Question for MikeV (or anyone!) on the Omni 4000

Hi Mark.

I just typed this cleaning procedure in Microsoft Word and saved it so I can have it for future reference.
Cleaning a gravity-feed airbrush
I like to spray out the airbrush at higher pressures and use 50 psi myself, but if yours only puts out 20-30 then just use as much pressure as you can.

Dump the excess paint out and wipe the cup with a paper towel or rag.
Fill the cup about ½-¾ of the way with cleaner and then take an old paintbrush and wipe around inside the cup and down in the bottom of the cup around the needle with it to break loose the paint particles. Just dab it into the needle area in the bottom of the cup and it cleans very well.
I like a flat paintbrush about 3/8” wide, but you can use what you want. Just make sure the paintbrush is not one of those real cheap ones that the hairs fall out of, as you don’t want the hair getting into the airbrush and possibly causing problems down the road.

After that, spray the cleaner out of the airbrush.
You can now look into the cup to see how well you cleaned it.
If you see paint particles around the needle and bottom of the cup still, then add a few drops of cleaner to the cup and dab the paintbrush into that area to break it loose, and fill the cup up about ½ way again with cleaner, wipe around in the cup with the paintbrush again and spray that out.
Wipe the inside of the cup with a soft rag or paper towel to clean any paint on the sides of the cup that may still be there. An old cotton T-shirt works good for this.
If you still see any residual paint particles, then once again dab the paintbrush around inside the cup with a few drops of cleaner in the bottom of the cup.

Fill the cup halfway with cleaner once more and hold a rag over the end of the airbrush to stop air from coming out of the tip. Push down on the trigger and pull back slowly and you will bubbles in the color cup as you are back flushing the airbrush. If you use high pressures to clean like I do then be careful doing this because if you have lacquer or other toxic cleaners in the cup and you pull the trigger back too far, it can shoot the cleaner up out of the cup and possibly into your eyes. That is why I say to pull the trigger back slowly until you get a pretty good amount of bubbles coming back into the cup. Do this for maybe 5 seconds or so and then look to see if any paint particles have appeared in the cup. Sometimes you will see paint particles, and sometimes you don’t, but I mention this just to let you see that back flushing can clean areas that just spraying out the airbrush can sometimes miss.
If there were very little paint particles in the cup from back flushing, then spray that cleaner out, fill the cup about ¼ way once more with cleaner and spray that out.

Now fill the cup ¾ of the way with filtered or distilled water and spray that all out.
You can fill it about ½ way once more if you like and spray that out also.
Some people like to then just spray air through the airbrush for several seconds to dry out the insides, but that is up to you. Sometimes I do it and sometimes I don’t.
Now wipe the inside of the cup out with a rag, wipe any paint off the outside of the airbrush and you are done.

About every 3 or 4 times of using the airbrush I will take the needle out after cleaning the airbrush and wipe it off with a rag with some thinner on it to get any paint that may have not gotten cleaned quite well enough in previous cleanings. I then apply Badger Needle Juice or Medea Super Lube to the needle to help eliminate tip dry and keep paint from adhering to the needle. I also like a drop on the trigger to make it smoother as well as putting a drop on my finger and rubbing it around inside the color cup to make paint removal easier when cleaning.
These two products do not affect paint at all and are safe with enamels, lacquers, acrylics, and urethanes.

Every airbrush expert I know does not recommend disassembly to clean it each time and I agree.
Disassembling the airbrush each time is not necessary and I don’t personally recommend it because the potential of damaging the needle, tip, needle bearing, and other parts increases each time you take it apart. Some people feel it is better to take it apart each time and give it a thorough cleaning, and you have to make that decision yourself.

I hope this is helpful

Mike

QUOTE: Also, again remembering that this is my first time with a double-action, am I right in assuming that you press down fully on the trigger and hold down it down, and that all (and the only) control of the spray is by pulling back on the trigger (does any of what I'm describing make sense)?

Yes, the air control from the trigger is only intended to be on/off, but you do adjust output pressure from a regulator.

Thanks for adding that David.

Mike

Mike and David,

Thank you both very much for the prompt and comprehensive replies! Mike, I took the liberty of printing out your cleaning procedure for future reference; hope you don't mind!

