Need help in cleaning airbrush

as I said,,,,,you can make a jar out of Acrylic paint, and store thinners in it, including the Acrylic thinner designed for the specific paint

Acrylics are not even close to the same behavior as Enamels, once hardened, Acrylics have more in common with a sheet of Plexiglass or the fuselage of a model airplane

to see what I mean,,,,,,brushpaint a strip of plastic sheet with two coats of Acrylic Yellow,,,,,,let each coat dry well,,,,,,,then a day later, brushpaint Acrylic Red over the Yellow,,,,,you will see that you get what looks like "a Red streak over a Yellow background"

then either paint or have some friend paint  two brushed coats of Enamel Yellow on a strip of plastic sheet, let dry overnight,,,,,,brushpaint Enamel Red on the Yellow sheet,,,,,,,,,and let us know how many shades of Orange you can create with a paintbrush dragged over either too slowly, or too many times

that is the fundamental difference in the results of the two different chemicals

it is also why the Medea cleaner comes with instructions for cleaning an airbrush clogged with Acrylic paints,,,,,,,,,Enamel and Lacquer thinners won't work

Thanks guys...

TarnShip.  yes, the problem is probably exactly where you mentioned it.  Trouble is (or best solution) would be to have a tool that can slide through that small opening in the cup all the through to the opening of the nozzel of the airbrush (where the needle pass through).  

It is so small, I was thinking of using dental floss, (unwaxed).

I did soak it in terpintine over a few hours (and I don't think there is any mechanical or rubber seals that could be affected by the solvent, but I only submerged upto the color cup just to be safe).  I took it out and rinsed it and now have put in some dish soap and left it over night.  

I will see if this works....

oh, and if "the air is rushing through",,,,,,,then, your problem is somewhere between the paint orfice at the base of the color cup, and the air and paint mixing area (the tip),,,,,,probably a "clot" right at the change in direction at the cup's base,,,,,,,,or behind the drilled wall behind the area the tip attaches to

go to your favorite Iwata website and find a link and vendor for the Iwata-Medea airbrush cleaner

other than being a great airbrush cleaner and lube for daily use,,,,,,,,it can soak cured Acrylic paint out of an airbrush or nozzle

just pour some in a jar or bowl and put your disassembled airbrush parts in there for a couple of days,,,,,after that, assemble the airbrush (you don't have to even get the Medea off the parts, it is good for them)

test spray using the Medea as your "paint",,,,as it runs through, it will clean it more,,,,,,,,if you see an improvement, but, not enough,,,,,disassemble and soak the parts for 2 or 3 more days, again

then, after that is fixed,,,,,,use the Medea airbrush cleaner you now own as the last thing you spray through each day,,,,,,,taking any flecks of paint out from today's current session, and lubing and protecting your airbrush until next usage


either that,,,,,,,,,or just squirt 3 drops of dishwashing liquid on the airbrush and let it set overnight,,,,,,,,the airbrush elves will smell it in the middle of the night,,,,,,and clean that thing out for you,,,(you don't have to "waste money" on specific products that way),,,,,,,,,the reason that lacquer thinner won't clean out the dried acrylic paints in an airbrush is chemistry,,,,,,you can make a jar out of Acrylic paint, let it dry until completely cured,,,,,,,,,and use it to store Enamel and Lacquer thinners in

The best tool I've used for cleaning passages, nooks & crannies in my airbrushes are the dental "proxy brushes" for cleaning between teeth. They come in sizes from very small to fairly broad, hold up to lacquer thinner and other solvents (except MEK or paint removers), and are relatively inexpensive. I use them for their intended purpose, and keep the old ones for cleaning the AB.

Mike

That is indeed one of the problems I see with acrylics. While they will thin with water, or water and alcohol, they need something pretty agressive to dissolve after they dry. You may need to use a stronger solvent like lacquer thinner. I am not that familiar with Iwata brushes, so don't know if there are any internal parts that are damaged by lacquer thinner, or whether you need to disassemble to treat only the clogged part.