Well, in the process of weathering my latest build, I noticed that my old Thayer and Chandler Omni Matrix was not spraying all that well. I have Grex Tritium that is my go-to brush, but still use the Matrix for some weathering tasks and what I want to shoot small amounts of paint. I took the airbrush apart, looked at the needle and tip closely, and discovered this:



Looks like I need a new tip! What mystifies me is that I have no clue how I cracked the tip (and, apparently, dented it). I'm generally very careful with my airbrushes.

Now I have to hunt for a tip online, as no stores near me carry T&C parts. Anybody know of any good online stores with free or cheap delivery in the US?

When seating your needle you have pushed it home with too much pressure. you can see the split that has formed over time making it easier to press the needle home to firmly and causing further distortion.

Did you ever drop or banged the airbrush against something . Seems like that damage might be from a hit . How was the needle ?

eBay should have those . Or you could try stevens international .

Edmund--The needle looks fine, as far as I can tell. It's not bent. I tried eBay after you suggested it, but had no luck. I'll see if Stevens has it.

I think Darren may be right about how the crack got there, but I'm not sure that explains the dents. As far as I can remember, I haven't dropped the tip on anything hard (I have carpet in my modeling room). Then again, it has been eight years, so it may be that I have just forgotten the specific incident.

The tip may have simply worn out. If you have had it for years, I would say you got your money's worth.

Matt--I certainly did. I've been fairly happy with the Omni, and to have it last this long before I need to replace anything is a sign of how well made it is.

Try Dixie Art Supply. They carry airbrush parts and may have it.

Try Chicago Airbrush Supply

http://www.chicagoairbrushsupply.com/thayerchandler1.html

Seems that they have T & C Omni parts

John

Thanks, guys--I went ahead and looked at Chicago airbrush, but they didn't have the part I need. Dixie has it, but has a minimum $25 order and charges $8 in shipping, in any case. I hunted around some more and found it on sale on Amazon (from a third-party seller) for $5 shipped. Now I have to decide whether I want to just get the part or ship it to Badger for them to fix--they could also overhaul it, after all. I'm thinking I'll just get the part for now.