I do have the Paasche D500 air compressor, which only goes up to about 22 PSI. It suffices for now, and I have a regulator and water trap, the former allowing me adjust the pressure (obviously!). I realize it will take some practice to obtain those thin lines that are possible with the Omni.

Again, thanks to both of you!

Mark

Unless youre like me you can control the airflow throw the trigger!!! (actually I cant I just like saying that to mike)
I look at it this way bro, if ya can mix the paint in the cup of a gravity ab you can clean it it to by getting down in there. Dont break down your brush often... though you will till you get used to your paints then it'll get regular. Respect the needle... its what makes the ab... regardless of the nozzle. Just take the appropiete cleaner to what youre spraying and fill the cup in between colors and when your done. When you finish for the day clean as normal and pull the needle out and clean it. Loosen the tip and nozzle til you use it again.

Mark, like you I started with a Badger 200, then moved up to the Omni4000, and the method I use for cleaning the AB is as follows.

Rinse out any paint in the cup.

I then spray in a shot of spray on window cleaner, and spay that through neat.

I then add a little water, spray, and then back flush. Not sure if you are supposed to back flush, but I've never had any issues, and it seems to clean the needle and cup.

Then I just rinse with clean water, and dry the AB off.

As you might have guessed I only spray acrylics.

Karl

for me, I just disconnect the air, whip out the needle, wipe down with mild lacquer thinner, remove aircap[s], wipe down, inject water thru it using a pipette, reattach the air, blackflush a little to clean it a bit, re-install everything, whip needle back in. takes about a minute, max. this is a badger 155 anthem, btw

Thanks for the additional replies, woodbeck3, Karl, and 1337! I appreciate the information.

Mark

I'm in the same boat here, new to the 4000 graduated from the 200. Pardon the ignorance, but I'm not sure if I got the answer to his question about flow control. It is my understanding that paint flow can only be controlled by the trigger? There are no adjustments to the needle itslelf like a 200 or Aztek?

QUOTE: Originally posted by Stugeorge633 It is my understanding that paint flow can only be controlled by the trigger? There are no adjustments to the needle itslelf like a 200 or Aztek?

That is true. The more you pull the trigger back, the more paint it puts out.

Mike

QUOTE: That is true. The more you pull the trigger back, the more paint it puts out.

The 200 is a single action brush. The 4000 is a double action brush. What Mike just described and the question you asked are what define the differences between single action and double action. The SA trigger only does one thing, it controls the air. The DA trigger controls the air and the paint.

You can tighten the needle back farther than the needle's default/relaxed trigger state to where it will let paint out without pulling back on the trigger. You can then just push the air trigger & paint comes out like a single action. It's not as easy to do that with these Omni's as it is with airbrushes like the 200, Paasche V's and others which have built-in adjustments for that purpose.

I'll be practicing all this in hopes of obtaining those thin lines that I've seen accomplished with DA airbrushes. Unfortunately, I recently discovered that airbrush needle tips and concrete floors don't mix, especially when taking Newton's law of gravity into consideration.

Sooooo, while I'm waiting for a replacement needle to arrive in the mail (well, make that TWO replacement needles, for insurance, along with an airbrush holder), I've resorted to using my trusty Badger 200. I've also learned that it's nice to have a backup airbrush around, just in case!

Mark

I was gonna order some online parts to restore an older airbrush that I just got for $23. I went to Dick Blick, and they sure did have an awesome stock of Badger, Paasche and Iwata parts. Hobbytown USA seems to keep loads of Badger and at least Paasche VL and H stuff in stock. I'm just talking about these franchises because they might have similar stock over there in California.

hey i just got my anthem and found this post and was just wondering what back flushing is and how do i do it coz i think that im not cleaning my ab properly...

While spraying thinner through your airbrush to clean it, put your finger over the tip. This will cause thinner to blow back through the paint and air passages and flush them out. Be careful when doing this because thinner can blow out of the paint cup.

and always use the siphon BOTTLE for it

QUOTE: Originally posted by MusicCity While spraying thinner through your airbrush to clean it, put your finger over the tip. This will cause thinner to blow back through the paint and air passages and flush them out. Be careful when doing this because thinner can blow out of the paint cup.

I would suggest a rag over the end of the Anthem as the needle is exposed. Ouch!

Mike

might I suggest that you just loosten the chuck and pull the needle back about 3 mm. problem solved.