Airbrushes?

I'm getting back into modeling after an absence of some years. I'm looking to get a double action airbrush which is not a bear to clean. Suggestions? Jim in San Diego

Reply to
jimbol51
Loading thread data ...

This is an urban legend... there is no airbrush that is easy to clean...

I have had two, an Aztec and a Paashe and they are both a pain in the butt. Just part of the hobby, I guess.

Lance

Reply to
Lance Mertz

get a double action airbrush which is not a bear to clean. Suggestions? Jim in San Diego>

I recently bought a Paasche VSR90 from Dixieart, and I absolutely love it. I was using a Paasche VL, which was more or less fine, but I was wasting way too much paint for little projects (bad planning on my part didn't help). The VL is a siphon feed, where the VSR90 is a gravity feed, allowing me to use much less paint for small jobs. As far as cleaning, all need proper care, but siphon feed airbrushes in general are harder and more time consuming to clean properly. Ok, there's my 2¢ worth. Oh, by the way, Dixieart is

formatting link

When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return. --Leonardo Da Vinci EAA # 729686 delete the word spam from email addy

Reply to
TimeTraveler658

I find my Badger 150 easy to clean; about five to ten minutes for a complete breakdown. hth

The Keeper (of too much crap!)

Reply to
Keeper
Reply to
Digital_Cowboy

I started with an Aztec 430 and replaced it after 6 months with a Paasche VL. The Aztec was unreliable and inconsistent; the Paasche is wonderful. I break the VL down after each session and clean it; piece of cake. I can have the thing cleaned and back together in about 5 minutes.

Peace,

Reply to
David E. Young

second the Paasche VL, I love it. Rob Gronovius Modern US armor at

formatting link

Reply to
Rob Gronovius

minutes......My Paasche, I think it'll keep me. Mark Schynert>

I too have a VL, and it's sort of a love/hate relationship. The 'hate' is probably more due to my lack of experience than anything else, but... I saw another post that said cleaning took five minutes...how? It takes me five or more just to get all the paint out of the metal cup and tube, then another ten (at least) to get the body washed out. I've tried blowing thinner through it until it's clear on a paper towel, but if that's all I do, sure as hell it will be locked up tight the next morning. Also, with the VL I waste way too much paint on small jobs. On the flip side, I bought a Paasche VSR90 gravity feed that I like a lot better, because I can use just a drop or two, and there's very little paint loss. Cleaning is a little easier, but getting the paint out of the body cavity is still a chore, and I get the same results as the VL if I just run thinner through it, i.e. residue on the needle and a locked up airbrush. I've even considered spraying carburetor cleaner into it from the nozzle end to clean it, but I doubt the seals will take kindly to that. That also does not address what to do with acrylics. I wish there were something similar to a baby bottle brush that's tiny enough to insert, but would also expand to get into the crooks and nannies.

When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return. --Leonardo Da Vinci EAA # 729686 delete the word spam from email addy

Reply to
TimeTraveler658

Here's some tips on cleaning:

First thing you want to do is EMULSIFY any paint left over in your brush. If you're using acrylics, that means alchohol. If it's enamels, that means turpentine or mineral spirits. If you use something like laquer/cellulose thinner right away you'll cause a colloidal action which leaves clumps in the brush.

You can get an "airline brush" at your pet store for cleaning aquarium air lines that works quite well on airbrushes. Pipe cleaners too. I'm sure there's something usable if you look around.

Spray lacquer thinner through the brush after you think you've cleaned it, you'll get more paint residue out. For a good cleaning, soak the paint inlet/nozzle overnight in lacquer thinner-don't soak the trigger mechanism. hth

The Keeper (of too much crap!)

Reply to
Keeper

Not Vallejo acrylics, alcohol turns them to snot in a heartbeat, so does standard airbrush cleaner with is dilute glycol ether.

Acetone!!!!!

More acetone!

Reply to
Ron

Caveat--this is with just-shot acrylics--on the rare occasions is use oil-based stuff, the time to clean is closer to ten minutes:

[1] Strip down everything but the two parts of the exterior nozzle and the trigger--the trigger only needs to be cleaned occasionally, and it will take five minutes just to get it back in place. [2] Rinse out everything in tap water. [3] Use cotton swabs with Diosol to access every possible orifice of the pieces as best one can. Follow up with a Diosol-wet toothpick tip if need be. [4] Dip the back shank end of an expended needle in the Diosol and run it backwards through the needle passage, wiping clean and repeating, until no paint residue shows. [5] Jigger the sharp tip of the same expended needle inside the interior nozzle, pushing any remaining debris through the front hole. [6] Reassemble.

This will only work so fast if you regularly spend that five minutes to clean the brush, right after the completion of a painting session. Let it sit, and you're facing 20-30 minutes worth of painstaking cleaning, which may even require removal of the shank nut, base spring and the little rubber/plastic washer. My Paasche has taught me to clean it immediately, since the alternative was usually wasting all that time at the start of a modeling session.

Mark Schynert

Reply to
Mark Schynert

Yes, that's right. Sorry, I neglected to mention I paint exclusively with acrylics. And yes, I faithfully clean just after each session. Without fail.

Cheers, David.

Reply to
David E. Young

acrylics. And yes, I faithfully clean just after each session. Without fail. Cheers, David.>

How do you clean it when it will sit overnight or longer? Do you have a quick tip for getting all the paint out of the body cavity? As I said before, just filling the cup with thinnner (mineral spirits or alcohol depending on the paint) and running that through doesn't get it all out, and it will lay in the back of the cavity by the front seal. If it dries that way I'm somewhat screwed, because I don't like the idea of pushing the needle out the front. I'm afraid the ridges on the back end of the needle will tear the seals. I'm trying to figure out a way to spray alcohol or mineral spirits into the nozzle end to wash it all out, but haven't come up with anything.

When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return. --Leonardo Da Vinci EAA # 729686 delete the word spam from email addy

Reply to
TimeTraveler658

Reply to
hotel2600

12h in a mix 50% alcohol-50% ammonia. That will dissolve most acrylic paints. If this fails, soak overnight in cellulose thinner. But te best method is still not to leave it sit overnight with acrylic paint inside.
Reply to
Serge D. Grun

If this fails, soak overnight in cellulose thinner. But te best method is still not to leave it sit overnight with acrylic paint inside.>

Yea, I realize that, but my question still remains, how do you get it all out of the cavity in the body when you're done spraying, and are putting it up for the night or longer? As I said, just running a paint cup full of thinner through it doesn't get it out.

When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return. --Leonardo Da Vinci EAA # 729686 delete the word spam from email addy

Reply to
TimeTraveler658

I have an Iwata HP-C and an old brush. I empty the unused paint from the cup, then wipe with a piece of tissue to remove most of the free paint. Fill the paint cup with thinners, swill it round a bit, then put the brush into the recess in the cup and clean out the paint. Empty and repeat as required. After that, a small drop of glycerine on the needle, work the needle a little to lubricate the seals, and box it up. Takes 5 mins at most. Every so often (or as required), a full strip and clean is good to do, but I figure that the less you take it to pieces, the less chance of damage there is.

RobG

Reply to
Rob Grinberg

With an old paintbrush and a pipe cleaner.

Reply to
Serge D. Grun

I have a big stock of pipe cleaners and use them. They're perfect.

dey

Reply to
David Young

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.