Stuck Needle

Let's say you pick up your airbrush and try to pull back on the trigger and it's stuck.  What do you do?
First off, don't force it.   There's dried paint somewhere and if you pull it back through the needle bearing you could cause some damage to the bearing.

Loosen the needle lock nut.  Does the trigger work OK now?  If not, something is jamming in the rear of the brush and the needle can be safely removed.  You can then dismantle the brush and clear the jam.  This condition is very unlikely.

If the trigger moves freely and the needle is still stuck, carefully unscrew and remove the head assembly from the brush.  Be careful of the needle..

Did the tip come off with the head?  (By tip I mean the nozzle that Badger calls a tip)  If the tip stays on the needle, it's probably stuck with dried paint.  Hold the back of the needle and pull it straight off.

Is the needle still stuck?  If so, there is probably dried paint on it next to the needle bearing.  Push the needle lightly from the rear.  If the needle comes free, push it forward enough to wipe it clean with some thinner.  If it doesn't come free, drop some thinner in the front of the brush, let it sit a few seconds and try again.

Unless you've really left a bunch of gunk in there, this should work.  If it doesn't, you'll probably need to soak the front part of the brush in thinner.  But be careful of the air valve assembly.  I use lacquer thinner, and the little O-ring in the valve will swell if  it gets wet with thinner.  I have heard that it will return to normal if left to air dry for a day, but why risk it?  Also, be careful you don't damage the exposed needle.

Once the needle is free and clean, pull it out the back, give the brush a good cleaning, and you should be back in business.

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