H&S Ultra cleaning.

[Sharknose]

Hi, a daft question.

 

After spraying and when ready for tooling up, I'll clean my AB, thinners etc, but when I strip it down, to take the needle out, do you draw it backwards and out? Or push forward and pull through? (Tip off obviously)

If backwards are you risking pulling paint gruft back into the mechanisms behind the needle seal?

[Sparkie]

I used to pull it backwards but then had a primer completely block up so had to strip it down while still full of primer so i couldn't flush it through. It was then i decided to push it forward as it was absolutely caked, and as you say didn't want to pull that back through the airbrush covered in primer

I've done it this way ever since and it so far hasn't broken anything 🤞

[malpaso]

Rightly or wrongly I became a forward-pusher a year into H&S ownership after a Vallejo primer blockage.  So that’s about 3 years of pulling the needle out the front.  
 

it makes more sense to me than dragging all the paint and gunk well into the body of the airbrush and seal.

[bmwh548]

Technically nothing is supposed to travel backwards, that includes the needle. Even if the seal is in perfect condition and adjusted properly you'll still drag paint backwards because the tip of the needle is smaller than the hole in the seal.

[jenko]

I still pull forward (This thread could go down hill very rapidly ).   However H&S have changed their needles. The ends now have bobbles on them to denote which needle it is and so messes up the last sealing ring after a period of time. 

 

Pulling forward is a good way of "cleaning" (ie. getting some more excess paint out) the inner part of the airbrush without thinners.  

 

Dick

 

Just my take on things

[Mark Harmsworth]

4 hours ago, Sharknose said:

After spraying and when ready for tooling up, I'll clean my AB, thinners etc

Not quite sure what 'tooling up' means here (are you off to a gunfight?) but I'd ask if you are using an airbrush cleaner to clean or just the thinners. I'll use thinners if I'm continuing to paint but when finished I'll strip it down (needle always forwards!) and use an airbrush cleaner.

Mark

[little-cars]

The  problem with pulling the needle forwards is that the new needles have an etched back end that could damage the O rings by chipping bits of the O ring away, or filling the entry air hole can get full of paint  if you pull the needle forwards & let paint get in the front of the brush.

 

Personally I always take them out the back of the brush, but it's personal choice.

Paul

[Sharknose]

 Cheers all

 

Tooling up = finished spraying for the day. 

 

Typically I'll rinse out as much paint as I can with thinners, or IPA, airbursh cleaner, depends what I'm using. Then put some cellulose thinners in, this is with everything in place, and I'll do a bit of a back wash.

 

I stripped it down last night and changed the nozzle and needle seal, there was a fair amount of paint residue on the screw head side of the needle seal housing and in the area. Probably cos I pulled back for a long time. 

 

A follow up. Sonic cleaners. Do any of you use them and if so, what with? Just water?