Thayer & Chandler Vega 1000 Review

2/2010

I selected the Thayer & Chandler Vega 1000 because it is listed as a detail brush, I was curious about the T&C line, I wanted to see what a brush with a smaller cup felt like, and there don't seem to be any other reviews of this model. Also, I wanted to do a comparison with the less expensive Patriot.

The 1/8 oz. cup of the 1000 is tilted about 35 degrees from vertical as compared to about 15 degrees of the Patriot cup. Apparently it was designed for work on a horizontal or near horizontal surface. I like this angle as I prefer to work above my models.

Here is a parts breakdown.

You might notice that the trigger mechanism looks a lot like the Renegade. I compared them side by side and they appear to be identical. The head assembly, on the other hand looks like the Patriot / Anthem. The trigger, part number T604 is the same as both the Patriot and the Renegade. Unlike the Patriot, the Vega head requires a wrench for tightening, and has an additional rubber gasket.

The 1000 is a very light airbrush, weighing a mere 65 gm, vs. the Patriot's 87 gm. It is 37% lighter than the Rage with a 1/4 oz. cup.

The trigger had a slightly rough feel when I pulled back on it. So I took it apart and found that there were some little machining marks on the end of the rocker lever pin that the rocker lever rubs against. I gently smoothed them out with a fine jeweler's file and applied a tiny dab of Chapstick and now the trigger is as smooth as silk. Here is a picture with an arrow pointing to the surface I'm talking about. I'm sure if I had done nothing, they would have smoothed out on their own with a little use. It really wasn't that bad, and I am including it here in case someone has a brush with a similar trigger with a rough action. It's something to look at.

Here's how the Vega 1000 needle compares to the Patriot.

The upper needle is the Vega and the lower one the Patriot. The Vega needle has a larger secondary taper, almost like the standard Anthem needle.

The Vega tip is larger than the Patriot. Here it is shown on the right with the Patriot on the left. The exit diameter of both is about 0.5 mm.

Trying it out

I repeated the doodles I did with the Rage, only this time with the Vega and the Patriot. Being gravity fed brushes, I set the air pressure to 15 psi. I cheated on the Vega and used my adjustable needle stop.

No needle seal?

When I did the doodles, I attached the paper towel to a makeshift easel that was almost vertical. So, while I was spraying, the brush was often horizontal or near horizontal. When I was done, I did my usual cleaning routine of flushing the brush out with water and Windex. The brush was spraying clear so I thought it was clean. But, when I removed the needle to wipe it down, it had drops of black ink on the shaft. So I examined the inside of the body with a hand magnifier under a bright light and was surprised to find that there is no needle bearing or other seal, just a needle sized hole.

I e-mailed Ken and asked him about it, and his V.P. of Engineering, Herman Robisch answered. He explained that there are three approaches to the needle seal problem.

1. A Teflon sleeve bearing (which Badger prefers).

2. An adjustable O-ring.

3. A close fitting bore in the airbrush body.

The Thayer & Chandler brushes use either the O-ring or close fitting bore. The Vega 1000 uses the close fitting bore. He said the clearance is so small that capillary action keeps the paint or ink from leaking into the rear of the brush. But, some will wick up into the space around the needle and if it drys it can cause a sticky needle. He recommends wiping the needle off and applying some of their Regdab airbrush lube to keep the paint from drying and re-installing it. Eventually the paint may build up enough that the brush needs to be dis-assembled and soaked for cleaning. The following airbrushes are made like this: Vega 1000, 2000, and Nailaire, and the Omni 3000 and 5000. The Omni 4000 and 6000 and the Renegade Velocity and Spirit have the O-ring type seal.

The ink never reached the trigger area. But, some did remain in the hole surrounding the needle, and I wanted to clean it out. So, I removed the air valve assembly and took the body to a sink and ran water through it. But what to do when spraying enamels? Here is what I've come up with.

I picked up a package of these dental brushes at the drug store. It's small enough that I can stick it inside the cup and swab out the needle bore.

Conclusion

This is a sweet airbrush for detail work. Even though I could do just about as well with the Patriot, it seemed easier with the Vega. With my needle limit kludge, fine lines are super easy. It is the lightest brush I have, even lighter than the 200 with a 1/4 oz. cup, and very comfortable to hold, especially after I added a couple of leather pads. Cleaning is just as easy as the Patriot. It is not a brush I would use for broad coverage. Like the Rage, at a distance of about 3 inches, it paints a swath about .5 inches wide. But it would be a great airbrush for to freehand camouflage or other fine work. Because of the small cup and narrow spray angle, it would probably not be the best choice for an only airbrush, unless you are into small items like miniature figures. Spare parts are even cheaper than the Patriot's. I can get a fine needle, tip and regulator for about $10 total. And I may do that just out of curiosity even though the medium tip is as fine as I'll ever need.

Another big thank you to Ken for the sample.

Postscript

Well, I bought the fine needle, tip, and regulator for $10 and change, and the joke's on me. When I got home I discovered that they are identical to the parts already in my Vega. So I guess this brush comes standard with the fine parts. I could invest in a set of the medium parts, but I don't see any point in it as I intend to use the Vega mainly for fine work anyway. I'm a bit disappointed because I wanted to see what it would do with a finer tip. But, anyway, even though I may never need them, I now have a set of spares.

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