cleaning the Paasche VL

keilau wrote:

MikeV wrote: Are you guys back flushing the airbrush? That makes a difference. Mike, I have not tried back flushing a siphon feed airbrush. Does it work as well as on a gravity feed? Yes, back flushing works wonders if done before the paint has time to dry in the airbrush. If you wait too long, complete disassembly will be called for.

Yes it works well for a siphon-feed as well but as you said, if you let paint sit too long in any airbrush it creates problems which is why lubes like Needle Juice are so important in my opinion. A simple spray out with cleaner if you are not going to be painting for 20 minutes or so is always a good idea. 

My rule of thumb when airbrush cleaning.

I will flush out between colors during a painting session. Once done with the days session (which sometimes can last several hours) I tear down the airbrush as I would my rifle after a day at the range shooting. Tear it down, clean and dry, lube as necessary, reassemble and store it so it is ready for the next session.

"Never enough time to do it right the first time, but always enough time to do it over."  Do it right the first time and you'll find life (painting with an airbrush) is less frustrating.

I will on an occasional bases, tear down and inspect all of my airbrushes to make sure I didn't forget to clean them properly and ensure they'll function properly when I need them most.

When I custom airbrushed T-Shirts, I had five VLs running at once, talk about cleaning time! I got real good at tearing them down. I forgot to clean them once, when I went to use them they were solid...something not good when people are standing and waiting for their shirts to be done. 

MikeV wrote:

Are you guys back flushing the airbrush? That makes a difference.

Mike, I have not tried back flushing a siphon feed airbrush. Does it work as well as on a gravity feed?

Yes, back flushing works wonders if done before the paint has time to dry in the airbrush. If you wait too long, complete disassembly will be called for.

I've had my VL for over twenty years and have enjoyed it's balance and pattern range, but like others have said, it's not an easy gun to maintain. What works for me is to spray the thinner (iso alchohol or laq thinner) thru it until it sprays clear, then pull the needle, wipe clean, reassemble and spray again for 30 seconds to a minute in bursts. This prevents the total teardown and laq thinner cleanups between uses. I am going to try the glycerin wash next time - could be the new trick!

Thanks guys, lookes like tacking apart each time is the way to go.

 

Bill

Every time I clean my VL, I do a total tear-down cleaning. AS long as you take your time, the brush shouldn't clog up. Takes time, but the results are worth it. Especially if you can't afford to buy another brush like me, I'm always terrified I'm gonna wreck the thing with  a big paint clog

MikeV wrote:

Don, What pressure are you spraying at when you clean the AB?

I usually spray at about 15 or 20psi and I was cleaning at the same pressure.  My little compressor maxes out at about 30psi.  I'll try that next time and see how it goes.

Thanks,

Don 

Don Wheeler wrote:

MikeV wrote: Are you guys back flushing the airbrush? That makes a difference. Yeah, back flushing didn't work for me.  I'm thinking maybe a little paint leaked into the needle bearing, just enough to cause the needle to stick after a day or two.  At any rate, it's so easy to pull the needle and wipe it with a little thinner that I just do it and the problem went away.  I have a different needle bearing now so maybe I should try it again. Don

Don,

What pressure are you spraying at when you clean the AB? 

MikeV wrote:

Are you guys back flushing the airbrush? That makes a difference.

Yeah, back flushing didn't work for me.  I'm thinking maybe a little paint leaked into the needle bearing, just enough to cause the needle to stick after a day or two.  At any rate, it's so easy to pull the needle and wipe it with a little thinner that I just do it and the problem went away.  I have a different needle bearing now so maybe I should try it again.

Don 

Are you guys back flushing the airbrush? That makes a difference.

I've had the same experience.  I know that a lot of people just flush the brush and put it away.  But it doesn't work for me.  I have to at least pull the needle and wipe it off or It will sometimes be stuck the next time I go to use it.  And I use lacquer thinner.

Don 

If the needle is continually getting stuck, then you aren't cleaning it as well as you should be. Get yourself some needle lube (AKA Glycerin) and after cleaning, pull the needle and apply a thin coat to the "working" end of the needle. Try not to get any where it gets clamped as it can slip and cause problems.