H&S Ultra = night and day! But how do I keep it clean?

[Raven Morpheus]

Hey all

Just got myself a H&S Ultra 2 in 1 and wow! It's like night and day compared to the el-cheapo Chinese airbrushes I've been using, even the Veda 180 that I bought last!

However I'm a little concerned, having spent a bit more than I usually do on an airbrush, because typically I've had to replace the Chinese airbrushes every 6 months or so, despite cleaning them, because they keep clogging!

So, how do I avoid that happening with the H&S?

My usual routine is this (even when just changing colours) and I use Tamiya (thinned 50/50) and Vajello Model Air paints (not usually thinned otherwise they're too thin) -

Rinse out the cup and flush UMP cleaner and/or thinners through until clear, cleaner first then thinners.

Backflush.

Run more thinners through.

End of session put parts in ultrasonic cleaner in a pot for 8 minutes with UMP cleaner as the liquid.

Any tips on what else I can do to prevent my brand new expensive (compared to my Chinabrushes) H&S clogging and having to be replaced?

TIA

Edited March 24, 2016 by Raven Morpheus

[AngstROM]

Sir, you're in luck! Stripping H&S (or, for that matter, Iwata) tools is soooo simple, and all the bits you need to keep sparkly fall back together again.

Forget ultrasonic cleaners, just ensure the needle and nozzle are spotless -Badger Airbrush Cleaner (rattlecan) or Tamiya pink cleaner (bottle) will shift anything and a set of wee cleaning brushes for the nozzle is worth getting off eBay. The paint cup will respond to an old paintbrush and/or a cotton bud soaked in either of the above cleaning media. Run some cleaner through the cup while the brush is dis-assembled to clear any debris from the 'breach'.

Five minutes tops, and it's all good to go!

[Wolfgang]

The Ultra and Evolution are very similar, so here are some hints how to clean. German text, but I think the pictures will help. If you have any questions, just asked.

The HS Airbrushes are a little bit prone to clogging especially with water based acrylics (But this is common to a lot of ABs with a diameter of 0.2mm and below). This is due to the shape of the nozzle. So keeping it clean is essential. Never let the paints cure in the AB. The nozzle is made from nickel-silver and a little bit soft. It will probably get damaged if you try to remove a sticked needle.

While spraying: Have a brush soaked with a appropriate thinner at hand to clean the needle tip from time to time.

[Foghorn Leghorn]

Being a new Ultra user as well, I'm finding I get some paint between the cup and the back of the airbrush, ie where the needle goes through the main body.

Now, I don't backflush (not keen on it) so I don't know whether that solves the problem but I recently bought these extra thin pipe cleaners:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ASHTON-EXTRA-THIN-PIPE-CLEANERS-x-100-PIPECLEANERS-IDEAL-FOR-FALCON-PIPES-/172141066166?hash=item28146837b6:g:fakAAOSwQItT86bG

They need to be trimmed slightly (give them a quick haircut, as it were) to get through the body but they work well

Other than that i clean with UMP cleaner and/or cellulose, dependent on paint.

Neil

[little-cars]

It's best not to put airbrushes / AB bodies in domestic ultrasonic cleaners with cleaner. It can warp / damage the o rings & strip the finish of the brush. I tend to just use water with a little bit of detergent and only put individual parts in when they need a deep clean.

Also, I would recommend using the paint manufacturers recommended cleaner, thinner & retarder with a new brush.

Once you've mastered that, then it's time to third party cleaners.

H&S produce their own brush set to clean the nozzle and body of the brush ( we include a set with every brush). I would also recommend white and yellow microbrushes to clean the inside of the nozzle, you don't want to put any metal through there.

If you are using Tamiya and Model air, be aware of the incompatibility between the paints. The Tamiya thinners will gel the Vallejo paint, so flush through thoroughly with water when changing paint types.

Paul

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[Duncan B]

I have a different airbrush but my routine for cleaning it is quite generic anyway. I mostly use Gunze, Tamiya and Mr Paint so alcohol/lacquer based acrylics mainly. between each colour I do the following: firstly I empty out any remaining paint and wipe around the paint cup with wipes designed for artists (available online from Air-craft.net and Airbrushes.com among others). Then I'll flush through with the appropriate thinners for the paint until it is running clear, I'll then remove the needle and wipe it with a cotton (or lint free) cloth with thinners on. Needle back in then I use some Premi-Air Liquid Reamer (also available from the above sources) to remove any last remaining stubborn paint, this part is important as thinners alone will not remove 100% of the paint from the internals.

Sounds like a hassle but with practice it only takes a few minutes each time.

Duncan B