What's *your* color change cleaning proceedure?

I use a Badger 150 double action siphon feed and acrylics, so your results may be different.

I use Windex (actually a generic ammonia based window cleaner, MUCH cheaper than Windex) to flush through the AB into a waste container, then follow up with a shot of distilled water, also into the waste container. I re-use windshield washer containers for my waste.

Since my AB is a siphon feed, I can use different bottles or paint cups for each colour. I pre-clean the cups while it's still attached by pouring cleaner into them and squirting that into my waste container, and do a full clean and dry routine when I'm finished. If I'm going to be doing multiple colours, I fill a old sour cream container or bowl with water with a bit of cleaner mixed in for temporary storage until I'm finished. That keeps the paint from drying out in the siphon tube. I use moistened cotton swabs to wipe out the connection to get out any remaining paint and/or cleaner, and also to clean up the nozzle cup (retracting the needle first!).

I don't use filtered water, only distilled, I live in a hard water area and am concerned about mineral buildup inside the AB. If you live in a soft water area, or have a water softener you should be fine. If you notice a whitish buildup on your taps and tubs, use distilled! Brita's are good for bacteria, but don't catch the calcium! Distilled water is relatively cheap, and fairly easy to make yourself (boil a large container of water, let cool for two days without disturbing, then siphon, never pour!, all but the bottom 1-2". This removes most sediments). Since a gallon jug lasts me about a month, and costs less than $2, I just buy the stuff! I can then spray the next color. I use the exact same method to store, and add removing the needle and wiping it down with the cleaner, then smearing with Medea Super Lube (or your favorite needle lube!), before re-assembly for storage.

I never put thinned paint back into the original paint container. I always thin my paints, and am starting to figure out the coverage required so that there is little or no waste. I use a leftover paint bottle to store bulk thinned or mixed paint in, and the little bit that is left over gets squirted into the waste container.

I use Iwata gravity feed ABs, so all I do is dump the unused paint back into the paint jars and fill the color cup with Windex and spray that out (i paint w/acrylics). I'll turn up the compressor to 40-50 psi or so to get more pressure as I spray out the windex into a terry cloth. then it's on to the next color. I've seen people just switch colors without cleaning which I guess is okay too. but i would be a little worried if I was switching from a dark color to a light color.

Oh this is perfect information, thank you so much. Great idea using the old wiper fluid jug as a waste container.

Also, I didn't even think of getting extra siphon cups. I also didn't realize you could just submerge the cups into a cleaner while you're waiting. I think I'll order some extra cups and a pressure regulator. I've often wondered where to get distilled water too.

Thanks a lot, guys.

distilled water can be found at your local supermarket next to the "regular" bottled water.

A friend gave me an old Badger 150 and a bunch of bottles and colour cups. They were absolutely in awful condition. Covered in goodness knows what kind of paint. Couldn't get the lids of the bottles. I chucked them in a box and forgot about them, for a while.

Then I needed an additional bottle. I had mixed up waaaay too much zinc chromate green. Knowing that I would use it again in the future I needed to get a hold of another bottle to fit my AB. Out came the box of old bottles. I placed them upside down in a tray of pure Windex and let them soak for about ten minutes. To my pleasure and surprise the lids came right off, along with a whack of the old paint. I filled a large bowl with more Windex and chucked the lot in over night. Now I have about a half dozen bottles and three colour cups to play with.

You're quite welcome, it is only my way of "paying it forward" as I have received ALL my knowledge of airbrushing from threads like this!

Now get out there and start squirting paint! Those old wiper fluid containers, and old milk jugs, make perfect practice targets. You'll be surprised at how quickly your skill improves!

I have a bottle (I use a syphon feed) with a 50-50 mixture of windex & water. I spray until it's clear.

QUOTE: Then I'd dump the rest of the color back into the paint jar (just tilting the brush),

i agree with Bgrigg. never place used paint inside your original container. you'll just contaminate it. and i personally do not use my thinned paint again either. it wont have the same effect as the original mixture.

QUOTE: i agree with Bgrigg. never place used paint inside your original container. you'll just contaminate it. and i personally do not use my thinned paint again either. it wont have the same effect as the original mixture.

I disagree with you guys, but it's just personal preference. Paint in the paint cup or bottle isn't "Used" it's just been in a clean paint cup or bottle. I have no problem whatsoever with pouring it back in the bottle. Likewise, I frequently thin a lot of paint at once, if it is something I plan to use a lot of, and keep it. It will keep for months, and if I use some of that pre-thinned paint I have no reservations about pouring the excess back in the bottle either.

Scott, I think you're misunderstanding me! Just about everything I've learned about air brushing I've learned from you!!

If I don't thin the paint, then yeah, I'll pour it back in. As you say it's just another clean container. But I don't put paint I've thinned back into unthinned paint. I'm trying to keep that paint in a pristine state so I know what to expect from it.

I do store thinned paints in their own containers (like that zinc chromate I mentioned), and I would have no hesitation in putting excess thinned paint back into the thinned paint container, but I don't want to mix the two together.

Since I use Tamiya acrylics, almost exclusively, there are a few colours I have to mix to get the right shade. That paint is either stored on it's own, or the leftovers get dumped into the waste container. I'm getting much better at mixing "just enough" so there is little waste paint nowadays. The inside of my spray booth is taking on an "interesting" patina.

