Advice for an Easy to clean Airbrush

[Mattilacken]

Hi all!

i have a question for the experienced builders out there. I need to buy me self a new airbrush willing to spend about $150 on one, maybe more if needed.

I am looking for a airbrush that’s fairly easy to clean out after the job is done. My experience is My cheap one which is hard to clean since the slot below the paint bowl is awkwardly shaped. And I fel that the Aztek I have is even worse. 
 

I also want to be able to do details but mostly body work and parts. 
 

Any tips is very welcome!

i have seen the mega thread for airbrush here but since I have adhd I have a hard time going trough it.. 
 

/Anton

 

[peteski]

The answer might depend on what paints you use.

I use old-school (stinky) paints, and never had any problems cleaning my Badger airbrushes.  Immediately when I'm done painting I just spray 3 or 4 doses of lacquer thinner.  Each one gets progressively cleaner. On the last batch I put a piece of paper towel in front of the nozzle (well, against it) so the lacquer thinner backwashes and cleans out the outside of the nozzle.  About once a year I do a full disassembly for a thorough cleaning. But even then there is a very thin film of paint residue on the internal parts.

The important thing is to do the cleaning right after finishing painting. If you let the airbrush sit for a while (and clean it after an hour or tomorrow), the lacquer thinner flush will not work.

If you use water-based paints then I heard those are more difficult to clean out (but I can't offer any advice on those).

Edited November 3, 2020 by peteski

[Rodent]

The only airbrush I have ever owned is the Paasche H that I have had for probably 35 years. Like Pete, I use "stinky" paints and employ a similar method of cleaning it. It is simple to remove the nozzle and needle to soak in acetone for a deeper cleaning. I have probably shot acrylic through it at one time, but I don't remember it being an issue for cleaning.

It's a single action, which I prefer for getting the paint on the body evenly with little effort. I can't offer any advice for a dual action if that is what you want.

[NOBLNG]

I too have a Paasche H and love it! It is very easy to clean being single action external mix. I have an Iwata eclipse that I bought previously, but have not picked it up since getting the Paasche. 

[Mattilacken]

Thanks for al the input guys! I was thinking of a dual action.

Do i have a reason to not use a double action?

I will look if i seem to find any of the ones you mention here in sweden.

Any one that have experience with Sparmax, Evolution or Iwata, they are 3 brands my hoby stores sells? 

 

I mostly shoot acrylics and then i will use Zero products which is laquer. I will try that cleaning tecnique, tried something similar yesterday but the brush i have have a 10mm slot bellow the bowl and makes so the "turbulence" does not clean effectivly in the back. pulled the nedle out and its very dirty from just two sprays.

[peteski]

My airbrushes all have siphon feed with a jar attached on the bottom.

 

I find cups/bowls cumbersome, and they don't hold enough paint for painting many of my models. 

[Steamboat]

I have an old Badger dual-action that I've used for 25 years.  I've shot enamel, nail polish, acrylic and even Future through it. I clean it immediately after use with a q-tip with most of the fibers pulled off. I use the thinner appropriate for the paint when cleaning, and leave the nozzles soaking in lacquer thinner for a few hours before drying them off. 

I used an Aztek twice and threw it away!

[Matt Bacon]

Good point @Mattilacken... I think being able to clean it easily is probably the key feature in an airbrush you’re going to use regularly. Poor cleaning seems to result in more problems than any other cause.

I have an Iwata Eclipse BCS (siphon) and an H&S Evolution Al+. Both are easy to take apart, and most importantly have decent sized nozzles that just pull out — you’re not trying to undo something the size of a grain of rice with a spanner.
After a spraying session, I run some thinner through, then unscrew the cap and remove the nozzle. I then loosen the needle and pull it out through the front, not back through the brush. I dip an old paintbrush in lacquer thinner and put it into the nozzle, until you can see the bristles coming out the top, and twirl it around. Then I put the plastic tube on a can of Liquid Reamer or Badger cleaner over the point of the nozzle (which is easy because they are big enough to get hold of) and send a couple of squirts through the nozzle backwards, which blasts out any crud that’s been loosened by the paintbrush full of lacquer thinner. Finally wipe down the needle with Liquid Reamer on a paper towel, put the nozzle and cap back in place, and reinsert the needle from the back of the brush. Takes less time to do than write or read this!

So, my advice would be buy an airbrush that has a good size nozzle that doesn’t screw in! You can find exploded diagrams of most of the candidates online at spares sites to check, but I can tell you that both the two I name-checked above ARE easy to clean as described...

best,

M.

Edited November 3, 2020 by Matt Bacon

[Mattilacken]

Thanks for al the good tips on good air-brushes! I will proboably go with an Evolotion from H&S since they are availible here. Thanks allot again!

[peteski]

I really don't see a need to take the nozzle apart after each painting session.  The lacquer thinner right after spraying paint does excellent job of flushing the paint out.  Yes, when I take the  airbrush apart (about once a year) there is a very thin dark film on the internal parts. But it is so thin that there is no way it either obstructs the paint passages or flakes off during painting.

[Dave G.]

12 hours ago, peteski said:

I really don't see a need to take the nozzle apart after each painting session.  The lacquer thinner right after spraying paint does excellent job of flushing the paint out.  Yes, when I take the  airbrush apart (about once a year) there is a very thin dark film on the internal parts. But it is so thin that there is no way it either obstructs the paint passages or flakes off during painting.

When I shot solvent paint exclusively I did the same as I always did in 1/1, after shooting lacquer thinner through the brush/gun, I then put a little LT in the jar/cup, unscrewed the tip and dropped it in the thinner for storage till next use. Never had a clog in 1/1 or the Badger 200. Like you, maybe once a year I cleaned the needle or when I wanted to change sizes.

 Acrylic takes more cleaning and I've found for day to day cleaning warm water and a little dish soap followed by alcohol does better than LT alone. But eventually the residue builds up, maybe in a month or two I remove the nozzle for soaking. To soak, LT then works best in an over night soak or acetone second. Acrylic is really a different animal to clean, takes many more flushings and back flushing and some rubbing with an alcohol soaked Q tip in the wings of the air cap and edges of external pieces.. Least that's my experience. When I do pull the needle  there will be harder crust on there with acrylic than solvent paints that I steel wool off with 000... Then I lightly bees wax the needle. Acrylic doesn't dissolve like solvent paint residue. It doesn't residue like solvent paint either, it crusts up. But it's all workable once you come to understand the stuff.

[peteski]

I agree David. That is why in my first reply in this thread I mentioned that my experience is with solvent-based paints and acrylics will likely require a different cleaning technique.  I'm still old-school stinky-paint user (at least with my airbrush).  I use water-based paints for some brush painting and weathering.

[Dave G.]

3 hours ago, peteski said:

I agree David. That is why in my first reply in this thread I mentioned that my experience is with solvent-based paints and acrylics will likely require a different cleaning technique.  I'm still old-school stinky-paint user (at least with my airbrush).  I use water-based paints for some brush painting and weathering.

LOL on the stinky paint ! But ya, I get it. I use both.