Best Of When your done using the airbrush?

[Chris333]

So acrylic paint is simple spray it then take the whole thing to the sink and clean with water.

So what about solvent paint? I have been using brake parts cleaner because you can just spray it. Is there an easier way to clean the bottle, siphon tube, and tip? When I'm done cleaning I spray a little bit of the cleaner into the bottle and spray it out with air like paint to get anything inside.

[Rasputen]

I use either Testors airbrush cleaner or Alclad airbrush cleaner which will dissolve just about anything.  You might want to disassemble yours after spraying cleaner through it, it may surprise you how much paint is still in there.  I have a set of tiny bottle brushes to help with the cleaning process also.  You could probably substitute enamel reducer or lacquer thinner from the hardware store too.

[wazzou]

I've looked all over for smaller bottle brushes with no luck.  I have always substituted pipe cleaners but small diameter pipe cleaners aren't easy to find anymore either.

[Philip H]

I've looked all over for smaller bottle brushes with no luck.  I have always substituted pipe cleaners but small diameter pipe cleaners aren't easy to find anymore either.

In the cheaper cleaning sets for baby bottles you will often find small round bristled brushes.

[C855B]

Tiny brushes and other cleaning supplies: http://www.chicagoairbrushsupply.com/cleaners.html

FWIW, I run the solvent for the paint I've used through it (two side-cups' worth), then disassemble and swab after every color. Granted, my main airbrush is easier than others of my experience. Takes less than five minutes.

[wazzou]

In the cheaper cleaning sets for baby bottles you will often find small round bristled brushes.

Those have 1/16" to 3/32" or so diameter brushes in them?

[Chris333]

I hardly ever take my air brush apart and clean it all. Sometimes I spray solvent and then go right into spraying water-based. Maybe once every 3 years I have to take it apart because of dried paint inside.

I guess what my problem here is. When I use water based paint I probably use a 1/2 gallon of water from the faucet cleaning in. It would get expensive to keep using a 1/2 gallon of thinner to clean it. Was just looking for an easier way 

It's just one of those things that takes a few seconds to use and then a 10 min to clean.

[Lemosteam]

I use this to recapture the solvent and sometimes reuse it after filtering.  You put the tip of the brush and a couple cups/bottles ans spry right into the vessel.  ooh look this one comes with brushes!

https://www.amazon.com/Airbrush-Cleaning-Needle-Nozzle-Holder/dp/B0154HN2NA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1485544439&sr=8-3&keywords=airbrush+cleaning+pot

[peteski]

Geez, you guys make this so complicated.
Me:
BADGER Model 200 airbrush with 1oz glass jar and siphon (bottom) feed.


Organic-solvent paints:

• After painting, spray out any paint remaining in the jar.
• Put 3 pipettes-worth of lacquer thinner (with acetone) in the jar and swish it around to rinse the paint off the walls. If the swishing alone doesn't rinse the paint off, cover the jar opening with the soft part of the palm of your hand below the thumb (while wearing a nitrile rubber glove, which I normally wear on the hand which holds the item being painted) and then shake the bottle vigorously. I learned to do this with one hand while holding the airbrush with the other hand.
• Screw the jar onto the airbrush, open the needle all the way and spray out the dirty thinner. Make sure to suck up as much of the thinner as possible.  I spray this dirty "wash" into a piece of paper towel.
• Again, fill the jar with 3 pipettes-worth of lacquer thinner (with acetone) and swish it around to rinse the paint off the walls.
• Screw the jar into the airbrush, open the needle all the way, and spray out the almost-clear thinner. While spraying, slowly open and close the needle couple of times. With some thinner still in the jar place a small a piece of a folded paper towel (I use Bounty) against the airbrush nozzle and with the needle wide open press the trigger.  That will blow the air back through the airbrush and the siphon tube, rinsing it out.  Bring the paper towel slightly away from the nozzle then let it touch it again (while spraying). Do this few times. That will clean the front surface of the airbrush head and also flush the inside of the airbrush. Then spray out the remaining thinner into the paper towel. Make sure to suck up as much of the thinner as possible.
• For the third time put 3 pipettes-worth of lacquer thinner (with acetone) in the jar and swish it around to rinse the paint off the walls and screw the jar onto the airbrush.
• Leaving the needle wide open spray the now-clear thinner into piece of paper towel. Make sure to suck up as much of the thinner as possible.
• Fold a small piece of lacquer-thinner moistened paper towel from the previous step, unscrew and remove the needle, put it in the fold, and twirl it while pulling it trough the fold, then screw it back in the airbrush.
• Unscrew the jar and while pointing the airbrush down, press the trigger to spray out any remaining thinner from the inside of the airbrush.
• Now using the airbrush as an air-gun dry the inside of the glass jar.
• Screw the jar back on - the airbrush is now clean and ready for next paint job.

