the airbrush and start the needle moving back and
forth. Then as you pull back on the finger lever, the
walking arm is pushed forward, and in turn the oscillating
needle is pushed into the stream of air coming from the
airblast tube. Thousands of times per minute, the needle
retracts into the needle bearing, picks up a coating of color
and then moves forward, drawing the color out of the
bearing and into the airstream, where the color is blown off
the needle and onto the surface you are painting. The
needle is tapered, so that as you pull back farther on the
finger lever, a thicker portion of the needle is exposed to
the airstream and a wider band of color is formed.
A line is thus formed by the action of the needle passing
back and forth in front of the stream of air coming from the
airblast jet, and you control the thickness of that line with
the finger lever. But the quality of that line and the ease
with which you can control it are affected by three other
controls, all of which regulate the volume or the pressure
of the air passing through the airbrush.
METHODS OF CONTROL:
As mentioned before, the speed regulator screw
controls the volume of air hitting the power wheel, and so
controls the speed of the needle. The faster the needle
moves, the more color is being blown onto the surface you
are painting during a given length of time. If you want to
form a thin line, you can do so by having the needle
moving at a high speed and sweeping the airbrush very
quickly over your work, or by having the needle oscillating
much slower and moving the airbrush more slowly.
Obviously the second method offers the most control and
is a major advantage of using the Paasche AB.
There is another method of controlling the speed of the
needle, however, and that is by adjusting the pressure of
the air coming into the airbrush. In this case, if you have
the speed regulator screw turned wide open (counter-
clockwise) with low air pressure (8-15 P.S.I.) from your air
source, the power wheel and needle will move slowly. But
the needle will also move slowly using a high air pressure
(25-35 P.S.I.) with the speed screw turned almost closed
(clockwise).
A comparable situation exists for the flow of air through
the airblast tube. The stipple adjuster screw restricts the
airflow through the airblast jet and across the needle.
When the air is almost closed off, a grainy or stippling
effect is created. But the same effect happens with the
stipple adjuster wide open using a very low air pressure.
As you can see, there are many different combinations
of settings for these three controls (the speed regulator,
the stipple adjuster, and the air pressure) each
combination producing a characteristic effect, both in spray
pattern and handling of the airbrush.
Printed in the U.S.A.
Paasche Airbrush Company
4311 North Normandy Avenue
Chicago, IL 60634-1395
Phone: 773-867-9191 • Fax: 773-867-9198
Website: paascheairbrush.com
E-Mail: [email protected]
All AB needles should have a bow in them in
order to be held securely by the needle
guide and enter the needle bearing properly.