Badger 250 Review

4/2010

I was given a Badger 250. It's something I never would have bought, but I appreciate the gift. And, I figured it would be fun to try out and do a review on. So, here it is.

The 250 was introduced about 1966. And, according to Ken Schlotfeldt in an interview that you can read here at Agapemodels.com, it was the product that really got the company going. It's cheap. Tower hobbies sells it with a hose and Propel adapter for $16.99. And, it is probably the first tool that can be called an airbrush that many modelers get their hands on. In fact, the instruction book refers to it as a spray gun rather than an airbrush. There is no needle, just a tube that extends to the bottom of the jar.

When you press the trigger, air comes out a tiny hole and blows across the nozzle creating a vacuum that draws paint up the tube and atomizes it. As you can imagine, the pattern is pretty broad. It's not your best bet for freehand camouflage. The volume of spray is controlled by screwing the nozzle in or out, although it's pretty much on or off.

Trying it out

The trigger takes a little more pressure than I like. But then, I prefer a very light touch. It's strictly on or off. This and the fact that there is little adjustment range in the nozzle makes usage pretty much like using a spray can. In fact, any one who has mastered spray cans would feel right at home. The same rules apply. Start and stop off the model and keep moving.

I tried air pressures from 10 to 25 psi. 10 was too low. It did OK at 15, but better at 20 to 25. 25 psi is as high as I can go with my little compressor. I began with the nozzle set low and slowly raised it until I got a good spray. Don't use this airbrush anyplace you wouldn't use a spray can. You really can't throttle the paint much and it puts out a lot. And don't expect the same kind of even atomization you get with an internal mix airbrush. There is some obvious variation in droplet size.

I tried spraying a plastic bottle with some Krylon primer that I had previously decanted. Trying to mist on a coat just doesn't work. It will give a rough finish. Like any airbrush, you need to put on enough to give a wet coat, but not so much that it will run. With a little practice, I could get a nice smooth finish. Here's a picture of an area that came out OK.

Cleaning

Cleaning couldn't be much simpler. The only parts that touch paint are the bottle and the nozzle and tube. The tubing is made of Teflon, so solvents are no problem. After painting, wipe the tubing off and spray some thinner. An ordinary straight pin will fit in the nozzle if needed. Since there's no needle, there isn't much you can damage. I managed to get some paint up inside the threads of the body so I had to remove the cork gasket and wipe it out.

Conclusion

Hey, for less than 20 bucks, this isn't bad. I don't know how it would work with canned air, but I suspect not as well. I think anyone wanting an airbrush should acquire a regulated air source first anyway. What this brush offers is simplicity. It's just about indestructible and dead simple to use. If I had to pick something for a pack of cub scouts or brownies, this would be it. And yet I think it is adequate for primers or other broad coverage applications. Since there is no needle, there should be less problem with acrylic tip dry. Badger sells pre-thinned paints in bottles that will fit right on this brush. Other brands may also fit; I don't know. So, it will do the job but it still requires some skill to get a good finish. I don't know if I'll ever use it on a model, but I'm going to hang on to it.

Note: If you have this brush, be sure to look at the Air Hose Loss page.

Postscript

Here is a photo I took to give you an idea of the spray pattern of the 250. The liquid is water, my pressure gauge was set to 25psi, and a flash was used.

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