Vallejo Metal Colour. Recommendations for cleaning airbrush after use?

[fightersweep]

Hi All;

 

Everything I own paint wise is enamel. Very old enamels that I love using, always with a hairy stick. However, I've recently become sold on Vallejo Metal Colour paints, and even though they brush wonderfully, I've decided to be brave and crack open the Badger airbrush I bought.....wait for it....back in 1989 🤣 Seriously, airbrushes have scared me so much that I could never bring myself to use it.

 

So, I've decided I want to try and use it for the first time to shoot some of the Vallejo Metal Colour. Long winded intro to a simple question: what's the best thing to clean my airbrush with afterwards with these paints?  I seriously don't have a clue as it's outside of my hairy stick/jam jar full of white spirit comfort zone.

 

Thanks in advance!

Steve

[Stephen]

I used Boots Surgical Spirit.  IPA would also work.

[binbrook87]

I use Vallejo frequently and use their own brand Airbrush cleaner when using their paints...seems to work fine. I also use plain old Windolene or Mr Muscle window cleaner from time to time for a deeper clean of the airbrush.

Edited August 15, 2022 by binbrook87

[fightersweep]

Thanks for the replies and advice. I think I'm armed with what I need now. Time to let myself loose with an airbrush (only 33 years late)

 

Cheers!

Steve

[binbrook87]

Just one word of advice....the Vallejo Metal Colours don't usually need thinning as they're quite 'runny' straight from the bottle. And take care to spray VERY gentle light coats as they can easily 'pool'. Good luck 👍

[fightersweep]

@binbrook87

 

Thanks for the advice. Yes! They do seem very diluted and thanks for the heads up on the pooling. I'll be practising on a few mules first to get the feel of it. Is an undercoat a must for these paints? I do also have several bottles of Alclad that I must have bought 15 or so years ago. Never been opened, so no idea if they'll still be ok.

[binbrook87]

I do use Vallejo Metal Colours' own gloss black primer but any gloss black primer would work ok. You don't need black but it just makes the metallic 'pop' with more depth.

[malpaso]

I use meths to clean up VMC which works fine.

But you have to be very thorough with clean up as the metallic pigment is very fine and can easily appear in subsequent painting if you are sloppy cleaning up.  Don’t ask me how I know this!

[John Laidlaw]

+1 regarding the clean-up materials already mentioned and the really light coats.

 

I would also add that if you're ever looking to reproduce a weathered, oxidised NMF, use a neutral grey primer, followed by a base colour, then shading any panels you want to vary. After that, light overcoats of their chrome to restore a little of the surface metallic look.

[fightersweep]

Thanks for all of the tips and advice. I really do appreciate it. Got my Vallejo thinners and a variety of extra shades of metal colours arriving today so I can get practising later. I'll let you all know how I got on.

 

Cheers!

Steve