Airbrush cleaning.

[stevej60]

Hi folk's,sorry if this has been covered before here's the issue,I've had to move my modelling into the loft which as you may expect has no running

water, when using the airbrush(acrylic's) I used to run hot water through and  get out the thick then fill the cup with Tamiya thinners and blast

it through.I'm having to do this now purely with thinners and have gone through a six quid bottle in less than week anyone got any cheaper idea's

they use I've heard auto windsreen wash mentioned?

[Vicarage Vee]

Thermos of warm water and a bowl?

[Gorby]

I've heard that isopropyl alcohol is just as good as Tamiya thinners and much cheaper - although not used it myself.

[rom1]

Hi

 

I use this great product:

 

https://www.deluxematerials.co.uk/gb/rc-modelling/20-brush-magic-5060243901354.html

 

It dissolve even dry paints.

 

I pour a few drop after each spraying.

 

 

It is not cheap, but... so efficient that you dont need much products to clean the airbrush.

At home, my bottle lasts one year.

 

 

hope it helps.

 

Romain

[M1ks]

This method works, quickly, cheaply and with little effort, simply use the appropriate thinners, (Isopropyl Alcohol for Acrylic, White spirit for enamel, Cellulose thinner for Cellulose/lacquer paint), all very cheap for large enough quantities to last ages.

 

 

[malpaso]

Well as another airbrush beginner, I'm using screenwash as thinners, so far successfully with Tamiya, Humbrol and Xtracylics acrylics.  Seems to work around 50% paint and recently better dropped slightly to 10psi or so (assuming the gauge on the compressor is right, which I doubt!).  Clean up is with the screenwash too, but the dried on painty crud in the cup needs wiping with meths on a piece of kitchen roll, easy though.  Between colours I just blow some screenwash through then just use the next colour only aiming it at the model once it comes through right.

Cheers

Will

[stevej60]

Thank's folk's great info, as I said just for the cleaning I'llgive screenwash a go.

[Gav G]

Create your own hot water.  Plus you get coffee whenever you want (not quite hot enough for tea IMHO)

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Breville-VKJ142-Hot-Cup/dp/B001L5SSGQ/

 

[sapperastro]

Methylated spirits/denatured alcohol/whatever its called over there for alcohol based acrylics.

[Duncan B]

I use PremiAir's Liquid Reamer and Foaming Cleaner aerosol sprays, Ultimate's Airbrush cleaner and the Deluxe Brushmagic to name but a few (I've tried lots of different products over the years but all the above work very well).

I would avoid using other products not intended for purpose, I know they work to varying degrees and are relatively cheap but over a period of time your airbrush will slowly clog up around and under the seals etc. If you don't use a dedicated airbrush cleaner you will eventually end up with an expensive bill to have it serviced or need to replace it which will cost a lot more than some bottles of cleaner over the piece.

It's also worth getting a pack of Artist's wipes to use instead of kitchen roll. The wipes are impregnated with cleaner and will not leave fibrous debris in your airbrush the way kitchen/loo roll will.

Have a look for cleaning materials on the various airbrush retailers' websites, Google for them, and you'll see what's available.

Hope that helps?

 

Duncan B

[Pin]

1 hour ago, Duncan B said:

over a period of time your airbrush will slowly clog up around and under the seals etc. If you don't use a dedicated airbrush cleaner you will eventually end up with an expensive bill to have it serviced or need to replace it which will cost a lot more than some bottles of cleaner over the piece.

Hugely exaggerated claim IMO. My H&S is more than 10 y.o., never used anything but IPA / Cellulose thinner to clean it up (depending on paint used), never had any problems

 

 

[Duncan B]

10 hours ago, Pin said:

Hugely exaggerated claim IMO. My H&S is more than 10 y.o., never used anything but IPA / Cellulose thinner to clean it up (depending on paint used), never had any problems

 

 

Cellulose and IPA are fine too as is white spirits, all of which I would consider to be dedicated for cleaning paint (I appreciate that's not what I wrote this morning when I was in a rush, but I was wanting to help the OP out). However the point I was trying to make (badly it would appear) was that it is better to use something other than screen wash, anti-freeze, brake fluid etc to clean an expensive bit of kit and better to use something designed for the purpose. I presume you agree with this?

I was not exaggerating about expensive repair/servicing bills (why would I?). I once had a large bill for repair of an Iwata Kustom Micron and the report that came back criticised my then cleaning regime highlighting a build up of paint under the seals and fibrous material (which was kitchen roll fragments). I was using, ...well you guess what I was using to clean my airbrush at the time.

My original post was purely meant to pass on something positive for the OP.

 

Duncan B

Edited October 25, 2017 by Duncan B
edited due to me being an bottom, leave trolling to the trolls DB

[Pin]

Under "dedicated airbrush cleaner" I understood various "airbrush cleaning solutions" sold tenfold as expensive as their components. If you agree that IPA/White Spirit/Acetone/Cellulose thinner fall within this "dedicated" category then I'm with you.

 

[Duncan B]

6 minutes ago, Pin said:

Under "dedicated airbrush cleaner" I understood various "airbrush cleaning solutions" sold tenfold as expensive as their components. If you agree that IPA/White Spirit/Acetone/Cellulose thinner fall within this "dedicated" category then I'm with you.

 

I've never tried Acetone as an airbrush cleaner but regularly use cellulose for lacquer based paints. For acrylics I use the products stated in my original post as they tend to be less pungent than cellulose and can be flushed with water as a final step. I guess the bottom line is that there are many more suitable and dedicated cleaners than windscreen wash and brake fluid, you pay your money and you take your chance.

 

Duncan B

[azureglo]

Interesting thoughts here, especially from Duncan. I use a lot of gun cleaner which is cheap, noxious and very effective. It also seems to elevate my mood greatly...On a more serious and useful note, I've switched to Ultimate/Stynylres primers and was having some major issues getting the glop out of my H&S and various Iwatas. As I strip down and check seals etc one a month I noticed primer still in threads, around packing seal edges .  So I tried the ultimate airbrush cleaner and followed this simple and very cost effective regime (go to about 5Min 24 Sec). This works as well as gun cleaner and is very economical without the hideous toxic fumes (naturally doesn't work for solvent based paints/primers sadly). I noticed it removed dried on Stynylres as quickly as the solvent thinners and far better than even neat 99% IPA,

 

Cheers

[Panzersgt]

I've had and still own all the Harder Steenbeck brushes infinity, evolution, Al CR+ right down to an ultra. I have Iwata Revolution, eclipse and neo as well as some Chinese knock offs over the past twenty years. I use automotive lacquer thinner to clean the high end brushes and water and IPA for the ones that I cant retro fit PTFE seals in. Which is easy by the way.

Strip them down once a month and clean the seals and pop them in an ultra sonic cleaner. pop a bit of lube on which in my case is either veg glycerin or the sort of lube you get from Anne Summers water based and I've never had a problem.

As for servicing an airbrush, lets face it, its a small hole with a needle and a spring. If you pull it apart with a screwdriver you wont find anything special. Your car needs servicing, your airbrush does not. Look at the exploded diagram and rip it apart, clean it and you'll be surprised how easy it is.

The chrome is still chrome even on the cheap Chinese brushes.

This hobby is full of myth smoke and mirrors and snake oil. Iwata lube is just glycerin but it cost £6. I just bought a L for £11. Don't be fooled. The manufacturer of cleaners etc don't have any special additives that you can't buy cheap off amazon

Edited December 28, 2022 by Panzersgt