A
Airfix Modeller Freak
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Well, not a big problem in terms of o rings with iwata as they only have the packing ring in the centre. That’s how it is with the Iwata Hi Line HP CH
Airbrush cleaning - again!
- Thread starter Gern
- Start date
rtfoe
SMF Supporter
Gee whizz you guys...why is the airbrush so pampered? For the last 37 years my Badger 150 has been functioning well from using artists inks to enamels then to lacquers and finally acrylics following this simple rule of cleaning at every use of each paint spray. Pour remainder paint not used out of the receptical or cup then fill the cup with industrial thinner and stir the contents with a brush, spray half of the contents on full blast while working the trigger back and forth then with the next quarter create blow backs (for the 150 the nozzle cap it has to be unscrewed halfway, for others like the Iwata just place your finger at the tip to block airflow) again work the trigger back and forth. The cup should now fill up with residue from the nozzle...empty this and repeat with fresh industrial thinner until the blow backs don't reveal anymore paint residue. Any paint build up at the nozzle is taken care of with a loaded brush of thinner. It just takes a minute. I do a final spray with a drop of thinner until empty and only air flows out. For the 150 not being a gravity feed but a flow up suction system I invert the airbrush to empty the last bit of thinner. This quick cleaning becomes second nature after a while.
I only break open my airbrushes once a year for thorough cleaning.
My Badger 150 doesn't look pretty on the outside but works the same when I first bought it. I only replaced the trigger once because of my off center trigger motion that wore out the shaft.
Hand brushing is a lot more convenient but it doesn't beat covering large areas and fine feathering like an airbrush does.
Cheers,
Richard
I only break open my airbrushes once a year for thorough cleaning.
My Badger 150 doesn't look pretty on the outside but works the same when I first bought it. I only replaced the trigger once because of my off center trigger motion that wore out the shaft.
Hand brushing is a lot more convenient but it doesn't beat covering large areas and fine feathering like an airbrush does.
Cheers,
Richard
rtfoe
SMF Supporter
I forgot to add...I mix my paints separately before adding to the cup. In my early days I used to transfer the paint to the cup with a thick brush to lessen and pick up of sediments very notorious with enamels. 
Now I don't bother...just blow back when stuck pour away and mix a new batch.
Cheers,
Richard
Now I don't bother...just blow back when stuck pour away and mix a new batch.Cheers,
Richard
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- Jakko
Don’t put them in a glass paint bottle/jar. though. Revell used to sell airbrush-ready paint in glass jars with a ball bearing already in it, and I had two of them break in my hands as I was shaking them. Luckily I didn’t cut myself but having paint suddenly fly everywhere in my hobby room did not exactly improve my mood … After that, each time I opened a new jar, the first thing I did was fish out the ball bearing.
As for cleaning airbrushes: I bought an Aztek precisely because of my dislike for cleaning the things, and the plastic insides of one of those are a lot easier to keep clean than the metal of the Badger 150 I used before. When I’m done spraying, I put clean tap water through it until no more paint comes out, then put it into an ultrasonic cleaner, with a dollop of ultrasonic cleaning fluid in the water, for ten minutes, and finally give all the parts a quick scrub in lukewarm water in the sink, using a pipe cleaner and a toothbrush. (I take the nozzle apart a bit by pulling the outer sleeve from the inner one, something you’re not supposed to do according to Testors, but it makes it easier to get the paint out so I do it anyway.)
Note that I don’t tend to spray enamels, largely because you can’t clean them up with water.
rtfoe
SMF Supporter
Hi Peter, to answer your question...no particular industry but just ordinary thinner from the hardware store. Over here they come in either 420ml bottles or 2litre cans. They're either brands like Swan or Anchor which probably come from the same source basically Solvent T903.Practically used by car paint workshops and building contractors for everything from diluting putty, paints and clean ups. It's strong enough to glue small plastic parts on kits as it can dissolve plastic.
Cheers,
Richard