I do spray the Tamiya white and yellows straight out of the bottles, in the hope of getting decent coverage, alas it still doesn't work without multiple coats. That paint I cheerfully return to the original bottle! I've been eyeing a bottle of Floquil Reefer White at the LHS, but it's a giant bottle, is fairly expensive, and I don't use that much white. Mostly the yellows are used for highlights in the cockpits, and I've found that I can put a dab on an old CD (those infamous AOL ones) and let it air thicken a bit before I use it. That's no good for larger areas, but works great for a switch!

Ah! OK, now I understand. I do agree with that, thinned paint should not be put back in the bottle with unthinned paint. Sorry I misunderstood, Bill.

Hint: For yellow try Citadel / Games Workshop. It actually sprays and covers decently without an act of Congress. The only way I've ever gotten Tamiya yellow to spray is to thin it nearly 1:1 and then spray about a dozen coats.

De nada! There are limitations to forums. Inflection is gone entirely, and without doing extra coding it's hard to differentiate from this or that. It's a good thing I can type fast.

Sadly Citadel/Games Workshop isn't available locally. I can order some online, but for the most part I'm happy with the results Tamiya gives me. There isn't a great need for large amounts of yellow on WW2 aircraft anyway!

@Bgrigg: - Citadel/GW might not be available locally (and probably Vallejo or Reaper Master Series as well) but all three of those lines have a yellow that really does cover really well. I don't know if you ever do online or mail order for kits, but that would be one way to get them. I'd recommend ordering from sentrybox.in Calgary. http://www.sentrybox.com/

It really depends how often you're spraying yellow and in what quantity. If you've got something that's entirely yellow, it might be worth ordering some in.

Hey Nathanial, thanks for the link. Always good to have another online store, especially a fairly close one!

As I mentioned I haven't a great requirement for spraying lots of yellow, but ya never know!

me too scott, meant the same thing as bill, about not mixing used or thinned paint into the unthinned paint or original mixture..
but about me re-using the thinned paint.. it's like this,about a month ago.. i had a bad experience, i tried to re-touch a part on my un-weathered model(it was unfinished and the basecoat was all that was on the model), but then the original color did not match my re-used paint.. i dunno maybe something went wrong during my cleanup or something. but since then i never re-used my paint. but maybe i made up my mind too soon. i'll try it again next time. you, Gip and Swanny have been the best teachers i've had! thanks a lot

Such an outpouring of support (just don't pour your support back into the original container if its been thinned), it's wonderful.

I think I'm nearly good to go with airbrushing models. I still gotta find the model number of the siphon cup on my revolution tr2 so I can get a couple extras. I can't believe it doesn't say it on the manual sheet *shrug* I'm going to get a regulator eventually too. But I did get a crappy clearance model (a hum-v) to practice on. I should make a complete mess out of it!

/off to the store for some distilled water, windex, and future floor polish.

Regulators can be cheap inexpensive. I paid $10CDN for mine, works good, though I have no way of knowing if the guage is accurate! You'll definitely want to get one before you start spraying in earnest. Spraying at full strength is not recommended.

The TR2 is a gravity feed and I don't believe you can change the cups, at least easily, or cheaply. It's integral with the main body of the AB. Here is a link for parts...

http://www.iwata-medea.com/products/airbrush/revolution/tr2_parts.jsp

You'll have to become proficient at cleaning, I'm afraid!

I use a siphon feed Badger 150, I can attach different size bottles and a 1/4 oz color cup.

I picked up a vinyl hose to replace the braided (and ancient) hose I had. Amazingly light in comparision. Recommended!

Actually the Revolution TR-2 is a siphon feed. It attaches to the side and is removable:

http://www.iwata-medea.com/products/airbrush/revolution/tr2_info.jsp

It's a pretty new brush and I kind of wish they didn't stick it in the revolution product line because it's making it difficult to find parts for it. Also, it's a lot more expensive than the other revolution brushes, which they market for value and it kind of irritates the snob in me. (TR2 is about $230, the CR is about $80)


Also, how come brushing at full pressure isn't recommended? I don't, I just follwed the directions on the d500 where it said to connect the bleeder valve and twist the nut a 1/2 turn, I'm just curious. I have no idea what psi "a half turn" is though...

Ah well, live and learn! My admittingly scant research didn't show that model. Odd how I expected a link with the words "revolution" and "tr2_parts" to actually show parts for the Revolution TR2 model. My bad!!

Spraying at full pressure isn't bad for the airbrush, it's how I spray the cleaner through, but it does have a tendency to move the paint about, not to mention the actual substance being painted! Imagine painting while standing in a wind storm!

QUOTE: Originally posted by Bgrigg Ah well, live and learn! My admittingly scant research didn't show that model. Odd how I expected a link with the words "revolution" and "tr2_parts" to actually show parts for the Revolution TR2 model. My bad!!

See?? Exactly my problem. I look for parts for my brush and I get the other revolution brushes. humbug

QUOTE: Spraying at full pressure isn't bad for the airbrush, it's how I spray the cleaner through, but it does have a tendency to move the paint about, not to mention the actual substance being painted! Imagine painting while standing in a wind storm!

Ooohhhhh. Yeah I can dig where that could be an issue for when a only a light breeze will do.

Ah, well, now I'm getting irritated! I'm thinking you might have to phone Iwata and ask them for the stupid part number! Tell them you should get one for free just because of the frustrations experienced by you, and more importantly ME! LOL

By the way, a the PSI of a 1/2 turn is approximately equivilent to twice the PSI of a 1/4 turn. No need to thank me! Just trying to help!

Haa! Freak!