Ultrasonic cleaner

[Redstaff]

Afternoon fellow modellers

I have just bought an ultrasonic cleaner to give my airbrushes an overhaul as a lot of people recommend them.

Couple of questions if I may

1, Do you totally strip the brush down or just remove needle and nozzle etc?

2, What's the best fluid to use? I'm sure I read somewhere that premixed car screen wash was a good choice, but I don't know where I read this, or even if I did read it

 

Many thanks

 

Ian

[colin]

Not sure which is best to be honest cleaner wise, but avoid pure ammonia as it will attack the chrome

[Tentacles]

1. Basic strip down - ie anything that comes off easily

2. I just use water - but I leave it going for about 10 minutes

[Mike]

I strip mine on occasion, and put the dirty bits in some non-ammonia cleaner in a small pot that I drop in the water.  That saves having to waste a butt-load of thinners etc. if your tub is on the large side.  I usually use a mixture of water and IPA for the larger parts of the airbrush, as it won't affect any seals for sure.  Generally, unless you've really let your airbrush go, you probably won't need to use an ultrasonic on it much.  I'm terrible for leaving my airbrushes to dry out when I get busy doing reviews and such, but a decent clean with the usual tools can sort out most issues.  

[RobL]

I don't know who "a lot of people" are but the advice I've had from semi-professional airbrush users has never included an ultrasonic cleaner.  Misinformed youtubers seem to recommend them though, I think it was one of those trends a few years ago...

 

I do have an ultrasonic cleaner though.  Put it away in the shed after a couple of uses because it did very little in the way of cleaning the airbrush I had at the time.

 

I've found that since I started (last year or 2019) storing my airbrushes in a jar of water, filled just so the water covers the colour cup, it keeps the airbrushes from a) drying out and b) in general stops them clogging up.  I've had less problems with my airbrushes since, especially as I make sure I've flushed through any remaining paint after use.

 

I used to have to do a tear down before a session, now I just pick them up, flush some water/thinners through, and start painting. 😉

Edited October 7, 2021 by RobL