Do I Need To Disassemble My Airbursh For Cleaning After Every Use?

[shooter55]

I will using it for Dyes only. Is it necessary to do a complete disassembly after each time I use it, or can I spray cleaner through it for a few times and then clean it completely? What should I use for cleaner?

New to airbrushing and don't want to mess anything up. Bought a Badger 155.

Thanks,

Tim

[J Allen]

Generally I remove the dye and spray it till it is clear, cycling the feed until I get little or no color spatter. I then, if water based dyes run clean clear water through at full blast/feed until it is completely clean. Remove the water and cycle again until nothing but air comes out. I then run isopropal alcohol through the same cycle. The alcohol will help remove the water and evaporates quickly.

Generally after a few times of doing this I take it apart and clean it manually. I usually dissemble and soak in alcohol then clean. Allow to dry and then lightly oil and then assemble. Run alot of air through it before re-using it after the oiling so you don't have any oil spatter when you use it again.

If I use oil based then I generally alcohol spray and then clean after 2 or so uses.

Hope that helps.

J.

Edited March 12, 2013 by J Allen

[Cyberthrasher]

Pretty much the above. You will want to run a pipe cleaner into the feed nozzle and clean the tip thoroughly. I find that black is especially bad at building up. There was one time I was being lazy and not paying attention to how well I was cleaning up my black. The next time I pulled the needle it was caked in black dye.

[grittyroots]

be careful if you pull the needele. badgers have a needle bearing that can be damaged really easy. you can also put cleaner in then hold your finger over the nozzle to back flush. then spray without finger to get all the crap out. then follow above. i mainly use acrylics and it builds up fast. good luck

[billymac814]

I've been going about 3-4 years without ever cleaning my airbrush. I dump out the dye and spray until there's nothing coming out and that's it. It is a harbor freight two stage. I always figured it was cheap enough that I didn't have to worry much about it but it keeps on working anyway. When I first got it I was a little better about cleaning it but it became a pain in the butt so I stopped. I don't know if I'd recommend that for an expensive one though.

I have another one that's single stage for finishes and I run some water through it.

[particle]

I usually wipe out the excess with a paper towel, then run some denatured alcohol through it (I use Fiebing's Pro Oil dyes). Once it comes out mostly clear, I spray directly into an old tooth brush and scrub the brush back & forth, up & down over the nozzle as I'm spraying. I'll pour a little more clean denatured alcohol into the bottle and spray it a bit more into a paper towel. That's usually all I do. Every now and then I'll remove the needle and wipe the tip down with the paper towel I just sprayed into.

Be very careful using pipe cleaners - the little fuzzies can come off the pipe cleaner and clog up the internals of the airbrush, and they're VERY difficult to remove. I don't use them anymore, and quit spraying acrylic sealers with my airbrush unless I'll only be using it very quickly and can quickly flush & clean it out to avoid acrylic buildup.

[Cyberthrasher]

I don't use them anymore, and quit spraying acrylic sealers with my airbrush unless I'll only be using it very quickly and can quickly flush & clean it out to avoid acrylic buildup.

That's the key there, and why I've decided that it's a good use for my Harbor Freight now that I have a Paasche. Even at 50/50, resolene can build up pretty quick and needs a good cleaner to get it out of there.

[billymac814]

What I do with the finish is buy the harbor freight airbrush that has about 6 cups with lids with it, its pretty cheap and easy to clean since its a single stage plus if one gets too bad I just toss it and grab a new cup. I don't spray finish very often though, mainly on antiqued items to prevent the resolene from smearing the antique around.

[Cyberthrasher]

What I do with the finish is buy the harbor freight airbrush that has about 6 cups with lids with it, its pretty cheap and easy to clean since its a single stage plus if one gets too bad I just toss it and grab a new cup. I don't spray finish very often though, mainly on antiqued items to prevent the resolene from smearing the antique around.

Those are the external mix ones aren't they? I was thinking about grabbing that setup for that same purpose. My only problem is that there isn't a HF anywhere near me, so I have to order, which makes me feel the need to combine shipping and search for other stuff I "might" need.

[billymac814]

Yes they are external mix, I don't think I'd want to even mess with trying to run resolene through an internal one as that stuff guns everything up.

The harbor freight ones are decent for the money, especially for just spraying dyes and finishes.

[Cyberthrasher]

Yes they are external mix, I don't think I'd want to even mess with trying to run resolene through an internal one as that stuff guns everything up.

The harbor freight ones are decent for the money, especially for just spraying dyes and finishes.

I have the Harbor Freight dual action/internal mix (badger anthem knock-off) and I run Resolene through it all the time. I just have to make sure I run actual airbrush cleaner through it when I'm done - and be sure to back-blow occasionally in the process. But, since it's still a decent airbrush, some external mix cheapies like the one's you're talking about would be a good choice. Then I can have two good coloring airbrushes sitting there ready to go.