This entire process takes me about a minute (much shorter than it took me to write it up).  I do this between spraying different colors and as a final cleaning after completing a project and putting the airbrush away until the next one. I have been doing this for close to 30 years without problems. I do fully disassemble and clean my airbrush, but only about once a year.    As you can see, I have two distinct types of cleaning:  the one I described here, and a periodic full (thorough) service where I take the airbrush apart.

If you have a rinsing station like John shows, you can spray the thinner in there, but I would still recommend the paper towel method of back-spraying head cleaning, and needle cleaning.

I don't airbrush water-based acrylics and I doubt that this method will work with them.

EDIT: slight verbiage changes and clarifications.

[Chris333]

I'll pick up some lacquer thinner tomorrow and try that out.

[Lemosteam]

Geez, you guys make this so complicated.
Me:
BADGER Model 200 airbrush with 1oz glass jar and siphon (bottom) feed.

Solvent paints: After painting I spray out any remaining paint.

• Put in 3 pipettes-worth of lacquer thinner (with acetone) in the jar and swish it around to rinse the paint off the walls.
• Screw the jar into the airbrush, open the needle all the way and spray out the dirty thinner. Make sure to suck up as much of the thinner as possible.  I spray this dirty "wash" into a piece of paper towel.
• Fill the jar with 3 pipettes-worth of lacquer thinner (with acetone) in the jar and swish it around to rinse the paint off the walls.
• Screw the jar into the airbrush, open the needle all the way and spray out the almost-clear thinner. While spraying, slowly open and close the needle. Also, place small a piece of folder paper towel (I use Bounty) against the airbrush nozzle.  Do this few times while the needle is wide open.  That will blow the air back through the siphon, rinsing it out.  Move the paper towel slightly away from the nozzle then let it touch it again (while spraying). D this few times. That will clean the front surface of the airbrush head. Again, make sure to suck up as much of the thinner as possible.
• Put in 3 pipettes-worth of lacquer thinner (with acetone) in the jar and switch it around to rinse the paint off the walls.
• Leaving the needle wide open spray this now-clear thinner into piece of paper towel. Make sure to suck up as much of the thinner as possible.
• Unscrew and remove the needle and wipe it on the paper towel moistened (in the previous step) with lacquer thinner, then screw it back in.
• Unscrew the jar and using the dry air coming out of the now-empty airbrush dry the inside of the jar.
• Screw the jar back on - the airbrush is now clean and ready for next paint job.

This entire process takes me less than 1 minute (much shorter than it took me to write it up).  I do this between spraying different colors and as final cleaning. I have been doing this for close to 30 years without problems. I do fully disassemble and clean my airbrush, but only about once a year.

If you have a rinsing station like Johns shows, you can spray the thinner in there, But I would still recommend the paper towel method of back-spray and head clean, and needle cleaning.

I do all of this and disassemble the brush each time.  I am the kinda bad luck guy that the one time I don't, the damn thing will get ruined.  I cannot take chances like that with anything. After I painted the Polar express, Even though I cleaned it the same way, but with acrylic thinner, I still got residue dried up in some of the damn passages.  Grrrr.[/list]

[peteski]

After I painted the Polar express, Even though I cleaned it the same way, but with acrylic thinner, I still got residue dried up in some of the damn passages.  Grrrr.

I specifically mentioned solvent-based paints. I meant organic-solvent-based paints (Floquil, Scalecoats, Humbrol, Testors enamels, Model master enamels and lacquers, True-color, Accu paint, etc.) - because that is what Chris asked about. I don't spray water-based acrylics. I don't like they way they work, and they can easily clog up the airbrush! 

[Chris333]

I just tried this with Tru-color paint and Acetone (all I had right now) and it worked!!!  6 pipettes of "cleaner" is all I needed.  Siphon tube crystal clear and everything. That is the least amount of "cleaner" I've ever used.

Still have to wear gloves though cause of the blow back out of the vent hole and holding the paper towel.

[Chris333]

BTW water is easy like I said. Just go to the sink and use as much water as I need.

About every 3-4 years I have to take the brush all the way apart and really clean it.  When my brush is sitting it has a bottle of alcohol/ink mix that I use on my layout to tone everything down. Go to install a stop sign on the layout... first a trip to the air-brush for a light coat of ink.

I never clean it after alcohol/ink, just hang it back on the hook.

[peteski]

I just tried this with Tru-color paint and Acetone (all I had right now) and it worked!!!  6 pipettes of "cleaner" is all I needed.  Siphon tube crystal clear and everything. That is the least amount of "cleaner" I've ever used.

Still have to wear gloves though cause of the blow back out of the vent hole and holding the paper towel.

See!  The "Peteski rinse"  is not difficult or time-consuming at all.  And it works guaranteed (as long as you do it right after finishing painting)

I do wear nitrile rubber glove on my left hand while painting anyway (that is the hand with which I hold the model or the thinner-soaked paper towel).  I buy them in a box of 100. They are cheap.