Air Brush Cleaning

When I took up modeling again last summer, I'd only ever used siphon feed brushes. Decided to pick up a gravity feed brush instead and haven't looked back. No more cleaning the siphon caps or trying to get at the awkward siphon tubes coming off of the color cups! 

Personally, the first thing I do when I'm cleaning out a brush is fill the color cup with thinner, swish around with a q-tip, then wipe the whole thing out with a paper towel. This gets about 85% of the paint out, so I'm mainly focused on flushing the needle/nozzle/paint channel after that.  

Depending on what I'm spraying, I disassemble between colors. Or don't.

jbrady

Am I doing this right? When I use my airbrush the cleaning takes more time than the painting. I use a Badger 200 NH single action internal mix brush. I get good results with it but I'm wondering if I am over cleaning. Heres the procedure.

1. Detach the paint jar and spray air until no paint is coming out of the brush.
2. Spray enamel thinner through the brush until that is clear.
3. dissamble the brush ie. remove the needle, nozzel, and tip.
4. Soak them in solvent while cleaning the body of the brush.
5. Clean the needle, nozzel and tip.
6. Reassemble the brush.
7. Spray solvent (about 1/4 oz.)

I do this even for color changes. Am I over cleaning??? Would I be better off with a gravity fed brush?

Thanks

I felt the same way when I used a Paasche H airbrush, which is external mix, siphon feed. It changed completely when I switch to an Iwata HP-CS, internal mix and gravity feed. I spray clean and back flush in between colors. I strip it down only at the end of the day before putting it away.

I am sure that you can develop a simpler routine to clean the Badger 200. How did you learn the routine that you use now. Don Wheeler and MikeV are the resident Badger experts around here. Before they reply, you can visit Don's web site.

Opinions differ from user to user as to weather a comprehensive strip is required at the end of the day, my personal opinion is that it is advisable to do so, but only at the end of your days painting. Doing this won't cause any harm & will prevent possible issues with paint solidifying anywhere inside the brush.

The only time that I would be tempted to strip between paint / colors were if I were using different & incompatible paints which may cause issue when mixed, say from brand Y enamel to brand Z acrylic, but thats a rare occasion.

As for going to this extent between colors of the same type (say enamel A to enamel B), I really don't think that you need to. A good flush & back-flush with whatever solvent matches your paint is adequate between colors.

Thanks for the input. I thought my OCD was getting the best of me. I don't remember how I came up with that routine... probably an amalgam of different things I'd heard and read.

I'm old school, but I don't really think you can "over clean" your air brush.  You can sure "under clean" one.  Air brushes have seals and bearings that aren't very tolerant of dirt, dried paint, etc..  I religiously clean mine (an Iwata HP-CS and a Badger 150) at the end of every paint session.  Between colors I simply clean out the cup, shoot thinner through it and back flush.  At the end of the session I strip and clean it.  It doesn't take more than 10 minutes once you get the hang of it and it will definitely extend the life of what is at bottom, a precision instrument.  You need to treat it like one.

Bob

I have a cheap Badger single action siphon airbrush.  And I was cleaning it like you and I found it sufficient.

But what I do now is use acrylics only. I've found that they cover very well, can be blended and mixed and thinned with water and dish soap. The paint doesn't have fumes and isn't even volitile. Clean up is a snap and I don't have waste thinner to dispose of.

It dries to a beautiful flat finish, and if I need a glossy finish, I airbrush a couple of coats of Future Floor Wax, ( another pure acrylic) and I get a rock-hard finish that can be from a dull sheen to a brilliant gloss such as the Blue Angels and the USAF "T"Birds. Just add more Future for more gloss.

Mustang Willie

interesting that the answers to an airbrush cleaning question ,, results in attempting to persuade someone to purchase a siphon feed airbrush.. or purchase acrylic paints.......?

I think the op is doing a fine job of cleaning the airbrush ,some people are very anal about keeping their AB's clean..nothing wrong with that.. however .I don't think it's necessary to spray a thinner again, once the AB has been disassembled and cleaned.. it would be more important to lubricate the components instead...the only "purchase" I would recommended is an important (and often overlooked) airbrush lube for any o-rings and moving parts

No, you don't have to spray anything when you put it back together but it does let you know right then if it's working ok instead of finding a surprise the next time you use it. I know the original poster is using a single action but suppose it was a double action. You put it back together, put a little thinner or water or whatever in the cup and push down on the trigger and instead of just air you get thinner, water, whatever. It's called trailing, btw. Maybe it's as simple as not seating the needle or maybe it's something else. At least you get to sort it out before the next time you need it.

How I clean depends on the paint and brush I'm using. Flushing between colors can be enough. Particularly if they're similar. Sometimes with Acryll I'll have to tear the brush apart and clean it just so I can keep shooting the same color. I don't care what paint, color or brush I've used, if I'm going to shoot white I tear it down and clean it. It's kinda discouraging to lay down some beautiful, slick white lacquer and on your last pass watch a little fleck of red land in the middle of all that white and slowly melt to pink...

Tony