Airbrush Cleaning Advice

Baker7Zero

Double Actioner
So a n00b question regarding cleaning my Iwata HP-CS once I am done using it. There seems to be a myriad of advice that is contradictory and a bit confusing: some suggest to breakdown the airbrush all the way at the end of a paint session and pull the needle through the front. Others advise pulling it from the end. Yet others suggest to flush the airbrush with a cleaning solution (paint cup worth) and call it a night.

What method do you use and why?

Appreciate the help!
 
All I do is flush mine through with water, then some water/isopropyl alcohol mix then some water again. Pull the needle from out the back and wipe clean with iso water mix on a cloth and put it back. I only strip down if there's a bad issue.
 
All I do is flush mine through with water, then some water/isopropyl alcohol mix then some water again. Pull the needle from out the back and wipe clean with iso water mix on a cloth and put it back. I only strip down if there's a bad issue.
thank you. would you do the same process if you sprayed varnish through it?
 
dump any paint in the cup, flush through with appropriate thinner/solvent /reducer for the paint you are using until everything sprays cleanISH.
Pull needle (out the back for me) wipe, spray appropriate thinner/solvent/reducer through the brush without the needle, flush with water,
reinsert the needle, flush everything again end with a good flush of water. retract the needle a little to allow nozzle to dry completely and store until next paint session
 
I would use whatever solvents were recommended specifically for the varnish and once clean flush through with water.
 
I break mine down fully . First I flush the cup with airbrush cleaner till the cup is clean. Then I fill the cup with water and loosen the Chuck nut on the needle and use my fingers to pull slightly in and out to loosen paint that has coated the back of the needle and packing barring. You will notice more paint will start coming back in the cup. Once it is clear water in the cup I pull the needle completely out and disassemble the head and nozzle. I then clean with a dental pick brush with water and a airbrush cleaning brush that fits though the entire body past the packing baring. Then I flush with water. Next I clean the nozzle with the dental pick brush and a fine tip paint brush in case there is any dried pieces of paint hiding in there. Lastly I use a squeeze bottle of water to give a quick flush through the nozzle. After that I re assemble the brush. If you do this you will never have an issue with the brush.


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I find an ultrasonic cleaner also helps. It gets paint out of the hard to get to places, especially if you use it right when you get done painting for the day, before the paint has time to cure. You just need to be careful with harsher cleaning agents that you don't put any parts with rubber o-rings in it.
 
I find an ultrasonic cleaner also helps. It gets paint out of the hard to get to places, especially if you use it right when you get done painting for the day, before the paint has time to cure. You just need to be careful with harsher cleaning agents that you don't put any parts with rubber o-rings in it.
Karl you need to be careful totally submerging the brush. If you get moisture reaped in the air chamber you could have a disaster when spraying paint.


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IMO it depends on how confident you are in your cleaning methods.

For a lot of years I did the full tear-down after each use. This was because my first brush (a Paasche VL) had nooks and crannies in the paint path that would never come clear from flushing alone. Plus I used it for a variety of different paint types: enamel, acrylic, lacquer, etc., and that necessitates full cleaning to prevent cross-contamination.

When I first got my HP-CS, I carried that habit over. I eventually dialed it back to mostly only flush cleaning it between most uses. This wasn't because of laziness, but just because I'd gotten enough experience to know how to flush-clean it well enough.

I still do a tear-down cleaning every 5-10 sessions, or if I'm switching paint types, or if I'm not expecting to use the brush again very soon. I only remove the head/nozzle as part of a tear-down, or if I suspect there's something stuck to the inside. I don't soak anything unless I have reason to think I've got something gunked in there hard, which has gotten rarer and rarer as I got more experience with general maintenance (this includes better painting habits to prevent clogs and bad paint or bad paint/solvent combos).

THAT SAID, there is one extra trick/step that I do when flush-cleaning that others apparently don't, but I consider essential. The one big place in the HP-CS where paint can lodge where flushing won't get it out, but it can still contaminate subsequent colors, is the needle passage between the packing and the cup. If you don't get that sufficiently clear, it'll seep the previous color into the new paint in the cup. The way I address this during flush cleaning is by filling the cup with solvent, then sticking a pipette into the cup so the end is touching the needle right where it enters that back passage, and pump a few times. This blasts fluid perpendicularly across the opening, creating a Venturi effect that cycles fluid through that back channel. Clears it out quick & easily without having to take anything apart.

I generally prefer to remove needles from the front if I'm cleaning immediately after a paint session. This is because I've observed that even with a good packing seal, the needle will still drag a little bit of wet paint with it into/through the back of the brush. However, if I'm removing the needle when the inside of the brush is clean and dry, then I'll remove it through the back.
 
This video is also what I do. Ive had my HP-CS coming on 3 years now and have zero problems.
There will always be conflicting advice, just because folks are different. doesn’t make somebody right or wrong.
Ultimately it doesn’t matter if the needle comes out the front or the rear of the brush as long as it comes out and has a wipe down.


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dump any paint in the cup, flush through with appropriate thinner/solvent /reducer for the paint you are using until everything sprays cleanISH.
Pull needle (out the back for me) wipe, spray appropriate thinner/solvent/reducer through the brush without the needle, flush with water,
reinsert the needle, flush everything again end with a good flush of water. retract the needle a little to allow nozzle to dry completely and store until next paint session
Interesting - what is the purpose of spraying cleaner through without a needle?
 
