Now there's been a lot of controversy over this...

Used to, just don't see any need for it.

Backflushing doesn't sound healthy for an airbrush just thinking about what your doing to it. Backflushing an Aztek is probably going to mean getting a new airbrush. I wouldn't backflush my Aztek for $100!

QUOTE: Perhaps it depends on the brand.

Thats probably the answer. It probably depends on the brand. But airbrushes weren't meant to be backflushed, so I don't know.

But Ma! All the other kids are doing it!

I don't do it-I'm afraid of damaging the needle.

Since this forum requests painting and airbrushing questions be asked in the 'Painting and Airbrushing' forum, then I will post what I have learned there.

Mike

I never did in the past and then a few months back I read about more people doing it so I tried it a few times. I was unsure of the effects on an airbrush so I emailed Dave at Coast Airbrush and asked him as he is considered one of the most knowledgable people in the country on airbrushes and compressors and he said he does not recommend it so I decided not to do it myself.
I am going to ask Ken Schlotfeldt at Badger Airbrush what he thinks of it as he has been in this industry a long time and knows quite a bit.
I am also going to ask my buddy Scooter who has been airbrushing for over 35 years and had a hand in the design of the Thayer & Chandler Vega and Omni aibrushes.
I will report what the opinion is from these two sources when I get a return response from them.

Mike

I've always cleaned my airbrushes by just running thinner through them until it came out clear. Then one day I backflushed and holy cow! I couldn't believe all the dried up paint and gunk that came blasting out! Ever since then I've backflushed. Man that does sound disgusting....

Eric

PS. I do that to both my Iwata and Aztek.

Perhaps it depends on the brand.

Now I know, and I don't either. Just run some thinner through after paint and good to go. occasionally give the tips a soaking for a while though.

I didn't know what it was, and after i followed the link...no i don't

I've always done it, per Tamiya's cleaning instructions. Same AB, five years and absolutely no problems.
And it's a very clean AB. Looks and works as good as the day I bought it.

i do it... to an aztek... oh well no loss. getting an omni 4000/5000

Never thought about doing that. I've always made sure I thoroughly cleaned my airbrushes and thinned appropriately. I have been guilty of too much thinner, but that only screwed up the paint job and not the brush

I've never had to backflush. The cleaning instructions that come with the brush will give you the answer you need.

I did it once. Once! Never used that procedure again. I had to replace a small o-ring that failed, plus clean up the mess.

My friend strongly suggested against it, and since all my airbrushing help came from him, I listened..

I'd say never try to get something to do something it wasn't meant to do. If airbrushes were meant to have things flow back into them, they'd have a flow reverse valve built into them you could switch to, like a vacuum with both the sucking and blowing options.

I've never seen an airbrush with a suction option so I take that as my message that nothing was meant to go through it that way.

Just send your cleaner through the airbrush the same way the paint goes and make sure you don't let the paint start setting inside it before you clean it.

Backflushing should not be neccesary, ever.

I never thought about backflushing my airbrush. I usually run thinner through it and then I take it apart after I've used it a few times and give it a thorough cleaning.

Never thought about doing that!

Sounds gross! Had that problem with the toilet last week. It backflushed all over the floor and down into my model room.
Seriously, I never see the need to do it. I just run a few ounces of Mr. Clean through it and all is well.