smeds Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Apart from the manufacturers cleaner, is there a cheaper alterative cleaner to clean my airbrush. I have a Badger 150. Thanks for your input Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 What paint do you use? Acrylics or enamels? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little-cars Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I assume you mean Badger spray away, what size and price is it & what paints are you going to be using ??? I assume you mean Badger spray away, what size and price is it & what paints are you going to be using ??? Sorry, not sure how that happened ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denstore Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 (edited) It depends a lot on what kind of paint you are using. If you are using acrylics, I would recommend almost any cheap alcohol based fluid. Windshield cleaning fluid usually works perfect. If you are using enamels, usually cheap mineral spirits work, but be careful. Those things are really not healthy. Edited February 27, 2009 by denstore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smeds Posted February 27, 2009 Author Share Posted February 27, 2009 Sorry guys, I generally use Acrylics in my AB. Thanks for the replies Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlet Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I use Premi Air foaming airbrush cleaner. Tried a few different makes but this seems to work best (for me) with acrylics. Got it from Little Cars at SMW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smeds Posted February 27, 2009 Author Share Posted February 27, 2009 I assume you mean Badger spray away, what size and price is it & what paints are you going to be using ???I assume you mean Badger spray away, what size and price is it & what paints are you going to be using ??? Sorry, not sure how that happened ! I have been using Vallejo AB cleaner if that helps. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thx6667 Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I use brake cleaner from Poundland, comes in a spray can - powerful stuff, hence the need to work in a well ventilated area with a respirator, but it cleans airbrushes like a dose of salts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I use Aztek concentrated Airbrush Cleaner and Premi Air Liquid Reamer to really clear out the clag !! Always spray this stuff either outside or using an extractor and or respirator.. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I use Premi Air foaming airbrush cleaner. Tried a few different makes but this seems to work best (for me) with acrylics. Got it from Little Cars at SMW. I use this too, and it's good stuff. Possibly picked it up from Paul before he arrived here I do usually use thinners to clean my brush (and a tiny bottle-type brush), but every 3 or 4 cleans, out comes the foaming airbrush cleaner. it's like that expanding foam filler... don't spray too much, and expect it to overflow anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick M Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Do you have a product called, "Windex"? It's a blue liquid and is used to clean glass. It makes an excellent airbrush cleaner for acrylics users. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Do you have a product called, "Windex"? It's a blue liquid and is used to clean glass. It makes an excellent airbrush cleaner for acrylics users. It's called Windolene over here, and IIRC they removed the ammonia content from it some time ago, which was the solvent for the acrylic paint. A dilute mix of household ammonia would probably do the same job though, although be careful with the concentrations as it's evil stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadsolo Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 Methyl Ethyl Ketone - stinks to high heaven and is highly unpleasant. Mask and booth recommended. However, it does dissolve pretty well any paint. Don't use with Azteks though. The AB seems to have a problem with it - hence why I went to my Iwata. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 MEK will melt a lot of plastics (it's used as a styrene glue by many - me included), so be wary when using it with an airbrush with any plastic parts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 I'd be wary of spraying MEK through my badger, I'd be concerned about the O rings. I used to have a tin of the stuff that I used for cleaning the head of the airbrush though. I'd unscrew the head and take off the little nylon bushing then soak the head in MEK to dissolve any residue in the tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadsolo Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 I'd be wary of spraying MEK through my badger, I'd be concerned about the O rings. I used to have a tin of the stuff that I used for cleaning the head of the airbrush though. I'd unscrew the head and take off the little nylon bushing then soak the head in MEK to dissolve any residue in the tip. I think you'll find the O rings are nylon. They'll stand up to MEK easily enough. My old Badger 200 didn't have a problem with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 I think you'll find the O rings are nylon. They'll stand up to MEK easily enough. My old Badger 200 didn't have a problem with it. THe o rings in the head are definitely nylon, but what about the needle bearing back inside the body? I'm not so sure about that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D4N Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 hi all i always use the revell airbrush cleaner cleans enamel and acrylics with ease i always leave just a small drop in the airbrush and blow that out before using the next paint. i had a model that had been hand painted in humbrol gloss black enamel for about 5-6 years and i wanted to redo the model so i covered the model in bum roll lol and then soaked with the cleaner left for around 10-15 minutes and it virtually wiped off. Danny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadsolo Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 THe o rings in the head are definitely nylon, but what about the needle bearing back inside the body? I'm not so sure about that one. Not sure, but like I say, mine never had a problem. Anything that got back there in substantial amounts would indicate a problem anyway at the seal near the front end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdriaN (MLT) Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 (edited) Ive been told that cellulose thinner cleans acrylic paint..... never tried it Edited November 20, 2009 by AdriaN (MLT) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little-cars Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 Chaps, As times move on people are expecting more from our new airbrushes. Please remember that a lot of these are a lot more precise tools than we used a few years ago. These days I usually sell brushes with 0.15 or 0.2mm needle and nozzle sets, it used to be 0.35 or 0.5mm nozzles, so it is more important that an appropriate cleaner is used. Some airbrushes have nylon o rings, these days they are more likely teflon, but a lot have rubber O rings as well. The general advise is to clean brushes with the least agressive cleaner that you can. My top picks currently are: For Enamels: Liquid Reamer - good for a quick spray through, Rustins Cellulose thinner is a good all round cleaner especially as it doesn't have any nasty Xylene in the formula. For acrylics: The foaming airbrush cleaner to soften dried acrylics is good and the Vallejo airbrush cleaner is a really good general acrylic cleaner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdriaN (MLT) Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 Chaps,As times move on people are expecting more from our new airbrushes. Please remember that a lot of these are a lot more precise tools than we used a few years ago. These days I usually sell brushes with 0.15 or 0.2mm needle and nozzle sets, it used to be 0.35 or 0.5mm nozzles, so it is more important that an appropriate cleaner is used. Some airbrushes have nylon o rings, these days they are more likely teflon, but a lot have rubber O rings as well. The general advise is to clean brushes with the least agressive cleaner that you can. My top picks currently are: For Enamels: Liquid Reamer - good for a quick spray through, Rustins Cellulose thinner is a good all round cleaner especially as it doesn't have any nasty Xylene in the formula. For acrylics: The foaming airbrush cleaner to soften dried acrylics is good and the Vallejo airbrush cleaner is a really good general acrylic cleaner. whats your verdict on the Badger canister cleaner? i just bought my first one yesterday. ill keep it for when im using acrylics (when i even do use em) and just in case anything goes wrong in general... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris B Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Evening all I use an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS and try and stick to acrylics - not always possible. With acrylics I clean using IPA - you can buy a litre for c.£9 at the electrical store 'Maplins'. IPA can also be used to thin the paint - MUCH cheaper than using Tamiya thinnners. At the Yeovilton show this Feb 09 I bought a VGT-2000-digital ultrasonic cleaner. These ultrasonic gizmos work a treat by putting the airbrush parts in a small container of IPA placed in the water bath. The IPA can be decanted into a screw top jar and reused when the sediment has settled. If forced to use emamels, I blast a shot of turps/white spirit through the brush before following up with the ultrasonic/IPA bath. Regards Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stonar Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 I use Muc-Off. It's a pink solution that the mountain bike fraternity (including my brother-in-law) use to clean their bikes. Got a huge bottle from his garage but you can buy it from Halfords. I've used it in my Iwata brushes for the last 12-18 months with no problems at all. I only spray acrylics. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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