Airbrush paint "blowback"

[Lawzer]

Hi all,

 

had an airbrush for about 4 years now but always shy away from using it because I seem to get the same problem whenever I use it.  Well, more so AFTER I've used it.

 

After use I wipe out the cup as much as I can with blue roll then shoot some tamiya x20a thinner (i use tamiya acrylics) through to get rid of the worst of the paint followed by vallejo airbrush cleaner but I ALWAYS seem to end up with paint that has run backwards from the cup up the needle leading to what I assume is paint drying on the seal behind the cup then requiring a partial strip down.

 

I've got 2 airbrushes (neither "top drawer" - one is from the Revell set and the other a chinese cheapo knockoff) and it happens with both.

 

I am doing something REALLY obvious and stupid or is this just the way things are?

 

When I say REALLY obvious I recently watched a youtube video by the guy who owns badger and something that although blatantly clear now showed me how basic an error I was making.  If i was covering the nozzle and pulling the trigger to back flush the airbrush I then proceeded to spray the (then contaminated) cleaner back through the airbursh (d'oh!!)....

 

TIA

 

Ian

[denstore]

Backflushing is a normal part of cleaning your a brush. If you are covering the nozzle and backflushing, it won’t force paint into any odd places.

it’s quite normal that you get paint in the needle channel. Use a dental brush to remove it. Be careful not to damage the packing.