The Error of My Ways...

I let acrylic paint dry in my Badger airbrush (don't ask) and found that straight acetone does the job quite nicely. It's pretty nasty stuff, so I poured about a pint of it into a disposable pie tin, disassembled the AB and left the metal parts to soak in it for a few hours. Much of the acetone evaporated in that time and after I rinsed it all off with soap & water it was as good as new. I would not use acetone indoors, and I would not get it anywhere near a flame. You can get a quart of it at your local hardware store for a few dollars.

Sorry there, I sounded a little "tart" !!

What I refereed to is that each brush I have (4) gets on better with a differing mix.

I use mainly Lifecolour (the best !!) and the Iwata's likes a differing mix than the Aztec's or the Rich-Pen ??????

Also, the cleaning regime is also different. I blow thru window cleaner for the Iwata;s but use less Iso on the Aztecs ????

The mix seems to respond better when I put more Iso (just a touch with Lifecolour, maybe 5% ) for the Aztecs but the Iwata's and the Rich-Pen hates it ??

Who knows ??? but I do know you have to practice and change regimes with airbrushes until you catch the correct one....what fun eg ?? :)

AJ

I've used an Aztec for ages and it does exactly what I want it to do. For what it cost compared to others, it's fine.
The tips can be taken apart if you are careful. I usually do it every so often.

Go to the painting forum and search for the word "Aztek". You wil find lots and lots and lots of posts from people with the same problem and ways to take care of it. I've never owned an Aztek but from what I understand the problem is in the tip and soaking it overnight usually clears it up.

As to having the same problem with other brands, not gonna happen. Sure they will plug up if you let paint dry in them but normally all they require is some thinner blown through them to clear them out. I've been using Badgers for about 15 years and have yet to regret that decision.

If the tip is hopelessly clogged - and if it has not been cleaned in a couple of weeks, it may well be - you will find they are pretty cheap to replace. I like the Aztek for general modeling use, but airbrush brands tend to lend themselves to almost religious furor when debating their merits LOL.

I clean mine by running thinner through when I am done spraying each color, or if I will be setting it down for some time. At the end of my model session, I pop the tip off and t throw it in a bottle of laquer thinner (if spray solvent based paints) or in a cheapee ultrasonic cleaner I got from Harbor Freight for acrylics. I Q-Tip will clean the rest of the brush nicely, and when the head gets dirty, I strip most of it off and use the stub to clean the entry hole for the paint.

Kurt

Thanks!

You should only need to take the tip off (thats OK BTW) and soak it in cleaner,

In this case I think you would have trouble with any other brush. If your clogging an Astex you WILL clog better brushes. It might be a good time to address your thinning and cleaning methods.

Sorry to be harsh :)


AJ