Night Owl Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 Ever dream of that one product that will clean your airbrush across multiple acrylic brands...well recently while switching from Meng paint to, Vallejo then to Tamiya I had seen online a tip to use plain old Windex. After airbrushing just fill up your airbrush cup swirl it with a paintbrush for a min and spray it through it takes two to three applications to get your parts clean and Windex does not dry out the metal. The best part of all this is its super cheap you can get a huge bottle at Wal-Mart for $4-5 as compared to brand name airbrush cleaners. I don't recommend thinning with it unless its the Windex clear not the Windex with the blue hue. Works great and smells good too. I have used lacquer to thin across all brands of Acrylics it works great but the noxious fumes are a health concern you need to wear your mask, gloves and ventilate. Lacquer is great for a deep overnight soak cleaning but it evaporates quickly so it can cause drying out of your parts especially while spraying tend to get allot of build up on the needle tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crankycraftsman Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 DON'T use lacquer thinner or Windex with Vallejo paint you will end up with a gooey mess. Vallejo is a water based acrylic paint, not a lacquer based like Tamiya, Guenze and others. If you use lacquer thinner to clean up make sure you us water to flush out the remaining lacquer thinner before you use any Vallejo paint. Most Vallejo Model Air needs some Vallejo thinner and a drop or two of Vallejo flow improver and it will work fine, lets say to 20 drops of paint put 8 to 10 drops of thinner and 1 to 2 drops of flow improver. Ron G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 One thing to be aware of is that Windex will, over time, strip the chrome from the inside of your airbrush. Giving it a good rinse and blow-through in warm water after cleaning will aid in slowing that down, but it will still happen. Just something to be aware of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 9 hours ago, Crankycraftsman said: DON'T use lacquer thinner or Windex with Vallejo paint you will end up with a gooey mess. Ive been using windex with Vallejo and Mig paints for two years with zero issues ? Ive not had that at all, If you have I'm sorry. Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnl42 Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 I will testify to lacquer thinner turning Vallejo into a gummy mess demanding a complete breakdown cleaning of the airbrush. Isn't quite the universal airbrush cleaner I thought it was. No clue about Windex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crankycraftsman Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 Windex has ammonium in it, and that doesn't react well with Vallejo either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel Abery Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 I would never use cheap windex with my ammo paint. It's nasty stuff and as paint company's change their formula how can you tell how it will react especially if you mix in your airbrush cup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Noble Posted October 5, 2019 Share Posted October 5, 2019 On 04/10/2019 at 10:51, Joel Abery said: I would never use cheap windex with my ammo paint. It's nasty stuff and as paint company's change their formula how can you tell how it will react especially if you mix in your airbrush cup I would never use anything but the genuine thinner from the paints maker. I spend a long time and quite a few quid on building my models. I wouldn't risk some adverse reaction with a non compliant cheap thinner ruining my finish. Just my way.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartacus2000 Posted November 9, 2019 Share Posted November 9, 2019 Hi guys here thinnig colors a panoramic of all thinner for all colors. Is in Italian but very easy to understand is a work of years of experimantion and very usefull Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nheather Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 On 10/3/2019 at 3:37 PM, Crankycraftsman said: DON'T use lacquer thinner or Windex with Vallejo paint you will end up with a gooey mess. Vallejo is a water based acrylic paint, not a lacquer based like Tamiya, Guenze and others. Genuine question. I have seen this advice on a number occasions on different sites so I have no doubt that it is correct. But I am puzzled by products such as Ultimate Airbrush Thinner how does that work then? Can’t believe they can advertise it working with Vallejo if it will turn it into a gooey mess. Cheers, Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobk Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 (edited) I saw that there was some discussion about ammonia destroying copper or brass on airbrushes. I think that this shows how much of a concern it should be as long as ammonia is used in moderation and being aware of the concentrations that cause problems. https://www.facebook.com/davegs.airbrush.exploration/photos/ms.c.eJw9zdENgFAIQ9GNDIUHLfsvZlDx9~_Q2dQcPI1uRctTlDySAakRrQVOwtUUhp~;A~_C~_QU~_idEpvlJ50JoJiAWGM~;E~;ANZDbB6wWMm9t~;qvbX3VqK65WCxboQtKXw~-.bps.a.2217473291691580/2217473598358216/?type=3&theater Edited November 12, 2019 by Bobk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scimitar F1 Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 I always make sure that nothing is left in the airbrush after using it - never had a problem 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Owl Posted February 20, 2020 Author Share Posted February 20, 2020 Well Vallejo airbrush thinner yes is great I am not saying use Windex as a thinner with your expensive paints use your manufactures recommended thinner. Windex is a cost saving "Safe" alternative when your done painting or between colour changes to get a good spray out and scrub without wasting the expensive name brand cleaners just to wash out your parts. It only works with acrylic paints so don't even attempt it with lacquers. I have been using it for over a year There is a ammonia free alternative at the link below. https://www.windex.com/en-us/products/ammonia-free-glass-cleaner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Owl Posted February 20, 2020 Author Share Posted February 20, 2020 Well Vallejo airbrush thinner yes is great I am not saying use Windex as a thinner with your expensive paints use your manufactures recommended thinner. Windex is a cost saving "Safe" alternative when your done painting or between colour changes to get a good spray out and scrub without wasting the expensive name brand cleaners just to wash out your parts. It only works with acrylic paints so don't even attempt it with lacquers. I have been using it for over a year There is a ammonia free alternative at the link below. https://www.windex.com/en-us/products/ammonia-free-glass-cleaner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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