How to make airbrushing easier....

jtroutt19

Maybe you guys can help me out here. I love to airbrush but at the same time I get frustrated with it. SO maybe I am doing things incorrectly. I have a Neo gravity fed that I use and my main issue is switching colors. It takes me 5-8 minutes to switch colors. I clean the entire brush before I put in a new color. Of course cleaning the thing is cumbersome and messy. Can you guys tell me if I am doing this wrong for all these years. Possible some tips to speed things up would be great as well if you have them! Thanks for anything!

 

I have a Paasche H siphon feed, what I do is when I'm ready to switch colors I pull off the paint cup and put some drops of alcohol (I use acrylics) down in the needle, then spray on paper towel until all comes out clear. As for the paint cup I have 2 additional cups that are already clean and I just switch to clean cup and fill with next color, spray a few test sprays to check color and continue. After I'm completely finished then I tear down everything and clean thoroughly. I'm sure there are even better methods out there. Hope this helps

I also have a siphon feed, and keep each color for a kit I am doing in seperate bottles.  Also bottle for thinner. I take off first bottle of color, wipe pickup tube with paper towel, and spray until no more paint comes out.  Then I put on the thinner bottle, and spray  for about thirty seconds, varying paint flow a few times.  Again I wipe off tube, then remove thinner bottle and put on second color. I do not normally have to disassemble brush until done with kit.  At end of each spraying session I spray thinner on q-tip and clean mouth of nozzle with needle retracted.

Thanks guys. I am always worried about the wrong color coming out if i dont clean it entirely. I will try your texhniques! Thank you again. Just so it is out there. I am building the minicraft 1/350 titanic with all the photoetch brass that is available! Should be nice when im done!

I would think apples to apples process would be with both side neing gravity feed. No?

Well, you do have to clean the airbrush when switching colors anyways especially on a gravity feed airbrush. There's no shortcut way of speeding things up. I have 2 gravity feed airbrushes the NEO gravity feed and a Paasche side feed. Either way, I have to clean them when switching colors. If the issue of constantly cleaning the airbrush with a gravity feed, your best bet is get a siphon feed type. Again, you still have to clean the nozzle/needle regardless.

Spending 5 - 10 minutes cleaning your airbrush between colors isn't really a lot of time wasted. Why the hurry? This is supposed to be a relaxing hobby, not a hurry up hobby. Think about that for a bit.

I had a Neo until recently and to clean it between colors on acrylics I ran a couple cups of Windex through it and it came out clean. Enamel do the same with lacquer thinner. NO need for a complete clean between colors. Always thuroughly clean after a session when you are done and you will have a well running airbrush.

I love building and i also love painting. It is a very relaxing time for me. I just dont enjoy the in between time to clean when changing colors....lol would just like to keep painting. Im not in a hurry at all. I am currently doing the promenade walls on my kit. Resizing windows installing photoetch and adding krystal klear to simulate glass. So having to go slow is not the problem. Cleaning really isnt either just would like to be painting more and cleaning less.....lol

Just thought i would let you guys know. That wiping out the cup and a few drops of thinner through the brush works great. Its nice to be able to paint for instead if cleaning all the time! Thanks for the help!