This video is also what I do. Ive had my HP-CS coming on 3 years now and have zero problems.
There will always be conflicting advice, just because folks are different. doesn’t make somebody right or wrong.
Ultimately it doesn’t matter if the needle comes out the front or the rear of the brush as long as it comes out and has a wipe down.


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appreciate it, thank you
 
IMO it depends on how confident you are in your cleaning methods.

For a lot of years I did the full tear-down after each use. This was because my first brush (a Paasche VL) had nooks and crannies in the paint path that would never come clear from flushing alone. Plus I used it for a variety of different paint types: enamel, acrylic, lacquer, etc., and that necessitates full cleaning to prevent cross-contamination.

When I first got my HP-CS, I carried that habit over. I eventually dialed it back to mostly only flush cleaning it between most uses. This wasn't because of laziness, but just because I'd gotten enough experience to know how to flush-clean it well enough.

I still do a tear-down cleaning every 5-10 sessions, or if I'm switching paint types, or if I'm not expecting to use the brush again very soon. I only remove the head/nozzle as part of a tear-down, or if I suspect there's something stuck to the inside. I don't soak anything unless I have reason to think I've got something gunked in there hard, which has gotten rarer and rarer as I got more experience with general maintenance (this includes better painting habits to prevent clogs and bad paint or bad paint/solvent combos).

THAT SAID, there is one extra trick/step that I do when flush-cleaning that others apparently don't, but I consider essential. The one big place in the HP-CS where paint can lodge where flushing won't get it out, but it can still contaminate subsequent colors, is the needle passage between the packing and the cup. If you don't get that sufficiently clear, it'll seep the previous color into the new paint in the cup. The way I address this during flush cleaning is by filling the cup with solvent, then sticking a pipette into the cup so the end is touching the needle right where it enters that back passage, and pump a few times. This blasts fluid perpendicularly across the opening, creating a Venturi effect that cycles fluid through that back channel. Clears it out quick & easily without having to take anything apart.

I generally prefer to remove needles from the front if I'm cleaning immediately after a paint session. This is because I've observed that even with a good packing seal, the needle will still drag a little bit of wet paint with it into/through the back of the brush. However, if I'm removing the needle when the inside of the brush is clean and dry, then I'll remove it through the back.


Ok that is really good advice as I noticed that sometimes after I remove, clean, and reinsert the needle, some liquid (often colored) entered the cup as the needle passes the packing. I am assuming that is what you are talking about, so thank you for the tip.
 
I too was a bit puzzled by the myriad advice on cleaning and also have an HP-CS. I've settled on just giving it a bit of a blast through with cleaner and maybe a finger over the end backflush before packing it away. If I'm leaving it out, for instance to continue next day I'll leave a bit of cleaner in the cup.

If it starts giving me grief I do the same but give it a stern sidelong stare.

If that doesn't work I bought a cheap heated ultrasonic bath and give it 30 minutes at 50 degrees stripped down and immersed in plain water with a couple of squirts of cleaner. This brings it up lovely (I mainly use Createx Wicked Paints). Usually I end up doing this every third painting or so.

Standing by for someone to tell me this is terrible practice and I'm doing irreperable damage but I've been doing it for a while with no noticable deterioration in performance of the brush and so far nothing has exploded or burst into flames :thumbsup:
 
I too was a bit puzzled by the myriad advice on cleaning and also have an HP-CS. I've settled on just giving it a bit of a blast through with cleaner and maybe a finger over the end backflush before packing it away. If I'm leaving it out, for instance to continue next day I'll leave a bit of cleaner in the cup.

If it starts giving me grief I do the same but give it a stern sidelong stare.

If that doesn't work I bought a cheap heated ultrasonic bath and give it 30 minutes at 50 degrees stripped down and immersed in plain water with a couple of squirts of cleaner. This brings it up lovely (I mainly use Createx Wicked Paints). Usually I end up doing this every third painting or so.

Standing by for someone to tell me this is terrible practice and I'm doing irreperable damage but I've been doing it for a while with no noticable deterioration in performance of the brush and so far nothing has exploded or burst into flames :thumbsup:
Ha! appreciate the advice, thank you
 
Standing by for someone to tell me this is terrible practice and I'm doing irreperable damage but I've been doing it for a while with no noticable deterioration in performance of the brush and so far nothing has exploded or burst into flames :thumbsup:

I've had two experiments going on for over a year now- the first is AB parts exposed to ammonia (which is supposed to destroy an airbrush). The second is running an airbrush in an ultrasonic cleaner. I have run one in a cleaner every day for more than a year now - trying to create damage, and have yet to find a single sign of damage. I do use a cleaner, rather than just water - the brush has been disassembled, and is removed from the cleaner after the completion of the cleaning cycle.
 
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Ultrasonic cleaners are commonly used for jewelry and other plated items that are much more delicate than airbrushes. It's hard for me to imagine how they might damage the metal parts, at least.

If I had to reach, I'd guess that son-solvent resistant o-rings might degrade faster in an ultrasonic bath filled with the wrong chemical than they would just soaking in the same chemical, but that's about it.

I'd be very interested in hearing the results of your tests with ammonia. I had always heard that ammonia was bad for plating, but I've never actually seen a demonstration one way or the other.
 
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