Old Aerograph

Possibly from the 1920s. Is marked with Chas L. Burdick on the handle. Does not fit the box properly, looks like it may have had an original push on hose fitting but has been fitted with a screw on fitting. It is weighted nicely and feels solid in the hand.

After being stripped, I found the parts are held in place with tiny screws which is annoying and slow to fit back together. I could not remove the trigger as it is attached to the needle guide tray. The needle guide and spring are held in place by the needle itself. There seems to be no way to remove the nozzle without a long forgotten proprietary tool.

Close-up of the interior setup. Turning the gnarled ring moves a cam internally and adjusts the trigger much like the small screws at the front of Badger brushes. It does not give much adjustment in practice.

Test spray patterns done on graph paper with a 5mm grid.
Click image to see full size.

 A ruler showing the average spray width in millimetres
Spray width is around 1/2mm to 7mm

Product used: Windsor & Newton Calligraphy ink to insure clog free testing.

Compressor : Hansa Aero-Pro set to 20psi and 10psi.

Pressing down on the trigger, it catches a little bit and there is no way to adjust the spring tension so it is fairly stiff on the pull back. It takes a little time for the product to start flowing but when it does it atomises well with a nice clean spray that maintains it's width well while you keep it going but it is hard to get the same spray if you stop a start. The needle tends to slip back slightly, probably due to the spring screw setup and it's age, this means it is hard to get it to shut off completely without pushing the needle back. 

Overall it is a nice brush to hold but the need for multiple tools to take it apart makes it annoying to use.