Hmmm....solve this airbrush problem

God, I can't believe I forgot about this thread. These are all very useful, so thank you all for the posts.

Chris

These are my steps for routine cleaning after use, others may well disagree, but it's what has worked well for me these past nearly 50 years. After job is done I spray 2-3 thinner rinses through, at higher pressure of 25-30 psi. One would think there can't be anything left. There is! After spray rinse I remove the regulator and nozzle, push the needle fully forward and give it a good wipe with thinner on clean cotton pad. Plenty of thin paint residue there on close inspection of pad, prior to pulling the needle out the back.

If I am certain there are no rough machining burrs on the rear of needle, I'll actually pull the needle out of the brush by forward removal. No chance of scarring of the Teflon internal bearing that way, and I won't be pulling any residual paint on needle back through the brush body. I use the Don Wheeler adage, only hold the brush nose down when working with cleaning agents, otherwise it can affect the air valve internals.

Long tip pipettes work well for spraying a good rinse through the needle bearing, also helps to rinse the nose section of the brush a bit more as thinner flows through. I use long toothpicks sanded to the same size as the interior of the needle bearing, then after dropping thinner in bearing I lightly move the toothpick back and forth a few times, then another rinse with pipette, then it's clean. The needle would work as well, but may be exposed to damage by handling for cleaning chores.

With regulator and nozzle removed I use cotton buds and interdental brushes for thorough cleaning, tiny paint brushes will also get into tight places. A short soaking in thinner prior will soften and begin to dissolve those residues, very little scrubbing is needed then. Depending on the brush design, the nose interior can be cleaned with cotton buds, brushes or whatever gets you in there.

Some of my Badger brushes have the tiny tip that is difficult to remove/install, (155, 100G, 200,) etc. Only on those models do I not remove tips for cleaning, a good rinse and LIGHT scrub with sized toothpick will work well.

An item I consider important for final stage prep is brush lubricant. I use the Badger product but there are plenty of other choices out there, as long as it's fully compatible with all of the components it will come in contact with.

Many of my brushes are 40+ years, Paasche and Badger, all work well today. Even though a cleaning disassembly does admittedly take a few extra minutes, for the long term you can feel assured the brush will perform well every time, lasting for many years. I consider that to be more than a good return on the investment of my time.

Patrick  

Thanks for bringing it to my attention.  I'll try to clarify that section.

Don

Probably more to do with my mechanical inaptitude :-)  I did read that pumping action part on your page.  Your method makes perfect sense and I'll use it from now on.  

Re flushing,  

I guess I don't do a very good job of explaining it.  About half way down my cleaning page, in the section on back flushing, I mention that I use a pumping action with an eyedropper.  What I mean is that I fill a dropper with solvent, insert it in the paint input or cup, and pump solvent in and out by squeezing the bulb.  I refill and do this several times with the trigger forward and pulled back.  When I see that the solvent comes back into the dropper clear, I know I've gotten all the paint out I can.  With a gravity fed airbrush, I do this in both the front and rear openings in the cup.

This is all done with the needle still installed so I don't get paint and solvent in the rear of the airbrush.  The mechanical action of the solvent seems to do a pretty good job of dislodging paint.  But there is usually still a tiny smear on the needle when I pull it.

I hope that helps.

Don

@Don,

Could you explain how you flush with an eyedropper?  I checked your site but couldn't find the method.

Chrisk-k -- I have to somewhat agree with you for airbrushes with tiny threaded nozzles like most Iwatas.  On these I rarely remove the head.  I do give a vigorous flushing with an eyedropper though.  But, the OP's 360 nozzle is pretty hard to damage.  And, it's so easy to remove and re-install that it just takes a couple minutes more to do a thorough cleaning.  As you said, you can disassemble and clean only when an airbrush is having a problem.  Or, you can clean well every time and not have any problems.  In any case, I always remove and wipe the needle.  If I don't, it sometimes sticks.

But, I'm not preaching one way or the other.  I was really just trying to answer his question.

Don

dirkpitt77

    I've always been under the impression that simply shooting cleaner through the brush after you shoot paint is sufficient to clean it, but this appears not to be so in my case. Anybody got an ideas on what's going on? Some sort of backfeeding problem? I'm sure as heck not sending it back to Badger again, so let's not go there.

 

Simply shooting a cleaner through an AB is sufficient, meaning that doing so will keep the AB functional. 

I have three double action Iwata ABs and they all behave like what you described.  I disassemble and clean only when an AB is having a problem or when I know that an AB will not be used for a long time (e.g., several months).  Disassembling an AB after every session will likely result in premature wear and/or accidental damage to the nozzle or the needle.

Think about this: Do you clean your car engine after every drive?  Don't worry about some paint residue inside your AB. 

There is a little pocket in the head of the 360 and many other airbrushes where paint tends to collect.  It needs some turbulence to clear it out.  You don't say whether you back flush, but this usually helps.  I like to use a pumping action with an eyedropper.  It seems to do a pretty good job.  The head of the 360 and others in that series is so easy to remove, I always do it and swab the inside of the body with an interdental brush, like the one you can see at the bottom of this page, and solvent.

I wouldn't pour cleaning solution in the rear of an airbrush.  It might get in the air valve and cause jamming.

Don