Cleaning up after spraying enamel

hmm... I geuss you could count yourself lucky that you have an air brush at all?

At first, I really hated Kleen Strip TurpAtine for cleaning airbrush parts. It has this really filthy feel to it and it stinks. I'm used to it now though. I like it quite a bit now that I'm more efficient about using it. It's so strong that it cuts way down on how much I have to do with the mini brush... and I don't spray it through the airbrush either. I just kinda pour it through the parts with a pipette after disassembly.

You know these mineral spirits, turpentine or turp-a-tine type solvents are recyclable, right? Once you clean the airbrush, it goes right back in the can and all the paint settles to the bottom.

I don't use it for thinning enamels for airbrushing models though. It is real brutal on plastic. It does no damage to pipettes or siphon tubes though.

cool, thanks David... that's actually one of the questions in my head I forgot to ask... I was wondering if some more common solvents would work just for cleanup.

And I know what ya mean about the smell.... I repainted my house and it smelled of mineral spirits for weeks afterwards from wiping down the baseboards and such...

I spray right of my MM bottles, so I don't have to clean up the paint cup. Once I'm done shooting, I'll take the lid off the MM bottle and put it in a bottle of thinner, shoot some of that through the airbrush and then use a Q-Tip to clean out the airbrush parts. Pretty simple.

HEY,
Ya i do the same thing as john and i use laquer thinner. It smells bad but i have a respirator so i cant smell it. Its really strong stuff. I use mineral spirits to thin enamels. Havent measured the amount of each, i just kinda dd a little of both until it looks right, but ive heard 50:50, but dont take my word for it.

Randy

and Turp-a-tine is rough on probably all Rubbermaid products. I'd say glass is the only thing that's safe. I use a Red Lobster condiment cup for this. I don't know what it's made of, but it works.

Anything to the rear of where the paint goes into the airbrush shouldn't need solvent put through it. I'd hate to burn up some unknown seal or bearing back there with lacquer thinner or turpatine. It's best to just keep that stuff all up in those metal-only parts. Especially keep it away from any rubber o-rings.

And ... get a respirator / spray booth / lots of ventilation! The fumes from that stuff is not something you want to breathe for a long time. For that matter, neither are acrylics. Be safe, it's worth the investment.

QUOTE: Originally posted by MusicCity And ... get a respirator / spray booth / lots of ventilation! The fumes from that stuff is not something you want to breathe for a long time. For that matter, neither are acrylics. Be safe, it's worth the investment.

That was the second thing I bought after my airbrush! I was a Repiratory Therapist in my past life (i.e. before I broke my wrist and had it fused, couldnt do CPR etc. after that so changed fields) saw a LOT of MAACO type guys in the ER... only got one set of lungs...

QUOTE: Originally posted by knight667 I spray right of my MM bottles, so I don't have to clean up the paint cup. Once I'm done shooting, I'll take the lid off the MM bottle and put it in a bottle of thinner, shoot some of that through the airbrush and then use a Q-Tip to clean out the airbrush parts. Pretty simple.

that's the one thing I WILL miss from my Aztek days... gotta find out if there is a bottle for my Badger that fits the MM bottles... I hope so.. that was TOO nice!

QUOTE: Originally posted by dubix88 HEY, Ya i do the same thing as john and i use laquer thinner.

EHHHHH????? can't hear ya boy! Speak up I am too old to be messing around with the likes of you! hahahah yeah I joined the geezer GB today...

I also use lacquer thinner only for cleaning up enamels.
It is cheap and cleans better than anything out there really.

Mike

QUOTE: Originally posted by MikeV I also use lacquer thinner only for cleaning up enamels. It is cheap and cleans better than anything out there really.

Thanks Mike, that's what I guess I was looking for, I have tried just plain thinner (got a HUGE MM thinner can from the LHS) but looking for good tips on cleanup.

Basically it is coming to the point where I HAVE to spray enamel... and the current build I am on is for my dad... he built a TON of models when I was young... put weeks and months into them and didn't use an airbrush, but they look as good as a lot of the pics on here.... he hinted/halfway asked about me doing a model of Coast Guard helicopter so I am all for it... and I wanna go enamel because the color red I need I want to a nice slick enamel coat of... but didn't want the pain of clean up from previous experience (just thinner)

I appreciate it!!!! I am sure my dad will too!

So just spray through, dissassemble, clean and that's it? I can handle that! (looking at can of laquer thinner unused by the door)

QUOTE: Originally posted by MikeV I also use lacquer thinner only for cleaning up enamels.

oh yeah, do you spray it through the brush? or just hand clean with it?

QUOTE: Originally posted by tho9900 QUOTE: Originally posted by MikeV I also use lacquer thinner only for cleaning up enamels. oh yeah, do you spray it through the brush? or just hand clean with it?

Both!
If you are using the metal color cup:
I like to turn the pressure on the regulator up to about 50 psi when I clean but that is up to you.
Spray a little lacquer through the cup, then wipe the cup out with a paper towel to remove most of the paint. Then put some more lacquer thinner in the cup and wipe it around inside the cup really well with an old paint brush with somewhat soft bristles to break up the paint in the cup a little better.
Spray that thinner out and put some more in the cup.
Hold a rag over the front of the airbrush against the needle and tip and backflush the airbrush. This will force thinner and paint back into the cup which backflushes it and cleans it better. Be careful doing this as too much pressure can cause the thinner to splash up out of the cup and you don't want it in your eyes or on your clothing. Just push down on the trigger and pull back on it slowly until you see the thinner in the cup bubbling from the air coming back into it.
After you backflush it for a few seconds, spray that thinner out also.
Then put some more clean thinner in the cup and spray that all out.
Pull the cup out of the siphon tube and dip a Q-tip in lacquer and insert it into the siphon tube to clean it out. That is about all you need to do as taking the airbrush apart is unnecessary and increases the chances of damaging a part removing it or reinstalling it.

If you use the glass jar then cleaning is about the same except you will want to run a pipe cleaner or brush down the plastic siphon tube in the jar to clean it out, and then wipe the inside of the glass jar with a paper towel or rag.

Mike

i'm with mikey on this one, i buy lacquer thinner by the gallon at the LHS. it no respector of chemicals, it will clean anything!!!LOL i even use a mixture that i came up with for thinning enamels for general spray, and it makes a silky smooth finish. you know how you thinn flat black and it always seems to try to spray kinda grainy? well, i mix a 50/50 ratio of mineral spirits and lacquer thinner, then i add a few drops of Penetrol, which is a additive for oil base house paint. lacquer thinner by itself is too "hot" to thing with, but i love how it cuts enamel model paints. so the mineral spirits and penetrol mixed with lacquer thinner retards the evaporation properties of lacquer thinner, and gives it a oilly/silkyness that pretty impressive. i thin my enamels 50/50 with this mixture, and it really works well for me. later.

you guys amaze me... not only do I get what I want but once again more ideas!!! hmmm think I am feeling a little sick today better call in from work.. ::cough cough:: I feel some painting coming up!

I was wanting a zero q-tip and zero paper towel cleanup. These chemicals we're talking about are strong enough to be able to do this without q-tips and paper towels. You just need a brush that won't get eaten up by the chemicals. I have been using PPG lacquer thinner and Klean Strip Turpatine with Butler GUM Proxabrushes. There is no damage to the proxabrushes by those chemicals. These brushes clean up & dry out good as new.

I don't know if dabbers will perform like this. They look like the bristles are the same material as the proxabrushes, but they have plastic cores.