cleaning techniques for Iwata Neo CN

Hi, Mike -  For a thorough and well presented introduction to airbrushing in all aspects, I recommend a look at "Don's airbrush" site. Just Google Don's airbrush tips and you'll find whatever you need in the way of using, cleaning and assembling airbrushes. He even includes your exact Iwata in the text and photos. Any problems with locating his site, just check back in.

Good luck with it and happy spraying.

sachman

And for the acrylics (Tamiya), I was told to use about 10% thinner (from Tamiya) with the paint. Sound right?

There's no hard and fast rule about how much thinner to use. It depends on your airbrush setup, your individual preference and what you are trying to achieve.

I tend to thin more than most with Tamiya acrylics, often in the order of 75% thinner to 25% paint. It works for me, but that's what I'm used to. It may be different for others.

Sachman - here's the link to Don's website: sites.google.com/.../donsairbrushtips

It is quite invaluable to anyone wanting to learn the basics of airbrushing.

I see he also has an online book now.

I'll echo Phil - thinning is a personal preference. I use mainly acrylics. When I started out, I thinned around 2:1 paint to thinner, as this was what most people seemed to suggest. I also used to use around 15-20 PSI.

However, after my own experimentation, I now prefer a 50/50 mix at around 30 PSI. It means you take longer to build up coverage and may be more prone to runs etc when first learning (due to thin paint and high pressure), but it's what I prefer. Also, given it's acrylic, the higher pressure evaporates the alcohol base very quickly, so it touch tries almost instantly (though should always be properly cured before masking etc).

There's a ton of resources on how to clean ABs on the Net.