Airbrush Care and Maintenance

Shadowfax MD wrote:

Hi; as many, "newly back" to the hobby and getting my feet wet.  I've inherited a Paasche double-action (VL, I think) airbrush and have some newbie questions:

Welcome to the forum and congraduate for the first post.

Do I disassemble and clean in every time I use it?

It is not only a very good idea. It is almost mandatory.

What are the best cleaning solutions for enamels and acrylics, respectively?

You may want to use the cleaner from the maker of you paint to assure compatibility. The most important aspect is to clean as soon as you finish painting. Do not let the paint dry on your needle.

I've seen airbrush lubricant mentioned in the forum; where does that go and how often?

In general cleaning, wipe it along the needle every time. Put a drop in the trigger only when you take it apart completely.

The brush came with three tips and nozzles as well as needles of different shapes/diameters. I presume these are primarily for narrow vs wide field application?

Yes. And it also affects the the trigger control. A larger nozzle let out more paint with smaller trigger movement. It is easier to use with thicker paint, for example, for T-shirt painting.

While I'm annoying you with newbie questions, does Future go well over acrylics?  And a properly cured acrylic can get another, different color acrylic shot over it, even thinned, yes? As a youth, I used only enamels; acrylics areeasier to clean up -- why would one ever use enamles over acrylics?

Enamel still has a bigger selection of colors. It also sticks to plastic better. I use acrylic mostly because of the non toxic nature of its cleaner (water).

Here is a link to a tutorial on how to clean your airbrush:

http://www.howtoairbrush.com/index.php/site/lesson/cleaning_your_gravity_feed_airbrush/

There are more tutorials here:

http://www.howtoairbrush.com/index.php/site/lessons/C4/

keilau wrote:

Do I disassemble and clean in every time I use it? It is not only a very good idea. It is almost mandatory.

NO! You should not disassemble it each time. Those who tell you to don't know what they are talking about to be quite frank. If you spray it out good, backflush it and flush it well with water afterwards there is no reason to take it apart each time. That is unless you want to take the risk of damaging some part like the needle or tip as many beginners do when they take bad advice like tear it down each time you paint. 

I use acrylic mostly because of the non toxic nature of its cleaner (water).

Water is NOT a cleaner of acrylics, Windex, Iso alcohol and Simple Green are. Water should be used as the final step to spray out. 

MikeV wrote:

keilau wrote: Do I disassemble and clean in every time I use it? It is not only a very good idea. It is almost mandatory. NO! You should not disassemble it each time. Those who tell you to don't know what they are talking about to be quite frank.

Backflush is good enough in between colors. I unscrew the handle, take out the needle, wipe it clean and lub before putting it back at the end of each day. You have to be careful even if you have the brand of airbrush that is most resistent to bending. I don't see any reason to change this practice.

If you spray it out good, backflush it and flush it well with water afterwards there is no reason to take it apart each time. That is unless you want to take the risk of damaging some part like the needle or tip as many beginners do when they take bad advice like tear it down each time you paint.  I use acrylic mostly because of the non toxic nature of its cleaner (water). Water is NOT a cleaner of acrylics, Windex, Iso alcohol and Simple Green are. Water should be used as the final step to spray out.

Mike, you should answer to ShadowFax MD's questions, not mine.

From my experience I have noticed this

Teardown and cleaning is different from airbrush to airbrush.

My Aztek A470 never quite got clean, even after flushing.  There would always be a little residual paint in the nozzle assembly somewhere and it usually required either teardown or soaking. This led to 2 nozzles going bad on me, probably from being damaged some time ago (I bought it when I was 14, I'm now 26).  I don't use the 470 much anymore, but now I know to try and avoid disassemblying the nozzle assembly anymore than I have to.  So MikeV is right on this one.

My Badger 200's usually only require flushing and maybe removing the needle and wiping it down with a cotton swab dibbed in lacquer thinner.  I will usually tear them down after a paint session but not always.  In my experience, paint doesn't stick well to the metal which makes cleaning much easier over the Aztek.

As far as acrylics and enamels go - I use enamels.  Why?  Lots of variety of colors to pick from (ie Federal Standard, RLM) and they are easy to touch up, etc.  Also, it would cost me hundreds of dollars to convert over and frankly thats kinda expensive.  I also have not had any issues with clean up, just don't hang out near an open flame and wear gloves or a mask when needed. 

I do use Future as my clear coat and it works quite well over any properly cured paint.  I am also considering getting some Tamiya flat base to use with the Future as well because I think it would be cheaper than buying the clear flat lacquer.  

keilau wrote:

MikeV wrote:  keilau wrote: Do I disassemble and clean in every time I use it? It is not only a very good idea. It is almost mandatory. NO! You should not disassemble it each time. Those who tell you to don't know what they are talking about to be quite frank. Backflush is good enough in between colors. I unscrew the handle, take out the needle, wipe it clean and lub before putting it back at the end of each day. You have to be careful even if you have the brand of airbrush that is most resistent to bending. I don't see any reason to change this practice. If you spray it out good, backflush it and flush it well with water afterwards there is no reason to take it apart each time. That is unless you want to take the risk of damaging some part like the needle or tip as many beginners do when they take bad advice like tear it down each time you paint.  I use acrylic mostly because of the non toxic nature of its cleaner (water). Water is NOT a cleaner of acrylics, Windex, Iso alcohol and Simple Green are. Water should be used as the final step to spray out.  Mike, you should answer to ShadowFax MD's questions, not mine.

No Keilau I was addressing your answers to him which I feel are incorrect. He is a beginner asking questions and if you are going to give him answers that I feel are wrong then I am going to address your answers as well. 

I break down the airbrush every 4th or 5th painting session and I have never had the airbrush spray badly or gum up from not breaking it down. Airbrush experts like Ken Schlotfeldt and others would agree with what I am saying. The reason people have problems is because they do not use proper cleaning techniques plain and simple.